I Tried The Best Fake Lashes For Beginners — & This Is My Honest Opinion

Applying fake eyelashes looks so easy when someone else does it, but I've always ended up with DUO Glue stuck to my fingers and half a lash strip clinging on for dear life. Is it just me, or is there a special kind of stress in estimating how hard you can pull on a lash to free it from its plastic casing? And why is it so difficult to seamlessly blend individuals with your natural hairs?

I feel like I'm always in the company of long lashes, and I'm tired of sitting outside the club without so much as a drink passed to me. So, I took matters into my own hands and set out to find the best lashes for beginners. In the process, I learned a lot about myself — and my skin allergies — but emerged with a new appreciation for a well-made strip. From metallic to pre-glued, check out how the six contestants stacked up, ahead.

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Loveseen The Levi

These were the first lashes I tried on, and I really liked them. Sliding them out of their luxurious packaging was a very blue-Tiffany-box moment for me.

The Levi are corner lashes, which means they're only half-strips and create a natural cat-eye shape. I struggled to get the band to seamlessly rest on my lash line and since it's light brown, it was more noticeable against my skin tone.

But I felt really beautiful wearing them — and even snapped a selfie to send to a friend who told me I looked "flirty." I would wear these lashes to Zoom meetings and just try to make the band less noticeable with eyeliner.

Loveseen Levi Lashes, $, available at Loveseen

Eylure Pre-Glued

I have one word to describe these lashes: convenience. I'm not particularly patient when it comes to my beauty routine — if something says it takes 10 minutes, I'll make it in half the time-- so these were right up my alley.

With the glue hassle out of the way, I was able to press these right onto my eyes for a lash look in seconds. And because the band is so thick and dark, it gave me an instant eyeliner look. But, plot twist, its best quality is also its downfall: When I closed my eyes tightly, my lids got stuck together on the bands. Honestly, I marveled at my eyelid strength to pull them apart. Cue Lionel Richie, "Stuck On You."

Eylure Eylure Pre-Glued Volume No. 100, $, available at Glamazon Beauty

KISS Magnetic Lash -01

I wanted to love these lashes, I really did, but the magnets were not cooperating with me. The way these lashes work sounds simple enough: You attach both lashes to the two ends of the tweezers that hold them in place with magnetic attraction. Then, your natural lashes go in between the tweezer clamps and it's supposed to be a 1-2-3 press and boom: a lash sandwich.

As easy as this sounds, this was far from my reality. These lashes refused to magnetize. Two of the magnets came off while I tried to apply them, and there was no way to put them back on unless I tried my hand at glue and we all know how that would turn out.

I appreciated the included curved tweezers for the role they were intended to play, but they refused to close in between my lashes and trying with my fingers proved futile. I opened a new pack to see if the second time was a charm and these are my results. Enjoy.

Kiss Strip Lash - 01 KISS Magnetic Lash, $, available at Kiss

Oh Yours Beauty

These are going-out lashes, period. Or, I guess in today's world that means Virtual Hinge Date lashes.

Because the band is thicker than the other lashes I tried, it was easy to glue them to my lash line without seeing any obvious space between my natural hairs and the strips. These lashes were a little heavier than I like, but the application was smooth and I'd recommend them to anyone looking for an easy-to-apply dramatic look.

Oh Yours Beauty Paris Faux Mink Lashes, $, available at Oh Yours Beauty

D'LASHES LASH IT! KIT

Ms. Dionne Phillips, the creator of D'Lashes lash salon in California, did not come to play with this lash kit, sis! I thought these specific wispies were going to be too bold for my liking, but they made for the low-key, yet noticeable look I always wanted.

I will say that the glue that kept the lashes stuck to the plastic packaging was difficult to get off, and I quickly realized I needed to clean the lashes before applying them otherwise it was very noticeable. Up close, I wish the lash hairs were a bit closer together and looked less sparse, but I think adding mascara would help blend any empty spaces.

D'Lashes D'LASHES LASH IT! KIT, $, available at D'Lashes

Velour Allure Bundle

I quickly realized that a bundle like this is the easiest gift for a beginner. You get your lash adhesive — in this case, it came in the form of a black liquid liner — plus lashes and tweezers. I couldn't get the hang of angling the tweezers to my eyes without thinking I was going to stab myself, so I just used my fingers and I loved the finished look.

I took a bunch of pictures at home with my glasses on and off, and I really liked how dramatic they made my eyes look without being too aggressive. Honestly, I had a whole photoshoot with these lashes on, and that's probably why my iPhone storage is full, but I digress.

Sadly, my Cinderella moment came to a halting stop when my eyelids started to feel itchy. Even when I ignored it and rubbed what I could without messing up the liner, I knew the bliss I felt just moments before was gone — I had to take the lashes off after about an hour. It broke my heart to let these lashes go, and clearly they didn't want to call it quits either because this eyeliner adhesive really stuck around; make sure you have makeup remover on deck is all I'll say. I wanted these lashes to win, but a personal skin allergy to the black liner glue won out. To quote Ms. Tyra Banks, "I was rooting for you!"

Velour Allure Bundle, $, available at Velour Lashes

Maybe after all this, and in spite of the irritation my eyes felt with some, I can see myself wearing lashes more in the future. Don't be surprised if I self-proclaim to be a lash diva even if my application is crooked.

Wearing lashes was my opportunity to express my more feminine side, and I felt really beautiful in some of these styles. As one dimensional as this process might seem to some, trying on these lashes was really empowering for me. I realized that I can have fun with the process even through the frustration, and I was able to reimagine myself with each set. Exploring this side of myself was comical and satisfying, tedious and rewarding, but I learned that just because it might take some time for lash glue and I to see eye to eye, doesn't mean I have to completely rule this out of being part of my beauty routine.

If you've been considering strip lashes, buy them, try them, struggle with them, and love them — or hate them. And if they truly look a hot mess, just know you're not the only one going through it.

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