4 Simple Ways to Wear Lashes Without Glue

Co-authored by Anjuli Yera, MD and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: December 31, 2022 References

If you love the look of false lashes but you aren’t a fan of the sticky, clumpy, smelly lash glue that comes with it—you’re not alone! Unfortunately, homemade lash adhesives aren’t safe to use, but there are products out there that can replace your lash glue once and for all. Try out a few different methods to see which one works best for your makeup routine to look your best every time you walk out the door.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Magnetic Lashes

1
Hold the top lash layer between 2 fingers. Magnetic lashes work by pinching your natural lashes in between 2 layers of falsies. Pick up the top lash layer and hold it in between your pointer finger and your thumb for the best mobility.^{[1]
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- If you’re having trouble, try using tweezers instead.
2
Balance the top lash on top of your natural lashes. Bring the top lash layer up to your natural lash line and get it as close to your top lashes as possible. If you can, let go of the fake lashes and let them balance on your natural lashes.^{[2]
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- This might be a little bit tricky, but they should stay in place long enough so you can apply the bottom layer.
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3
Press the bottom lash layer up toward the top lash layer. Grab the bottom layer of the fake lashes in between your 2 fingers and bring it up to your eye. Start pushing the bottom layer of the lashes up underneath your natural lashes to connect the fake lashes together at your lash line.^{[3]
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- You might have to try this a few times, especially the first time you apply! That’s okay—it will definitely get easier as you practice.
4
Remove the lashes by pulling the layers apart. When it’s time to take your makeup off, grab one of the layers of lashes by the inner corner and pull. The lashes will separate as you take them off, and you can store them and wear them again.^{[4]
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- If you used mascara on top of your fake lashes, wipe them down with makeup remover before putting them away.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Magnetic Liner

1
Swipe the liner onto your upper lash line. Magnetic liners look just like a liquid eyeliner pen. Start from the inner corner of your lashes and swipe outward to cover your whole upper lash line.^{[5]
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- You can use the liner on top of eyeshadow and other eyeliner if you want to.
2
Press the false lashes onto your liner. Grab your magnetic lashes and hole one in between 2 fingers. Press your lashes on top of your natural lash line, then use your fingers to adjust them if you need to.^{[6]
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- If your lashes are too long, use scissors to trim them down to the shape of your eye.
3
Peel the lashes off when you’re done with them. At the end of the day, pull the lashes up at the inner corner and slowly pull them off your eyelid. You can save magnetic lashes as long as they aren’t caked in mascara or eyeshadow.^{[7]
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- If your liner isn’t coming off, use an oil-based makeup remover on a cotton swab to gently cleanse your eye area.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Mascara Adhesive

1
Swipe the adhesive onto your upper lashes. Mascara adhesive looks exactly like a normal mascara wand applicator. Apply the adhesive to the underside of your upper lashes, just like you would a normal mascara.^{[8]
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- You can only use mascara adhesive on your upper lashes, not your lower ones.
2
Pick up a small section of lashes with tweezers. Most mascara adhesive kits come with individual lash sections instead of full false lashes sets. Use the eyelash tweezers to pick up one small section at a time.^{[9]
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- The smaller sections will adhere much easier than heavy full sets of lashes.
3
Press the lashes onto the underside of your upper lashes. Try to get the false lashes as close to your natural lash line as possible. Use the tweezers to adjust them if you need to until they look mostly natural.^{[10]
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- If you need to, you can peel the false lashes off and try again.
4
Keep adding lashes until you’re happy with your look. You can add as many or as few of the small lash sets as you’d like! For a more natural look, stick to the outer corner of your eye; for a glam look, try filling in all of your lashes.^{[11]
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- Only put the lash sets in a single layer; that way, they won’t get too heavy to stay on your eye.
5
Remove the lashes with makeup remover. When it’s time to remove your makeup, press a cotton pad with makeup remover over your eyes. Then, use 2 fingers to gently pull the false lashes off your natural lashes. The adhesive is gentle enough that it shouldn’t pull off any of your natural lashes.^{[12]
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- You may be able to reuse your small lash sets if you can keep track of them.
6
You can use an oil-based eye makeup remover to remove individual false lashes.
- Put the remover on a cotton pad and gently massage in circular motions downward.
- They will start to come off onto the cotton pad by themselves.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Self-Adhesive Lashes

1
Pinch one of the lashes with the applicator. Most self-adhesive lashes come with a plastic applicator that kind of looks like a set of tweezers. Use the applicator to grab the lashes so you don’t have to touch them directly with your hands.^{[13]
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- You can also use regular tweezers instead.
2
Press the lashes onto your upper lash line. Try to get as close to your natural lash line as possible. The lashes already have an adhesive strip on them, so you don’t need to add any glue beforehand.^{[14]
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- It can be a little tough to line up your lashes perfectly the first time, so don’t sweat it if you need to retry.
3
Adjust the lashes with your fingers. Gently poke the lashes downward until they sit right at your lash line to blend them in. If the lashes are too long for your eyes, take them off and trim them before putting them back on.^{[15]
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- If your lashes are peeling up in the inner corner, they’re probably too long.
4
Remove the lashes by peeling them off your lash line. At the end of the day, just take your lashes off by pulling them up by the inner corner. Self-adhesive lashes are reusable, but they tend to lose their stickiness after the third or fourth use.^{[16]
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- If you notice your lashes coming off throughout the day, try to gently press them back onto your lash line using 1 finger.

Warnings

Using homemade lash glues or adhesives can be very dangerous for your eye and eyelid area. You should only use products meant for your lashes to apply falsies.^{[17]
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Trustworthy Source
US Food and Drug Administration
U.S. government agency responsible for promoting public health
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