How to Apply False Lashes: Strip Lashes, DIY Clusters and Lash Care

Lashes are the fastest way to change your whole look, but if you're new to them they can feel tricky. This guide covers the two easiest ways to wear lashes at home, strip lashes and DIY lash clusters, plus how to take them off, keep your lash line clean and look after them so you get more wears from every pair.

Not sure where to start? Strip lashes are the easiest for beginners. They go on in one piece and come off the same day. DIY clusters take a little more practice, but they look like salon lash extensions and can last several days.

How to apply strip lashes

1. Measure and trim. Hold the lash along your lash line. If it's longer than your eye, trim it from the outer end, never the inner corner. Measure each eye on its own, since they're often a little different.
2. Soften the band. New lashes can be stiff. Gently bend the band into a C shape a few times so it follows the curve of your eye.
3. Apply a thin line of glue. Run a thin line along the band, with a tiny extra dot on each end, because the corners are usually the first to lift. If you're using our Gamer Girl Adhesive Eyeliner, draw it along your upper lash line instead. It's liner and lash glue in one.
4. Wait about 30 seconds. The glue should feel tacky, not wet. Wet glue slides around and makes a mess.
5. Place it from the middle. Look down into a mirror with your chin up. Use a lash applicator to set the lash on the skin just above your natural lashes, starting in the middle, then press down the inner and outer corners.
6. Hold and blend. Gently press for a few seconds. Then pinch your natural lashes and the falsies together so they blend, and finish with liquid or gel liner to hide the band.

Tip: If the full strip won't sit right, cut it into two or three pieces and apply them side by side. It's much easier to place, and nobody can tell.

How to apply DIY lash clusters

Lash clusters are small sections of lashes that go underneath your natural lashes. Our DIY Lash Starter Kit comes with pre-mapped clusters, a 2-in-1 bond and seal, remover and an applicator, so you don't need to plan the lengths yourself.

1. Start with clean, dry lashes. Remove all makeup and oil. Oil from makeup remover, moisturizer or sunscreen stops the bond from holding.
2. Brush on a thin layer of bond from the root to about halfway up your natural lashes. Keep it off the tips. Wait until it feels tacky.
3. Hold each cluster by its base with the applicator, never by the tips, so it keeps its shape.
4. Slide it under your natural lashes. Look slightly down and press the base of the cluster up into the bond, staying just off the skin of your lid.
5. Work from the outer corner inward. For a natural look, 4 to 5 clusters per eye is plenty. Go up to 6 to 8 for more volume.
6. Seal it. Brush a light coat of sealer along the base to lock everything in and take away any stickiness.
7. Squeeze to finish. Once dry, gently pinch your natural lashes and the clusters together with the applicator for a secure hold.

Cat eye or doll eye? A cat eye puts the longest lashes at the outer corner for a lifted, winged look. A doll eye puts the longest lashes in the center for a bigger, rounder eye, and is a good choice for hooded eyes. The DIY Lash Starter Kit comes in both.

Making clusters last

• Keep them dry and don't touch them for the first couple of hours.
• Avoid oil-based cleansers and makeup removers around your eyes, because oil breaks down the bond.
• Brush them through gently with a clean spoolie each morning.
• Sleep on your back or side, ideally on a silk or satin pillowcase.
• Most people get about 3 to 7 days of wear. Take them off within a week so your lash line can be cleaned properly.

Keep your lash line clean (and mite-free)

Here's something most people don't know: almost everyone has tiny mites called Demodex living at the base of their lashes. A few are normal. The trouble starts when oil, makeup and lash glue build up along the lash line, because that buildup gives them more to feed on. Too many can leave your eyelids itchy, red or crusty. The good news is that a simple daily clean keeps them under control.

1. Wash your lash line every day, especially while you're wearing clusters. Use an oil-free lash cleanser like our VIP Lash Foam Shampoo.
2. Use a soft lash brush. Put a pump of foam on a brush like the AW Lashes 2-in-1 Lash Brush, close your eyes, and sweep gently along the lash line for about 30 seconds.
3. Rinse well and pat dry, then use a spoolie to brush your lashes back into place.
4. Never sleep in strip lashes. Take them off and clean them every night.
5. Don't share lashes, glue, tools or mascara, and replace mascara about every 3 months.

Already itchy or flaky? An extra strength tea tree eyelid cleanser like OCuSOFT Oust Demodex Cleanser is made for the eyelids and lash line. If your eyelids stay red, itchy or crusty, or you see dandruff-like flakes at the base of your lashes, see an eye doctor. There's a prescription treatment for lash mites.

How to take lashes off safely

Never pull lashes straight off. It can take your natural lashes with them.

• Strip lashes: hold a cotton swab soaked in an oil-based makeup remover along the band for a few seconds until the glue softens, then lift gently from the outer corner.
• Clusters: brush the remover from your kit along the base, wait about a minute, then slide each cluster off gently.
• Wash your lash line afterward, and give your natural lashes a rest day before putting new ones on.

How to clean and store strip lashes

Our mink and faux mink lashes are reusable. With good care, a pair can usually be worn many times.

1. Peel off the old glue from the band with your fingers or tweezers, pulling it away from the lashes, not along them.
2. Wipe them gently with micellar water or makeup remover on a cotton pad, moving from the band to the tips.
3. Let them air dry completely on a clean surface.
4. Store them back in their case so they keep their curl and stay clean.

Don't put mascara on your falsies. It weighs them down and makes them hard to clean. And if a pair falls on the floor, smells off, or irritates your eyes, it's time for a new one.

A few safety tips

• Do a patch test with any new glue or bond, especially if you have sensitive eyes.
• Never share lashes or tools.
• Take lashes off if your eyes feel itchy, red or sore, and see a doctor if it doesn't settle.

Shop the lash essentials

• Strip Lash Starter Kit: Amelia mink lashes, adhesive eyeliner and an applicator, all in one
• DIY Lash Starter Kit: pre-mapped clusters, bond and seal, remover and applicator (Cat Eye or Doll Eye)
• Gamer Girl Adhesive Eyeliner: waterproof liner that doubles as lash glue
• Lash Applicator
• VIP Lash Foam Shampoo and AW Lashes 2-in-1 Lash Brush: daily lash line cleaning
• 3D Mink Lashes, 5D Mink Lashes and Faux 3D Volume Lashes
• Birthday-month 25mm lashes: a fun gift idea

Shopping for someone else? See our Holiday Gift Guide for more lash gifts.