These $12 Ardell Magnetic False Lashes Saves Me So Much Time

I like to think of myself as well-versed in makeup techniques; I've mastered the cat eye (thanks, Kat Von D) I'm nifty with nail art (dotting tools all the way), and I've made smoky eyes my bitch (mostly). But when it comes to applying false lashes, I'm a total goner. And, based on the number of YouTube tutorials on the subject, I'm not the only one with the dexterity of a drunk sea otter. If you're like me, you probably flipped when Ardell launched their own magnetic lashes this month. No glue, no struggle, right?

First, I tried the full strip Magnetic Double Demi Wispies. They come with what looks like two sets of strip lashes but is really just one set (each eye requires a top and a bottom for the whole magnet thing to work). The goal, essentially, is to make a lash sandwich — where your natural lashes are the filling and the magnetic lashes are the bread, if you will.

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As per the directions, I began by placing the top portion on my lash line (in the same way you'd apply a conventional lash). I immediately had trouble getting as close to the lash line as I knew I should (this is also a problem I have with conventional strip lashes). When I finally aligned the top portion as flush to my lash line as I could, I shimmied the bottom portion underneath my natural lashes and prayed it would make contact with the top lashes... to no avail. After fumbling for nearly five minutes I was able to create a passable lash look.

The only problem? The lashes were too long for my eye and I wanted to shorten them. One major downside of magnetic strip lashes is that you can't cut them to size, lest you disturb the strategically-placed magnets that hold the whole thing together. That said, if you've never had issues with lash strip length, you're probably fine with these. Personally, I wished I could've trimmed them down to size for a more realistic look. Nevertheless, I was extremely happy not to have glue all over my fingers and in my eyes by the end of the application.

Sophie Wirt

Hoping for a more believable-looking result, I whipped out the Ardell Magnetic Accent Lashes in 002. These look like your typical Ardell half-sies, but of course, they're magnetized. Placing these babies right on top of my lash line was easy peasy, mostly because a half lash means less...stuff to deal with. Top portion in place, I positioned the bottom portion underneath my natural lashes, and it was honestly as if the heavens had aligned. I blinked in the mirror and the girl blinking back had long, luscious lashes!

Sophie Wirt

I'll admit it: I was incredulous. These had been so easy to apply and they worked. Granted, my struggle with the full strip set may have given me some practice, but by golly, these accent lashes took less time than mascara and looked ten times as dramatic. In my book, that's a literal game-changer. I think it'll still take me a bit of practice to get 100 percent perfect results with these, but they paint an incredibly hopeful future for those of us who are lash-challenged.

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