If we are being honest, chocolate aside, lashes are a girl's real best friend.

Strip lashes are a great way to add a little flare once in a while without the maintenance, commitment, or potential damaging effects of individual lashes or worse, lash extensions.

I am not opposed to any method but all of them require different amounts of care to ensure the health of your natural lashes long-term.

In order of glue strength you have strip lash glue being the most gentle--meant to last the day and be easily removed the same night.

Next, you have individual lash glue which is a little stronger.

This glue is sometimes irritating for very sensitive eyes and requires an oil-based product to remove the extra glue. These lashes can last from a day to a week depending on how well they have been applied and cared for.

At the top of the list we have our strongest glue used for lash extensions which last several weeks and should be allowed to grow out and fall out naturally or be professionally removed to minimize damage to your own lashes.

This glue is typically tolerated well for most people the first few applications but the experience of my clients is that over time if not given a break they have developed pretty strong reactions to the adhesive.

So, be careful and just know that you need to listen to your lash girl and take proper care of these. 

All of this said, personally I will forever love my strip lashes.

Today, there are so many options available in cut, style, fullness and comfort that there truly is something for everyone and when done right, they last all day without discomfort. After the glue dries you can forget they are even there. 

This is not to diminish the glorious feeling of removing them at night and getting to finally rub your eyes--this is a precious moment and it feels A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. But rest assured that throughout your day, strip lashes are not a bother when done correctly. 

Okay, so you get it... Strip lashes are the bomb.

How can you apply them on your own? Let's get started. 

Step 1: Size makes a difference.

When it comes to applying lashes yourself it is important to first be sure the lash is not to long for your eye shape from end to end.

It is common for me as a professional to have to cut anywhere from 1 to 3 "nubs" worth of lash on the outer ends to size comfortably on my clients. When I say "nub" I mean where the cluster of lash is at the outer baseline. (For example, I would deem the picture below a trim of two nubs-worth).

When trimming this part of the lash you only want to trim from the outside and never the inner rim. 

The inner lash line is designed to taper and mimic the way your natural lashes tapper at the inner rim. If you trim these off you will end up with odd dimensions that look silly and will end up feeling uncomfortable when worn as well.

Step 2: The Sticky Stuff

Once these are sized accordingly, the next task is glue.

The key with glue is letting it get tacky before trying to apply it. When the glue is too fresh and wet, you can forget trying to get the lash to stick and stay anywhere you place it.

My go-to glue is the Duo in the wand form. It's affordable and gets the job done. I am personally not a fan of squeeze-tube adhesives although there is nothing inherently wrong with them.

When applying the glue to the lash you want to make sure that you have applied a thorough amount, not neglecting the corners which can often be forgotten and will end up the most likely area that your lash will begin to pop off if neglected.

This will be most important to pay attention to when you have a fresh bottle of glue, as they will be very wet at first, not allowing the glue to evenly distribute. 

Step 3: Getting it on...

Now that we have applied the adhesive and let it get tacky we can try to get in and place the lash on ourselves. 

I personally prefer getting the lash on with fingertips and only once it is placed will I go back and use a tool, such as a tweezer to pinch it into place.

You must be careful picking up the lash. Whether you use fingers or an application tool--if the adhesive sticks to the applicator, good luck... You have just doomed yourself to a bad time. This is partly why I prefer to go in with fingers to initially lay the strip on top of my lash line.

Your fingers will grip the lash gently and easily at the tips and will also elicit a milder challenge should you still get a little glue on them during this process. The glue will stick much more firmly to an applicator you have effectively squeezed tightly so as to give yourself a firm grip in order to minimize the fear of poking your eyeball. 

Our reflexes are typically more tolerant to handling our own fingers getting so close to our eyes better than any other added appendage or tool. 

The focus here with your initial place will be to land the strip near the baseline but you don't have to worry about accuracy at first. I focus on touching base in the middle to outer section when laying the lash down. (Refer to section 2 in the image below).

As you move in on your eye, head position will make you or break you here.

It is important to keep your chin tilted way up while your brows are slightly raised as you look straight ahead in the mirror.

This gives you easy access to the lash line and minimizes the reflex to squint and pull away--in which case you will typically end up poking yourself and getting glue everywhere.

Both photos above show what NOT to do when applying lashes. Notice the tilt of their head is down and not up and their eye position is up not low.

If you want to achieve easy access without hurting yourself yourself:

• Chin goes up.
• Eyes remain low.
• Brows raised.

This girl below almost has it right--chin up a little higher while remaining looking in the same position and we're there. 

As an additional tip when securing your lash, sit your elbow down on a counter top or use your free hand to hold it and give you a little more stability as you hone in on your lash line. 

DO NOT close your eyes when applying the lash unless your goal is to fail miserably. When you close your eyes, you crinkle the lash line and make it impossible for application. 

After you have placed the lash initially down--yes, the ends will likely be poking out in this moment-- you can take fingertips or move on to a tweezer to grab either end and place them where it feels comfortable at the base of your lash line.

Once you have fiddled and feel pretty good, you can start to pinch the base of the strip lash to your real lashes. This will give the glue a tight seal--it is important to remember this step for the corners which are the most likely to cause you trouble. 

You want to look out for any poking/stabbing sensations in outer or inner corners. If you are simply noticing the feeling of having something on your eyes, this is okay and the sensation will go away once the glue is fully dried. If you notice poking, however, this will not go away and will make you very uncomfortable very quickly. 

Should you notice any poking...

Know that this could be because you have pinched the corners too low and sometimes adjusting the base and getting the lash to turn up more will suffice.

Otherwise, you have placed the lash too far in (or out) and or/ the lash is still too long and you need to trim more off from the outer end so that they fit your eye more comfortably. 

Now that you know what you're doing...which lashes are good for you??

My favorite lash to use for regular wear on someone who likes the idea of lashes but is still more conservative and natural is actually the Ardell 110 cut.

They are affordable, versatile and look good on everyone.

I do not personally carry this cut, however, they are widely accessible online or in beauty stores and even drug stores!

If you are a lash connoisseur and enjoy a larger variety, check out my lash page for a new pair! 

A few final tips...

1. If you are going to curl your lashes at any point during this process (which I recommend), do so before applying the strip lash.
2. If you are going to apply mascara (which is a definite YES, you absolutely should), apply mascara after curling but before applying the lash. Then apply another quick layer to blend the false lashes with your own when you are finished.

This will also help to further bind the falsies to your lash line for comfortable all-day wear. 

I wish you all the best of luck in your at-home lash applications! I hope these tips give you more confidence for your next attempt and always remember that every expert was once a beginner!

So, don't be too hard on yourself --it will get easier, I promise.