Gimmick or Genius? Here's Everything You Need to Know About Magnetic Eyelashes

Eyelashes are a notoriously tricky step in a beauty regimen, requiring preternaturally steady hands and a bold disregard for the fact that you’re applying glue less than a millimeter from your eyeballs—you know, those things that you see with. This is probably the reason that magnetic eyelashes have been, ahem, attracting so much attention recently.

The concept is pretty genius, if a little gimmicky. Instead of using glue to adhere to your lash line, the two-piece lashes are magnetized along the base. First, you rest one half above your natural lashes. Next, you place the other half below and voilà, they snap together via the magic of magnetism, sandwiching your natural lashes between them—at least in theory.

“The first few times can feel a bit awkward,” says editorial and celebrity makeup artist and Priv pro Jared Lipscomb. “If you’re used to wearing contacts or going heavy with mascara this shouldn’t be too disconcerting, but the sensation of sticking something underneath your upper lash line can feel strange.”

Also, keep in mind that they give a very specific kind of effect. “By design, magnetic lashes only cover the middle of the eye to the outer corner,” says Lipscomb, “so if you love an intense, full strip lash, this might not be the look for you.” And because they have a visible strip, if you prefer a “barely there” effect you’ll want to skip the magnetic lashes and glue on individual lashes instead.

Since they’re endlessly reusable, magnetic lashes can save you money in the long run, but that said, the original product by One Two Cosmetics, doesn’t come cheap, with a kit setting you back around $70. So if you’re just looking to test out the trend, you might want to go with a knock-off instead, like one of the top-rated magnetic lash kits on Amazon, ahead.