We love the look of eyelash extensions. Nothing draws more attention to the eye than long, soft as silk, fluttery, flirty lashes; especially the type made from Korean silk-like Doe Lashes. But does wearing eyelash extensions mean we can’t wear the rest of our eye makeup? That’s enough to make us reconsider wearing them at all! If we can’t wear our favorite primers, shadows, liners, and mascaras, it would hardly seem worth it to have longer lashes to draw attention to our eyes in the first place. In fact, some of us are so addicted to our liquid eyeliner and the cat-eye look we haven’t even tried eyelash extensions out of fear that this type of lashes and our favorite liquid liners simply won’t mix.
Good news: you can absolutely wear eyeliner with eyelash extensions! Here’s all you need to know about which liners work best, how to apply them, and how to make sure you don’t damage your fake eyelashes in the process.
Rule Number 1: No Oil-Based Liners
It’s simple science: oil dissolves gummy adhesives. If you ever had chewing gum stuck in your hair as a child, your parents might have tried to get it out with cooking oil or even peanut butter. That’s because the oil (even the oil in peanut butter) had the ability to dissolve the stickiness of the gum so that it would slide off your hair. It was gross, and it was messy, but it was effective!
The same rule applies to the adhesive that holds your eyelash extensions to your eyelids. The glue is strong but easily dissolved by oil. As such, you’ll want to make sure you don’t use any products on your eyelid that are oil-based or that contain any amount of oil at all. Any amount of oil (even in a cream shadow) has the potential to wreak havoc on your false eyelashes by dissolving the adhesive and making the band come unattached from your lash line.
Rule Number 2: Ditch the Pencils
If you’re a die-hard crayon or pencil eyeliner user, we know this will be tough. The problem with pencil eyeliners is the pulling and stretching sometimes necessary when applying them. If you apply your eyeliner after you apply your eyelash extensions, your eyelash band is already bonded to your lash line. Attempting to use an eyeliner pencil on top of the lash band will naturally apply pressure to get the color onto your lid. That pressure can cause the lash band to loosen from your lash line.
You will also be tugging the lid in an outward motion as you drag the pencil from one corner of your eye to the other. Even the very best adhesives can’t withstand that amount of pulling and tugging without eventually coming loose at the edges, and that means more time and frustration for you. Not something you want to experience while getting ready for work or a night out on the town!
Rule Number 3: No Waterproof Liners
This one is going to be tough, but if you really want to wear eyeliner with your false lashes, you gotta ditch the waterproof version. We know. We’re emo too. But the semi-permanent waterproof formula cancake onto the lash band of your eyelash extensions weighing it down and making it more difficult to reapply your full set of lash extensions once they’ve been removed. Additionally, if you try to clean the waterproof liner from the lash band with an oil-based solvent, you could risk damaging your precious lashes or your real lashes. Take it from us; it’s better to try to keep a stiff upper lip and forgo the waterproof liner altogether -- your skin care routine will thank you!
How to Safely Use Eyeliner With Eyelash Extensions
So what are we to do? We love our long eyelash extensions but we are also in love with eyeliner. Is there any way to use them both safely together? The answer is, yes. You just have to know which eyeliners are safe for use with eyelash extensions as well as how to properly apply them. Here is a list of our favorite “extension safe” eyeliners according to lash technicians and lash artists everywhere.
- Water-activated or shadow-based eyeliner. If you’ve never tried a water-activated liner, you’re really missing out. A water-activated liner is a great way to create a dramatic line without pulling, tugging, or painting. It’s a fool-proof way to get a liquid, cat-eye liner effect without having to learn to use a liquid liner to do any touch-ups. If you’ve always wanted to try liquid liner, but don’t trust your painting skills, this is the intermediate liner for you and your new lashes.
Water-activated liner can be applied by dipping your application brush in water before touching it to the liner pot. This will allow the shadow to stick to the lash line longer, and removing it simply requires a swipe with a water-based makeup remover or cleanser.
- Liquid eyeliner. This is probably our favorite kind of liner to use with eyelash extensions. It just requires a little bit of practice to perfect your application technique, and because it isn’t absolutely fool-proof, a lot of users shy away from it. We promise it’s worth the DIY practice.
The main thing to watch for with using liquid eyeliner along with eyelash extensions is to make sure the formula does not contain any oil or is waterproof. Both of those could seriously damage your lash band and eyelash extensions and also cause them to come unattached from your lash line.
- Gel-based liners. Some eyeliners are gel-based and can be applied with a brush. These have become popular especially in different colors. These types of eyeliners can be used with eyelash extensions, but be careful; gel eyeliners are heavier than a liquid or powder eyeliner and can cake or become difficult to remove. Additionally, there’s evidence they may even leave a residue on your lashes, and that’s never good. Having a residue on your lashes makes their longevity decrease, meaning you won’t get as many uses out of a pair of lashes.
How to Apply Eyeliner With Eyelash Extensions
There are definitely some pro-tips that can make applying eyeliner over your eyelash extensions a smoother, more streamlined, and definitely eyelash extension safe process. How you apply your eyeliner with your eyelash extensions is just as important as the type of eyeliner you choose. If you want to make the most out of your eyelash extensions and still have that dramatic before and after effect, you can achieve it with a little practice.
Here is our favorite and fool-proof way to apply your eyelash extensions and eyeliner, and also how to safely remove them.
- Measure and trim your eyelash extension band. Carefully remove your eyelash extension band from the packaging with tweezers and measure and trim it accordingly, so that it is ready for placement on your lash line.
- Curl your natural eyelashes. Your eyelash extensions will be curled and curling your natural lashes with an eyelash curler will help your natural lashes blend with your falsies for a natural look. Doe Lash tip: Never curl your false eyelashes, as it can cause them to bend unnaturally.
- Apply your eyeshadow. Go ahead and apply your primer and shadow, but remember, try to avoid any product that has oil in it, or is oil-based, as it can dissolve the eyelash band adhesive, causing your lashes not to stick.
- Apply your eyeliner. You can also apply your liner after you adhere your eyelash extensions, just make sure your eyelash extensions should be firmly adhered just above your lash line. Your eyeliner will go just above the top of the lash band. Try your best to limit the amount of product that gets on your lash band, but know that there’s really no way of preventing any product from getting on the lash band at all. If you decide to do eyeliner before lashes, that’s totally okay too! Just be sure to touch up the liner after applying the lashes.
- Attach your eyelash extensions. You can use the tutorial located here to help you properly apply your volume lashes. After you have applied your eyelash extensions, do a small tug test to make sure they are adhered properly. If they are, continue with the rest of your makeup!
If you decide to apply liner after lashes, here are a couple tips. When using a brush with a powder or gel, use small, gentle strokes to apply the liner above the lash band. Resist the urge to pull or drag the brush along the lash band, as that can pull the lash band from the edges of your eyes. If this happens, you may have to redo your entire eye look completely, so make sure you do your best to be gentle.
If you’re using liquid eyeliner, simply make sure you are applying your eyeliner directly on top of, or above the lash band. After your eyeliner has dried, you are ready to face the world with some amazing lashes and the most noticeable eye imaginable.
- Removal. Carefully remove your lashes first, before you remove your eye makeup or eyeliner. You can use the tutorial here to make sure you are removing your eyelash extensions properly. Once you’ve removed them, you can use a cotton ball and warm water with mild soap to gently remove any eyeliner residue from the top of your lash band. Place them back in a lash tray so they can maintain shape as they dry.
That’s it! It’s super easy to wear eyeliner with high-quality Doe Lashes eyelash extensions if you know what kind of eyeliner to use and how to apply it. You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other, and you shouldn’t have to. Having eyes with gorgeous lines and long, thick lashes is completely possible if you just practice a few simple steps.
