Ardell Duralash Experience....and why i am never doing it again

Oh well, well well. Where do i begin.

For an assiduous blogger like i am a prolonged  absence seems a bit painful to be honest, but i decided to st(r)ay away from any type of beauty blog since it would have talked me into writing...and i needed the time to be able to deliberate on my experience with semi-permanent lashes (the drugstore equivalent of lash extensions). I got the Ardell DuraLash in medium, black, regular individual false lashes, one box.

 

This is what happened so far. I first put them on the same day i last blogged, which would be september 24th. I took them off yesterday evening. This has been my journey with these lashes and my honest opinions are what follows. For your sake, i strongly recommend you to PLEASE read what i am writing here in case you're fancying the idea of a brand new set of fanned out falsies...i wish i could have had a detailed 'story' about these lashes before i even thought of purchasing them. So i begin.

Day One-Purchase and Application

I actually purchased the babies separately from their adhesive, the LashTite, since i thought it came inside the box-not. You must shell out other 4 € for the small tube of glue, which isn't all that but i was definitely super excited and wanted them on asap. Therefore i came back to the store and got the glue. My version is a very small one, not the huge tube depicted on makeupalley, so you might find the same type too; don't stress, it's the official adhesive marketed under different packagings around the world (i assume Europe and the US at least).

Putting them on is a hassle. Actually this is the key-the application process. Being the newbie that i was i frantically researched and came across a nicely written and detailed review on makeupalley. This is where it all started.

On the packaging you are advised to dip the small knot of the lash group in a tiny bit of glue and then apply it on your lash root-not on your eyelid skin, like you would regularly do with strip false lashes. The review (actually several of them) advised to engage in a more 'complicated' process that would mimic the salon lash extension technique-basically dip the knot, drag it along your lash (the one you decide to stick the knot to) so the adhesive would stick to a larger portion of hair, then fix it along this glue line, at the root of your lash. This way you are given more support for the false lash, hence increased life span. 

Well i did that. But it didn't work out because you have to be VERY handy to do it. I'll tell you why. No matter how much you comb and curl your natural lashes beforehand, it's impossible not to get glue on the neighboring lashes as well, especially around the base. The hairs are small and fine, and unlike hair, that you can clip while working through, there's no teeny tiny lash pin you can use. Therefore...disaster. This is what happened to me, on my first application- if you're handy and like these lashes by all means go ahead. 

Basically i ended up with small glue knots all over my lash roots, not sticking to the skin so it was quite visible i had 'balls' of glue all over my eye, from which the lashes started, darker and thicker than at the ends. It was quite unnatural but hey, they were long and bushy so i kinda loved the change. 

The other eye turned out more normal looking since i screwed the 'technique' and went with the packaging instructions-just attach the knot to your lash roots (or wherever you feel comfortable as long as it's not the skin, so they say) and you're done.

Another thing would be that if you don't have naturally thick and gorgeous lashes (which means you actually don't need falsies, but i'm just saying), you need more than ten clusters for each eye simply because they will look spiked, thin and unnatural. The best result you get by applying the clusters very close to one another, or coming back with other clusters and filling in the gaps. I used all the lash knots in the box for both my eyes, and i don't have particularly large eyes or desire for a dame Edna look. Some reviews mentioned combining two lengths for a maximum natural look- short and medium were the most common choices. I wholeheartedly agree, however one size (medium is the best in my opinion) isn't bad either since you can gently trim the inner angles of the lashes and make them look very natural. 

They can be easily curled and made up with mascara, they don't look fake or ugly or anything in the family. In fact, this is where it gets better-after a while, the hairs soften- you wash your face, take your eye makeup off, put your eye makeup on, curl them, clean them, rub them, etc- and they look like real, uber long and thick lashes, Spanish eyes style. Lovely. I adored them and felt super happy i had finally discovered something that didn't cost an arm and a leg, didn't involve salons and hours of sitting on someone's lap, high maintenance and regular 'refills' at high costs as well.

Then i started noticing the downsides....

First, the glue hardens very fast and creates a sort of 'bridge' all over your roots, especially if you use the 'technique'. If you have diligently applied  the lashes as described on the box, there will still be small glue 'stains' that once hardened, will sting your eyelids when you close your eyes, sneeze, squint, etc. It's very uncomfortable especially for people with sensitive eyes-i have no problems whatsoever and it still bothered me. I didn't use a large quantity of glue so i dare believe it wasn't 'my fault' with this.

Another thing-the glue will create the aforementioned 'bridges' and the eye makeup will slowly deposit on it, making the upper lash roots look dirty and full of shadow/eyeliner.

 what the roots of the lashes look like...scary. Filthy. Hazardous.The hardened adhesive keeps moist, bacteria and dirt stuck in your lash line, thus making it prone to infections and other dangerous happenings.

It's very hard to clean them because you have to use a lot of makeup remover and q-tips and gently rub; the cotton/fibers will get caught in the glue asperities and good luck yanking them out...no matter what you do, you'll always feel you haven't properly cleaned your lashes, and it is visible. Thumbs down.

Then, after a couple of days your natural lashes' curl will cease to exist so you'll feel the need to curl the falsies altogether- once curled, they don't come 'down' unless you wash them with lukewarm water. If you have applied your entire face and eyeshadow makeup and see your own lashes pointing down among the falsies, and if the falsies are already curled- you can't curl them again because they'll look excessively bent upwards, they'll touch your brow bone and mess your eye makeup-mascara on the lid and shadow on the lashes. Not pleasant at all. So pray that your natural lashes won't be too visibly sticking out from the falsies abundance, and that's about all you can do. 

These lashes didn't feel particularly heavy, actually they're lighter than strip false lashes; however, when you twist them and arrange them with your thumbs (they get a bit messy, mimicking natural lashes very well) you feel a bit of pressure on your natural eyelash roots thus an uncomfortable sensation. That's their weight and the pressure they put on your lashes, and it will take a toll. 

You get used to sleeping with them, swimming, taking showers, rubbing your eyes more carefully (you risk to rip your own eyelashes off if you're not gentle) and why not, a minimum amount of mascara; that was the best part of this experience- a tad of concealer, contoured eyebrows and i was literally good to go. Having these eyelashes on seriously cuts back on makeup time and allows you to feel fresh faced and pretty 24/7. It opens the eye, gives you a Bambi look, everything very natural and tasteful (especially if you have darker hair or larger eyes). I got a ton of compliments and they all said 'wow, your lashes are so long and full!' and not 'are you wearing falsies?'.

The lashes soften and gradually start mimicking natural lashes in texture, curl and volume-however, notice my own lashes through the falsies

The party's over

Then...a week and half after, when there was no sign the lashes were going to budge (as opposed to makeupalley reviewers claiming they experienced a softening of the adhesive and even fall outs two days after), i started losing my own lashes. Two, three hairs each eye, but it scared the hell out of me since i never, ever lose lashes. I think i lost one when i rubbed my eyes too hard trying to get rid of some overnight Shiseido mascara base, and that was all i can recall. I saw the lashes falling, and they weren't eyebrow hairs or the falsies- they were MINE. Oh no. Combine this with the cautionary instructions-don't use anything oil-based or you'll lose the falsies- and you get the perfect recipe for disaster. I couldn't condition my lashes with vaseline or anything else because i was afraid the adhesive will slowly soften and i will start losing lashes on my way to work, on the street or at my boyfriend's (not cool at all). Little did i know you can use ANYTHING, and i mean it, and the glue won't budge unless rubbed with industrial amounts of the Ardell LashFree adhesive remover....clever market move, huh. So if you're already wearing them and reading this, go ahead and use everything you desire-baby oil, vaseline, coconut oil, avocado oil, EVOO, the glue won't soften at all. 

Not to mention the worst part- a red inflammation of the lid on my left eye-partially caused by the hardened glue constantly poking my skin, partially by makeup residues i couldn't remove no matter what. It looked like a very bad irritation, almost like a small infection. Yikes. 

Then my own lashes were growing under; i could see the roots and the false lashes flipping and vibrating every time i blinked. They were losing their solid support base and were hanging on my lashes, weighing them down and putting even more pressure on. Well....i got the adhesive remover and started rubbing. And i rubbed, and rubbed, and massaged, and touched, and everything in the family. The LashFree remover comes in a tiny bottle, has an oily consistency, smells a bit like nailpolish remover and stings like crazy; hard to apply (how can you hold a paper tissue between your eyelids AND apply the remover at the same time??), time consuming, smelly, stingy, all in all a completely terrifying experience.

The clusters finally softened and started slipping down my real eyelashes; i didn't pull because i was really afraid to rip my own lashes off. Well, the only difference the adhesive remover did was to spare me of some pain- the horror. I saw most of my natural lashes stuck in the glue gunk as the falsies were coming out... and this isn't the worst part. I literally have no lashes right now. The adhesive has burned them down and made them fall out. 

This is what my lashes used to look like before.

This is what they look like now.

Notice the red spot on the lid- that was taken during the removal process. I no longer have the irritation going on therefore it must have been caused by the glue+dirt+makeup leftovers. Disgusting and dangerous if you ask me.

I have far fewer and shorter lashes than before; the glue literally destroyed them. I am never going to use the LashTite adhesive; if i fancy some individual falsies i'll go with the good ol' Duo adhesive or just regular glue. It's such a shame because they don't mention this effect...and for the ladies on makeaupalley who swear by wearing these lashes for twenty years- then you either have no lashes of your own left, or they're super-lashes. I can't explain it otherwise. This means i'm back to my vaseline+borage oil+castor oil routine again, slathering ten times the quantity and brushing them for ten minutes every night. I can't even begin to think what am i going to look like with mascara...thank goodness for the Shiseido mascara base, i hope it can help me a little in this department.

Bottom line-i strongly, strongly recommend you to stay away from the adhesive; it's just painful, complicated, and it takes a huge toll on your natural lashes. Goes straight into the trash can.

Therefore...: Yes, they look amazing. Yes, they can look natural and lift your entire look, particularly for a special occasion. However, there are serious problems you might encounter with these lashes, as i did. Everybody is different and if you are already a user and love them, by all means keep up the good work. What happened here happened after a decent amount of time, and perhaps my eyes are just built that way that it simply happened (the unwanted redness and inflammation). My advice would be use them, if you cannot resist the temptation (i almost felt the urge to apply them again after seeing how bald my eyes looked after removing them), but remove them as soon as possible, gently as possible, and then engage in an assiduous process of conditioning your lashes...because the adhesive does take a toll on them. I am never going to reapply the adhesive-i have no problem with the lashes whatsoever. So yep.