Magnetic Lashes and Liner: How They Work

Magnetic Lashes and Liner

Magnetic lashes have tiny magnets set into the band, and they hold onto a liner containing iron particles that you paint along your lash line. There is no glue and nothing to dissolve at the end of the night. The system genuinely works, and almost every complaint about it traces back to the liner rather than the lash.

The liner is the whole system

A magnetic lash sticks to magnetic liner and to nothing else. Apply it as you would a normal liner, close to the lash line, in a line thick enough to give the magnets something to grip. Most failures come from too thin a coat. Two thin coats hold far better than one thick one, and each needs to dry properly, because the magnets grip a dry film and slide on a wet one. Wait until the liner looks matte rather than glossy before bringing the lash anywhere near it.

Placing the lash

Hold the lash by the middle, hover it just above the liner, and let it drop onto the line rather than pressing it down. The magnets will pull it into place themselves. If it lands wrong, lift it straight off and try again, which is the real advantage of the system: there is no ruined glue and no waiting.

Where they fall short

Oily lids defeat magnetic liner faster than anything else, since the liner film loosens and the lash goes with it. They also struggle on very hooded eyes, where the lid folds and the band has to bend more than a magnet strip comfortably will. And the magnets sit in a band that is necessarily a little stiffer than a fabric band, so the most flexible, most invisible bands on the wall are still the glue ones. For an all-day event in heat, glue holds better.

Reuse and cleaning

This is where they win. There is no glue residue to peel off, so a magnetic lash goes back in its tray clean and comes out ready. Wipe the magnets gently with a little micellar water on a cotton bud to remove liner buildup, since liner collecting on the magnets is what weakens the hold over time. Kept clean, a pair lasts a long run of wears.