Artificial strip lashes may have been patented by Canadian Anna Taylor in 1911, but the desire for thicker, fuller lashes is nothing new. Way back in the first century, Roman military leader and iconic know-it-all Pliny the Elder spread the word that lush lashes were a sign of both youth and chaste character. Before that, fluttery, kohl-treated lashes were all the rage in ancient Egypt. Parisians in the 1920s experimented with sewing real hair onto their eyelids. In the silent-film era, starlets wore faux lashes of glue, hair, and gauze for a doe-eyed-ingenue look that would pop on screen.
In recent decades, lash trends have waxed and waned, reflecting the mores of the time—austere during the Second World War, dramatic during the mod ’60s. But for the last 20 years, more has been Absolutely More. Bigger, longer, thicker, fluffier, blacker, fuller: it’s the gold standard in the lash world of 2023. And the $1.34 billion (U.S.) global false eyelash industry offers a wealth of ways to make it happen. Pliny would approve.
We could credit (or blame) the Kardashians, who have popularized high-contrast, glamazonian makeup over the past decades. Or perhaps it’s our world of constant documentation, of image-making: what once was a tool for dramatic close-ups or special events becomes a routine essential when even the every-girl has her image captured dozens of times a day.
“If you’re working on a no-makeup look, a little lash enhancement can help frame the eyes and make them pop without any eyeliner.”
Whatever the reason, fake lashes are now serious business, nipping on the heels of mascara’s market share. Disruptors are constantly trying to reinvent Anna Taylor’s OG design. Lashify has a patented horizontal clamp for applying its trademarked Gossamer lashes. Dozens of magnetic lash brands promise all of the flutter with none of the glue. LoveSeen sells minimalist, realistic lashes for the clean-beauty market—but that’s the rare low-key product in a market flooded with mink, feathers, and jewels.
Their popularity isn’t surprising. With false lashes, we control how youthful or sensual or dramatic we appear to audiences—in both the personal and professional sense—and who doesn’t love a little control? Victoria Ferguson is a makeup artist from Vancouver who sees false lashes as a tool for expression. “How we design makeup can build up who a character is, what their backstory may be, and how they articulate themselves in this world,” she says. “If you’re working on a no-makeup look, a little lash enhancement can help frame the eyes and make them pop without any eyeliner.” For daily life, Ferguson says, false lashes are “a fun way to extend and be creative while enhancing our natural beauty.”
As lash designs evolve, and technology takes these beauty products far beyond their humble hair-and-thread origins, there are more opportunities to extend and enhance than ever. In 2023, you can find an incredible range of thicknesses, lengths, and even colours (this season, it’s all about those jewel tones) in makeup artists’ tool kits. “Texture is in,” Ferguson says, noting that wet-set lashes with light-volume spikes create a dark lash line and add drama without weight. Customized sets are trending, too. Lash strips are no longer uniform in length and diameter, and varied, choppy lashes create a more natural look. (A search for #AngelLashes on TikTok produces scores of examples.) For those seeking a more dramatic but still plausibly natural look, lash sets that use double layers of curls are increasingly popular and really frame the eyes, Ferguson explains.
“They make me look more awake and lively without trying.”
But the options today are by no means limited to minimalism. There’s no shortage of over-the-top designs out there, allowing beauty lovers to create a style statement in the time it takes for a line of eyelash glue to dry. Huda Beauty’s Faux Mink lash collection is pure luxury, while Be Wispy lashes come in vibrant hues such as peacock blue and electric violet.
Then, of course, for those who want a false-lash look that lasts longer than a night out, there are eyelash extensions, a treatment first popularized in Korea that’s now a fairly standard salon service in major cities around the world. It’s exactly what it sounds like—instead of a strip, individual extensions are added with glue to your existing lashes. Fans go back every few weeks for touch-ups. “They make me look more awake and lively without trying,” says Racquel Belmonte, an L.A.-based voice actor who regularly gets lash extensions. “My natural lashes are so light and tiny. Eyelash extensions are a convenient way for me to exist without having to wear makeup.”
It’s strange that society has agreed these whisper-thin hairs are so worthy of attention. But there are biological forces at work in addition to our social ones. Thick, long eyelashes can be a sign of health and youth (maybe our friend Pliny was right?). They draw attention to your eyes, a way to spark social connection. Self-expression and enhanced attractiveness, in one little box or salon—there’s no shortage of reasons to lash out, it seems.
Lashes: Shu Uemura, Nitata Beauty, Wet n Wild, Rouge & Rogue. Makeup by Timothy Hung. Hair by Freddy Sim. Model: Julia Kuzka for Lizbell Agency. Read more from our Winter 2023 issue.
