Glam by Manicare Hydro Lash

My first surprise was they do actually stick! I honestly didnt have very high hopes for the stick factor- it took a little finesse-ing to get it right but they stayed- surprisingly well stuck too! Secondly- I personally thing the lash band where the adhesive goes is quite thick- it’s hard to get a natural look- but the wispyness and length of the lash it’s self was very pretty! The glue was only on the one edge so it did lend itself for slightly down turned lashes which I wasn’t loving. Next- boy did they stick on, then it occurred to me; to get them off I would have to wet the band, which made my eye make up run into my eye… which hurt like the proverbial…. Final thoughts- gorgeous lash set but execution maybe lacking? Also the clue dots that was holding the lash on to the packaging sticks to the lash band and caused issues for me no matter how much I tried to pick it off.

Perhaps, I’m not the best person to trial these lashes as, apart from magnetic lashes, I’m not the best with applications. I really wanted to like this trial and lashes but, unfortunately, I did not find them the easiest to apply. I trimmed the lashes to suit my eye shape and then dipped them in water and waited 60 second (as per instructions on the packet), then tried to apply them but they would not stick! After several attempts, I even tried to apply them to the back of my hand to see if the adhesive is working but no such luck! I’m not the greatest with false lashes in general but these seemed to be particularly difficult for me to apply compared to magnetic and glue/adhesive lashes.

If anyone has any tips and has been successful, I would love to hear so I can edit my review!!

Now I’m not usually a lash wearer but these were awesome. They’re so lush and full, quite bold for me, but wearable for a special occasion! The application was a little tricky, though I think this could be user error, I needed tweezers to help me get them on nicely. The water based application is a great idea and makes sense for those of us who don’t wear regularly as we don’t have glue floating around unused. They stayed on far longer than I expected with no lifting. And they came off easily without pulling. The packaging is sleek and compact, easy to pop into your makeup bag. I’d be interested to see how these wear for more than a few hours at a time but all signs point to them being long wearing!

I have only worn false lashes 3-4 times in my life, and as a sometimes-for-special-occasion consumer I assumed I would be the target demographic for these since you just dip them in water and apply. I followed the instructions and cut the lashes to the correct length before soaking in water for 60 seconds to activate the adhesive. Applying them was a watery, slippery mess and I was thankful I was wearing minimal eye makeup. Once dry, these felt so scratchy and uncomfortable I unceremoniously ripped the eyelashes off in the middle of dinner with my friends a few hours later. No makeup look is worth this torment.

I received a set of the Glam by Manicare Hydro Lash Water Activated Lashes as one of the BR Trial Team members.

The lashes came packaged in the usual rectangular box with a plastic inner tray holding the set of Daniela (#82) lashes. These lashes are described as 'wispy mink effect lashes with curled tips for incredible length'. The back of the box states that these lashes use a 'revolutionary water activated band for effortless application without the need to apply lash adhesive. Simply dip the lash band in water to activate the adhesive and apply to the lash line.' That sounded so easy, I couldn't wait to try them.

After not having worn make-up for three months (due to lockdown), I carefully applied a full face of make-up before reading the instructions for the lashes on the box. I removed the lashes from the tray, measured the fit, trimming off the excess, before dipping the lash band into a little water. And this is where the instructions weren't very clear. Step two says “Dip lash band in water. Wait 60 seconds.” Was I supposed to dip the band into the water, removing them and waiting 60 seconds for the excess water to evaporate and the glue to activate before applying the lashes? (this made the most sense to me), or was I supposed to dip the lash band in the water and wait 60 seconds before removing the lash band from the water? I chose option one. Surely, if they wanted the lashes to sit in water for 60 seconds it would have said soak the lash band in water for 60 seconds. ??

Anyway, I dipped the band, making sure to get the entire band wet without wetting the lashes. Placed the on the top of the tray they came in, set a timer, waited 60 seconds and then attempted to apply them. They just wouldn't stick. I waited another minute, in case I'd got them too wet and tried again. Still wouldn't stick. I waited another minute – nothing. I walked away and waited half an hour for them to dry fully.

I tried again, this time soaking the lash band in water for 60 seconds, thinking that maybe I'd misread the instructions the first time around. The lashes still wouldn't stick. My fingertips felt a little sticky, like I had gotten a tiny bit syrup on them, but the band wasn't sticky enough to stay on my eyelid. To make matters worse, a little of this so called water activated adhesive got into my eye where I was trying to hold the inner corner of the lash band down, and boy, did it sting! That didn't help either, watery eyes and eyelashes that won't stick just don't bond well. I gave up for the second time.

I had high hopes for these as I've tried water activated lashes in the past with great results, but sadly I couldn't get this pair to work. After dipping in water I waited the instructed 60 seconds, the band was tacky to touch but would not hold onto my eyelid. As they stated they are reusable up to 3 times, I tried again but with the same result. Instead of dunking into water, I dipped my finger into the water and then ran my finger over the lash band. This did appear to work better but the inner corners kept lifting up as soon as I tried to stick it down. I tried with both eyeshadow on, and a bare lid but the lashes wouldn't adhere either way.

These lashes are not for me!

The band on the lash is quite thick which makes them very difficult to use. I had a lot of trouble trying to get all parts of the band stuck down at 1 time. I tried tweezers and fingers and all different ways of applying them with no luck. I could get a part down but never all at once. I use fake lashes often enough that I don't normally have issues applying them.

The adhesive seems to work if you can get it down. However I found my eyes were stinging a lot, guessing from the adhesive. Not ideal!

I like the idea of water activated as it is less messy than glue. You are able to move the lash around to get into right spot without glue going everywhere.

I think the band needs to be a lot more flexible for these to work.

The lash themselves were lovely and fluffy with a really nice shape.

I wouldn't use this product again due to the difficulties I had trying to get them on.

I was so excited to try these, I love wearing false lashes, but sometimes the battle with the adhesive just doesn't provide results worth sticking with.

So I was keen these new lashes that would hopefully put up less of a fight.

The packaging is the standard Manicare packaging with a clearly labelled left and right lash.

They look the same as their other lashes except for the lash band is thicker and feels almost cruchy if you bend the lashes, and at each end of the lash band, there is excess band. I found for me cutting off the excess at both ends madr wearing the lashes more comfortable. Then I snipped that outer end to cut then down for size.

To activate the adhesive, you need to dip the lashes into water. The instructions reccomend 60 seconds, but I found 30 worked just as well. A glass is the easiest way to dip them. You could run then under a tap, but you'd waste a lot of water.

Then it is just applying and wearing your lashes as usual.

To remove, you'll want a flannel with cold water to gently coax the lashes off. With normal glue I'd just pull my off, but these ones seemed a lot more cemented on.

Final thoughts: I would derfintiely wear these again. They are less messy than traditional lashes and while you may get one or two less wears out of them, you can get more than the 3 wears predicted on the instructions. The other big winner for me is that they didn't lift at the edges like I often find traditional lashes do.

This is a real step forward for false lashes.

Application was easy dripped the lashes into water for 60 seconds do each one separately so you don't mix up the left and right eye. Use a pair of tweezers wait until the strip is tacky before applying to make it easier to attach. Coverage it covers across both eyes easily I could of even cut a little bit off to fit them on a little better. Longevity stayed on all day without issue it did come off a little from the inside of my eye after it was a little watery. Usage is 3 uses which is great as most fake lashes are one time use only. Price is under 15 dollars from the pharmacy which isn't a bad price makes it cheap if you use it over 3 wears. Packaging was basic but makes it obvious as to what is in the packing which is perfect when you are looking for false lashes. Results well attached lashes they did feel a little heavy on my eyes for some reason. I tried out the natural lashes they didnt look natural enough for me they did look more fake so great for when you want to look all glam when going out. Would I recommend this product to friends and family? Yes I would it does the trick and no fuss with glue that sticks to the eye line and lashes which is fantastic. I feel the natural lashes are more than enough for length and volume.