This desire for fuller lashes and eyes that pop isn’t something new. There’s evidence suggesting people living as far back as ancient Rome longed for longer, more voluminous eyelashes. It wasn’t until the late 1800s, though, when the first modern mascara was invented in, you guessed it – France, that a way to elongate and plump up eyelashes came to be. But this simply wasn’t enough. And a couple of decades later, the first faux lashes were invented, paving the way for us today to safely apply falsies at home and pull off any kind of makeup glamour we want.
Falsies today can be found in many settings. From the big screen and high-fashion shows to nights-out and everyday use, you can spot them everywhere. It’s because of the variety of styles available that we can so freely add them into our daily lives, improving any look that needs a little push. Still, with great variety comes great responsibility. There are a few ways of getting fuller, extended eyelashes out there, and undeniably, some a better than others.
The Different Ways to Longer Lashes
Available in a number of styles, you can easily find dramatic glam lashes for a special occasion, natural designs for everyday use, bridal falsies for your special day, colourful ones for when you’re feeling extra bold, and so on. Faux lashes are versatile, easy to use and create the wanted effect in minutes. Consisting of a little band embedded with a number of little hairs in varying lengths, they can be cut to size and adjusted to your unique eyelids before being applied.
Still, not all falsies are made the same. There are those made out of cruelty-free materials like silk or human hairs, and then, there are those made using animal hair, mainly mink. How do these materials differ? Are some of higher quality than the others? Which can provide fuller, more effective, glamorous eyelashes? Which are better? Digging a little deeper into the matter, here are the arguments.
Cruelty-Free Falsies
Cruelty-free, vegan-friendly products have been on the rise for quite some time now. When faced with the decision to choose between products made with or without cruelty, many of us opt for the cruelty-free option because it’s more humane and sustainable.
It was a somewhat common belief in the past that only real animal fur was long-lasting, soft, and suitable for a quality product. That might have been true way back when, but with the advances in technology, man-made alternatives have proven that this isn’t the case anymore. Quality-made faux products can both last a long time and look and feel good. This rings especially true when it comes to falsies.
Lashes made of silk, human hair, or synthetic materials meant to mimic mink hair are fluffy, look great, and are really easy to use. They are also quite durable, being able to be reapplied a number of times before they need to be swapped for a new pair. This is only true for quality-made cruelty-free falsies, though. There are a lot of retailers out there selling subpar products that are tacky, heavy, and don’t blend in with your lashes at all. You want to avoid these and only buy your lashes from vendors you’re sure pay attention to quality and detail.
Well-made cruelty-free falsies aren’t a hazard for your real lashes and minimise the risk of allergic reactions. Since you can take them off when you feel like it and reapply, they don’t limit you in terms of the products you can use on your face. You don’t have to compromise or change your daily beauty routine just because of the lashes you have. You do, however, need to mind the way you’re taking them off. No pulling, or you might tear off some of your own lashes in the process.
You don’t have to avoid water (for example, natural occurrences like rain), worrying the lashes will come off or completely lose their shape and curl. They’re also easy to clean and store. No matter if you’re going for natural, doll, dance, or glam lashes, cruelty-free eyelashes will perform excellently and look pretty. You won’t have to skip on activities or worry about the weather, they can take it all. If you want to stick to natural materials, go with human hair or silk ones, otherwise, faux-mink is a great alternative.
Mink Falsies
A pair of mink lashes can end up costing you way more than a pair of cruelty-free ones. Made by using hair from a mink’s tail, they are lightweight and extremely fluffy. They also look quite a lot like human eyelashes, since the hairs used are coming from another living creature and are natural. This is where the issue for some people comes along, though.
Many manufacturers of mink eyelashes claim their lashes are cruelty-free. What they mean by this is that in order to get the hairs needed, the animal is gently brushed until the hairs fall off on there own and are then collected. The problem here is that minks, a type of weasel, are wild animals. In order to get a mink to have a good, long brushing you need it to stand still, which brings about the need to restrain the animal.
What’s more, it’s common knowledge that mink farms aren’t very humane places. Often overcrowded, the minks are kept in terrible conditions, as their fur is one of the most wanted furs out there. When demand is high, so is production, and this leaves very little space for commodities. Not stepping into explaining all the specifics of how these minks are kept and treated, the fact that no mink-fur product is actually cruelty-free stands.
Moving on to our specific interest, mink falsies.
Thought by some to be the ultimate glam false lashes, they really are very close to looking like human hair, but they’re also somewhat difficult to use. Being that soft, they often lose their curl if they get wet or come near a product that doesn’t pair well with them. This means you’ll have to work around your lashes and avoid an array of products and weather to keep them from losing their shape.
They also need to be permed, and you may need to keep curling them at home to retain the desired look you’re going for. For people with animal allergies, they can pose a threat and result in allergic reactions in the gentle eye area.
Mink eyelashes provide a sense of lightness on the eye, making you forget they’re even there, and they look really beautiful. They can also be worn up to 20 times. If you don’t mind the animal cruelty that comes along with them and the certain trickiness in using them, they’re the lashes for you.
To Sum Up
The main differences between cruelty-free and mink lashes are in the pricetag, the usage, and the way they’re made.
There really isn’t anything mink lashes provide that cruelty-free lashes can’t. Both have a natural hair option, with vegan-friendly ones offering two more varieties to suit your taste and needs. They’re often preferred over mink ones, as they can provide far more dramatic, effective looks, whereas mink falsies are made for a more natural look in mind. Always keep in mind that the word ‘faux’ doesn’t necessarily mean something bad.
If you ask us, we’ll always favour cruelty-free. They’re simple, diverse, and safe for everyone, and that’s exactly what we’d call a win-win situation.