Who doesn’t love getting glammed up with false eyelashes. When applying falsies, technique and safety are paramount. The makeup trend-du-jour is to apply/glue fake eyelashes underneath the lash line, on the waterline. And we’re here to put the kibosh on that method.

Application of fake eyelashes to the waterline, aka Meibomian gland openings, block the necessary release of a fat & oil mixture onto the eye’s surface. Your eyes need this fat & oil release and lubrication for many reasons (like taking the salad dressing off your salad — BAD idea… who wants to eat dry lettuce?!).

The waterline is that inside-line of your eyelids where a lot of women like to apply makeup. This waterline is packed with Meibomian glands, the delicate glands which line the top and bottom eyelid (sort of like pores in the eyelids). By applying false eyelashes along the waterline, these glands are basically suffocated, e.g. the glands cannot do-their-job and release a moisturizing fat & oil mixture onto the eye’s surface. Okay, yuck, but, truly, when Meibomian glands are compromised, they do not function properly — This malfunction of the glands is more specifically called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), which is a leading cause of dry eye disease.

Fake lashes may look beautiful, but not at the expense of harming those pretty peepers.