How to apply false eyelashes

This is just a quick little set of instructions I put together for my sister. I thought I'd share them online in case they can be of use to anyone else! Sorry no pictures but I can't draw for toffee. If you've got any questions just ask :)

False Eyelash Instructions

1. Put on any primer/foundation and eye shadow first. Avoid any cream or oily products as they’ll mess with your glue later.
2. Put on a line of liquid eyeliner on the lash line of your upper lid. This will help disguise the false lash strip when they’re on. Make sure this has dried by the time you’re applying the lashes.
3. If necessary curl your eyelashes to match(ish) the curl of the false ones.  
4. Prepping the false lashes: Trim off any excess strip either side of the actual lashes. You can even snip off a bit of the lashes themselves if they’re too long or you want to go for a certain effect. If they’re a bit too straight you can roll them back and forth to get a curve to match your eyelid. 
5. Start with either lash (I always start with the right for some reason). Hold the lash by the sticky-out bits and slather a good helping of glue on the strip. It goes on white but dries clear. The more you use a pair of lashes the easier they become to apply because of a build-up of this glue but if they’re getting a bit clogged up you can just peel of the excess before you begin.  
6. Count 30 elephants. (This is important – do not skip the elephants!)  
7. Apply the lash to your eyelid at the very edge. (Lots of instructions will tell you to apply the lashes to the roots of your own lashes. This is a terrible idea unless you want to pull out all your own lashes when you’re taking them off later!) Match the outer edge of the lash to the outer corner of your eye first and then set the rest of it in place.  
8. Use tweezers to do any tiny tweaks or push corners down but try not to over-fuss them. If it has gone horribly wrong just pull them off and start at step 5 again. Do not get frustrated with yourself – these are tricky little buggers and starting again is much easier than trying to fix a cock-up.  
9. Once they are in place try to leave them alone until the glue dries and avoid fluttering until completely set! (Usually about 3 mins).  
10. You may want to touch up any eyeliner once it’s dry but hopefully you won’t need to. Some people like to apply mascara once they have lashes on. This can help combine your natural lashes with the false ones but it does mean that they are less re-usable. I like to avoid mascara if possible with false lashes because it cuts out any chance of clogging or shedding black crud on my under-eye.  
11. Knock ‘em dead!  

When it comes to taking them off, grip gently at the inner corner and slowly pull off with your eyes closed. This shouldn’t hurt. Any glue residue can be peeled off quite satisfyingly but if you’re having difficulties getting rid of it all first try an oil-based cleanser, then try a gentle rub with an exfoliating cloth. Or ignore it and it’ll come off eventually!

 

Here comes the bride!

So this was the year that two of my closest friends decided to tie the knot, and I was really pleased that Red asked me to make her outfit for her special day. Red wanted an overbust corset, and two different types of matching skirt: one long with a small train for the ceremony, and one knee-length circle skirt to be worn with a petticoat for the party afterwards.

I was very confident with the circle skirt, as I've made a lot of these in the past, and the long skirt was not too complex in design. The first mock-up had a single centreback seam and was made of one front panel and two back panels with a center-back concealed zip. This didn't move in quite the way the bride wanted, so it was re-designed to have a godet starting at the back of the knee. This meant it hugged her behind a little better and the small train fanned out behind her a little more naturally.

She chose an ivory duchesse satin for the ensemble and a standard anti-static polyester for the skirts. The corset was lined with white cotton and inter-lined with corsetry coutil.

In order to avoid any obvious bulges under the corset, I made both of the skirts without waistbands. I did this by making the linings a perfect copy (but with slightly higher hems), folding them under and understitching the seam allowance.

The corset was based on a Harlots and Angels overbust pattern as I have found their patterns to be very reliable and have a really good waist curve. My bride is quite top-heavy and we wanted to make sure that there was no chance of any ‘slips’ during the dancing. We both wanted to avoid cups due to the aesthetic and the complexity, so the mock-up corset was quite rigorously tested. The bust seams were nipped in just above the top curve of the breasts, and the underarm line was raised a little to hold them in at the sides. I deepened the sweetheart neckline a little for just the right amount of sexy(!) and bound the edges in the same fabric.After much experimentation with a mock-up in coutil a combination of flat steels over the tummy and spirals over the bust point to allow for the steep curve was the solution. Most of the rest of the corset was boned with spiral for comfort as they are flexible in 4 directions and tend not to dig in or restrict movement.

We chose some really long decorative silver aglets for the laces which were cornflower blue to co-ordinate with the petticoat she wore under the circle skirt. These both tied in with the very pretty and unusual union flag shoes that she got from Irregular Choice.

Photo shoot pictures to follow!