My Stubbornly Straight Lashes Never Hold a Curl—This ‘Liquid Lash Curler’ Kept Them Lifted All Day

For as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with getting my lashes to curl upwards. When I was in school, I kept three eyelash curlers in my bag, as backups for when mine inevitably got confiscated because I was constantly caught curling my lashes. My natural lashes are so straight, they may as well be pointing downwards. So when I heard that UKLASH was soon to launch a Lash Lift Gel, I knew I had to try it. A lash lift in a bottle? Yes please.

But it's not just about the lift. What made this so exciting for me was that, in addition to lifting, the product treats the lashes too, with nourishing ingredients that promise to support lash health and tint them over time. A product you can use as a pre-mascara primer and on its own for a natural lash lift look? It’s exactly what my lash routine needed.

How We Test

I've been using the Lash Lift Gel for the past two weeks, testing different application techniques, varying the amount used, and trying it with various mascaras to see whether it affects how the formula holds or looks. I also used the product every time I wear mascara, and I tested it alone, at the gym, and for a full day of work and events.

Over the years of testing beauty products, I've tried most of the best mascaras out there, know exactly which eyelash curler you need depending on the lash look you want, and I've even tested a lot of eyelash primers and clear mascaras in my time as a beauty writer.

I look for three main things in any lash product. First, ease of application: any mascara or mascara-adjacent product takes a few goes to get used to the wand and how it best applies, but once I've got that down, a low-fuss product is a must. Second, how it looks: I like my lashes to look as long, lifted and curled as possible, and I won't be satisfied until I've done everything I can. And third, how long it lasts: how my mascara looks at the end of the day really matters to me. I'm usually out from 7 am until 10 pm most days, and mascara starting to drop, or worse, drying up and falling out, is my nightmare.

First Impressions

From the outside, this could look like your sleekest, chicest mascara. And on the inside? Even better. The brush is flexible, with densely packed bristles, and I was surprised that it had a sweet smell. To get a feel for the texture, I placed it on the back of my hand, and it dries down almost tacky, as you'd expect from a gel product.

It's the first product of its kind, not just for UKLASH but for the market: a lash treatment and a lash lift in one. It promises to lift lashes instantly, hold that lift from morning to night, and keep them healthy while it's at it. My expectations were high.

As someone with unusually straight lashes, my main concern when doing my makeup is curling them and keeping them up. Would it live up to my expectations? Would it hold my lashes up? I was won over the very first time I tried it. It's a subtle lift and tint, but it's there, and the subtlety is exactly what works. After application, my lashes look lifted and tinted, and I even consider skipping mascara altogether. It shocked me, as a diehard mascara wearer.

How to Apply

The product itself is super easy to apply, just like mascara. I curl my lashes first anyway, and with the Lash Lift Gel, you have to, whether you're wearing it alone or under mascara. As a pre-mascara step, I found it best to let it dry a tad before applying mascara. My technique? Apply one layer to one eye, let it dry while you apply it to the other side, then come back to do mascara.

Less is definitely more with this: just do one coat. At first I applied it like my mascara, coats and coats of it, and found it weighed my lashes down. What I learned is to treat the pre-step as a coat of mascara in itself. Once I realised that, I used much less mascara on top and had the desired result (and got through less mascara, win-win).

When using it without mascara, I'd put on a few more coats, about three, dipping the brush back in the tube each time to make sure I get enough product on. When using it under mascara, I'd dip the brush once and apply a single coat across the lashes, focusing on the ends and where I want the lift.

The Verdict

I'm thrilled with the results. The lift is incredible, and the way it holds my lashes all day means I don't think I could ever go back to applying mascara alone. It took a few goes and a bit of trial and error to figure out what worked for me, but that's the same with every new mascara: I always have to get used to a new brush and formula to get my lashes the way I like them, fanned out, super long and curled. This helped me get everything I wanted with less mascara than I usually would, but the best part was that they stayed lifted and curled. Usually by the end of the day my mascara doesn't look how it did when I left the house, but with this, when I got home my lashes were still lifted, and that, for me, is everything.

What makes the formula so special? Vitamin E and glycerin keep the lashes hydrated and conditioned. If you often experience fallout from dry mascara, or by the end of the day your lashes look visibly dry, this stops that.

An unexpected positive: the Lash Lift Gel has helped me lean into the ghost lash trend. If you'd told me six months ago that the no mascara trend would make mascara become "uncool," I'd have said I saw it coming; Paris Fashion Week beauty trends predicted it, but it's not for me. And yet, with the help of the Lash Lift Gel, my lashes look lifted and have a tint to them that makes them look really healthy. I'd never thought about the health of my eyelashes before, and I caught myself observing how healthy they looked. That little bit of tint makes them look naturally darker, longer and lifted, something I've never felt with an eyelash primer before. Would I re-purchase? Absolutely, yes.

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