How to Clean and Reuse False Eyelashes

Holidays are a great time to try out new makeup trends, with that may come the desire to turn up the glamour and really play up the drama. Whether that be, a sexy red lip color or very bold smoked eyes there are numerous tips and tricks to make the transition from just wow, to POW! and easy one.
One of my favorite extras to add, holiday event or any event at all that I would like to really play my eyes up is false eyelashes. The great thing about falsies is that you can get them anywhere, your local drug store to your favorite MAC counter, and you're sure to find a set you love in your price range which can start out as low as $2.99 and upwards from there.
  When first experimenting with false eyelashes I went straight to MAC. I love the way MAC falsies feel in comparison to some other brands I have tried, like real eyelashes because of the delicate fibers used as oppose to others that are made out of plastic material.  Eighteen dollars for false eyelashes can seem like an okay indulgence every now and then however, my dilemma begins when there are three to four events in one week. How do I get the most bang for my buck? After torturous trial and error that's has resulted in everything from melting away the adhesive with makeup remover, an absolute mess. To pulling the glue form lashes, end result- 10 individual lashes left on the strip, ruined. I knew there had to be an easier way to reuse your eyelashes, safely and effectively.
  I came across the answer to my prayers and yours, blogger Sparkly Playground gives a step buy step tutorial on a fool proof way to clean, sanitize, and reuse your lashes. This method seemed so easy, especially after all the fails I'd had, I was a little skeptical, it can't be this easy. I tried it out, it worked and fast! Have a look at her step by step blog post below;

TUTORIAL: How to Clean and Reuse False Eyelashes

 I saved this dirty pair for a while. I wore these for about a week and as you can see. It's disgusting! It's really important that you clean out your lashes because it will accumulate bacteria and can easily go back to infecting your eyes! Your eyes are precious!!!

I tend to like DIYing my lashes to get the look I want.
So I have Velour Lashes in "Are those Real?", cheap china falsies cut in half, and Cheap China falsies short ones. I know it's hard to tell I combined 3 pairs into one, but you will see them at the end of the post once it's all cleaned! 
By the way, I purposely chose these dirty lashes because it has Mink lashes and Synthetic lashes. I wanted to demonstrate how this tutorial works on both types of lashes!

                                                Take a container and fill it with water. Soak your lashes in there and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

You will see the glue residue rubber thing become white. This is totally normal. I avoid using Make Up Remover, Cleansing Oils, and Cleansing Foam to remove the residue at this step because it tends to MELT the glue. It's a hot mess, no joke. It's much easier this way. You will see by the next picture!

So I removed the lashes from the water and gently pat them dry with a tissue or cotton pad.

At this point, you can easily just peel the glue residue off. (You can use tweezers if you dont have long nails). Most times, I get it all off in one long piece! If you used any other substance other than water, the glue tends to dissolve and it becomes all sticky and melted and gross. 

Now, soak a cotton pad (preferably one that is lint-free) with make up remover. Also dip some remover on to a Q-tip so it's like your magic wand to clean the lashes. This step is to clean off the eyeliners, eyeshadows, mascaras that are left on your lashes. 

Look at all the gross make up I removed from this step. Impressive??
It's important to use Q-tip and cotton pad because its more gentle. Our fingers and nails tends to be much bigger in size and it can break the lashes (fall outs).

Finally, I use Alcohol (70% to 99% in strength) to sanitize. You can buy Alcohol in Walmart or any drugstore. I put them in a small spray bottle (you can get those at dollar stores or drugstores). I put about 2-3 sprays on the lashes, and gently use a new Q-tip to wipe dry. It does evaporate so don't worry about having alcohol residue in your eyes ;)

DONE!