How to Curl Short, Straight Lashes (Because It’s Totally Possible!)

If you weren’t born with naturally long or curly lashes, then you know the struggle of achieving the doll-eyed look of your dreams is real. Short lashes can be stubborn and resistant to the standard lash-curler technique and have likely left you frustrated and ready for extensions. But before you stalk your favorite influencer to suss out their lash pro, we recommend switching up your technique and making sure you’re using the right curler for your lash type. According to makeup artist Kasey Spickard, the right lash curler is key, and he recommends using a mini eyelash curler (like the Shu Uemura Mini Eyelash Curler) to get the job done. For extra oomph, he also recommends heating up the curler using your blow dryer on the medium setting — you want the curler to get warm, not hot, as that could lead to breakage.

Although curler type is crucial for getting a lasting curl, so is technique. Shorter lashes don’t benefit from the typical clamp-and-curl, so you have to get a little more innovative. We recommend trying Youtuber Cococho’s technique, which she shares in the tutorial ahead.

For this technique, it’s all in the angle — and rather than curling straight on, she takes a varied approach. To start, bring the curler close to the eye as you normally would and start curling lashes at the root. As you work you way to the tip of your lashes, curve the curler toward your nose which helps to curl the lashes on the very ends. To get the smaller hairs toward the inner corners, place your lashes in the curler again and curl toward the nose, angling it down, and outward. Finally, curl lashes straight and pull downward (gently!) to extend the curl. The key to this method is to be patient, because the results are next level and the answer to your stubborn lash woes.

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