Achieving Bold and Expressive Eyes With Anime-Style Lash Extensions
Anime is art just as much as any other creative medium. So it follows that anime is a brilliant artistic inspiration for your lash looks. What are anime-styled lash looks, and how can you utilize them as part of a costume or street fashion to get expressive and mesmerizing eyes?
What Are Anime Style Lash Extensions?
Unlike Western animated characters, anime and manga characters have distinct, exaggerated features. One notable difference is in the depiction of anime eyes, which are drawn disproportionately large to be more expressive and cat-like (by some theories).
Anime-style lashes aim to use eyelash styling to mimic this exaggerated eye look. Anime and Manga lash styles recently skyrocketed in popularity on TikTok and Instagram across the world. The trend actually likely began in Harajuku fashion circles in the early 2000s.
There are many ways to personalize an anime lash's look or make it a specific homage to a certain character. Anime lashes can be used in literal anime cosplays, but they can also be used in street fashion. In general, though, anime lashes are over the top and dramatic lash looks that can incorporate spiky textures, long lengths, and sometimes bright colors.
What Makes Anime Lashes Unique?
Anime style lash extensions are a style of lash extensions that are mapped to imitate the exaggerated, intense eye looks of anime characters. Anime-style lash maps feature longer, fuller, and more dramatic lashes than classic lash maps, but they’re not as long or thick as Russian Volume lashes.
Anime lash extension lash maps typically start with one of two base lash maps: The Doll Eye and the Squirrel Eye. The Doll Eye base is perhaps the most common since it creates a wide-eyed, doe-like appearance characteristic of wide-eyed, innocent heroines.
A Doll Eye map places the longest lash point at the center of the lash line. Think of Sailor Moon and Anya from Spy X Family. The Squirrel Eye is a very common base for anime characters that are more mature, often vaguely maternal figures.
A squirrel eye places the longest lash halfway between a Doll Eye (center) and a Cat Eye (outer corner). Think of Mikasa from Attack on Titan. Rarely, but sometimes, you might find an exaggerated Cat Eye, mainly for characters designed to be overtly sexual or villainous. Think of Lust from Full Metal Alchemist or Android 18 from Dragon Ball Z.
The intense and well-separated lash spikes are the main thing that sets anime lashes apart from these basic lash map frameworks. Webtoon Lashes, aka Spider Lashes, feature a base layer of short, full lashes paired with extremely long, sporadic, highly stylized lash spikes.
A Webtoon lash that isn’t trying to mimic the look of a specific character would utilize a Doll Eye base for the first lash spike and build out from the center with Stax, spacing the lash spikes to personal taste.
Another unique thing about anime lashes is the attention to the lower lash line. Unlike other styles, a Webtoon lash look emphasizes the volume of the lower lash line. Create this emphasis by applying short extensions to the lower lash line or using eyeliner.
How To Get The Look
Anime lashes may sound like they need a complicated application process with tons of steps. Luckily, the Lashify system makes it easy for you to design and apply a killer anime lash map with just a little practice and the right tools.
Start by getting a Control Kit from Lashify. The Control Kit contains everything you need to start styling your lashes with the world’s first and only DIY lash extensions.
The Control Kit will contain the application tool (the Fuse Control Wand), the lash adhesive (Whisper Light Bond), and a cartridge of Classic Gossamer Lashes ( A, B, or C Curl). Plus a few extra accessories — because what’s a babe without their accessories?
For a look as bold as this, you’ll need some Gossamer lashes bolder than the classic Core Collection. Head over to the Volume Collection.
Here are some lash recommendations:
Silver Prismatics
When you think of anime eyes, you probably envision the animated ingenues' glimmery, wet, shimmering eyes. Silver Prismatic Gossamers can help you capture that shimmer IRL without the excess wetness.
Just flutter your lashes for an eye-catching shimmer. Pro-tip: After applying your Gossamers, add a thin line of your favorite shiny or metallic eyeliner to both upper and lower lash lines to really seal the shimmery deal.
Extreme Ice
When we think of the spikiest Gossamers in our arsenal, we often think of the Extreme Ice. Extreme Ice Gossamers can form long pillars of pointed lash in sharp icicles or along the entire lash line. When it comes to the spikey, spidery lashes of anime lash styles, Extreme Ice is the obvious go-to. It pairs well with the bases of both Curl and Bold Gossamers.
Tulip
Tulip Gossamers are a new player on our team, and our enthusiastic Lashifiers are exploring their potential every day. Tulip Gossamers offer a lash with twin spikes, extremely reminiscent of many well-known anime characters. They utilize fibers as thick as the B Curl Bold Gossamers. They look more natural than Extreme Ice while maintaining their signature points.
Starburst
Starburst Gossamers are perfect for anime looks because the whole lash look is basically built into the lash. These Gossamers are multi-layered and multi-lengthed with built in lash spikes all in a single lash cluster!
This Gossamer can be worn all alone across the entire lash line, or be combined with Core Gossamers and used to accent the outer corners. They’re spikey and fluttery all-in-ones. To use them to achieve a doll eye, make sure a lash spike is centered on the eye.
Red Prismatics
Are you in need of some hot red lashes to complement Ezra Scarlet’s fiery locks? Anime across all time has featured at least one principal character per show with a chromatic hair color. So why not draw on that inspiration? Why not match your lashes to your cosplay wig or hair dye?
There’s more than just red, though that’s a very common color. The Prismatics Collection features colors, from pink to teal to lavender, to add depth and character to your look. What about violet lashes to match the violet contact lenses in your Kyoko Kirigiri cosplay? Blending bold colors into a natural colored base creates all the boldness the anime style emulates.
Gemini
Gemini Gossamers are spiky and short, with the thickest fiber of any Gossamer lash. This makes them perfect for both base and stacked layers within an Anime lash style. The thickness and spikiness of the lash effectively imitate the extremely dense but short lashes from the center of the eye to the inner corner that are present in many characters.
But wait! Before you hit “add to cart,” it’s best to have a plan in mind. If you get an idea of your lash map ahead of time, it will help you know which lengths to order in which styles. Below, might we offer a few starting points? Take these as suggestions and build a personalized lash map using your eye shape and style goals.
Pro Tip: Check out our guide to reading a lash map. From left to right is the inner corner to the outer corner.
Anime Style Lash Map 1
The Inspo
Uraraka Ochaco from My Hero Academia is not only one of the most beloved characters from her own series, but she’s literally one of the most popular anime characters, period. You can’t take five steps into Otakon without running into an Uraraka Ochaco cosplayer. Her lash look is a classic Webtoon style.
The Gossamers
- Curl Gossamers
- Extreme Ice Gossamers
Base: C12 C12 C12 C12 C12
Stacked: EI16 EI18 EI18 EI16
Try applying this map with the Volume Stacking method.
Anime Style Lash Map 2
The Inspo
Sailor Moon is an iconic character of the 90s and 2000s, even for those who don’t watch anime. Her design inspired the art and design of hundreds of anime characters and series for decades to follow.
Her eyes are the definition of anime eyes. This lash look can also apply to the other Sailors since their styles are so similar. Consider trying different colored Prismatics for the other Sailors.
The Gossamers
- Extreme Ice Gossamers
- Silver Prismatic Gossamers
- Curl Gossamers
Top Lash Line: C12 C12 EI18 C12 EI18 C12
Bottom Lash Line: Silver C8 and Silver C8, spaced to the ¼ and ¾ marks on the lash line.
Anime Style Lash Map 3
The Inspo
Yumehara Nozomi is the leader of the five main Cures in Yes! Pretty Cure 5. She has a big kawaii style with a big and elaborate lash look. High femme and high lash drama!
The Gossamers
- Starburst Gossamers
- Tulip Gossamers
- Bold Gossamers
Top Lash Lash Line: Base: B12 T16 B12 T16 SB18
Stacked: B12 B12 B12 B12
Bottom Lash Line: B8 B10 B8 B10
Try applying this map with the Brick Stacking method or the Volume Stacking method.
Anime Style Lash Map 4
The Inspo
Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan is certainly one of the most well-known anime characters, though she’s probably not your first thought when it comes to eyelash inspiration. Miakasa’s lash look is pretty natural for anime girls, likely because Mikasa is a serious character.
She’s the best soldier in the 104th Training Corps, one of her military’s greatest assets, and has saved Eren’s behind countless times. Her lashes may not be fluttery, but they’re sharp and to the point, just like her.
The Gossamers
- Gemini Gossamers
- Bold Gossamers
Base: G10 G10 G12 G14 G12
Stacked Layer: B10 B10 B10 B10
Try applying this map with the Brick Stacking method and pair it with dark eyeliner on the lower lash line.
Sources:
The 20 Most Popular Female Anime Characters, Ranked | WhatNerd
Anime Style Lash Extensions | Lashe Style on LinkedIn
What Are Anime Lash Extensions? More About the Trend | PMU HUB
With over 200 million views, 'Manga Lashes' are the next big beauty trend | Cosmopolitan
The lowdown on manga lashes and how to achieve the look | Vogue Singapore
