Happy Hump Day, everyone!

A few weeks ago, I was sent this box of eyelid tape from a PR, which really intrigued me because eyelid tape has been around for ages on the Asian market, but this was the first I'd heard of something similar being marketed in Western countries. I was very interested to try it out and see how it compared to other kinds of eyelid tape that I'd tried before, and spent the last couple of weeks trialling it and trying to get the hang of it so that I could share what I thought here on the blog.

Eye Define is sold in boxes of 64 strips, and retails at AUD 29.95 per box. Along with the strips, the box also contains an instruction booklet, and a little tub of gel, all packed in a little plastic blister case so that the contents of the box don't move about when you shake the box.


The shape of the eyelid tape is exactly similar to Asian eyelid tapes, a crescent moon shape with the tiniest curve. According to the instructions, you need to apply the gel in the tub to the eyelid tape before applying it to your eye, to help with reapplication (in case you get it wrong on the first try, which, trust me, you will probably do) and to help the strip last all day. This is where it has a one-up on Asian eyelid tapes, because most Asian eyelid tapes only have enough stickiness for one application. If you get it wrong, it's into the bin and on to the next piece of tape.

Now let me preface this review by saying that eyelid tape is very difficult to get the hang of. It is very difficult to place it correctly on your eye - too low and it sticks out onto your lashline; too high and it looks like you took an entire months' worth of caffeine in one morning - so you have to practice a few times before you figure it out, since each eye shape is different, and the placement of the strip on your eyes could be very different from mine.

So here's how I fared:


Above is a picture of the tape placed on my lids after about 3 tries (and I've done this before!). It looks quite natural when placed correctly, and because the tape has a pretty smooth texture, it doesn't stand out too much when I close my eyes. Up close though, it's pretty obvious that I have something stuck to my lids.

I wanted to try this with a natural makeup look that looks best with a large mobile lid, so I chose a simple winged liner with a bright, shimmery eyeshadow, and a little contour run into the crease. Here's what the makeup looks like without eyelid tape:



And once I applied the makeup, I tried applying the eyelid tape. It was a little bit more tricky doing this (which is why I'm thankful that I practised on my eyelid without makeup before I did this) because the tape becomes a lot less sticky once you've applied it to makeup, and it can be quite difficult to remove it and reapply if you placed it wrong. However, I wouldn't recommend trying to apply the tape first, and then apply makeup on top of it, because the tape doesn't hold on to much, and makeup looks strange when it sits on top of the tape. Makeup remover does not work on the tapes either (meaning if you made a mistake and want to clean makeup off of the tape, it doesn't come off).

For me, I had to change the placement of the sticker when I had makeup on, because the sticker made my lid jut out a little over my eyeliner, which made me look a bit like I'd been crying all night. I had to raise the sticker a little bit higher, but not so high that it looked unnatural. It took me a good many tries, and 3 wasted sets of eyelid strips, before I finally managed this:


The eyeliner is still a little bit off, because my mobile lid is so tiny that I couldn't raise the tape very much higher, which meant that the tape still made my lid jut out a little right above my eyeliner on my lashline. It looks a little bit more natural in real life, I think, and only feels slightly strange the first couple of hours after your very first application, but then you get used to it.


As for lasting power, these tapes did a pretty good job. A set of strips lasts an entire day (that's 5-6 hours for me) without budging or lifting at the corners as some tapes are wont to do.

Overall, I actually really enjoy the effect that the eyelid tape has on my lids. It gives me a larger mobile lid, which makes my eyes look bigger and more defined. From a makeup lover's point of view, I can finally show off the eyeshadow on my mobile lid without having to close my eyes, and without that pesky hood covering all my effort!
Note though, that this only works for natural looks like the one I did above, and cut crease looks. If you like smoky eyes and wear them all the time, there's no need for this tape because it wouldn't make much of a difference unless you have extremely hooded eyes.

What I didn't like about this tape was that it wasn't natural-looking enough for me, and caused my lid to jut out in places that made my eyes look a little bit strange, especially below the eyelid tape where my lid met my eyeliner and lashline. It was also obvious when I closed my eyes that there was something on my lids.

What do you think? Should I keep wearing eyelid tape, or are my natural lids good enough? :)