I Tried 4 At-Home Lash Extension Kits & This Was By Far The Best

From lengthening mascaras and lash lifts to growth serums, I've tried just about everything in pursuit of thick, voluminous lashes.

Eyelash extensions were the final frontier for me — but given that they cost up to $200 or more for a full set, I knew I couldn't afford to keep up with the maintenance. Luckily, a number of brands have launched DIY lash extensions that can be applied right at home. At around $20 to 40 a kit, they're way more budget-friendly — plus, the application process doesn’t require lying down with my eyes closed for an hour or two (which sounds like medieval torture to my ADHD brain.)

Some brands promise these at-home extensions can last for up to 10 days. But how easy are they to apply and remove for a novice like me? And can they survive the night even though I’m a side sleeper?

I recently tested four different leading brands — including Pro Lash, Lashify, Glamnetic, and FlutterHabit — to find out. Ultimately, each one had pros and cons, but there was one that really blew me away and lasted a full week. Read on for my unfiltered thoughts on how the best at-home lash extensions compare.

1. FlutterHabit The Wink

Fast Facts

• What We Like: Lashes look super full, adhesive is latex- and fragrance-free as well as sweat, water, and humidity resistant; a lot of lash styles to choose from
• What We Don't Like: A little trickier to apply, didn’t last as long
• Promises To Last For: Up to 10 days
• Rating: 3/5

FlutterHabit offers a wide variety of lashes, and you can take a style quiz on its website to find the right fit for you (I got The Wink, a wispy cat-eye).

The lash application process entails dabbing the adhesive along the top of each segment, waiting for 20 to 30 seconds, and then lining them up along the underside of your lashes. I found myself struggling to apply the right amount of adhesive and to figure out when it had become just tacky enough but not too dry. With most of the lash extensions I tried, the clusters immediately locked into place, but that wasn’t the case with these. It took me a lot longer to get the full set applied, and there were definitely a few frustrating moments in between.

Still, the finished look was absolutely stunning. The lashes looked full but felt lightweight, and I loved that the segments were tapered to be shorter on the inner corners and longer on the outer corners for a more natural effect. I only got about three days of wear out of these, but it’s hard to say whether that’s due to my inexperience during application.

2. Glamnetic Slay

• What We Like: Quick and easy to apply since there are only three clusters; high-quality appearance
• What We Don't Like: Only five styles to choose from and they only come in black
• Promises To Last For: Up to five days
• Rating: 4.5/5

Right off the bat, I could tell that Glamnetic’s lashes were going to be a breeze to apply. They come with only three clusters — which could be a pro or a con, depending on the way you look at it. For a beginner like me, it meant less room for issues. But if you like to customize the look to your eye shape, you may prefer a larger number of smaller clusters.

What I appreciated about Glamnetic’s bond is that it comes with a mascara-like spoolie wand, so it doesn’t take much skill to brush on an even coat to your natural lashes. After waiting 20 to 30 seconds for the bond to get tacky, the clusters instantly adhered. Pro tip: If you need to make adjustments to the placement of your clusters do it pronto because the bond will dry quickly.

These lashes lasted three full days, which was pretty impressive considering I was staying by the beach in humid Punta Cana. On day four, the outer clusters started to look wonky, but I was able to remove them, apply a little more bond, stick them back on, and get two more days of wear.

3. Lashify Bold

• What We Like: Six different length options for each style; bond is flexible and free of latex, formaldehyde, and cyanoacrylates; two different sealer options that are water-resistant
• What We Don't Like: The application process is a little more complex for beginners
• Promises To Last For: Up to 10 days
• Rating: 4/5

Lashify is considered the original DIY lash extension system. If there’s one thing the brand undeniably surpasses competitors on, it’s the sheer variety. There are literally dozens of styles to choose from, and each comes in multiple lengths and even color options (from natural shades like brown and ash brown to fun hues like violet and silver).

If you’re new to the system, consider opting for the Control Kit, which includes all the essentials: two gossamer lash cartridges, the dual-sided bond, the application wand with removable silicone cushion coverings, and a water-resistant sealant. You can choose your lash style — I went with Bold, which has a thicker fiber meant to give the appearance of volumizing mascara.

Lashify’s Whisper Light Bond is dual-sided: one side looks like a black mascara wand, and the other looks like white liquid eyeliner (but dries clear). The video I watched advised also applying the black side to my lashes first, and then after waiting 30 seconds, following up with a few dabs of the white side at the base of my lashes and brushing it through to the ends with a flat brush. I’m not sure if I didn’t wait long enough between these two steps, didn’t use the right brush (Lashify’s Control Kit doesn’t come with one), or applied too much bond, but my lashes got pretty clumpy with this method.

It took me about 20 to 25 minutes when all was said and done. The end result was gorgeous, though, and I got a ton of compliments at my family holiday party. My only complaint is that the clusters were mostly the same length; I had to trim them so that the inner corners didn’t look unnaturally long. That said, Lashify does offer plenty of other cat-eye styles with clusters of varying lengths.

After two days, the outer corners began falling off — but again, I’m a side sleeper, so those are the clusters that get crushed into my pillow. I managed to reapply just those clusters a couple of times and the set lasted me an additional few days for a total of five.

Lashify’s adhesive doesn’t contain harsh chemicals that may irritate your eyes or damage your lashes. As someone with sensitive skin, this was a huge selling point for me. Also, the wand is ergonomically designed to fit the curves of your eye and your face, making it a cinch to fuse and set those clusters without damaging your natural lashes.

4. Pro Lash Classic Luxe Wispy No. 15

• What We Like: Bond is sweat- and swim-proof, lots of tapered and wispy styles
• What We Don't Like: Can be a bit challenging to remove the clusters from the packaging
• Promises To Last For: Up to 10 days
• Rating: 4.5/5

If I had to name which extensions were easiest to apply, Pro Lash would take the cake. After swiping the spoolie-like wand through my natural lashes and waiting a bit, the clusters stuck with basically no effort at all. I didn’t have to rush, either, for fear of the bond drying, and all of them still adhered just fine.

Pro Lash claims that most people can get seven to 14 days of wear out of their lashes — but only after becoming more comfortable with the system. Since I’m still on the application learning curve, I kept my expectations low. To my delight, the lashes stayed on for four days before I had to reapply the outer corners — and then I was able to wear them for another three days after that.

There are 19 different styles to choose from, and I love that you can buy single sets if you’re still experimenting to find your favorite (some brands only sell their lashes in sets of three or four). Pro Lash gets major points for having multiple styles — including No. 9, No. 15, and No. 23 — that are tapered with shorter clusters for the inner corners so I don’t have to trim them myself. They don’t have as many color options as Lashify, but they do offer cocoa brown if you find that black is too harsh.

Final Verdict

I got really beautiful results from every one of these brands, but each had its own perks.

Glamnetic and FlutterHabit are the most affordable of the bunch, so if you don’t want to invest a bunch right off the bat, you could start with them. FlutterHabit’s lashes were some of my favorites purely based on appearance, but I also found them to be more challenging to apply. Glamnetic’s, meanwhile, were a breeze to apply and lived up to the promise of lasting a full five days, making them my favorite wallet-friendly pick.

Lashify offers the most style, length, and color options — so if you’re choosy with your lash looks, this brand is definitely for you. This system seems ideal for people who are used to extensions and are ready to step things up.

Ultimately, Pro Lash was the Goldilocks of at-home lash extensions for me: they couldn’t have been easier to apply, and they lasted an impressive amount of time (even despite my side-sleeping habits).