How to achieve 'manga lashes', the latest social media beauty fad

Tutorials have sprung up all over TikTok, and the #mangalashes hashtag has more than 26 million views. Photo composite: AFP

False eyelashes are an essential beauty accessory for many people. From the most natural to the most eccentric, falsies come in all shapes and sizes.

On TikTok, users are taking inspiration from Japan's manga comic books and graphic novels for a dramatic, stylised look straight out of anime.

TikTok is the favourite social network of wannabe beauty gurus who share hacks and tips, and get new trends buzzing.

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At the moment, they're taking inspiration from Japanese comic books and animations, where the female characters have spiky, pointed eyelashes grouped into small clumps. The effect can be relatively natural when it's done well, and it can totally change the look of your eyes.

This trend requires patience and meticulousness, since it involves using false lashes that are longer than your own natural lashes.

The lashes should then be cut into small pieces. After a coat of mascara, they are then be applied with glue, at different points. TikTokers then alternate long lashes with shorter natural lashes to create a kind of spiky, "spider legs" effect. The technique is then also applied to the lower lashes.

The trend notably hails from TikTok user @sacheu, who was one of the first to share a tutorial.

Since then, tutorials have sprung up all over TikTok, and the #mangalashes hashtag has more than 26 million views.

Note that some people use lashes sold individually, so you have to create your own "clumps" by gluing several lashes together before applying them to your eyes. But this can be tricky, because you have to be careful with the spacing between these long lashes, which can quickly lead to a very unnatural effect.

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It is also advisable to choose the length of the false lashes you use in relation to your natural lashes. Some influencers recommend using falsies that are two milimetres longer in the center of the eye and one millimetre longer on the sides.

If you want to get started with this trend, but you feel a little daunted by the process, some beauty salons can now apply these "manga lashes" for you, giving you the anime look with minimal effort.

You can also try an alternative technique, which recreates the trend simply by sticking your natural lashes together in clumps. No false lashes required. – AFP Relaxnews