Magnetic lashes have taken the faux eyelash world by storm. If you’re not familiar, magnetic eyelashes are simply lash strips that attach to magnetic eyeliner that you brush over your lids.
The eyeliner doubles as makeup while keeping your lash strips securely attached. People love them because they’re easy to use and are far less messy than traditional glue-on options. And you won’t pull out your own lashes during the removal process!
That said, in the post-pandemic world, more and more people are choosing minimalism over maximalism when it comes to their makeup looks.
That includes wearing less bold eyeliner and more natural-looking lashes. Since most magnetic eyeliners are black or brown, more and more people are searching for a clear magnetic liner they can use instead.
Clear magnetic eyeliners don’t use iron or any other magnetic metals, instead relying on different technology to make them work.
So, do clear magnetic eyeliners work? Yes, but not the way you probably think they do. While clear magnetic eyeliners do keep lash strips on your eyes without the use of adhesives, they do not actually use magnetic technology, and because of that, they don’t behave exactly like traditional magnetic eyeliners.
In this article, we’ll dive into the way clear magnetic eyeliners work, how they compare to regular magnetic eyeliners, and which brands managed to perfect the technology better than others.
How Magnetic Eyeliner Works
Magnetic eyeliner allows you to attach faux lashes to your lash line by leveraging magnetic energy. If you didn’t know what magnets were, you’d think it was magic.
Magnetic eyelashes are a super convenient alternative to traditional faux lashes that need to be applied with glue, which causes a mess, feels uncomfortable, and sometimes makes you pull out your own lashes during removal.
With magnetic lashes, you get eyeliner filled with iron oxide which attracts the tiny magnets that are discreetly placed at the base of your false lash strips.
All you have to do is swipe the liquid magnetic eyeliner over your eyelids as you would normally do – in any style you prefer.
When the eyeliner is dry, you’ll carefully place the faux lash strips against the eyeliner and watch in awe as they instantly attach to your eyelids and stay there all day.
Removing magnetic lashes is easy, too – simply pull them off at the corner and they will peel away without tugging or pulling out your lashes.
There are some clear magnetic liners on the market, but not all of them work as well as their pigmented counterparts. This is because what makes these eyeliners magnetic is a special ingredient called iron oxide.
Without the iron oxide, your magnetic lashes would have nothing to hold on to. And here’s the kicker: iron oxide is black.
So it’s easy to make a dark eyeliner containing iron oxide, such as black and brown colors, but how would it be possible to create a clear magnetic eyeliner that would be completely transparent?
The answer is you can’t. Iron oxide is black. You can’t make it turn invisible. But wait! Didn’t you say clear magnetic eyeliner exists? What gives?
Clear Magnetic Eyeliner
Beauty brands have realized how important it is to provide transparent options for magnetic eyelashes because of the trends toward minimalism.
Since iron oxide cannot be made transparent, they found another solution – a solution that isn’t really magnetic at all. But it works similarly to magnetic eyelashes, so they just kept the name.
Here’s how it works: instead of placing tiny magnets at the base of the faux lash strips, this technology uses a bonding silicone band, which is a material that attaches really well to a “nano-grip” liner.
Nano-grip is just another word for a sticky silicone surface that can make things stick without the use of glue.
The clear magnetic liners aren’t actually magnetic at all, they just use a nano-grip silicone material instead of iron oxide. And they only work with faux lashes that have a silicone band at their base.
Does Clear Magnetic Liner Technology Work?
Nano-grip lash technology works really well and provides a reliable hold all day. There is a reason these lashes are referred to as magnetic even though no magnets are involved – the technology is just as effective as magnets.
When comparing clear “magnetic” eyeliners with traditional magnetic eyeliners, there are a lot of similarities:
- No mess
- No need to use glue or other adhesives
- Faux lashes stay on all-day
- Faux lashes are easy to remove and don’t hurt your eyelids
- You don’t lose any of your own lashes
- The faux lashes can be reused
The only differences are:
- You need to use special faux lash strips that work with clear nano-grip eyeliner
- The eyeliner goes on white and dries completely clear
Do Clear Magnetic Eyeliners Work As Well As Black Magnetic Eyeliners?
Although the technology is different, clear and black magnetic eyeliners work pretty much the same.
The eyeliners in both cases work exactly like regular liquid eyeliners and the accompanying lash strips stick to them without a fuss.
In both cases, the lashes stay on for a whole 24 hours (sometimes more) so you don’t have to worry about them falling off. The only thing to keep in mind when thinking about investing in a clear nano-grip “magnetic” eyelash kit is quality.
There are currently hundreds of black magnetic eyelash kits on the market, and it’s easy to find something that works. However, clear nano-grip lash technologies are fairly new, so you might have a harder time finding a product that works well.
As long as you pick a high-quality kit made with good materials, you should have no problems with your clear magnetic eyeliner!
Is Clear Magnetic Eyeliner Really Clear?
Clear magnetic eyeliner does look completely clear once it dries. When you first put it on, it has an opaque white color due to the silicone content. This makes it easier to see where you have applied it, so you don’t make a mess.
After a minute or two, the eyeliner will dry and become clear. You may not see exactly where you applied it, but your faux lash strips will grip to it as soon as you press them against the area.
As you wear your eyelashes during the day, you will not be able to see the clear eyeliner.
Can You Wear Clear Magnetic Eyeliner With Other Eye Makeup?
Yes, one of the best things about clear magnetic eyeliner is how versatile it is! It gives you a lot of flexibility with your makeup.
You could apply eyeshadow, colored eyeliner, and other makeup before swiping your lids with the clear magnetic eyeliner and pressing on your faux lashes.
Or you could choose to go with a clean look and only apply primer, concealer, and foundation to your face before adding your clear eyeliner and eyelashes.
This gives you the freedom to create whatever look you want knowing that your lashes will stay on securely.
Is Clear Magnetic Eyeliner Safe?
Clear magnetic eyeliner and nano-grip silicone lash strips are made out of safe and non-toxic materials. The main ingredients are silicones, which are already common in beauty and skincare products, and are tolerated well by most people.
A lot of these clear magnetic eyeliners are also free from parabens and other toxic ingredients, making them safe and effective even for people with sensitive eyes.
Of course, you don’t want to get any eyeliner in your eyes since that can cause irritation, but as long as you use it as intended, you should have no issues!
Does Clear Magnetic Eyeliner Ruin Your Lashes?
We haven’t been able to find any evidence that clear magnetic liner (or traditional black magnetic liner, for that matter) poses any risk to your lashes.
The idea that false lashes can damage your lashes comes from the use of glues and adhesives to attach the falsies to your lids. Often these glues end up soaking into your natural lashes, and when you try to remove your falsies, you end up pulling out your own lashes.
Over time, this can lead to permanent damage and loss of eyelashes! Thankfully, magnetic and nano-grip eyeliners don’t stick to your lashes and don’t require you to tug and pull to remove your falsies.
You can rest easy knowing that your natural lashes will not be damaged by these types of eyeliners.
Best Clear Magnetic Eyeliners
If you’re looking for the best clear magnetic eyeliner and eyelash kit, we have gathered a few options that consistently get the highest ratings and reviews.
Keep in mind that none of these clear eyeliners are actually magnetic – most of them are using silicone-based nano-grip technology to achieve similar results to magnetic eyeliners.
1. Lashies Liner – Moxie Lash
Moxie Lash is the company that brought magnetic lashes into this world.
They were one of the first to come up with the concept of magnetic lashes, to begin with, and they are the first to come up with the nano-grip eyeliner technology, too.
This Lashie Liner is clear, non-sticky, and works seamlessly with Moxie’s silicone lash strips. There is also an option to choose a black liner that relies on the nano-grip technology so that you can use the same lashes with both.
Since Moxie Lash is the company behind these innovations, their products are some of the best on the market, offering unbeatable quality.
The price for this clear magnetic liner is on the higher end, plus you’ll need to purchase lash strips that work with the nano-grip technology, so add that to your total.
The lashes are reusable and can last for over 25 wears, so consider this an investment.
2. Lusilla Magnetic Eyelash And Eyeliner Kit
If you’d rather save some money while still investing in a product that works, look no further than this magnetic eyeliner and eyelash kit on Amazon.
The Lusilla kit comes with everything you need to wear magnetic lashes, including a clear eyeliner, black eyeliner, and 7 sets of false lashes.
Despite the name of the product, none of the lashes use magnetic technology – replacing it all with silicone-based nano-grip innovations.
Both the clear and black eyeliner provides a solid place for the lash strips to hang on to all day long without using any glue.
The kit comes with multiple eyelash options from the most dramatic to the most natural looks so you’ll never have to settle.
For the price, this is the best kit we could find, and it includes everything you need in one package. The user reviews for this product are overwhelmingly positive with most people finding that the lashes stay on all day without any discomfort.
3. Magna Clear Magnetic Eyeliner – Everylash
Most clear “magnetic” eyeliners don’t work with actual magnetic lashes and require you to purchase separate lash strips with special silicone bands instead of magnets.
If that sounds like too much of a hassle, consider Everylash’s Magna Clear Magnetic Eyeliner.
This eyeliner works with any regular magnetic lash and somehow still goes on clear.
It does contain iron oxide as one of its ingredients, but it appears that Everylash was able to figure out a formula that doesn’t rely on the iron oxide too much and manages to keep the eyeliner completely invisible while still providing a good grip to the lashes.
Although they are not transparent about their ingredient list, it is assumed that they’ve mixed a small amount of magnetic iron oxide with some silicones and adhesive to create a grippy material.
Although the hold is not as strong as with the nano-grip technology or regular black magnetic liner, it’s still strong enough to keep your eyelashes on point for a night out.
Final Thoughts
It appears that creating a clear magnetic eyeliner is not as simple as it seems. At the end of the day, magnets are attracted to metal, and metal is not clear.
Iron oxide is the safest and most commonly accepted type of magnetic material to use in beauty and makeup, and it’s a dark color. So most magnetic eyeliners are dark in color as a result.
That being said, the market is always adapting, and brands are looking for ways to create new technologies that can keep up with the trends.
At this time, the best way to attach false lashes without relying on glue or a dark magnetic liner is to use nano-grip technology. Silicones used in this technology can easily be made transparent and clear.
So is there really such a thing as clear magnetic liner? Not exactly. Clear magnetic liners are not magnetic at all (aside from the one from Everylash that uses some magnetic material in it) and rely instead on silicones. Many brands still refer to them as “magnetic” because it’s an easy distinction from glue and adhesive-based eyeliners.
If you’re going to try out one of these clear magnetic liners, make sure to check what type of false lashes they work with.
Most clear liners cannot be used with your regular magnetic lash extensions. Once you figure out the type of lashes you need, you should be able to reuse them over and over since they won’t get damaged by the clear eyeliner.
We hope this article helped you navigate the world of magnetic lashes, clear magnetic eyeliners, and everything you need to consider in order to enjoy stunning lashes in comfort!
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