TikTok Is Comparing This Viral Vaseline Hack to a Lash Lift—So, I Tried it

Way before the days of TikTok makeup hacks, there was a Vaseline eyelash "technique" making the rounds at my middle school. The inspiration? The iconic movie Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. In one of the movie's first scenes, the main character applies a heavy coat of Vaseline to her eyelashes to make them grow longer. Though we never see whether or not her experiment works, the fact that she attempted it at all was enough reason for me to do the same.

Fortunately, the days of smothering Vaseline all over my eyes are over—or so I thought. Recently, I was tempted to revisit the world of Vaseline eyelash hacks when I saw a new trend going viral. This time, the goal wasn't to make your lashes longer, but to help them hold a curl—so much so that it's been compared to a lash lift.

The hack is simple: Apply Vaseline or a lip balm to your eyelash curler, curl your lashes, and while you're holding the curler in place, use a clean spoolie to brush your lashes upward. According to TikTok, the Vaseline will help keep your lashes curled for much longer than a typical mascara application. (Plus, unlike mascara, Vaseline is easy to remove when taking your makeup off.)

The Hype

This eyelash hack started gaining traction on TikTok when Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director at Refinery29 UK, posted a video of the trend in May. "People are ditching their mascara for Vaseline and a lash curler, saying it's like a lash lift," she explained before going through the step-by-step instructions.

She loved the results, explaining that her lashes looked "darker and thicker." Plus, according to Kilikita, the effect lasted for hours.

Soon, other TikTokers started duetting Kilikita's video. But it wasn't until September that one TikTok, posted by Chantelle Fen, went seriously viral. (Currently, it has 10.2 million views and over 893,000 likes.) When Chantelle tried the hack, she agreed that it was a game changer. "This is REVOLUTIONARY," she captioned the video. After trying the technique, she added, "That freaking works."

Some TikTokers shared slightly different (see: more complicated) versions of the trend, too. Sarah Khursigara, a makeup artist in the UK, likes to curl her lashes from root to tip before applying the Vaseline with her fingertips, pressing her lashes against her eyelid.

"These get me so many compliments and literally last me hours," she captioned her video. Khursigara's version of the hack also got a stamp of approval from Vaseline's own TikTok account. "Our favorite hack," they commented on the post.

Not ready to say goodbye to your mascara yet? Boxy Charm shared another version of this hack, which uses Vaseline as a primer (rather than a replacement) for mascara. Just be warned: If it's a mascara you really love, you might not want to be mixing Vaseline back into the tube.

Still unsure if this hack worth trying out for yourself? Read on for my honest review of TikTok's new favorite eyelash look.

My Review

The Vaseline eyelash hack was simple enough to try out. All I needed was Vaseline, an eyelash curler, and a spoolie. Plus, the actual technique was straightforward and simple, and I had no problem following the step-by-step instructions. Initially, the results were exactly what I expected, and I was excited to see my lashes looked more lifted and defined immediately after curling them.

Unfortunately, the results didn't last. A few minutes later, my lashes were already starting to fall and lose their curl. An hour later, they were barely lifted at all—definitely not lash lift-worthy. That said, I probably wouldn't try this hack again. If I did, I'd definitely add a coat of mascara after curling my lashes to hopefully hold the shape a little more.