#faceoff

When I started doing makeup as a full time profession in 2004, there was only 1 choice for eyelash adhesive back then. Through the years I have searched high and low for other alternatives: From Aido to LashGrip to generic Japanese glues -it was a treasure hunt!

About 6 years into my career, I have switched from one glue to another. But when I did makeup for a bride in 2010 who never leaves the house with thick falsies, recommended Nichido. I took her word for it since she was an avid user of eyelash adhesives.

So I used Nichido eyelash glue up until early this year. True that it did have lasting power (more than what Duo offered), so Nichido was my glue of choice. And then, my friend (makeup and hair artist) told me all about The Face Shop's eyelash glue "better than Nichido!" he says. I didn't quite believe how sticky it was as he described it to me, until he gave me a whole tube for me to try at a wedding we did.

I didn't anticipate how runny the glue was and squeezed the tube a little bit too hard and glue was all over my hands and made a mess. In less than 5 seconds, my hands were all sticky I couldn't wipe the glue off even with wet naps! Everything I touched stuck to my hand like magnets! It was hilarious.


Both Duo and TFS having pointed nozzles, TFS has a finer one for a more precise application of glue on the lash bands. Even Duo's 1/4oz tube has a wider opening than that of TFS's.

TFS has a more runny consistency making it hard to control, but viscosity is activated faster as it gets in contact with air making it easier to apply the falsies to your eyelid. Duo on the other had has an Elmer's glue kind of consistency but longer for the glue to dry so it's harder to apply. Both dry transparent.

Duo comes in 2 sizes: 1/2oz (14g) or 1/4oz (7g). While TFS only has 1 size: 1/4oz (7g)

I had errands to run today and decided to do a test run. I didn't wear makeup today so it would really adhere to the skin instead of the makeup.


I used the most stubborn lashes I could find that had a thick lash band made out of plastic so that I could really test the stickiness of the adhesive. It took the TFS glue about 15 seconds to dry, while the Duo took 30 seconds. When I opened my eyes, the glue was still slightly wet so by the time it completely dried, the placement of the lashes were wrong.


When I got home 4 hours later, the inner part of the falsies on my left eye lost it's adhesive. I kept trying to press it back but it kept flicking off. I posted the easliest time one of the glues started to peal off which was a just a little before hitting the 4 hour mark.

Now there's the issue of the smell. TFS glue smells more like plastic than it does like glue. Duo has a strong glue smell, exactly like Elmer's glue.