TikTok taught me how to do my lash extensions at home and it's already saving me hundreds of dollars

• Professional eyelash extensions can be over $100 per set.
• Each eyelash appointment takes at least 90 minutes.
• I was able to do my lash extensions at home for less than $40 and in around 10 minutes.

I absolutely loathe getting my eyelash extensions put in, but unfortunately, I love waking up with fluttering Disney princess eyelashes more. 

So, every month or so I would shell out $100 to $150 to have someone poke me in the eye for 90 minutes. Each time I would lay down on the lash table, my back getting increasingly uncomfortable with each passing minute, I would vow to myself to never do this again. But then, as soon as I saw my reflection in the mirror, I knew I was kidding myself. I would be back.

Recently, the TikTok gods smiled down on me and my For You page delivered a video of a girl putting on lash clusters from the comfort of her own home. I watched, mesmerized at how easy it looked.

Soon, I was deep in eyelash-tok, watching girl after girl do her lashes by herself. It looked so easy that I had to try it.

It's scarily inexpensive — in total, I spent around $30

Most of the TikTok girls were using the Falscara brand bond and seal to apply their lashes.

Since I didn't have any of the tools necessary, I went ahead and bought the bond and seal, as well as the Falscara lash clusters and a Kiss eyelash applicator. I used that brand for my first two applications but subsequently moved on to Laubess lashes, which had more variety of lashes. I also got the Falscara remover, just in case things took a turn.

In total, I spent around $30. Even with a Groupon (yes, Groupon still exists) the cheapest I had ever gotten my lashes professionally done was about $88. 

Once you get started, the process is pretty simple

Amazon delivered my supplies two days later. The first step is to use the bond and apply it to the roots of your lashes. Then, grab a lash cluster and attach it to where you just applied the glue. You repeat this process until you have your desired amount of lashes and then go over where you originally put the glue with the Falscara seal.

This whole process took me 10 minutes as opposed to the hour and a half I was spending at the salon.

While my lashes gave the salon a run for its money on the first day, day two revealed that I would need a bit more practice. I woke up with several lashes hanging on for dear life.

So, I did what every millennial would do and went back to TikTok. After watching a few more videos and trying again, I definitely got better and no longer have to fear looking in the mirror when I wake up.

Learn from my mistakes: Apply the bond carefully and curl your lashes first

The first time I did my lashes, I applied the bond to my entire eyelash like mascara. This ended up making my whole lash sticky and allowed debris to stick to my lashes.

Another tip that really makes a difference is to curl your eyelashes with an eyelash curler first. This helps the new lashes blend with your natural lashes. (I didn't even own an eyelash curler before this, but I got a cheap one for $4.)

My final mistake was that I forgot to clamp my eyelashes and the new lashes together with the applicator after I finished. 

Because of my rookie mistakes, two days after I applied them, the lashes on my left eye pretty much completely fell off. The lashes on my right eye held on strong for several more days. Yes, that does mean I went for a few days with lashes only on one eye — the joys of being able to work from home with your camera off.

With these extra tweaks, my new DIY lashes can last for at least a week if you avoid getting them wet (for reference, my professional lashes would last three weeks to a month). I've done my lashes three times so far and I'm about to do them again in preparation for a vacation, unsure if I can ever go back to the way that I did them before.