Firsts are a tricky currency. Their being implies a certain limited nature: not a perfection, or a finality, but a first. There are a limited number of firsts to go around, and Esqido has conquered one of their remaining ones with the Esqido Unisyn False Lash collection.

I’ve been thinking a lot about firsts recently. They’re an ever-depreciating collection of commodities, but what makes them tricky is that they don’t exist. They are, like so much of our world, purely symbolic – and, as someone who can’t decide if they believe in firsts or not, I struggle to treat them with the “correct” amount of reverence.

I left the first big, functional love of my life last month, and I’m still feeling the echoes of that decision every day.

The Unisyn first: Synthetic lashes from Esqido

Esqido toes an interesting line with the Unisyn collection because it’s so not what the brand set out to be. For a company that built itself entirely on mink lashes, introducing a synthetic substitute–and therefore suggesting that synthetic false lashes can be as good as mink ones–risks being detrimental to the brand.

But the market is changing. This launch tells consumers not only that Esqido is listening, but also that they still believe that mink really is the best. The Unisyn lashes retail for $22, while Esqido’s mink lashes sit at $24-$32: a premium price for a premium product.

I’m still in knots about my firsts. I’d like for them to be something I treasure, but I am sometimes gripped by the (ironic) urge to be a rational agent. Firsts are like stuffed animals, or mementos, or old letters; they are something for sentimentalists.

Esqido Unisyn Bread & Butter ($22 USD)

I liked all of the Unisyn lashes that I tried, but the Esqido Unisyn Bread & Butter lashes ($22 USD) took the cake. They’re a delicate band with (get this) extra-fine 4-7 mm black and translucent brown lashes. 

The resulting look is more natural than any other false lash I’ve ever seen. They deliver the perfect natural, everyday look for small eyes, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the brown lashes will make them even more wearable for fair skinned or light-irised folks.

Before/after – bare, curled lashes

Esqido Unisyn Bread & Butter lash review – before/after

Esqido Unisyn Love & Peace ($22 USD)

The Esqido Unisyn Love & Peace lashes ($22 USD) were another hit for me. While Bread & Butter is listed as a light volume lash, Love & Peace is a nice step up to “medium.” These lashes are a wispy, criss-crossed 7-11 mm, in all black. 

Love & Peace offers more volume and length than Bread & Butter, and these lashes are more noticeable at a distance. They’re as full as I’d go in the Esqido Unisyn line for my eye shape and preferences.

Esqido Unisyn Love & Peace lash review – before/after

Esqido Unisyn Smoke & Fire ($22 USD)

Finally, the Esqido Unisyn Smoke & Fire ($22 USD) lashes are gorgeous… but a little too much for my eyes. Because I have to trim my lashes a little on the short end (my fellow sensitive-eyed monolidded folks will know the struggle of being stabbed in your inner crease with a false lash band), the density of a lash like this makes the trimming look obvious.

Those with smaller eyes can still wear the Esqido Smoke & Fire lashes, but know that at 9-15 mm, they’ll be a Look. These straight lashes are very voluminous, with tapered inner and outer corners. Trimmed (I trim about 8 mm from the outer corners of Esqido lashes for comfort), you lose that outer taper.

Esqido Unisyn Smoke & Fire lash review – before/after

The Esqido Unisyn Lash verdict?

Firsts may be tricky, but not when it comes to the Esqido Unisyn lash collection. At $22 USD each, these are a wonderful first synthetic lash collection from a mink lash brand. They’re a little more affordable than the mink lashes that made the brand famous, but look just as natural, wispy, and fluffy as the “real thing.” I find them to be slightly more comfortable, though this may be due to the lash styles rather than the line itself.

For those on a budget, I also really like the Kiss Lash Couture Faux Mink collection ($5.99 USD), which has a more limited selection of synthetic lashes. Many of the Lash Couture lashes are long, dense, or spiky, with few light volume/natural-looking lashes available; with the Unisyn collection, you’re paying more per lash, but you have many more options for light to medium volume.

It’s hard to get things right on the first time – but Esqido knocked these out of the park.

Availability: $22 USD each at Esqido.com. Permanent as of April 2018.

Buy one, get one 50% during this launch; use code raec for an extra 15% off your order (indefinitely!) Fully customizable lash trios are available with a tube of Esqido Companion Lash Glue as the Unisyn Lash Kit ($50 USD; $76 USD value).