¡Eye Carumba! Review of Eyelid Trainer

01 Eyelid Trainer Review — No, your eyes don’t stay this big once you take it off.

WTF File No. 2 is . . . drumroll please . . . the Eyelid Trainer!

I can’t make too much fun of this one since I actually tested it for several weeks and saw subtle results. The Eyelid Trainer consists of 2 flexible arcs of thin plastic attached onto a modified eyeglass frame. The purpose of this contraption is to train your eyelids to fold–to either fold at all or to fold at a higher place/rounder shape. That’s my best guess anyway. I can’t read Japanese.

Directions: Wear 5 minutes a day for a month. The arc width/height is adjustable. The diagram seems to recommend lining up the highest point of the arc with the center of the eye.

When you put the Eyelid Trainer on, you can either let the plastic arcs hit your eyelids wherever it naturally touches or place the top of the arcs where you want the top of your eyelid fold to be. The arcs push and hold your lids up. If the arcs slip out, just push them back into place (btw, why no nose pads on a product marketed for Asians?). Wearing it on moisturized skin will help avoid creating wrinkles.

04 Eyelid Trainer Review — Slide the white part along the frame to change the arc shape.

So does it work? Sooooooort of, maybe, it depends.

First, I wouldn’t be surprised if this worked for someone who already has a visible fold and just wants to make sure it is consistently there or to change the positioning. Some people have achieved permanent changes to their fold just by regularly wearing eyelid tape for a period of time. See, e.g., Michelle Phan. The Eyelid Trainer operates on a similar principle.

As someone with no visible fold whatsoever when my eyes are open, I did not get double eyelids from regular wear. BUT my faux fold (the one created from my lashes pushing against my lids) looked wider and deeper on some days. No one else noticed the change, but I did.

06 Eyelid Trainer Review-Before and After — Before: At best, width of fold extends across inner third or half. After: Fold goes across almost the entire width.

However, the effect disappears after several days of disuse. I ultimately stopped using it because I freaked out at the thought that I might be stretching the skin out. Also, eyes still look heavily hooded.