Around 1903, a German-born hairdresser named Karl Nessler was selling boxed pairs of false eyelashes from his salon on Great Castle Street in London. They were human hair set on a backing made from fish swim bladders, and he had patented the method the year before. He used the profits to fund his next invention, the permanent wave. Think about that for a second: the lash was the side project that paid for the perm. The strip lash has always been the fast, slightly theatrical lever in beauty.

That is still the case. A strip changes the shape of your eye for one night faster than anything else in this category, and lashes are now made to look like your own instead of a costume. You do not need to make them your whole personality. You need one good pair for one good evening.

The trick is to choose by how much drama you want. Velour's Vegan Luxe Lashes and its No Trim Natural Lash Collection are the ones built to disappear into your own lash line. Lilly Lashes' 3D Faux Mink and Everyday Faux Mink are the pair to compare if you are between daily and dramatic. Sigma Beauty's Whimsical Silk lashes are delicate, and House of Lashes' Faux Mink Volumizing style is the fuller option. tarte's Wifey Tarteist Pro and Artemes Lash's Love and Light Pony Lashes are the statement ones, for the night you want people to notice.

Here is a test for whether you need a full strip: hold the strip against your eye in a mirror, first the whole length, then only the outer half. If the outer half looks better, you have just saved yourself a lot of trimming.

Sweed's Tete A Tete Corner Lash and House of Lashes' Reusable Wispy Faux Mink Demi Half Lashes only cover the outer corner. That lifts the eye without changing the whole lash line, and it is the best answer for anyone who feels a full strip is too much. Ardell's Half Naked Lashes and Lilly Lashes' Luxury Synthetic Half Lashes 4-Pack Enlightening are the other two half-lash options, with the four-pack being a gift to yourself if you wear them often.

Magnetic sets solve a different problem, which is glue. Glamnetic's Gossip, XOXO and Lucky Magnetic Lashes clip on using tiny magnets, and Darling Magnetic Half Lashes gives you the same idea for the outer half. If lash glue makes you nervous, magnetic is the format made for you. If you wear glasses or work with your hands all day, be honest with yourself about whether a magnet will stay where you put it.

What I would skip: a magnetic set on a windy rooftop when you have to take a photo. Wispy half lashes with a little glue hold up better outdoors.

Here is how I would buy lashes if I wore them most days: find the style I like, then buy it in a multipack and stop shopping. It takes the decision out of the morning, and a good pair looks the same on the fifth wear as on the first if you keep it clean and stored.

Ardell is the name most of us learned on. Wispies, Naked #420 and Faux Mink Wispies are the multipacks that have been on the shelf longest, and I still reach for Wispies when I want a softer flick. KISS has My Lash But Better, which comes in two types, and the So Wispy #11 for a lighter look, and the Lash Couture Faux Mink Jubilee is the more styled, dressier pack. Eylure's Luxe Silk Marquise and Volume & Curl No.114 round out the group, and both suit anyone who wants a fuller, curled look without a lot of fuss.

A habit worth borrowing: lift each pair off the band gently, and store it in its tray, not loose in a bag. The band is what wears out first.

What I would skip: trimming a new multipack pair straight out of the box without holding it to your eye first. You can always cut more, but you cannot glue it back.

Start with the tools, because the glue and the curler do half the work. Curl your own lashes first, then apply the strip, so the false and natural lashes point the same way. Skip that and there is a visible step at the lash line.

Tweezerman's ProCurl Eyelash Curler for Round & Prominent Eyes is made for round and prominent eyes, and Grande Cosmetics' GrandeLASH-LIFT Heated Lash Curler is the heated option. For glue, Velour's Lash Adhesive, DUO's Brush On Adhesive and Lilly Lashes' Brush On Lash Adhesive are the classic tubes, and Velour's Glue & Go Adhesive Pen is for a steadier hand on the go. Sephora Collection's Lash Glue is the no-frills tube.

FlutterHabit's Lash Off Removal Spray is what I would buy first. Never tug a lash off, because you will lose some of your own with it. Spray, wait, and let it slide away.

A pairing I like: the heated curler on bare lashes, a strip on top, and a thin line of glue on the band, not a puddle. It is a two-minute routine once you have done it three times.

What I would skip: adding more glue because the strip lifted at the corner. Press it down and hold it for a few seconds.

I think growth serums belong in their own conversation, and I would keep them away from the question of what to wear tonight. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says Latisse, a prescription drug approved by the FDA in 2008, is the only prostaglandin analog approved for eyelash growth, and that ingredients in over-the-counter serums have not been tested and approved the same way. Latisse itself carries a known risk, permanent darkening of the iris.

So for tonight, I would choose a strip, a half lash or a magnetic pair. For the long game, I would talk to a doctor and not to a five-star review. Karl Nessler funded the perm with his lashes. You can make a much smaller bet, one good pair and a tube of glue. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Finding the Best Niacinamide Serum Without Chasing the Biggest Number and Anti Frizz Serum, From a 1990 Bottle to Weightless Oils.