Short answer: LIDS BY DESIGN, made by Contours Rx, is a single-use transparent strip for the daytime: placed on the open eye, it lifts the lid skin into a crease at once and comes off in the evening. Its own copy says it "temporarily uplifts". Optifold is a two-piece nighttime tape, an F-tape that sets the crease path on the closed, extended lid and an N-tape that supports the fold while you sleep, peeled off in the morning. One is a corrective strip for an open eye; the other is a practice routine for a closed one. Lids by Design is the most widely distributed daytime strip in the US and works at once; Optifold costs more per month and does nothing for tonight's event, in exchange for a routine designed to make the crease show with nothing on the lid.
- Patented design
- Made in Canada from medical-grade, latex-free 3M tape
- Award-winning U of T startup (2018 HealthEdge Challenge)
- Free eyelid assessment and placement help
- Thousands of satisfied customers
Optifold vs. Lids by Design at a glance
| LIDS BY DESIGN (Contours Rx) | Optifold | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Single-use transparent fibre strips with double-sided adhesive, sized N°3 (subtle) to N°8 (dramatic), roughly 3–8 mm wide | Two-piece nighttime tape system: F-tape (sets the crease path) + N-tape (supports the fold while the eye is closed) |
| When worn | Daytime, on the open eye; maker says the adhesive is designed to last up to 24 hours | Overnight, about 8–9 hours, removed in the morning |
| How it is applied | Clean the lid (maker sells B5 Prep Pads), place the strip in the fold with the eye open, makeup on top | Extend the lid with a mirror below eye level, place the F-tape along the crease path, then the N-tape over it |
| How it is removed | Peel the strip off in the evening | Peel: N-tape first from the inner corner outward, release the skin from the F-tape, peel the F-tape from its tail |
| What is in the pack | 80 strips per box (single size or N°4–N°7 assortment); 160-count sets also sold | 4-, 8- or 12-week supply of F-tapes and N-tapes |
| Price observed 16 Oct 2026 | US$34.95 single size and US$30.00 assortment on Amazon.com; US$40.00 single size and US$30.00 assortment on contoursrx.com; Pro Starter Set 160 strips + 30 prep pads US$64.00 | US$49.99 for 4 weeks; US$84.99 for 8 weeks; US$119.99 for 12 weeks |
| Approximate cost per month | US$30–40 per box; Amazon's listing calls one box a month's supply (two strips a day, about 40 days) | US$49.99 (about US$1.79 per night); US$40.00 per 4 weeks on the 12-week pack |
| Guidance included | Printed instructions and the maker's videos | Illustrated instructions, the free Find Your Best Fit assessment, optional advisor programs (EyelidCare US$99.99/month; Results Guaranteed US$299.99) |
| Reviews (public platforms) | Amazon.com 3.4 stars from 9,719 ratings across the N°3–N°8 family; Walmart shows a higher score (4.9, 5,564 reviews), many marked as incentivized | Trustpilot 4.0/5 "Great", 46 reviews (16 Oct 2026); published case studies on this site |
| Best for | An instant daytime lift on hooded or mature lids, with a clear sizing system and wide US availability | Practising one crease path on the closed eye, including uneven pairs and heavy lids |
| Main limitation (as reviews describe it) | Placement takes several tries; strips can be visible or lose hold; nothing remains when the strip comes off | Higher monthly cost; no daytime effect; needs a nightly routine and accurate placement |
Why Optifold costs more than eyelid tape, and a fraction of double eyelid surgery
Most eyelid tape is made to be cheap and disposable: a strip that holds a fold for the day and goes in the bin at night. Optifold is built the other way round, as a premium nighttime system for people who want a double eyelid without surgery. This is what the price pays for.
- A patented two-piece design. The F-tape sets the crease path and the N-tape supports the fold while your eye is closed. The construction is patented in Japan (JP6114471B2) and South Korea (KR101451199B1).
- Made in Canada, from materials we name. Every Optifold tape is designed, manufactured and cut in Canada by a Canadian medical-tape manufacturer, from medical-grade, latex-free 3M tape. Many low-cost marketplace tapes say little about where they are made or what the adhesive is. We tell you both.
- A free eyelid assessment. The Find Your Best Fit assessment looks at your eyelid type and tells you whether tape alone or tape with guidance is the better start, and our team helps you with placement.
- Real people behind it. Optifold is an award-winning U of T startup, one of four winners of the University of Toronto's 2018 HealthEdge Challenge. Optional advisor programs (EyelidCare and Results Guaranteed) add video review and routine adjustments.
- Proof you can read. Thousands of satisfied customers, Trustpilot 4.0 out of 5, and documented case studies with timelines: Cherry, Alycia and Megan's diary.
Optifold vs. the cost of double eyelid surgery
| Option | Typical price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Eyelid surgery, United States (upper blepharoplasty) | US$3,359 average surgeon's fee, before anesthesia and facility costs | American Society of Plastic Surgeons |
| Double eyelid surgery, Japan | Suture method (埋没法) ¥20,000–200,000 per eye; incision method (切開法) ¥100,000–400,000 for both eyes | rank-king.jp survey of 11 clinics, updated 1 April 2025 |
| Double eyelid surgery, Korea | Suture method (매몰법) ₩500,000–1,000,000; incision method (절개법) ₩1,000,000–1,500,000; about double in Gangnam | isclinic.co.kr 2026 cost guide |
| Optifold | US$49.99 for 4 weeks; US$119.99 for 12 weeks | opti-fold.com, October 2026 |
In the United States, a 12-week Optifold pack costs less than 4% of the average surgeon's fee alone. Surgery is a medical procedure with anesthesia, a recovery period and a result that is hard to undo. Optifold is a cosmetic routine you do at home while you sleep: no incisions, no anesthesia, no downtime, and you can stop any night. It does not change the anatomy of the eyelid and results vary, which is exactly why many people try it before booking a consultation. More in Optifold vs. surgery.
Is Lids by Design the same thing as Optifold?
No, although both get called "eyelid tape". Lids by Design is a corrective strip: a narrow, clear fibre strip with adhesive on both faces, placed in the fold of an open eye so the loose skin above rests on it and the lid looks lifted. The effect is immediate and ends when the strip comes off; Contours Rx calls it an "instant eyelid lift" that "temporarily uplifts and brings symmetry" and sells it as a makeup product. Optifold is a nighttime system of two tapes with different jobs, applied to the closed, extended eyelid before sleep and removed in the morning. It gives you nothing to look at by day, because you do not wear it by day; the question it tries to answer is whether the crease is there after the tape is off.
How does Lids by Design work, and how is it used?
According to the maker's pages and the Amazon.com listing, you cleanse the lid, optionally with the brand's B5 Prep Pads, pick a strip width from N°3 to N°8 (the assortment pack covers N°4 to N°7), place the strip in the natural fold with the eye open and press. Contours Rx describes the strip as a "medical-grade adhesive fibre that is breathable, waterproof, and transparent" that "stays on all day long", and lists "Hypoallergenic", "Latex-free", "24-hour wear", "Instant results" and "No surgery" as features. Those are the maker's claims; we have not tested them. The brand also sells a US$20 "Extended Wear Adhesive". Strips are single-use, so one 80-count box is 40 days of one strip per eye.
Lids by Design does several things genuinely well. It is the most widely distributed daytime strip in the United States, on Amazon.com, Walmart.com and its own site, with no import step. Its numbered sizing is the clearest in the category: you can say "N°5 on my left, N°6 on my right" and reorder exactly that. It is marketed squarely at mature and hooded lids, an audience most Asian-market tapes ignore, the lift is instant, and there is no multi-week commitment; if it does not suit you, you know in a day.
What is different about how Optifold works?
Lids by Design acts on an open eye by propping skin up. Optifold acts on a closed eye by holding a fold in place. Before taping, you extend the lid skin with a mirror below eye level, chin up and eyes looking down, so the crease path is visible and flat. The F-tape is placed along that path. Its wider Tension Base spreads contact and removal force over a broader area than a thin cosmetic strip; its upper margin, the Fold Lock surface, is where the lid skin is guided to fold; its lower margin, the Interface Band, stays exposed. The N-tape goes on second. Its Lid Compression Plate straddles the crease boundary, upper contact on the folded skin and lower contact on the Interface Band, so the fold is held at one line all night; its Tension Bridge is non-adhesive where it crosses the lashes, and the small Froggy Toes at its ends anchor it below the lower lid. The crease should appear about midway across the Plate, which is the user's visual check.
In the morning the N-tape comes off first, from the inner corner outward, the skin is released from the F-tape and the F-tape is peeled from its tail. With a clean rounded tool you then trace the crease path 10–20 times and hold the line for 2–3 minutes. If an Eyelid Advisor recommends it for your case, the F-tape alone can stay on for 30 minutes to 1 hour at most. This two-piece construction, an "n"-shaped supporting tape over a crease-forming tape, is patented in Japan (JP6114471B2, granted 12 April 2017) and South Korea (KR101451199B1, registered 8 October 2014), inventor Raymond Tang. Optifold was one of four startups awarded a US$7,000 prize at the University of Toronto's 2018 HealthEdge Challenge, where U of T News described it as "a special tape to encourage double eyelids". The adhesive is a medical-grade 3M latex-free adhesive. Optifold is a cosmetic product, not a medical device, and it does not change eyelid anatomy; it is designed to practise one crease path consistently, night after night.
Does Lids by Design work on hooded eyes?
Hooded and mature lids are the audience Contours Rx markets to, with the wider strips (N°6 to N°8) for heavier hoods. Whether it works for you is mostly a placement question, and placement is the most common complaint. Amazon.com's own summary of customer reviews, dated 16 October 2026, says: "the adhesiveness and visibility receive mixed feedback — while some say it stays on well and is invisible, others report it doesn't stick and is very visible on the lid. Moreover, the application process is challenging, taking multiple attempts to position correctly". A heavy enough hood can also simply fall over the strip. Optifold is designed for hooded, heavy and uneven lids too, but for a different outcome: not a lift while the tape is on, but a crease practised on the closed eye that is meant to show by day with nothing on the lid. Results vary with both; the Find Your Best Fit assessment will tell you whether your hood is one that tape alone is likely to help.
Which costs more per month, Lids by Design or Optifold?
Optifold. On 16 October 2026 a box of 80 Lids by Design strips was US$34.95 in a single size or US$30.00 as the N°4–N°7 assortment on Amazon.com, and US$40.00 or US$30.00 on contoursrx.com; the Pro Starter Set of 160 strips with 30 prep pads was US$64.00. Amazon's listing calls one box a month's supply at two strips a day, which is 40 days, so daily wear costs about US$30–40 per month. Optifold's four-week pack is US$49.99, about US$1.79 per night; the 12-week pack is US$119.99, or US$40.00 per four weeks. Optifold is the more expensive product per month, and we would rather say so than argue around it. The difference buys a product designed for the closed eye, an assessment before you start and the option of advisor review.
One structural difference matters more than the sticker price. A daytime strip has to be bought and worn for as long as you want the look, with no end point. Optifold is sold in 4-, 8- and 12-week supplies because the routine is meant to taper; how far and how fast varies from person to person, and we do not promise a date.
What do Lids by Design reviews say?
The Amazon.com listing family for N°3 to N°8 and the assortment pack scored 3.4 stars from 9,719 ratings on 16 October 2026, ranking #188 in Eye Treatment Products; the 160-count "Dramatic Lift" listing was at 3.7 stars from 208. The complaint themes Amazon surfaces are adhesion, visibility and the difficulty of placement, and on the 160-count listing "value for money receives negative feedback". Walmart shows a higher score, 4.9 from 5,564 reviews on the N°6 listing, but many of those reviews are marked as incentivized, so we read the Amazon figure as the more representative one. The brand's own site shows 6,659 reviews, which it hosts itself. YouTube coverage is substantial but old: the most-viewed review has 128,000 views and is five years old.
For balance, Optifold's own Trustpilot page (4.0 out of 5 from 46 reviews, 16 October 2026) has 15 percent one-star reviews; the negatives are that the crease did not last after stopping, slow shipping, the N-tape tugging the lower lid and a learning curve of its own. Neither product is effortless.
Can Lids by Design give a crease that stays after you remove it?
Contours Rx does not claim that, and its copy says the opposite: the strip "temporarily uplifts". It is sold as a daytime cosmetic, the way concealer is. If what you want is a crease that is there when you take the product off, a daytime strip is the wrong category, not a weak product. Optifold is designed for that outcome, and what we can show is individual, documented cases rather than averages: Cherry, whose uneven lids evened out over several months; Alycia, who moved from mixed results to a stable crease; and Megan's diary. These are real people, not a promise. Results vary, and the typical pattern is a crease that holds for hours before it holds for a day (how long it takes a crease to stick).
Can you sleep in Lids by Design?
The maker does not market it for sleep. Its site says the adhesive is designed to last up to 24 hours, which describes hold, not overnight use, and neither the Amazon.com listing nor contoursrx.com mentions sleeping. People do fall asleep in daytime strips, and the morning complaints are the usual ones: the strip shifted, the skin feels dry or sticky, a red line where the edge rubbed. The deeper point is that a strip made to prop up the skin of an open eye has nothing to prop up once the eye closes. Optifold is built the other way round, for the closed, extended lid, with the N-tape holding the fold while you sleep; see Can you sleep with eyelid tape on? and daytime vs. nighttime eyelid tape.
Can you use Lids by Design and Optifold together?
Yes, but not on the same lid at the same time. Some people wear Lids by Design by day for events and run Optifold at night, which is fine as long as the daytime strip is removed gently in the evening and the tapes go onto clean, dry skin. What does not work is layering one over the other, or wearing a daytime strip to bed and expecting it to behave like a night system. If you are switching from daily Lids by Design to Optifold, give the skin a night or two of rest first.
Is there a Lids by Design alternative, and who should pick which?
If what you want is a different daytime strip, the alternatives are other daytime tapes, which we cover in the hub comparison and in Optifold vs. D-UP Wonder Eyelid Tape. If what you want is a different kind of result, Optifold is the alternative in a different category.
Lids by Design makes sense if you want a lift today, you have hooded or mature lids and want a product made for them, you like a sizing system you can reorder by number, you want to buy from Amazon or Walmart without an import step, and you are prepared to practise placement for a few mornings.
Optifold makes sense if you want the crease to be there with nothing on the lid, you would rather do a routine at night than place a strip every morning, your lids are hooded, heavy or uneven and you want placement adjustable per eye and repeatable, and you accept paying more per month for a two-piece system with an assessment and guidance behind it. Start with Find Your Best Fit, read the instructions once, and if you are weighing surgery read what tape can tell you before double eyelid surgery.
Sources
- contoursrx.com collections and product pages (N°3–N°8 US$40.00; Assortment N°4–N°7 US$30.00; Pro Starter Set US$64.00; Extended Wear Adhesive US$20; "temporarily uplifts", "up to 24 hours"), checked 16 Oct 2026
- Amazon.com listings B018EHOJ2K, B018EHTG5K, B08MJ1PSXN, B07Y2P3THB (US$34.95), B083WP86WY (US$30.00) and B0CV2D3J1G (160 ct US$60.00); 3.4 stars from 9,719 ratings; Amazon "Customers say" summary, 16 Oct 2026
- Walmart.com Lids by Design N°6 listing (4.9 from 5,564 reviews, incentivized-review flags; one-star review of 26 Aug 2026), 16 Oct 2026
- YouTube search results for "Lids by Design review", 16 Oct 2026
- Optifold: product page (prices, 16 Oct 2026); Google Patents JP6114471B2 and KR101451199B1; U of T News, 7 Feb 2018, "U of T startups take home prizes at health challenge event"; Trustpilot opti-fold.com, 16 Oct 2026
- Surgery prices: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, eyelid surgery cost page (average surgeon fee, upper blepharoplasty); rank-king.jp article 26214 (updated 1 April 2025); isclinic.co.kr "쌍꺼풀 수술 비용" 2026 guide (modified 4 September 2026) — checked 16 Oct 2026
See also: Optifold vs. other eyelid tapes, glues and night products · Optifold vs. D-UP Wonder Eyelid Tape · Optifold vs. eyelid glue
1. Find Your Best Fit — a few minutes, tells you whether tape alone or tape with guidance is the better start.
2. Read the instructions — placement is what makes or breaks the routine.
3. Optifold nighttime tape system — 4, 8 or 12 weeks.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Optifold is a cosmetic product, not a medical device. Results from any eyelid routine vary from person to person. LIDS BY DESIGN and Contours Rx are trademarks of their owner; they are used here only to identify the product being compared, and Optifold is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get double eyelids without surgery?
There are two non-surgical routes: daytime eyelid tape, fiber or glue, which create a crease only while you wear them, and nighttime crease training. Optifold is a patented two-piece nighttime tape system, made in Canada from medical-grade 3M tape, designed to train a double eyelid crease while you sleep so that it starts to show in the daytime without tape. It costs a fraction of surgery, needs no incisions or downtime, and comes with a free eyelid assessment. Results vary from person to person.
Is Lids by Design the same as Optifold?
No. Lids by Design is a single-use transparent strip placed on the open eye in the daytime to lift the lid skin into a crease; its maker says it temporarily uplifts. Optifold is a two-piece nighttime tape, an F-tape and an N-tape, worn on the closed, extended lid while you sleep and peeled off in the morning.
Does Lids by Design work on hooded eyes?
Hooded and mature lids are the audience Contours Rx markets to, and wider strips (N°6 to N°8) are suggested for heavier hoods. The most common complaint in Amazon.com reviews is that placement takes several attempts and the strip can be visible or lose hold. Optifold is also designed for hooded and heavy lids, but for a crease practised on the closed eye rather than a lift while the product is on; results vary with both.
Which costs more per month, Lids by Design or Optifold?
Optifold. On 16 October 2026 a box of 80 Lids by Design strips was US$30–40 (Amazon.com and contoursrx.com), about 40 days of daily wear. Optifold's four-week pack is US$49.99, or US$40.00 per four weeks on the 12-week pack at US$119.99.
What do Lids by Design reviews say?
On Amazon.com the N°3–N°8 listing family scored 3.4 stars from 9,719 ratings on 16 October 2026, and Amazon's review summary cites mixed adhesion, visibility on the lid and a difficult placement process. Walmart shows a higher score of 4.9 from 5,564 reviews, but many of those reviews are marked as incentivized.
Can you sleep in Lids by Design?
The maker does not market it for sleep. Its site says the adhesive is designed to last up to 24 hours, which describes hold, not an overnight use. A strip made to prop up the skin of an open eye has nothing to hold once the eye closes. Optifold is designed for the closed eye and is worn for about 8–9 hours while you sleep.
Can Lids by Design give a crease that stays after you take it off?
Contours Rx does not claim that; its copy says the strip temporarily uplifts, and it is sold as a daytime cosmetic. Optifold is designed to practise one crease path on the closed eye so it shows with nothing on the lid, and publishes individual case studies with timelines; results vary from person to person.
Can you use Lids by Design and Optifold together?
Yes, but not on the same lid at the same time. Some people wear Lids by Design by day for events and run Optifold at night. Remove the daytime strip gently in the evening and apply the tapes to clean, dry skin; do not layer one over the other or sleep in the daytime strip.
What is a good Lids by Design alternative?
For another daytime strip, look at other daytime eyelid tapes such as D-UP Wonder Eyelid Tape. If you want a different result, a crease that is there with nothing on the lid, the alternative is a nighttime system such as Optifold, which costs more per month and requires a nightly routine.