This article has been syndicated to Her Campus from With Love, Summer, an InfluenceHer Collective member. Read the full post here.
I finally did it—I got lash extensions and I am in LOVE. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little freaked out going into it. For anyone who knows me, I’m a little weird about people (including myself) touching my eyes, but after the initial weirdness of someone touching my eyes, the 2 hours went by super smoothly.
Now that I’ve had them for a few days, I can definitely say I am SO glad I did it. I can feel confident going out without makeup, and that’s exactly what I’ve done for the past 4 days! The upkeep also isn’t a big commitment—all you have to do is wash them and comb them out once a day. If you’ve been on the fence for a while, I would encourage y’all to just try it out and see how you like it. I love beauty & getting ready in the morning, but having work, school, and running the blog while trying to maintain a social life can be a headache sometimes. Having these extensions has for sure saved me time in my morning routine!
Jessica from Lash Savvy was kind enough to invite me in for a service, and she was seriously the best. Jessica’s going to be answering the Q&A in today’s post!
How does the lash extension process work?
There are a few steps to the lash extension service. In a nutshell, here’s what happens:
1. I wash the lashes with a special foaming cleanser specifically designed for lash extensions. It removes all oil, dirt, makeup residue and bacteria, ensuring that I’m applying the lashes onto the best possible base. I then dry the lashes using an air brush machine.
2. I place a gel eye pad over the bottom lashes and then use a sensitive medical tape to secure it in place and catch any baby bottom lashes that might still be poking through. This keeps the bottom lashes out of my way and protects the skin from the tweezers I use. As an add-on service, you have the option of purchasing special pads that help hydrate and brighten the skin, reducing dark circles and wrinkles, or an all-over face mask. You’re already lying there for an hour or two, why not do a skin treatment at the same time!?
3. Once the pads and tape are in place, I go through the extensions (for a fill) and remove any that have grown out or are loose. If you’re still new to extensions, I’ll ask if there’s anything we want to change: longer, shorter, curlier, less curly, different shape, etc.
4. I apply the extensions. Extensions are not tabs, clusters or stripes. Each extension is place on an individually isolated natural lash. Based on the desired look and the strength of the natural lash, I decide what length and diameter lash to place on that isolated natural lash. Once the natural lash is isolated, I dip the extension into the glue and immediately place it onto the isolated lash. The glue takes 1-2 seconds to hold and then I can move on to the next lash.
5. I make one final pass over both eyes, making sure each individual lash is separated from the lashes around it and nothing is sticking together. This is the most important step in the service.
6. I mist the lashes and dry them.
7. I remove the tape and pads
8. You get the mirror to see them!
Are there different types of lash extensions?
Yes! There are two main kinds of extension applications: classic and volume. With classic lashes, one lash extension is placed on one individually isolated natural lash. Classic lashes are thicker and heavier than volume lashes, and the resulting look is, in general more solid and “mascara like.” With volume lashes, between 2-5 lash extensions are placed onto one individually isolated natural lash. Volume lashes are much thinner and lighter. Several volume lashes together equal the same weight as one classic lash. The resulting look is as if you had beautifully full and fluffy natural lashes. Volume lashes tend to have better retention, meaning they last longer, than classic lashes because of the way they wrap around the natural lash. To see the difference, you can look at my Instagram, @lash_savvy; each picture is labeled with the type of extensions used.
There are also “mink” and “silk” extensions, and this refers to the extensions themselves. How mink and silk lashes are defined is actually up to the companies that sell lash supplies. Unless a studio is using real mink fur (which I don’t recommend nor use myself), both “mink” and “silk” lashes are made out of a synthetic polyester. The difference between the two is usually in the sheen, taper, and weight of the lash extension itself.
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