Lash Extensions: What You Need to Know

I’m not always the biggest salon girl, in fact, I am absolutely horrible at even getting haircuts. I really won’t do anything that requires a lot of maintenance. I don’t even color my hair anymore because I got sick of all the up-keep, that is how lazy I am! And I almost always do my own nails, and you can bet you won’t ever find acrylic on my fingernails!

Being a beauty blogger, I know that probably seems quite crazy, but I think a lot of women can identify with that as well. Most women today are so super busy, working full time, caring for children (and a husband), and the list goes on and on. But a lot of us still love to look and feel our best, so our beauty routines are important to us! While a lot of treatments you will find at the salon may not help save you time. there are some that are absolutely worth every penny!

Now that you know how lazy I am and actually how rarely I even visit a salon, I found a new fabulous beauty treatment I will not be giving up anytime soon. I am so incredibly excited about this and I know if you try it out, you will love it as much as I do!

My fabulous friend called me up the other day wondering if I would like to get lash extensions. My first thought was, oh boy, that will be way too much maintenance for me, and I know I will never keep up with it. Then I thought about it for a minute and I realized that mascara is the one item I will not leave the house without first applying. If there is any feature I love to play up, it’s the eyes, and I feel like big, super long, bold lashes are the best way to do that. And frankly, I suck at applying falsies, so I don’t even bother. Lash Extensions was starting to sound like an amazing idea!

So after a few minutes, I decided I would at least try it out. I don’t have to keep going back if I don’t like it!

The day soon arrived and the more I thought about getting this done, the more excited I became! I googled it a little bit trying to find out what to expect. It’s mostly simple, just keep your lashes bare for your appointment, but you can wear other eye makeup. The treatment itself will take some time (usually about 2 hours) so save yourself plenty of time. It also usually requires fills about every 4-6 weeks if you want to maintain your gorgeous look.

That was really all I knew about it before my appointment. When the lovely Julie arrived at my house to give me and my friend a fabulous new look, I actually stood back and was happy to let my friend go first. I was very curious about watching before trying.

Julie taped down her bottom lashes (with a really soothing eye gel treatment) then got to work measuring her eyelashes. She does this to figure out the length that will work best for you. At this point, the lashes are then applied. I watched as Julie carefully glues on each synthetic mink eyelash to each of my friend’s lashes. I asked Julie how many lashes that typically is, and was surprised to hear that it’s about 80-100! Wow! I had no idea! This explains the two-hour time frame!

The treatment itself is actually incredibly relaxing. Thanks to the power going out where Julie is set up to do the extensions, she came to my house and just used my recliner. She told me that normally it is like a massage and you lie comfortably on a massage table with a heated blanket, and relaxing music in the background.

When It was my turn I closed my eyes and relaxed away as Julie went to work! You can choose different styles but I wanted to make it well worth it, so I told her I wanted long and dramatic. When she measured my lashes she told me I was a 10, and could go up to a 14, even a few 16’s on some of my lashes.

I laid back and actually, enjoyed my two-hour relaxation. The glue is actually quite comfortable and while my one eye did feel a tiny little bit irritated a few times, it would only last for a bit and was barely an uncomfortable feeling at all. I actually noticed nothing at all with my right eye.

After 2 hours, I found I was in a much more relaxed state, and she then gave my lashes a good brush and then told me some great tips for keeping my lashes last as long as possible.

Here’s what you need to know once you get your lash extensions:

• You don’t need to wear mascara on your top lashes. I wear mascara on the bottom though since no lashes are applied there and it evens out my super bold, dramatic, thick lashes on top.
• You can wash the lashes with baby shampoo. Honestly, I haven’t bothered to wash mine.
• Use oil-free products. I bought an oil-free cleanser and made sure to use oil-free moisturizer and makeup.
• I had no problem wearing pencil eyeliner with my lashes, although a felt tip or liquid eyeliner is usually best with lash extensions.
• Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase if you lay on your side, but try to sleep on your back as much as possible.
• Try not to rub your eyes, especially when washing and drying your face (this is where I noticed the biggest loss of my lashes). The less you touch, the better they will last.

I found using a towelette or eye makeup remover (also use oil-free) was the best for removing makeup around my lashes. I would then wash my face with my oil-free cleanser, being careful not to touch or wash my lashes. When drying, I would just dab around my bottom lashes since I accidentally learned the hard way and ripped out a few lash extensions when using my microfiber towel on them.

Over the last three weeks, I’ve found I lose about one lash a day, usually when washing or sleeping. The lashes on the outer sides tend to fall out first. My friend and I have been religiously checking in with each other to see how each others’ lashes have been holding up! I’ve found that the more you stay away from touching them, the longer they last. After 3 weeks, I’ve had some loss but have also found my lashes look more natural but are still so fabulously bold. They worked out perfectly for my Vegas trip I just got back from, as you can imagine! Also, I found that I didn’t even need to wear makeup. I actually went makeup-less a few days, my amazing lash extensions were enough! Turns out, my friend did the same thing!

The lashes took a few days to get used to, but I tell you what, the confidence boost I have gotten from them is absolutely enough for me to keep maintaining them and getting them filled once a month! I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, and immediately I’m like, wow! I look great and I just rolled out of bed! I also have been taking some style photos without my sunnies for the blog because I’ve found the extensions give my face an incredibly glamourous look!

I can go on and on about these lash extensions, but one thing is for sure, I’m keeping them! I may go a little less bold and dramatic next time, but probably not! I find once they thin a bit over the weeks, they really look their best, and of course will last longer then if you go for a more subtle lash look, but I love that you have the option to choose which best suits you!

Here are some of my before and afters, so you can see the dramatic difference, as well as what it looks like when you’re having them done!

Also, if you happen to live in the Utah or Wyoming area, You absolutely must see Julie! She is amazing and an absolute delight to talk to as well! Feel free to leave me a comment or contact me by email and I will be happy to set you up with her info!

Happy Beautifying!