Lash Extension: 1 Year of Consistent Fills Experience and Tips
Oh, lash extensions! They have become so popular throughout the years that it’s quite common for a girl to regularly maintain a full-set of lashes to enhance their everyday look! A few years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I would consistently get my lashes filled every 2-3 weeks for an extended period of time. But here I am, more than a year of consistent fills later, happy to have made that decision. As one lash addict said somewhere on the ‘gram, you never know loyalty until you find the lash artist for you.
Below are some of the benefits I’ve experienced wearing lash extensions in the past months, and basically my motivation for getting them maintained and filled in every few weeks.
The best part about having lash extensions is the fact that I do not have to worry about putting on false lashes again and I can always ensure that my lashes look great even when I am bare faced. Somehow, having longer and fuller lashes just amps up your look even with a bare face. The added security I’ve gotten from knowing that my lashes always look great has definitely given me a boost of confidence.
Because of my lashes, I find that I don’t really have to spend so much time doing my eye makeup. Most days, I just do my brows and eyeliner for my eyes, then the rest of my face makeup and that’s it! The best part about this? I still look like I spent more than 30 minutes doing my makeup for the day even if I only spent 5-10 minutes on it. There are even days where I just do my brows and wear my eyeliner and that’s all the makeup I wear for the day.
When you have hooded eyes, I find that the type of makeup look you have on may not make as much impact as your lashes. Lashes somehow have the wonderful effect of opening up and giving your eyes some much needed lift. It also just amplifies any type of eye makeup you do.
finding the right artist/lash extension service
Getting lash extensions done and maintaining them can definitely get pricey, and that’s why you want to take your time doing your research on the process and also the lash artist you want to try out. I’ve had quite a bit of experience with different lash artists before I finally stuck to my current lash artist.
The best way to find a lash artist is from your friends’ recommendations. Your friends will be able to answer a lot about their lash artist and the quality of the service. You can also so see the actual finished service on them, if they happen to be consistently getting their lashes filled. That way you have a better idea if their lash artist will suit you and if the quality of the service lives up to what you expect for paying this much money.
Find their work either through social media like Instagram or Yelp/website page. That way you can see their before and afters, and you can see what type of lash styles they do. It’s also good to see their lash service portfolio because you want to find someone who can do lashes on someone who has similar eye features as you. Some with small hooded eyes require a different type of lash style and application compared to someone who has larger almond-shaped eyes. Something important to note though, be careful of posers and fakes who are just stealing photos from an actual lash shop. You can usually tell by the quality of the photo you see, or if their photos seem to have inconsistent backgrounds/lighting.
Do not be afraid to ask questions prior to booking with them or even before your appointment begins, especially if it is your first time getting your lashes done. They should be able to comfortably answer your questions about how they go about their service, their lash experience and the products they use. If you need them to walk you through the process, then ask that too. An artist who is confident about their work will have no problem answering your questions and putting your mind at ease.
Don’t let a bad experience deter you from trying out other lash artists. I’ve gone to three different people before I found the artist that I loved and became loyal to. I love the way my current lash artist does my lash extensions. The first one I’ve gotten done, the service was awful and the lash extension was too rough on my lash line and irritated my skin. Then the second time I got it done, I loved the service and my artist, but hated the quality of the lashes because they were too delicate and started falling off within a few days of having them on. It took two years after that before I became willing to try a new lash artist and found the one (yes, I’m that dramatic!). So as you can see, it’s finding the right combination of service, artist expertise and lash extension quality for a price you’re willing to shell out for it.
Progressions of how my lashes look after 2 weeks of wear. First photo is Day 2 of lashes, freshly filled-in with volume lashes. Middle photo is Day 8 of my lashes, as you can see it still looks pretty full (ignore the gappy look of my left-side eye, I didn’t properly comb through my lashes when I took the picture). Last photo is Day 14 of my lash extentions, as you can see, it’s still looks very good but are just missing some lashes on the sides — something that’s common if you tend to sleep on your side, which I sometimes do.
Tips for Lash Extension Maintenance
Now that you finally have your lash extensions on, time to talk about aftercare to help keep them in their best shape and make the most out of getting this service.
It is VERY important that your lashes does not get exposed to water or even moisture at least 24 hours after your lash appointment. That rule my friends is KEY to the longevity of yur lash extensions. I sometimes even go longer than that to really make sure that the glue of my extensions really cure and set. I can guarantee from experience that if you don’t end up waiting at least that period, your lash extensions won’t last as long.
Another important thing is if you love hot yoga, facial steaming, hot showers/tubs, saunas, basically anything that involves high heat, make sure you try to avoid exposing your lashes within the first 48-72 hours from these high temperatures. I can guarantee you from experience that your lash extensions will fall out faster because most lash glues tend to take at least 2-3 days to fully cure and the warm temperatures may cause the glue to loosen up instead of fully cure.
Use a microfiber towel to rinse out your face around the eye area. And yes, I’m talking even after the 24-hour no moisture/water rule. If I have to wash my eye area, I gently splash water on my eyes at the end and then dry the eye area as quickly as I can. The less time your lashes spend getting soaked in water the better. Also, try not do splash your eye area with warm/hot water when washing your face.
Make sure you regularly comb through your lashes everyday. For me, I usually do it at least once morning and night, and then sometimes once or twice during the day. I also make sure to comb my lashes gently right away after it’s been soaked in water or my sweat from working out. Your lashes dry faster when they’ve been combed through rather than clumped together with moisture, which means less moisture exposure.
Do not use makeup remover on your eyes that has any oils in it! I suggest using Micellar Water or MAC’s Pro Eye Makeup Remover. If you want to get close to your lash line, use a q-tip to get close to it instead of trying to maneuver your fingers/cotton pad so close to your lashes, which may cause more of your lashes to be removed!
I usually get my lashes filled in every 14-21 days. I try to not push the fills past that timeframe because I find that after 21 days my lashes definitely look gappy. When that happens, I tend to use a black-brown powder eyeshadow and apple a thin liner on my top lashline to camouflage the gaps.
So who would I recommend lash extensions to?
Lash extensions are for you if you:
Have short and/or fine lashes and want to amp them up
Tend to wear false lashes everyday or want/need to look polished up for work, but don’t really want to spend so much time to get ready in the morning
Have a string of special events to attend in a span of 2-3 weeks
Lash extensions are not for you if:
You already have a lot of naturally voluminous lashes as it may not make that much of an impact, unless of course you want even more drama
Going to a beach vacation and will be swimming/in the water a lot
Love playing around with different lash styles/thickness regularly with your makeup looks
Before I end this post, I think it’s worth mentioning that another option you can explore are lash lifts with tinting. Unlike lash extensions, lash lifts are just your natural lashes getting permed to keep them curled and the upkeep is 8-12 weeks, instead of 2-3 weeks. Definitely a service that will be great for people with medium to longer length lashes ,I think. I haven’t tried this service yet, but I’m playing with the idea and will definitely talk about my experience if I do end up getting that done. I’m not sure how well I’ll deal without my long and volumized lashes though. Right now, the ease and confidence I’ve gotten from having lash extensions done makes it all worth it and I’m not sure when I’ll stop getting my lashes filled — the answer may be never!
Have you tried lash extensions or lash lifts? What are you most hesitant about when it comes to trying out lash extensions? If you have any lash experience or tips tell me all about them in the comments below!
