The Lowdown on False Lashes

There are so many different opinions on false lashes and I often get asked questions about the different varieties and which ones are best, so here is my personal opinion: if you want false lashes you have to go to someone who is fully qualified!

Applying lashes is not easy. It took me a long time to master the art of lashes. When I hear people getting a full set of semi-permanent lashes for £40 I cringe a little bit inside, and unfortunately I have had to deal with the after affects of this. The lashes I do in my beauty room are called Russian Volume Lashes – this technique involves adhering synthetic, ultra-fine lashes onto a single natural lash.

The main benefit of Russian Layering is that it gives clients a full, high impact glamorous look with maximum natural looking volume. You won’t get really thick, heavy looking lashes with this type of extension. So the treatment itself takes around 2 hours to do and I charge £80 for them. They take so long because you are getting lashes put on each of your own lashes. So one small cluster of lashes (which I create myself in a fan shape) is applied to one of your lashes.

If you think about how tiny your lashes are and how many you have then you can imagine why this takes so long! So if you are thinking why, why can’t you just stick them over or on top? Well this is where lash damage comes in. You have to stick one on one because that way, when one of your lashes falls out naturally, you only lose one of the false lashes.

If you have lots of false lashes stuck to lots of lashes, when one of your own lashes starts to fall out, there won’t be enough lashes left to hold the false ones on – they will be too heavy for the remaining lashes and fall off pulling your own out! It sounds complicated and that is because it is.

Trained lash technicians spend a lot of time learning about which length/thickness of lashes can be applied to each individual client’s lashes. If a client has very short, fine lashes they unfortunately will not be able to get a full set of super long, super voluminous lashes.

The lash technician will work out how long and how thick you can safely allow for. It is important to be realistic about this, and protect the natural lash. I often get asked how long false lashes last… Well this is dependent a few factors. What people don’t always realise is that our lashes fall out in cycles of every 6-8 weeks (I didn’t realise this either until I did my course all those years ago).

So after 8 weeks all those lashes will have fallen out and you will have grown a full new set. You lose on average 2-5 a day, so to keep up the maintenance of your lashes we recommend infills every 2-3 weeks or if you just have them for a special occasion like a holiday or a wedding you can let them fall out naturally.

Looking after your lashes is key in helping them stay looking good for as long as possible. However you do have to treat them with a little care and clean them regularly. You can still wear eye makeup, but you must not apply mascara to the extensions or use any form of liquid or gel eyeliner to the upper eyelid. These products will break down the lash glue, which can cause damage to the extensions. Mascara and eyeliner cannot be cleaned from the extensions which can lead to bacterial infections like Blepharitis.

Cleaning your lashes is very important. It is only in the first 24-48 hours that you cannot get them wet. After that is actually very important that you do.

To clean lashes remove all eye-makeup using an oil and glycerol free product like Miscellar water.
If taking off eyeliner, use a cotton tip dipped in remover and wipe it across your lid, or away from the lid. Never towards the extensions. Don’t use cotton balls as you’ll get into a furry mess, as they will catch on the bases of the extensions.
Wet your eyes with cool water. Take a very, very small amount of a lash shampoo lather it up on your palm. Apply this to both eyes, one at a time, splashing it over them. Don’t rub them like you’re washing hair though; just gently splash it over your closed eyes.
If your eyes still feel grubby, repeat. Rinse it off and dab them gently dry. It doesn’t matter if they are a little damp, stuck together with water etc, when you brush them they will re-separate.
Use your lash wand to very gently brush through them and fan them back out. Do this 2-3 times per week.

*Remember do not do the above for the first 24-48 hours. This is the crucial time for the bonding procedure.*

Here are a few more pointers to get the most from your lashes:

No water should come into contact with your eyelashes for 24 hours. I always make sure I have washed my hair before my appointment so I don’t have to worry about getting them wet after.
For 48 hours after treatment do not steam your face, use a steam bath, swim or wash your face with hot water.
If you wear mascara on your bottom lashes make sure it is water based and doesn’t get stuck to the top lashes.
Do not use an eyelash curler or perm the lashes. It will break the eye lashes and/or crease them. However you can use the heated eyelash curlers which are particularly good for the real mink eyelash extensions and are available at the clinic.
Do not rub lashes when washing your face – always pat dry after cleansing.
Do not pull on your eyelashes. The bond on the extensions is so strong that it will pull your own eyelash out along with the new ones. The less you touch them the better!
Choose a powder based eye shadow if you want to wear eye makeup – even though you probably wont need to as your lashes will be so full.
We naturally lose a couple of lashes a day which we seldom notice, however, you will notice with the extensions and if you see your lash attached to the extensions please don’t panic, as that’s exactly whats supposed to happen.
Please always come to your lash appointment wearing no makeup.
If you aren’t sure on whether you will like lashes and it’s too big a commitment or just want them as a one off, I also do a lot of lashes that just last the day. These are really popular for brides and do a lot for special occasion makeup. They are small clusters of lashes and are applied with a non permanent glue, so are only guaranteed to last the day. They cost £20 or £10 when booked with special occasion makeup and can easily be taken off yourself with eye makeup remover. They are great to add glamour to your look and also to try out if you will like lash extensions.
Unfortunately semi-permanent lashes are not recommended for post chemo treatments. The lashes are week and you don’t want to distress them any further. I would recommend getting a really good quality lash serum to help repair the lashes and get them growing strong again. Also if you have no lashes at all then there will be no way of sticking extensions on as they need to be attached to the lash itself.

I hope this blog has been informative and helpful. Please contact me if you have any questions or any ideas of what you would like to see in my future blogs.

Written by Becca Gray

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