So You Think You Want Eyelash Extensions?

As a mommy who also works full-time, I don’t leave a lot of time for myself these days. I often times leave the house in outfits that wouldn’t exactly be classified as “thoughtfully planned out”. I also don’t take much time to do my hair or makeup on most days. I could probably win a spot on one of those frumpy mom makeover shows!

I’d seen other women before with lash extensions, but never looked into getting them. A mom friend of mine actually does lash extensions, so I decided to be adventurous. After trying out a full set for the first time, I realized how amazing they were, especially for someone like me who takes no time to get ready in the morning. With lash extensions, you can literally have not an ounce of makeup on and still look like you do.

Here’s what my eyelashes look like before my appointment.

Here’s what it looks like during a lash fill!

And the finished product! BAM!

I’m going to share a little bit about my own experience on this post so that others who may have been curious about trying them, might have some of their questions answered. I’m not a professional nor am I affiliated with a lash company in any way. I’m going to address some of the most common questions I’ve been asked since I’ve worn lash extensions.

“Don’t lash extensions make your own eyelashes fall out?” 

I think people have a HUGE misconception about lash extensions. I’ve heard many women comment about how lash extensions make your own lashes actually fall out. This is actually untrue. What they do is make you more aware of your own natural lash cycle. Our natural eyelashes fall out all the time. I know this to be true because I’ve made many wishes upon lashes that have fallen out. When you place lash extensions on top of real lashes, it doesn’t cause that to happen any quicker, you just pay more attention to it when they fall out with extensions. Your own eyelashes also grow back. It’s all cyclical.

I’ve been wearing lash extensions for about a year now and I’ve gone a couple different times without any on to give my lashes a break. (yes, you need to do that a couple times a year when your lash person recommends it) I still had lashes, they were just short and seemed way less dramatic than when I had the extensions on.  At that point you can wear mascara on your own natural lashes. It takes a few weeks without any lash extensions on, for your own lashes to regrow and seem full again. Last Christmas I took a 3 week break and by the end of the 3 weeks, my lashes were really getting back to “normal” in a natural way.

“Can you still wear makeup when you have lash extensions, specifically mascara?”

You can still wear makeup, yes. What your lash technician will suggest to you is that you make sure the makeup you’re wearing is oil-free, especially the eye makeup you’re wearing. There are certain brands that are actually NOT good to wear with lash extensions because they’ve been known to make your extensions have a quicker rate of falling out. I won’t name any brand names, but you can ask your lash person which brands of makeup you should avoid.

As far as wearing mascara, you don’t really need to wear mascara. I think it’s possible to wear some, but again, I’d ask your lash person about the mascara.

Overall, I find that I don’t wear as much makeup now. Lash extensions can fall off and they do. This is normal. I only wear full makeup when I’m going somewhere important and that is because I want to avoid any extra fallout. When you wash your face and you take your makeup off, you will lose a lash or a few. Obviously, the more often you wear eye makeup, the more often this could happen . This is also something you can discuss with your lash person.

“What’s the best way to care for your eyelash extensions?”

First of all, you have to brush your lashes and you have to do it carefully. Your lash person will give you a lash brush, which is basically just a clean mascara wand. You can get extra ones at any makeup counter. It’s what they use when they’re doing your makeup in a store and they don’t want to use the regular mascara wand on you.  You need to brush them because they’ll get “wonky” on you. When I say wonky, I literally mean you will wake up sometimes with lashes going all different ways. You need to use the brush to redirect them.

You need to keep your lashes clean if you want them to last. Your lash person will tell you how important this is. If you wear makeup, especially eye makeup, make sure you take it all off properly. (I use Almay oil-free eye makeup remover pads)

Something that might also help your lashes last longer is to apply a sealant. This is something you can buy from your lash person, so ask. This is especially important in the hot months.

I also recommend sleeping on your back, if you can. I already did this, but the less you lay on your face and eyelashes, the better for them.

And most importantly….DO NOT PICK THEM! At first you might be curious but I’ve seen people do this and all that you’re going to do is pull them out quicker and have less. Your lash person will thank you for not picking at your lashes.

“How often do you need to get your lashes done?” 

Your lashes should last you about 3 weeks in between fills. During the hotter months, you may need to go in about every 2 weeks. If you find someone you love to do your lashes, like I have, then it’s actually a treat to go for your appointment because not only are you getting prettied up, but you’re having some fun, girl time to chit chat!

“What length is good to start out with when you get eyelash extensions?”

I think I’ll be stating the obvious here when I say “go long!” If you’re worried about not looking natural or looking fake, then maybe lash extensions aren’t for you. They are there to give you that BAM look and every time I go in for my fill and she asks me how long I want them to be, I simply reply with “BAM!”

“Can you recommend someone who does lashes?” 

If you live in Orange County and would like a referral to the person I go to, I’d be happy to refer you if you email me at [email protected]. If you don’t, I’d recommend asking people in the area you live. I would also NOT recommend getting lashes on a coupon deal of an unknown. It’s very important that you go to someone who is experienced and knows what they’re doing. As with anything you might do to your body, there’s always a risk of allergic reaction or infection and you want to be working with someone that can recognize those things if they happen to you.

I hope my post about lash extensions has been helpful.

If you have any more questions, feel free to email me!