Let’s be honest, what is the first thing you notice when you look at someone’s face? Where do your eyes go first? Most likely, your answer is their eyes. We communicate so much from our eyes and sometimes I don’t think we realize how much attention is truly drawn to them. Nowadays, in the world of Instagram modeling and Snapchat Filters, if you don’t have long, beautiful lashes, you may start to feel like you don’t have eyes at all.
Recently, I have been busy helping my sister plan her wedding. And boy I did not realize how much there is to do. Of course, one of the factors to consider for the day of the wedding is to look your best, especially as the maid of honor. My role is important and I don’t need to ruin the day by looking a hot mess.
One of the things I’ve been considering for the upcoming event is trying out eyelash extensions. I’m not particularly unlucky when it comes to my natural lashes. However, we can all use a little help sometimes, and, to be quite frank, I don’t have the patience to keep up with false lashes, even if it is for a onetime event. The idea of my falsies lifting during the ceremony, or having to reapply them whatsoever sounds like pure torture. Most likely I will tear them off, throw them away, and end the night lashless. Below is a photo of my natural lashes, while wearing mascara:
When considering this option with some friends, and a few acquaintances, all I seemed to hear (from non-lash extension wearers), were negative reviews. They shared horror stories they had heard about. The myths and rumors from a friend, of a friend, of a friend, that just “had to be true”. However, none of them currently, nor had ever, worn lash extensions. Here are some of the biggest drawbacks that I had been given regarding the matter:
- They are unhealthy and make your natural lashes fall out.
- They take forever to apply.
- They are very high maintenance.
- They look awful when they start to shed.
- They are expensive.
- Your eyes can swell up and get infected.
Naturally, I, and I assume every other human being would be, was immediately turned off of the idea of enhancing my look with these luxurious demon eyelash extensions that look so beautiful, but sound like such a pain. At this point, I could only assume the women that deal with them on a regular basis either A.) dabble in witchcraft. Or B.) have zero luck in the lash department and find it to be their only option. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I would like my lashes to be longer, but not if it means ruining my own eyelashes, paying an ungodly amount of money every two weeks, or risking my eyelids swelling up and getting infected.
So I began to think and ask myself, if this process is so horrible and has left such a bad taste in so many people’s mouths, then why do women continue to do it? And why are the only negative comments I’ve heard coming from people who have never worn eyelash extensions themselves? That conclusion wasn’t sufficient for me, so I decided to do some research on my own to either prove the theories to be true, or debunk the myths so that I, too, may participate in having gorgeous eyelashes. Here’s what I found:
- They are expensive:
This theory is, in fact, true. To be subjective, it does depend on what your idea of “expensive” is. I know some women who pay $80-$150 for a full set of nails, and get a fill every two to three weeks for at least half of that amount. So, I assume if you’re willing to pay that much to have beautiful nails, you might just be willing to pay $70-$200 for great lashes. And don’t even get me started on how much we are willing to spend on our hair appointments, because I know you don’t go from having dark hair to platinum blond without breaking the bank. I also found, in my research, that the price really depends on who you go to. Of course, I would not suggest that you go to the cheapest lash artist that you can find, but word of mouth is a powerful thing so my advice would be to go to a professional that a close friend can recommend. Yelp is also a great tool that anyone with a computer or a smartphone can access to find honest reviews based upon guests’ real experiences. So yes, lash extensions definitely CAN get pricey, but if you decide that they payoff is worth the price, then I suppose you won’t mind.
- They take forever to apply:
This is also a subjective matter and really depends on how often you get them filled and how patient you are. The recommended time in between appointments is two weeks. I know some women who wait three weeks, but that’s kind of pushing it. I’ve been to a hair appointment that took almost seven hours. I’ve been to a nail appointment that took two hours. And I’ve waited in line for a ride at Disneyland for 90 minutes. Good things take time. An appointment for a full set of eyelash extensions typically takes about 2 hours, give or take, and an appointment for a fill usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Which may seem like a long time to sit still with your eyes shut, however, if you’re willing to not use your hands for two hours to get your nails done, or sit in an uncomfortable chair with a God awful cape wrapped around you and bleach burning your scalp for 4+ hours, you might not complain too much about taking two hours to get long, beautiful lashes. Some women say they end up napping through their appointment anyway and wake up when their lashes are done. Now that’s what I call beauty sleep.
- They look awful when they start to shed:
True. I’ve seen the results of the women who try to push out their lash appointment to every four weeks to cut down on costs and it is NOT pretty. There’s nothing comforting about looking like you’ve got spider’s legs dangling from your eyelids, however, this is why your lash artist will most likely recommend that you schedule for appointment for every 2 to 3 weeks so that you don’t end up looking like a freak. This is probably the main reason you will end up spending more money than you’d like on your lashes.
- They are very high maintenance:
Yes, you will need to brush your lashes with a spoolie to keep them organized and curled, though this won’t take really any more effort than applying makeup would. The plus side is, a lot of women who have eyelash extensions have said that they no longer use mascara. If I never had to wear mascara again, I would try my hardest not to complain about having to brush my lashes. Another high maintenance requirement that was brought to my attention is that you cannot get them wet, which is true and yet, untrue. Depending on what kind of glue your lash artist uses, you may be able to get them wet, and it actually will help keep them clean. Although, you might want to check with your artist first before you dive head first into the pool.
- Your eyes can swell up and get infected:
Okay so I will admit, this one really freaked me out. I am allergic to a lot of things. So whenever someone tells me there’s a possibility I may be allergic to something, more often than not, I probably am. There’s a risk of having an allergic reaction to the glue that they use to adhere the extension to your lash, however, worst case scenario, an optometrist can prescribe you some eye drops to combat the reaction if one were to occur. That being said, you can have a bad reaction to hair dye, to eating a new food, trying a new product, even getting a tattoo, so really we take unnecessary risks all the time. However, please make sure the glue your lash artist uses does not contain formaldehyde in it, because you most likely will have a bad reaction to that, and yes, it has happened before.
- They are unhealthy and make your natural lashes fall out:
This was probably my main concern. Like I stated previously, my intention for pursuing the “lash extension journey” was for my sister’s wedding, and I don’t particularly struggle in the lash department to begin with. Normally with a swipe of mascara I have pretty decent lashes, so the prospect of ruining my natural lashes in this process is not something I was interested in whatsoever. As I began to research this issue, I came across a few articles where women shared about how they have been wearing eyelash extensions for years, one woman said she has been wearing them as long as 8 years. So I ask myself, if eyelash extensions really make your real lashes fall out, how the hell is she still wearing these 8 years later? I know they’re not gluing them to her eyeballs, so how can this be? Well, yes, eyelash extensions do fall out and so will your natural eyelashes, but this process is totally normal. Something you might not realize is, your eyelashes will fall out regardless of whether you have extensions or not. That is totally normal and happens all the time, but they do grow back. Now, it is recommended that you do not tug on, pull, or rub at your eyes/lashes because that WILL cause them to fall out sooner than they are expected to. So, if you are careless with your eyes, then yes, they will cause your eyelashes to fall out more than normal.
Another reason that I realized why people assume that eyelash extensions ruin your natural lashes is probably because once you stop wearing them, you will probably look drastically different. If someone is so used to you having long, thick eyelashes and then suddenly you only have your natural lashes, they are definitely going to look sparse in comparison to what they’re used to. It’s almost like when you finally see a celebrity without an ounce of make up on their face. They’re probably going to look significantly different to when they’re all done up on the red carpet. Does that necessarily mean that they are sick or unhealthy? No, they’re just going all natural for the moment, just like your lashes.
In conclusion, eyelash extensions are a great option for women who feel their eyes need a boost, or for women with thin, sparse eyelashes and feel like all the castor oil in the world won’t make them grow. There are benefits, and drawbacks, just like almost every other beauty method on the market. I have not definitively decided if I will try eyelash extension yet, but I am glad that I sought out more information and honest reviews. If I do end up making an appointment, I will be sure to make another post sharing some before and after photos and tell you about my own experience. I do think that if you are considering trying it out, it’s definitely a good idea to do some research first, find out the facts, and speak to someone who has had an actual experience. Don’t just take your friend’s second cousin’s friend’s word for it. More importantly, don’t keep yourself from doing something you’ve been looking forward to just because there are a few skeptics out there that are afraid to try something new.
Here are a few sources you can turn to for more research:
- https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/eyelash-extensions-salon-guide_us_56d5deaae4b0bf0dab338581
- http://www.byrdie.com/lash-extension-tips
- http://hollywoodlife.com/2017/02/17/do-eyelash-extensions-damage-lashes-what-to-expect-myths-lash/
