The beauty treatment so good you’ll ditch your makeup
I DIDN’T realise this treatment would totally change my entire makeup routine — for the better.
MY make-up MO is investing in good skincare, which means when it comes to my everyday look I’m all about no-makeup makeup, so I love products like BB, CC creams and serum-infused foundations that work to improve my skin as I wear them.
For eyes it’s a quick lashing of mascara and eyebrow pencilling and shaping. Then lips, a natural pink or a subtle gloss. The point: I want to look like me — but better.
So when I was given the chance to try eyelash extensions, for body+soul I knew this meant I could give my mascara a little rest. But I didn’t realise it would totally change my entire makeup routine — for the better.
To try them out I headed to Lady Lash in Newtown, Sydney. Greeted by a lash technician, I was taken through a menu of lashes on offer — no lash is the same here and the experience is truly personal — everything is catered for your eye shape and personal taste.
There is an abundance of lash styles, shapes, fullness, and fabrics to choose from — I was genuinely blown away. You can go natural to enhance what you already have, or pick Betty Bop-esque doll eyes or go all the way to 6D (yes, 6D) volume effect lashes (think RuPaul’s Drag Race meets the Kardashians). Fabrics used are faux mink, silk and synthetic, and you can opt for half, full and glam sets.
After a chat about what I’m after and my eye shape, I decided to go for the mink glamour set in a cat eye shape. I have longish lashes anyway, and figured if I was doing it, I wanted it to look like they had been done.
The technician then took me to the Lash Lounge where I lay on a bed while she glued individual lashes into my eyes using tweezers and a semipermanent bonding adhesive. Note, the glue is completely harmless and didn’t sting or burn.
Word of warning, the actually process is not quick. Be prepared to lay there for up to two hours depending on the type of lashes you are getting. For the glam set (100 lashes on each eye), I was there for about an hour and a half.
By the end of I was really fidgety, so I suggest asking if you can listen to a Podcast or trying to go at a time when you can fall asleep. The person next to me was snoring away and I was incredibly jealous.
When I finished I was instantly in love. They looked better than any mascara ever has (and I’ve tried a lot) and while they are a statement (I did go the Glamour Set after all) they still look so natural and not fake at all. My eyes also look bigger.
But here’s the real selling point: since getting them my makeup routine has halved. As they naturally make me look done, all I do now is put on a CC cream, lightly colour and brush my browns then slap on some lip product. I feel confident and made-up without having to barely touch my cosmetic bag. Night times are so much easier too as I don’t have to spend ages washing off mascara. (Note: you can use mascara with the extensions but I don’t need to.)
When something makes you feel good and saves you time, this is a massive win in my books.
The better you look after your lashes, the better and longer they will last. Avoid getting them wet for 24 hours after application, be careful of oily cleansers and skincare products — this can cause them to fall out so use oil-free eye make-up removers — and avoid steam (yep, piping hot showers are a no go).
The lashes will last around six weeks and if you love them — it’s recommended you book in for infill around the three-week mark as this is when gaps will start to form. For me I’m on week five and they still look good though because as I sleep on my left hand-side, that eye is now a little less cat-eye than the right.
Half sets start at around $85 while full sets start at $130. Head to sydneyeyelashextensons.com for more information.