Eyelash extensions - your expert guide
No Christmas party look is complete without a pair of full and fluttery eyelashes. Which means your clients are probably snapping up appointments for eyelash extensions or infills, ready for the festive season.
Lash FX brand developer Natalie Piper says, “Lashes are huge at Christmas. If you’ve only just started your beauty business or have recently begun doing eyelash extensions for clients, make sure you do a thorough consultation.
“Make sure you are doing what the client is asking for - go through the options of curl, length, whether they want Russian lashes or classic lashes and so on. It’s really important you do that consultation to check you are giving your client exactly what they want.”
What is the best eyelash extension technique for my client?
This will depend on the look your customer wants, how much time they have… and how much money they want to spend.
One-to-one eyelash extensions
How to do: This one-to-one technique sees you putting one individual extension onto one natural eyelash using tweezers. You can either use lashes from a pot or ones pre-laid out in a tray at the correct angle for application.
How long it takes: Around one-and-a-half hours for a full set.
“Every technician prefers a different technique” says Natalie. “The lashes last three to four weeks and fall out when the natural lash it’s attached to falls out.”
Clients can choose from a:
- Full set - about 90% coverage of the client’s natural eyelashes
- Half set - about 60% of the client’s natural eyelashes
- Partial set - about 30% of the client’s natural eyelashes.
“Everyone has a different number of lashes” says Natalie. “Some have around 80 per eye while other people can have close to 300 per eye. That’s why you should always work on percentages rather than the actual number of lashes you’re using.”
“Technicians don’t always progress onto a faster drying glue and then what can happen is they say it’s too slow or lashes are sticking together.”
Express eyelash extensions
How to do it: If your client is short on time, the express technique is a good option. Natalie says, “Unlike the one-to-one technique, you don’t isolate one individual eyelash. Instead you just place them along the lash line on top of the natural lashes, almost like the old fashioned lash extensions.”
How long it takes: Around 30 minutes.
The express technique is also a good introduction for clients who’ve not had eyelash extensions before. They last up to two weeks and Natalie says, “We have a lot of clients who don’t have an hour and a half for lash extensions. Others just want their lashes for the weekend and these express lashes are ideal for that.
“It’s much quicker and for someone who has never had extensions, they might want to try the express as it’s less of an investment. If they like them, they could then have them removed and have a full set applied.”
How to speed up your eyelash extension technique
Want to speed up your eyelash extension services? Or are you having problems with the lashes sticking together during application?
Natalie says, “You might be using the wrong glue. When technicians learn how to do eyelash extensions, most of the kits on the market come with a slower drying adhesive. All the lashes should be facing an aesthetically pleasing direction and this gives you time to make corrections if you apply them in the wrong direction.
“With slower drying adhesive you’ve probably got time to remove it and correct it. Technicians don’t always progress onto a faster drying glue and then what can happen is they say it’s too slow or lashes are sticking together.
“That normally means they are ready to advance onto quicker glue.”
The importance of aftercare
During the appointment, Natalie recommends giving your clients advice about caring for their lashes.
“With lash extensions, it’s really important a client cleans them in between treatments. They should clean the baseline of the lashes. That means when a customer comes in for an infill, the technician needs to spend less time cleaning the lashes.”
