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Have you ever gotten eyelash extensions? They’re fake eyelashes that are individually attached to your natural ones at a salon. I’d always heard such rave reviews, so for “Tried” series, I recently headed to Lashes on 5th in Manhattan to try theirs out. Here’s the before and after…
Holy smokes, they made a huge difference! It was like mascara x 100. I felt like Bambi.
When I showed up at the salon, the receptionist brought out a thick book featuring photos of different lashes, from which you could choose:
* the number of lashes (most people add 90 to 100)
* varying lengths
* varying widths
* a “J” curl (straighter) or a “C” curl (curled, as if you’d used a eyelash curler)
Normally I prefer a very natural look, but since we were going for it with this post, I went big: 100 silk lashes, 10 to 12 mm length, a “C” curl and extra thickness for that “mascara look.”
A little nervous, I headed into the main room, filled with single beds. I crawled under a soft blanket and put my head on the pillow. The technician instructed me to relax and close my eyes, as she glued the lashes on one at a time. As a life-long claustrophobe, I thought that keeping my eyes shut for an hour might make me feel panicky, but I distracted myself with the Moth podcast and even dozed off for a while (and then jerked awake with one of those embarrassing jumps).
Afterward, the technician gave me strict instructions: Don’t get them wet for 24 hours; don’t wear mascara; don’t use oil-based cleansers or lotions; don’t rub your eyes; don’t sleep on your lashes (not easy for stomach-sleepers!). If you take good care, extensions generally last about 3 to 6 weeks. They’re definitely a splurge — a full set of lashes generally costs around $150 — but you can get Groupons for around $40.
While walking home, I felt like passersby were doing double-takes, although I knew it was in my head. (Don’t you have the same feeling after a dramatic haircut?) But for the next few weeks, it was amazing to wake up and not do ANYTHING to my eyes. I’ve never been great at doing eyeshadow or liner, but now my eyes look big and bright regardless — you can just wake up and go. (As my friend says, extensions are “high maintenance to be low maintenance.”) The only catch is that when they start falling out, they can look a little wacky and stick out in different directions. But that’s a small price to pay.
Bottom line: I loved it.
Have you tried them? I’ve also heard great things about eyelash serums (look at those before-and-afters!!), have you ever used one? Any other experiments would you like to see in this series?
P.S. How to do a messy side ponytail, and how to blow dry your hair like a stylist.
(Photos by Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo.)
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