The other thing about wearing false lashes is that even after all these years I feel like I haven’t quite mastered the application process. I find that the inner corners end up lifting near the end of the day plus I can’t apply them close to my lash line to save my fucking life. I usually end up doing a thick cat liner to help hide the lash band.
A former classmate of mine, Sophie, is a bomb lash tech that is damn near impossible to book in with but prior to my trip to NYC trip I wanted to make sure I looked as fresh as possible while being low maintenance. From what I understand NYC is humid AF in September and I wanted to be Yonce this face and wake up #FLAWLESS and looking like a Victorian doll all the time.
What are lash extensions?
The Appointment
While every lash tech works differently and I can only speak to Sophie’s set up, I do think her set-up is well thought out and ideal. Sophie has a proper massage table set up so you can lay on your back with ease as she works on turning you into a real-life Instagram filter. She has a ring light overhead for visibility plus a humidifier on during the appointment which makes the glue the optimal tackiness.
During the appointment the first step is to secure your lower lashes to avoid gluing your eyes shut so you get to do this fun thing where you keep your eyes open while a sticky pad is laid over your lower lash line. If your eyes are as sensitive as mine you’ll blink and tear up a bit but once this part is done, the rest is a lot easier. From there you close your eyes and let the lash tech do the rest! They will prep your lashes and glue on the extensions. In about an hour (maybe an hour and a half) you get to open your eyes to lush lashes.
Pre & Post Appointment
Pre appointment. Your lashes have and eyelids have to be makeup free during the appointment so I opted to go without makeup the day of my appointment so I wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of trying to get every little bit of makeup removed prior to my appointment. Another thing to keep in mind is that once your lashes are applied it is advised that you do not get them wet and stay out of hot showers for at least 24 hours to give the glue time to adhere so try and shower before your appointment!
Post appointment. There is really not a whole lot the you need to do right after your appointment. Sophie gave me a lash brush to keep my lashes from being unruly suggesting that I brush them morning and night, avoid rubbing my eyes and not using oil based makeup removers. The not “rubbing my eyes” portion has probably the most challenging thing for me because is there anything better than aggressively wiping makeup off your eyes at the end of the day? I have a girlfriend who wears swimming googles in the shower to keep her lashes fresh and I simply can’t live that life.
Also, this is only a helpful hint if you have bangs: clip your bangs back or wear a hat. My bangs got fucked up laying there because Sophie had to clip them out of the way and I looked like Dwight.
The Verdict
Would I get lash extensions again? I would and I have. They were great while I was travelling because it was one less thing I had to worry about however since it was so humid in NYC they shed much faster than they normally do while I am here in Vancouver. They looked so lush and with the combination of having my brows microbladed I did feel more confident with less makeup on because lashes seem to brighten up my eyes more. For me the only downside was maintenance (Sophie books up quick!) and not being able to rub my eyes. I wake up with a lot of eye goop and not being able to wipe it off drove me nuts.
If you’ve been considering getting lash extensions for a while and you’re based in Vancouver I cannot recommend Sophie enough. Here’s her Instagram and her classic set starts at $60 with fills costing up to $40, a hybrid set priced $70 (fills up to $45) – I promise you that you will not find another lash tech that is this affordable AND this good.
