Sadly, I lucked out when Mother Nature was handing out eyelashes. Rather than being bambi-like, mine are the epitome of short and stumpy. Over the years, I've tried probably hundreds of mascaras with few successes and many more disappointments.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, the beautician we've (my mum, and then when I was old enough, little old me) been with for years started to offer eyelash extensions. Because of the length of time we've been with her, I managed to get a discount rate, but prices seem to range from £30 up to £150+!
I've considered for a long time trying something like rapid lash which supposedly is meant to make your eyelashes grow longer and stronger. However, I've also read about some strange side effects which slightly put me off (namely, eye colours changing and eyelashes becoming crispy so that they break off). Also, the £40 price tag sort of puts me off. Anyway, I decided eyelash extensions seemed like the better option to trial so here's my experience with them.
This was my eye before:
As you can see, my top lashes are short and straight making them a nightmare to curl!
This is my eye with eyelash extensions:
I admit, I was looking in slightly different places when I took the pictures but the basic idea is there. With the extensions, my eyes looked bigger, prettier and more awake. Without, they looked much smaller and squintier.
In an ideal world, I would have preferred to have thickness added as well as length, but she recommended starting small and then working my way up so that's what I did. I imagine if you had more eyelashes inserted, there would be no need for mascara. However, I still felt like I needed it when I did more dramatic looks because I didn't have enough volume.
Pros:
So nice to wake up and go - no need for mascara as eyes already look wide awake.
Great for special occassions, eg: weddings, holidays etc
No need to fuss about with glue/false eyelashes all the time so very convenient
Can be worn swimming, showering, exercising etc as don't come off
Cons:
Take a while to apply (around an hour or two) which is a nightmare if you're fidgety like me!
The application process was a bit uncomfortable. It involved sticking down the bottom eyelashes so they didn't get stuck to the glue! A strange and rather unpleasant experience in my opinion.
Even with the tape, a couple of my bottom eyelashes got stuck to some glue on the top ones! It was very painful separating them - would not recommend it!
The cost: not cheap!
They need maintenance roughly every 4-6 weeks!
You can use mascara but it has to be water-based.
Leading on from that, you have to be so careful about what you put near your eyes. Oil-based products loosen the glue and you're advised to not even rub your eyes. For someone who sleeps with their arm over their eyes (don't ask why), it was awful!
Some people may have a reaction to the glue (I have very sensitive skin/eyes and was fine though)
Repeated useage may result in damage to your natural lashes.
Only last for the cycle of your natural lashes, so when your natural ones fall out, so do the extensions. Not a problem until some start to fall out whilst others remain. I ended up having to cut the last few down to the size of my other lashes. About four weeks later, all but one are gone and to be honest with you, I just want it to come out!
The application process was a bit uncomfortable. It involved sticking down the bottom eyelashes so they didn't get stuck to the glue! A strange and rather unpleasant experience in my opinion.
Even with the tape, a couple of my bottom eyelashes got stuck to some glue on the top ones! It was very painful separating them - would not recommend it!
The cost: not cheap!
They need maintenance roughly every 4-6 weeks!
You can use mascara but it has to be water-based.
Leading on from that, you have to be so careful about what you put near your eyes. Oil-based products loosen the glue and you're advised to not even rub your eyes. For someone who sleeps with their arm over their eyes (don't ask why), it was awful!
Some people may have a reaction to the glue (I have very sensitive skin/eyes and was fine though)
Repeated useage may result in damage to your natural lashes.
Only last for the cycle of your natural lashes, so when your natural ones fall out, so do the extensions. Not a problem until some start to fall out whilst others remain. I ended up having to cut the last few down to the size of my other lashes. About four weeks later, all but one are gone and to be honest with you, I just want it to come out!
