The Fashionably Late Blonde: Lash Extensions

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is going well so far. Today I am going to talk all about my eyelash extension experience. (Say that 5 times fast. Haha) Ekkk! I’m so excited to share this with y’all!

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw a couple weeks ago that I got eyelash extensions for the first time. Since they are the new trend, and everyone is getting them I thought I would share my experience. Let me start by saying it’s very important to find a reputable salon/lash artist to go to. We are talking about your eyes here people! I don’t know about you but, that is not something I would want to mess around with. Luckily my girl RayAnna at Beautifully Bare LLC (who I’ve gotten waxed by before) started doing lashes last year. She is extremely passionate about her work and it truly shows. If you don’t follow her on Instagram, you definitely should. Even if you don’t live in Jax she shares a wealth of knowledge about eyelash extensions on her feed and stories! We happened to meet-up before hand and she answered ALL my questions (I had about a million!), plus she told me things I never would have thought about. If you are in the Jacksonville area I cannot recommend her enough! She is really sweet & fun on top of being an amazing lash artist.

Now let’s talk process, shall we?

RayAnna started by giving me a new client sheet to fill out, so she could make sure I was a good candidate for lash extensions and wouldn’t have any issues. Then she answered a few more questions I had thought of since our last meeting. After that it was time for her to sanitize her hands and start cleaning my lashes. I wore some makeup that day so she removed all that and then cleansed my lashes with lash cleanser. The cleaner your lashes are the better. After that she put pads under my eyes and mapped out my lashes. Once the pads are on she doesn’t like to talk anymore for 2 reasons. 1. She says she lashes much slower when she talks. 2. When you talk the pads can move into your eye and cause bruising! Who knew your eyeballs could get bruised? When she told me that I was happy to stop talking as well. If you have a favorite podcast, are listening to a book on tape or have a favorite playlist I recommend you bring headphones with you so you can listen while they lash. RayAnna had music, so I just listened to that and snoozed here and there. She said most of her clients do nap while she lashes which is totally fine. I tried to stay awake as much as possible, so I could share the process. Once she started lashing it honestly felt like a very light massage for my lashes. I know that sounds totally weird but it’s the only way I can describe it! The question I got the most after was “Did it hurt?” My answer…not at all. When she moves to the inner corner it feels a little weird because she tapes your eyelids. It still doesn’t hurt just feels a little odd. The initial set usually takes about 2.5 hours. Fills after that are usually about an hour. After she is finished lashing she makes sure your eyes feel ok. (She also checks throughout the process. There is a small chance you can be allergic to the adhesive so it’s important to speak up if something doesn’t feel right.) Once your eyes are opened and feel ok you finally get to see the finished product. When I finally saw mine, I couldn’t believe how good they looked! I was seriously blown away!! I have very blonde lashes, so mascara is always a must for me. It was great to know that would no longer be necessary. They also look extremely natural which is awesome! (On me they look as natural as a blonde with black eyelashes can look. Haha) RayAnna did a signature set on me which is a cross between classic and volume. The best part is no matter what set you choose she completely customizes them to everyone. (I go back to she is incredibly talented and passionate about her work!) After about 5 minutes she cleanses your lashes one more time. If you have lash extensions, you are probably freaking out right now that I just said that. RayAnna told me most people say no getting your lashes wet for at least 24 hours. However, because its glue holding them to your natural lash the fumes and chemicals can make you think you are having a reaction if left on. Thus, why she cleanses your lashes before you leave. That way you will know you are really having a reaction and that the chemicals aren’t just sitting on your lid causing irritation.

The real magic for me came the next day. I woke up and had lashes right out of bed. Haha. All I had to do was put on face makeup and do my brows! Then later that day I did Orange Theory and after I would normally have mascara melting down my face. But with my lash extensions I still looked halfway put together! It has cut down on my morning routine so much. For instance, I really haven’t been wearing eyeliner which if you know me you know is absolutely crazy. I just don’t feel the need. I’m also more comfortable with ZERO makeup because the dark lash extensions create depth on my face!

Overall, I cannot recommend them enough. I also cannot recommend RayAnna at Beautifully Bare LLC enough. If you are in the Jacksonville area you should definitely go see her! Also feel free to leave any questions in the comments below or shoot me an email @ fashionablylateblonde@mail.com because I will be doing a HUGE Q&A post in the next couple weeks. Seriously, ask me anything about lash extension!!