Did you know that lash extensions have a history that date back to the 1800s?

The purpose of a lash, or an eyelash, is to protect the eye from sunlight and dust. Generally speaking, we’re almost all born with eyelashes to serve this very purpose. Why then are so many people running to get lash extensions?! Answer: cause we’re all beauty obsessed in one way or another! For the past few years, it’s been somewhat of a craze! I think it’s part of the Kardashian effect, but hey, just my two cents.

For some people, it’s the boobs, for some, the lips, and for others, the lash lines. Que sera sera. I don’t judge. Bottom line is I’m here to share the truth about lash extensions.

So here’s the thing…those of you who watch my IG stories, have seen these lashes up close and personal, so you already know I have naturally long eyelashes. I always have. When I was little, people used to ask my mom if she put fake eyelashes on me! Say what?! Um, NO. My mom can be a little out there sometimes, but she’s not stupid! Anyway, my genes have blessed me with naturally long eyelashes. At this point, you might be asking yourself, ‘so then what the eff do you need lash extensions for?’  Truthfully, the answer is I don’t…BUT, Salon de Beauté reached out and offered for me to try their services, so I did. My beauty obsessed alter ego kicked in, and I wanted to see the effect of having lash extensions on my already long eyelashes…sue me…

The Styles

I had no idea there were so many decisions to be made when choosing the style of eyelash extensions you want. Salon de Beauté offers a variety of lash styles for different eye shapes. Cateye, and Glamour are just a couple of styles to choose from. And they offer lash extensions in silk or cashmere mink!! You can choose from 80 / 100 / 120 / 140 extensions added per eye! I went with a silk set (100 per eye) in the cat eye style. Meowwww, bitches, meow!

The Process

It’s actually pretty simple. You just lay there with your eyes closed while eyelash extensions of your choice are applied with adhesive. Believe it or not, I fell asleep during the process and woke up feeling relaxed when…ta-daaa! They were all done. The cat-eye in full effect. Boom. They came out beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised. One downside I experienced was a little redness in my left eye for a couple of days, which can be typical for someone who is a first timer. I guess some of the adhesive made contact with my eye (gasp!!!)… The redness went away after about 3 days and then I was able to fully enjoy the look of my new extensions, which came out really nice.

The Maintenance

If you’ve just gotten lash extensions, you should avoid getting the area wet for the first 24 hours. You should also avoid swimming and strenuous workouts if you sweat a lot. And stay away from using eyelash curlers or mascara! The lash extensions lasted me personally about 4 weeks before the last of them were out. Truth be told, I didn’t exactly follow the suggested care and maintenance, but if you do, you’re in for a treat for anywhere between 4 – 6 weeks, depending on the natural cycle of your personal eyelash growth. And if you really love the look and want to maintain your lash extensions, you should retouch every 2 to 3 weeks.

All in all, I can’t deny that the extensions enhanced the length, curliness and fullness of my natural eyelashes. And having them most definitely made life easier in the morning, without having to curl them or add mascara. What’s nice about not wearing mascara is that the eyelashes never stick together, and your eyes are just poppin’!

At the end of the day, if your natural eyelashes aren’t very long or thick, I think you would benefit from having eyelash extensions. You’ll get an immediate confidence boost, and love taking those selfies (wink!)…

Here’s something fun and unexpected that I learned about having lash extensions – you can “pretty cry” with them! Something to know about me is that I am a mushy chick who can cry watching commercials about kids going away to college…I mean, come on… I’m not embarrassed. I’m a woman who’s very in touch with my emotions, dammit. Normally whenever I cry, my natural lashes get droopy and the mascara is just all over – it’s a bad scene, man. BUT a few days after I got the extensions, I watched the movie I Feel Pretty, and wow, the end made me cry my eyes out! I loved it! I was expecting total disaster but when I looked in the mirror, yes, my eyes were a little red and puffy but look at those lashes! I think I still looked cute…I felt pretty!

Realistically speaking though, lash extensions just aren’t for me. While they’re very beautiful and add an extra oomph to my lash game, I just don’t have the kind of patience needed to keep them maintained that often. And I certainly don’t want to dish out that kind of money every few weeks! Ahem, did you see my last post on saving a buck? Uh yea, so there’s that.

While mine aren’t as long and thick as the extensions make them seem, I think I’ll just stick with the naturally long OG eyelashes that my gene pool and the lil baby Jesus gave me. But by all means, YES, if you want them, if you “need” them, or if you just wanna try them out and splurge a little, I highly recommend Salon de Beauté for eyelash extensions ! Their staff is warm and friendly, AND you leave looking and feeling beautiful – BONUS!

xo Karen