Of all the things I’ve been blessed with in life, thick hair has not been one of them. This includes my eyelashes. I’ve tried every mascara and lash serum (I have a favorite, but more on that later) and while I’ve had some success, nothing ever gives me the lashes I want—think Audrey Hepburn, not Kim Kardashian. I’ve even tried false lashes, both the strip and cluster kind, and I am completely inept that those. So for my upcoming birthday, I decided to treat myself to a set of lash extensions. I was a little apprehensive—I’ve heard the lashes start falling out right away, and I was slightly worried I’d come out looking like, well, a Kardashian—but I decided to take a chance, and I’m so happy I did.
I bought a Gilt City voucher for Lash Lab, a salon in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood, and since I had Presidents’ Day off, I was easily able to make an appointment. The salon is black and gold and chic, with Jo Malone hand soap; I was in a private room, but as I left, there were two other customers next to each other on beds in the main room. My artist (that’s what they call their aestheticians) had me draw the type of lashes I wanted and fill out a questionnaire addressing thickness, material, color, and curl. We then discussed my answers—we were on the same, no-Kardashian page—and settled on a set for me, which was the Natural Woman, their lowest-priced and most, obviously, natural-looking set. So far, so good.
With my eyes open, my artist applied a big white patch under each eye (I think it helped her both place the lashes and keep schmutz out of my eyes), then I closed my eyes and she added each lash one by one. I didn’t fall asleep—she said a lot of people do—but I was pretty relaxed, and no part of the process was uncomfortable. I was slightly worried that the glue would irritate my eyes (the release form said this happens to about 5% of people), but it didn’t at all. The entire application process took about an hour and 15 minutes, after which she removed the white patches and handed me a mirror.
I was so incredibly happy with the results! Even though I had no makeup on, I looked like I had on, like, five coats of mascara—except without any clumping whatsoever. My lashes are now about twice as thick as they are naturally, and I only apply a bit of shadow and the tiniest bit of eyeliner to my lids. The extensions have definitely cut down on my getting-ready time in the morning, although at the end of the day, I have to be pretty careful removing my eye makeup so I don’t cause any lashes to fall out (about 5 per day per eye is normal, but so far I’ve been averaging 3-4). The best part is I don’t have to wear mascara, which almost always flakes and gets in my eyes—I just fluff my lashes with a brush in the morning and at night. Talk about a #Iwokeuplikethis moment!
I’ve already made an appointment for a fill—it’s less than half the price of the original extensions, but not exactly cheap, either, so I am aware of the fact that I’ve gotten myself into a rather pricey beauty habit. If you want longer, thicker lashes on a budget, there’s always Grande Lash. It’s my favorite of all the lash serums I’ve tried, but while it definitely made my lashes longer, they didn’t get thicker, hence the extensions.
