All of the most interesting beauty recommendations tend to come from my dear friend Tori, and this one is no exception. During a dinner towards the end of last year I couldn’t stop looking at her eyelashes as they look so perfectly curled, dense and fluffy (dream lashes). She told me she’d been for a lash lift, a procedure I was familiar with but had never really been tempted to try…until I saw the results in real life. I quickly booked an appointment at The Urban Beauty Lounge, and based on the before-and-after, I am sure that you will agree that the results are impressive. However, there have been a few downsides, so I thought I would give you a comprehensive review about my experience. Here we go…
What is an eyelash lift:
You’re effectively perming your eyelashes. A silicone mold is placed along your lash line, your eyelashes are curled over the mold, and they are then coated with a perming solution. After a few minutes, a setting lotion is applied to seal in the curl.
How long does the treatment take:
About half an hour.
Does it hurt:
If either the perming solution or setting lotion gets into your eyes, it will sting. However my therapist was very careful – it didn’t hurt at all.
How much does it cost:
R420 (at the time of my treatment).
How long does it last for:
Apparently between 4 weeks and 3 months. As I type this, it’s been just over 5 weeks and, for the most part, the curl is still in place (however a few lashes have started to straighten out).
Does it damage the lashes:
As with any treatment involving chemicals, there is a risk of damage, but it’s up to you to decide whether or not you can live with it. I think that if you do it once or twice a year, you’ll probably be fine. I have noticed that my lashes are very dry and coarse to the touch, so I would recommend applying some castor oil every now and again (at night) to inject some moisture back into the lashes.
Are the results that different from those achieved using an eyelash curler:
Yes – I have never been able to get the same kind of curl from an eyelash curler. In my experience, lashes curled with an eyelash curler tend to lose a bit of their curl once mascara is applied (due to the weight of the mascara) – this doesn’t happen on lashes which have been chemically lifted.
Would I recommend it:
Yes and no. I think that if you have shorter lashes, this is a great summer holiday treatment. When paired with a lash tint, the results really are incredible – you look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 24/7. Even now, I marvel at how awake I look first thing in the morning. It’s also a great option for those who prefer to wear minimal/no makeup, as it makes such a dramatic difference to the face without the need for mascara.
However, if you have long lashes, like I do, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it:
- To begin with, the curl is very pronounced, so your lashes will be touching your brow bone at all times. This constant contact means that the tips of the longest lashes will double-over on themselves, making them look spidery and a bit weird.
- Constant brow bone contact = you will need to invest in a very waterproof mascara to avoid smudging.
- You will see in the picture above that my outer corner lashes were curled at almost a 90 degree angle, so applying mascara is still tricky.
- The curl doesn’t drop out of all the lashes simultaneously, it happens in stages. I have a few clumps of straight lashes now, which has left the appearance of gaps in my lash line, so I am back to using my eyelash curler every day (this is obviously not specific to long lashes, it applies to the treatment in general).
I hope you have found this review helpful. Have any of you had a lash lift? If so, please let me know your thoughts.