After making some noises on my Facebook page about wanting to try a lash lift, I did it. I got one. Here’s a bit of a revie and post about my experience with lash lifting! And this is also for anyone who is wanting to get more information about the Best plastic surgeons in Denver! It looks freaky eh?

January saw me head home to Napier for a few days. My buddy Karla (co-owner of Two Lippy Ladies) had raved with her higher than usual levels of enthusiasm about the talents of Amor at Brow Addicts (Market Street). Boom, I thought. I’ll treat myself to a post-holiday Brow Sort Out. Quick research revealed that Brow Addicts also do lash lifting, so I decided my brows could have some DIY action. “Lash lifting, be mine”, I thought.

Before I get into the details, I need to set the scene. I’m super high-maintenance when it comes to my eyelashes. On account of having mega-long lashes (thanks Flash eyelash serum) I am constantly bemoaning my mega-straight lashes. Every morning, out comes the eyelash curler and intense curling commences. I have done this since the age of eleven years old. I know. Crazy. My Nana bought me an eyelash curler in Superdrug on a trip to the UK. Who would have known that this quick shopping expedition to Huntingdon’s High Street would turn out to be a life mileston?! Every morning after curling I apply lashings of waterproof mascara. Lashings. It’s my thing – I like dramatic lashes. Some people spend ages doing their hair. I do my lashes. I don’t like the natural eyelash look on me. I attempt to go natural on a regular basis. I just don’t like how I look. Sigh.

Why do I bother curling my lashes every day? Doh: Vanity of course. Also, without my trusty lash curler, it’s hard to tell how long my lashes really are. The whole routine actually pisses me off: It’s a palaver. Why? Because I’m addicted to curled lashes, I can only use use waterproof mascara, least the regular variety straighten my beloved lashes. Back in the day before I cottoned on to the Life Changer that is waterproof mascara I would curl, mascara, recurl and then recurl some more during the day. FFS. That brings me to my next whinge: Waterproof mascara is a sod to get off. Two words: Coconut oil. It’ll sort you out.

Scene now set on what a pain in the ass I am, you can see how I hoped a lash lift would be the next best thing since Flash Eyelash serum. I’d heard lash lifting is like old-school lash perming i.e. A similar technique without using tiny curling rods. I hoped a lift would eliminate my eyelash curler regime in the short-term, at least.

How much?

$95 all up. The lift was $75. Tinting was $20 and I had to have both. I was told that the hair follicles are opened from the solution process the tint is required to both close the follicles, as well as restore moisture and colour enhancements. So you have to have a lift followed by a tint. Bummer. I didn’t want a lift.

Note, whilst this price may seem steep, I’ve seen prices in NZ around the $150 mark for what seems to be the same treatment (yikes).

The procedure

Scene set, I was warmly greeted by Amor and I plonked myself in her chair. After a full explanation of what was going to happen and how (the detail of which I’ve all but forgotten, sorry), Amor got underway.

What did she do? Here’s a link to a video which more or less mirrored what happened. Easier to show than explain! The only difference was Amor used mini curlers clamped on my lashes, not a silicon pad thingy (as per the video). I’m not sure why this is her preferred method (I didn’t ask). Amor also tinted my lashes after the lift was complete. They didn’t do this in the video. It seems they did a slightly different technique in the vid. I’d like to try that next time. Anyhoo, I digress.

Did it hurt? Nope. While I was quite nervous it would, the chemical used, (iPerm solution) didn’t sting. The contraption on my eyes felt odd, but I’m used to my eyelash curlers, so it didn’t bother me. The procedure did get me thinking about how nerve wracking the process of undergoing plastic surgery would be. Now, if I was to ever get plastic surgery done, no way would I go to anyone not officially qualified from somewhere like the royal college of surgeons because I can’t afford to take the chance of anything going wrong!

How long did it take? The treatment took approximately half an hour all up. Get it done in your lunchbreak! I was pleased with the results and I’d recommend it if you aren’t as addicted to the daytime glam look as me! That’s the short story!

Here’s some photos

lash lifting review — An old before photo, see how straight my eyelashes are?!

Here’s a pic of me now, three weeks later, curl has dropped, but is still there. I have no curled my lashes with my mechanical curler. I’m not wearing mascara.

Here’s a pic of me with All The Makeup On. Lashes have been curled with my eyelash curler… This is the look I like (curled up the wazoo).

Things to note

The solution used in lash lifting, iPerm. This is a chemical.
If you are someone who has sensitive eyes, I’d recommend you stay well clear of lash lifting because, well, there’s chemicals involved. Don’t risk it. Amor herself said she wouldn’t recommend a lift to people with sensitive eyes. I love that she said this.
A lash lift is suitable for both long and short lashes and any eye shape. Nice.
Amor said the lash lift would last up to three months. It’s been three weeks since I had the treatment, my lashes have straightened somewhat, but there is still lots of curl remaining from the lift. Given how much curl remains now, and knowing eyelashes shed and grow back, I’m not convinced they’ll last three months, but time will tell.
Keep in mind after getting your lashes down you have to keep them dry and makeup-free for 24 hours or so. I got my treatment at 1pm and put makeup on (carefully) at 10am the next day. I even used face wipes (ugh, but that’s another blogpost) to wash my face, least I get my lashes wet!
If you get a lift where you have a tint: Prepare yourself for potential panda eyes: The area under my lower lash line got stained a little from the black of the tint. This lasted for five days, the most industrial eye makeup remover, not even coconut oil would shift it! I asked people if it was noticeable, the answer was “no”. It was just me that saw it and it bothered me.
Despite the afore mentioned stain, the tint was lovely! Without mascara, it made my lashes look so more volumised and super long and luscious.
Aftercare: I don’t do anything differently. I still use coconut oil to take my eye makeup off. I haven’t had to brush my lashes with a lash comb or spoolie. So to that regard, they are ‘easy care’ (Amor didn’t mention any aftercare instructions, so I assume there weren’t any).

My verdict?

Ok, this is where it gets tricky.

If you are, unlike me, a fairly low maintenance chick in the beauty department, I’d definitely recommend lash lifting (so long as you don’t have sensitive eyes).

However, if you are, like me, more on the high maintenance end and you favour a dramatic set of intensely curled and mascaraed lashes every day, I would be cautious of saying lash lifting is a “must do”. This is because:

It’s pricey and I wanted curly lashes. I just didn’t think my lashes were curled enough for my preference. Subsequently I’m still using my eyelash curler on a daily basis. SIGH.
Whilst the tint makes my lashes look amazeballs au naturel, I am a chick who very rarely leaves the house without lashings of mascara, on both my top and bottom lashes. The required tint, therefore, was pointless for me: I wear so much mascara it negates the effect of the tint. I already knew this (I’ve had them tinted before, waste of time) and so I didn’t actually want my lashes tinted, however this was a requirement of the procedure.

Shu Uemura eyelash curler. I get mine from Strawberry Net.

So for me, for now, I’m sticking with my trusty Shu Uemura curler and my array of waterproof mascara. It seems we have a love/hate relationship.

I’m not saying I’d never get it done again. Actually, I’ll be in like Flynn if I can be guaranteed a full-monty curl like my eyelash curler yields. I hasten to add that I had my lashes permed once, years ago, and I was disappointed at the lack of curl then too (I mentioned this to Amor). I tell ya – I’m a fussy tart. If I get it done and the curl as as I like it, I’m sold: This would definitely be a regular beauty treat for me, it’s a no-brainer. I’ll keep you posted how I get on. I’m going to make some inquiries.

So all in all, I didn’t get to say “Laters” to my curler and it wasn’t the revolutionary Beauty Gamechanger I was hoping for. That said, I have friends that get this done and they freaking love it! Clearly I’m at the upper end of the ‘high maintenance’ spectrum.

Lastly, in the interests of thoroughness, I have to mention I’m stoked to have found Brow Addicts in Napier, on several accounts.

Amor is both lovely and talented. Her beautiful shop deserves a rave all of its own, not just because of the gorgeous interior, no, I largely gasped at the products for sale. Any Brow Geek would be impressed at the array of products that adorn the shelves. There are goodies from Anastasia Beverly Hills (I love their Dip Brow) and Billion Dollar Brows (I love me their brow brush and micro brow pencil) I haven’t seen these for sale in store in NZ. I had a little orgasm on the spot.
Amor has an abundance of talent and knowledge in the lash and brow space. I’m planning to go back to Brow Addicts and have my brows sorted when I’m back in Napier. I thought my DIY efforts were stellar, but looking at the photos of brows that Amor remedies on her Facebook page… Yeah, I’ve had to concede that I’m a bit shit with my eyebrows. This lady is a Brow Guru.