I am bombarded on a daily basis of people wanting to know where I get my lashes done. With all of my reviews, I wanted to wait a few weeks to be able to provide an honest review.
Pros:
Prior to getting extensions everyone told me they'd change my life and that they're super addictive, well they were right. Mascara has always annoyed me, whether it was falling under my eyes or impossible to take off at the end of the day. Getting extensions has cut my morning and nightly routine in half, it's unbelievably convenient and makes it so much easier to run out of the house without makeup on.
Cons:
That being said, extensions are costly, time consuming and take a toll on your natural lashes. I'd say my lashes are now 50% the length they were when I first got extensions in December. With extensions it's best to go every 2-3 weeks for a refill, which takes about an hour to do and at my place costs a little over $100. Laying there for an hour doing nothing can be extremely boring, I recommend picking a podcast to listen to. Also, anytime I shower or my eyes water, my eyes burn so bad. You really have to make sure to not get your lashes wet, especially in the beginning. My place recommends not showering for 48 hours after application because the steam can work against the glue. Since getting extensions I no longer wear eye makeup, it's just too difficult to apply and using any oil based products can ruin the glue.
It may sound like there are a lot of cons but there is a reason I am so addicted to them. I can't stress enough how convenient they've proven to be. It's really a personal decision as to whether they're worth it or not. After seeing the stress the extensions have put on my lashes I'm definitely going to take a break from them sometime soon. I've heard it's best to take breaks every few months.
When it comes to choosing your extensions there are a lot of choices to be made; which material do you want, how many do you want, along with curl and length. Lash material options include; mink, silk, or some other kind of synthetic. (Mink is usually pricier and better quality; however, some synthetics are great and can end up costing as much as or more than mink.) The place I go to only does mink so I'm not sure what the other options are like. As for the number of lashes, I have larger eyes so I go with 100 lashes per eye. Typically places will offer 80, 100 and 120. When it comes to the curl there are four options; J, B, C and D. I get a C curl which is very curly but not quit the curliest, which is D. Lash length usually ranges from 8 to 14mm, I get 14mm and think they suit my eye well.
If you're in NYC, I go to Blue Geisha Lashes in Flatiron. I'm obsessed with the girl who does my lashes, she's so sweet and was trained in Japan. Tell them I sent you and they'll take great care of you!