Being a lash artist may look glamourous on Instagram and Facebook feeds and sometimes it is. However, behind every photo and video is hours of work, practice and patience.
Every lash artist is different, but I would like to share with you what a typical day is like being a lash artist. If you are just starting out you can see what it could be like or if you're a lash queen already you can see it from another perspective. There are so many different types of lash artists' out there! There are mums who are fitting lashing around the kids, salon owners, mobile artist, those renting a room and just some who are practising on friends. I work from home so I can do the school runs, pick the kids up and if I have a quiet day I have time to throw on a quick wash or just spend some time "relaxing" (usually scrolling through lash pics and editing and other social media work). I start my day looking at the diary and seeing who's in and what needs setting up and when I can take a lunch break. I try to book in mini breaks between big sets but sometimes I do get to the point of nipping to the loo or grabbing a quick snack and the door bell goes! The rooms all set up; I've put on some music quietly and made sure everything is clean, set up and ready for client number one. Client number one is always the best; it warms you up for the day and gets you in the lash zone. A couple of clients later I can finally have a break, grab some food and go through my phone and reply to any appointment requests. I also post photos of the lashes I've done that morning (If I remember to get the photo before they leave that is) Back to it, a couple more sets done and I finish for the school run and dinner before I start up again and do my 9-5 working clients evening appointments. These ones I always find to be more chilled as they have been at work all day. Their appointment gives them a chance to relax and usually a little lash nap. I have seen it less now I've started charging booking deposit's when a client books in for their appointment, but occasionally you get a no show or that text you hate 10 minutes before the appointment saying "sorry, I can't make it". In those times I sit and pre-make some fans which help make my Russian and Hybrid appointments quicker. I store these in the LashBase Fan Storage Box. I carry out a stock check once a week and make sure that I have got enough of everything I need for the following weeks ahead. Nothing is worse than having to say to someone "I'm really sorry I don't have any of those lashes left." - My advice is; just have extra of everything and when you move onto the extras reorder them for backups. Finally at the end of the day I switch off my phone, put my feet up and feel great that I have spent the day helping people feel more confident! How does your day look? Let me know on Instagram @flourisheyelashandbeauty
0 Comments
Correct placement of lashes makes a huge difference in how a set of lash extensions look and also how they last. So, in this blog I’m going to share a few tips with you that I have learnt about different ways you can place lash extensions onto the natural lash.
Where can you place the lashes? Lash extension don’t just have to be placed on the top of the lash. It’s okay to attach from the side and bottom as well. Just make sure the base of the extension is parallel to the natural lash, and you will have enough bonding surface. Attaching from the top is the most common method; it is for lashes that grow downwards or straight. Attaching from the side can make the lashes look fuller than they are, so this is perfect for filling in small gaps clients may have in their natural lashes. However, there may not be enough bonding surface to do this if their lashes are too curly. Attaching from underneath works great for clients with curly lashes or lashes that stick upwards. The perfect lash attachment is so important to ensure you have a great bond between the natural lash and the lash extension. This is giving your sets a great finish but also ensuring the natural lash is kept healthy and avoiding any pulling, clumping or sticking to surrounding lashes. How far away from the lash line the lash extensions should be placed? This should always be 0.5mm away from the skin, less than this or touching the skin can cause the skin/ lash follicle to be irritated which can cause issues like rubbing, swelling and itching. Too far away from the lash line you are leaving a visible gap, this can lead to dirt and oil getting trapped between and as a result losing lashes prematurely. How much of the lash extension needs to be attached? Every extension needs to be attached to the natural lash at least 2mm. it doesn’t matter what curl, length or direction if it isn’t secured enough it can pop off prematurely. Some natural lashes grow sideways or bent so sometimes its not worth lashing these ones. Where should an extension be placed? 90 degrees is the perfect angle for each lash extension to be placed. This is from the eyelid rather than the direction of hair growth, or your body position as the lash artist. When the lash extension is placed at a wider angle than 90 degrees on the inner corners it looks unflattering but also can cause irritation and rubbing for the client. Perfect placement in a set of eyelash extensions can really make your lash business be full with happy clients and you also spend less time sorting out problems due to poorly placed lashes. Prepping the Lashes for Lash Extensions
When starting the lashing process be sure to do a full consultation with your client and have a quick look at their lashes. Get an idea of the thickness and length and what your client's ideas are for their lashes. It's always handy to have some photos of your past work in different styles to give your client an idea of the set you could achieve. To begin prepping the area you want to ensure the bottom lashes, even the little blonde ones are all taped down. There is different ways of doing this my favourite is taping down the lashes first using a micropore tape, and then applying the Premium Eye Pads. Cleansing! If your client is a dream they will come to their appointment with lovely clean, make up free lashes. This isn't always the case so I use the Purified Eyelash and Eyelid Cleanser with the cleansing brush and give the area and thorough clean and wash it through. TOP TIP make sure the lashes are completely dry before moving onto the next stage! If the lashes are wet then the adhesive will not adhere. Priming – there's a couple ways to go about priming. If your client has naturally oily lashes then the Primer, Cleaner and Accelerator is the way forward. Just a small amount to wipe over the lashes will remove any oil, dust or any leftover make up particles on the natural lashes. It also speeds up the time of the adhesive setting. TOP TIP you can also use a Microbrush on the bottom of your lash strip so when you put the lash extension into the glue it dries quicker (make sure it completely dry which can take a couple of minutes) or you can just use it on the lashes it's always good to try both ways and work with what you prefer. Or you can use LashNeutral which is a PH balancer – It helps by ensuring the natural lashes aren't too acidic or too alkaline – which may lead to poor retention. Similar application method like the primer, get a small amount on a Microbrush and swipe from the base to the tip of the lashes. Small amounts are needed and make sure you let the natural lashes dry before continuing. What happens if you don't prep the natural lashes before you apply lash extensions? Brush Offs – this is so frustrating! You take all the care selecting a lash, isolating and applying only for them to ping off when you brush them through. Poor Retention – the lashes fall out sooner than they should and your client needs infills a lot sooner than planned – they can be unhappy spending money and time for lashes that aren't lashing long and may go elsewhere or give up having eyelash extensions altogether. Dirty Lashes – just trust me on this one! Lashes need to been clean not only are you spending time in that area, you're just not going to get an amazing finish if there's still dirt lurking around . It's unhygienic and the eyes are a sensitive area already they should be looked after to avoid infection. What should you ask clients to do to prepare before their appointment? Discourage the use of waterproof mascara days before their appointment. This is due to the compounds in the product being attached to the lashes even after cleansing. These compounds can prevent a bond from the adhesive to the lashes. Ask them to clean their face before their appointment. Less time taken cleaning the area = more time lashing. It's frustrating when you're trying to remove so much makeup when you have back to back appointments. Finally sit back and relax! Remember your client is in good hands because you are a lash queen! Eyelash extensions are a perfect treatment for helping people look and feel good and is not just a treatment for the young. We should all get the equal opportunity to boost our confidence and feel amazing.
There are certain factors that need to be considered before lashing any person. A patch test and full consultation can help identifiy if there are any medications or conditions that can affect treatment. For example if a woman is going through menopause, the hormonal changes can stop the longitivity of the lashes. Knowing about these sort of things before hand can help you fully prepare and research to help get the full potential from each set that you do. Prepping the lashes will be really important for the mature client. As we get older our skin can become more oily so investing in a good prep products like purified sensitive and primer,cleaner & accelerator to give the lashes the best work surface for bonding the lashes to. Natural lashes can become thinner and weaker with age so it is really important to ensure you have chosen the best lashes possible to make sure you don’t cause any damage to your clients natural lashes. There are so many lashes out there now to choose from brown lashes to lighter lashes, flat lashes to light fans you will find something perfect to create each look with no problem. Thickness is going to be important here if your clients lashes are thin then over loading the weight will just cause them to break going for something lighter such as a 0.10 0.12 or a 0.15 will be better for the lash health. As we age your skin around your eyes can droop but with the right curl you can help your client reclaim some of that confidence and create youthful looking lashes. No one wants lashes that are going to rub against the lid so choose carefully as each individual can be different. B curl are soft and gentle and lifts slightly for straight lashes – good for those clients that want a subtle and natural look C curl helps to give an extra lift without too much drama, these are good for clients with pointy down lashes CC curls lifts up the eye appearence nicely and can be used to make a more obvious difference if that’s what your client would like D curl is super curly and can be used on some but not all eyes if the hooded eye is more prominent than this will touch the skin and irritate M curl is the best for hooded eyes – it comes out first before it lifts creating that small space to work around the skin. L curl is perfect for opening up the eye especially for those clients with deep set eyes. Ive left my most favourite tip for last! While you are lashing sometimes the lash line can be difficult to get to and it can become difficult to get close to the base. For these times isolation tape is your best friend! Don’t wrap them up like a mummy but use as much tape as you need to be able to put near the lash line and pull up to make the skin move out of the way. Caution though only do this if you have detacked the tape first as skin can become sensitive with age and always make sure you’ve not pulled up too much that the eye is slightly open as this can irritate the eye from glue fumes. Lashes are for everybody and these tips can help give you the confidence to expand your clientelle into being more inclusive. Have fun creating gorgoeus lashes and helping people feel beautiful! |
AuthorI'm a blogger who has had blogs published by Lashbase, The Image directory and British Canoeing and others Categories
All
Archives |