LibraryStart with you
Needs and life stages
Age, sensitivity, glasses, sleep and the rest of your life change what works.
Two people with the same eye shape can need different sets. How sensitive your eyes are, whether you wear glasses or lenses, how you sleep and what your skin does all change the design and the aftercare. Say so at the consultation: it is part of the brief.
9 topics below. Open any of them.
Life stages
A first set begins with a consultation: your eyes, your lashes, what you want and how you live. The application takes two to three hours with your eyes closed, and many clients doze. Starting natural and going fuller at a fill is easier than the other way round.
What helps
- A complimentary consultation first, in person or on video
- A patch test if your eyes are sensitive
- A natural classic or hybrid set to begin
What to avoid
- Choosing from a photo of someone else's eyes
- A first set the day before an event
Ask your artist
“What will my lashes look like at three weeks, not just on day one?”
“What does the aftercare involve?”
- Curl
- CC · D
- Length
- 8–11 mm
- Fibre
- 0.05 mm fans, 2–3D
How to tell
Your lashes have become finer or fewer, and your lids are softer or starting to hood.
With time lashes become finer and lids softer, so the set gets lighter and the curl does more of the work. Small, light fans lift and define without weight, and a lash lift and tint is often the most flattering choice of all.
What helps
- Light volume, 2D to 3D fans of 0.05 mm
- CC or D curl, 8 to 11 mm
- A lash lift and tint
What to avoid
- Dense, long sets the natural lash cannot carry
- Hard black lines that sharpen the eye
Ask your artist
“How light can my set be and still lift the eye?”
Hormonal changes during pregnancy and after birth can change the growth cycle, so a set may hold for less time and eyes can become more sensitive. Lying back for two hours can become uncomfortable later on. Many clients keep their fills with shorter appointments and a fresh patch test; if you are unsure, ask your doctor first.
What helps
- Fills rather than long full-set appointments
- A patch test before your first set in pregnancy
- A lighter set that is easy to keep
What to avoid
- Expecting a set to last as long as usual
- A new lash lift while hormones are changing: the result can be less predictable
Ask your artist
“Can my appointment be shorter, or split in two?”
Sensitivity
Two different things get called a reaction. Irritation comes from adhesive fumes during or just after the appointment and settles within a day. An allergy shows in the following days as swelling or itching of the lids, and grows with each exposure. A patch test, a low-fume adhesive and a controlled room reduce both. If your lids swell or itch after a set, contact us and see a pharmacist or doctor; removal is usually the first step.
What helps
- A patch test at least 48 hours before a first set
- A sensitive, low-fume adhesive
- Eyes fully closed throughout the application
What to avoid
- Carrying on with extensions after an allergic reaction
- Rubbing or pulling at irritated lashes
Ask your artist
“Which adhesive do you use for sensitive eyes, and what is the trade-off?”
Extensions and lifts are fine for lens wearers. Taking your lenses out for the appointment keeps adhesive fumes from collecting behind them, and they can go back in afterwards. Keep oily eye drops and removers away from the lash line.
What helps
- Lenses out for the appointment: bring your case and glasses
- Oil-free makeup remover
What to avoid
- Oily drops or removers on the lashes
Ask your artist
“Should I take my lenses out before I arrive?”
Everyday life
How to tell
Your lashes touch or smudge your lenses, or you can feel them brush the glass when you blink.
The set has to clear your lenses. A slightly stronger curl and a length checked with your glasses on keep the extensions from brushing the glass, which smudges the lens and bends the lashes.
What helps
- CC or D curl
- Lengths checked with your glasses on at the consultation
What to avoid
- Long lengths with soft curls that touch the lens
Ask your artist
“Can we check the length with my glasses on?”
Natural oils and oily products soften lash adhesive, so sets on oily lids tend to shed sooner. A primer before application, oil-free skincare around the eyes and a daily foam cleanse keep the base clean.
What helps
- A daily oil-free foam cleanse
- Oil-free makeup, sunscreen and remover near the eyes
- Fills toward two weeks rather than three
What to avoid
- Cleansing oils, balms and rich eye creams on the lash line
Ask your artist
“Which cleanser do you recommend for my skin?”
How to tell
One eye's lashes look crushed or thinner a few days after a fill.
Pressure against the pillow bends and twists extensions and can loosen them early on that side. A silk pillowcase or a contoured sleep mask reduces the friction, and the map can sit a little shorter on your sleeping side.
What helps
- A silk or satin pillowcase
- A contoured sleep mask that does not touch the lashes
- Slightly shorter lengths on the pillow side
What to avoid
- Very long lengths if you sleep face-down
Ask your artist
“Can my map allow for the side I sleep on?”
Extensions replace mascara for most people. Around them, water-based products are fine; oils, waterproof formulas and anything that needs rubbing off weaken the bond or pull the lashes.
What helps
- Water-based eyeliner and eye makeup
- Oil-free remover, pressed on and lifted off, not rubbed
- A clean spoolie to brush the lashes
What to avoid
- Waterproof mascara and oil-based removers
- Mechanical lash curlers
Ask your artist
“Which of my products are safe on my set?”
Next step
Looks.
Where the length and texture go: the effect laid over your eye's map.