On this episode of “Claire shares her fails for your entertainment”, I’d like to tell you the story of how I managed to waste $90 on something that was completely unnecessary and squashed my very last shred of dignity.
Eyelash extensions are taking the world by storm at the moment- anyone who is anyone has probably had them at some point.
The premise in itself sounds slightly creepy- you lie on a bed for several hours while someone intricately glues a fake eyelash onto every single one of your real eyelashes. However, it did not deter me from giving them a go.
Why I wanted them
My siblings and I have all been blessed with decently long lashes- particularly my little brothers.
However, as I’m blonde, my natural lashes are very light and when I’m not wearing mascara you can’t really see them.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I try to limit the amount of times I wear makeup during the week. I had quite bad skin a few years ago, so not wearing it on the daily really helps to keep it looking fresh and acne-free. Nowadays, I either wear a full face or absolutely nothing- there’s literally no in between.
For me, lash extensions promised to be the solution to both of these ‘problems’. I would wake up every day with visible lashes, and not have to wear any makeup to get them.
The Process
The process was pretty much exactly how you’d imagine it to be and then some.
I started by discussing what I was looking for with the beautician, and she recommended that we keep them nice and dainty so that they wouldn’t look too harsh or stark when I have no makeup on. We also decided on a slightly ‘winged’ shape to complement my almond eyes.
I then laid down, she pulled my hair back and put on some delightful spa music.
Next, she cleaned my eye area with some makeup remover and placed some collagen boosting eye patches underneath my eyes and taped them in place over the top of my bottom lashes so that they wouldn’t be glued shut.
I then laid there and felt each individual lash being placed on.
It’s a sensation that I can’t really explain- it is not painful whatsoever, but it does feel kind of weird- especially if like me, you’ve never had anything done to your lashes before.
About two hours later, the patches were removed, I opened my eyes and then looked in the mirror.
The Results
I was genuinely over the moon with the results.
My main concern was that they would look too intense, but they were the perfect length and thickness for my eyes and really enhanced the shape of them which I was mega pleased about.
That afternoon, I could forsee myself keeping up with them for a very long time, and the thought of what was going to happen the following day never really crossed my mind.
Where things went wrong
To add to my list of reasons why I’m problematic, I have naturally watery eyes.
I wake up in the morning- they water.
I yawn- they water.
I walk into an air conditioned room- they water.
I walk outside after being in an air conditioned room- they water.
Somebody yells at me- they water.
Before getting the extensions, I mentioned all of this to the beautician and she explained the risk of them not sticking during the application process, but if she used sensitive glue, there wouldn’t be as many fumes and they shouldn’t water as much.
Me being me, I decided to take the risk anyway.
During the application, my eyes didn’t really water. They got slightly glossy a few times, but there were no real tears.
However, one of the most important aspects of lash extension aftercare, is making sure that they do not get wet for at least 24 hours. You can probably see where this is going.
The final hours
The day after I had them applied, I went to work- very chipper with myself, I should add.
For the first half of my shift, everything was fine and dandy. I got lots of compliments, and was really living my best life.
However, towards the end of the day, I had to venture outside for a little while- and what have we learned today ladies and gents?
Seconds after I stepped out, tears were streaming down my face, and I knew it wasn’t going to end well.
But what I didn’t expect was the extreme stinging that took over both of my eyeballs to the point that I couldn’t open them for a good ten minutes. Basically, each time they watered, tiny bits of glue were being loosened and pulled into my eyes.
This happened no less than ten times over the next few hours, and nothing I did was stopping it. My confidence went from 35 thousand feet to rock bottom real quick, and everyone else seemed to find my misfortune rather humorous.
I thought that this situation would be temporary and that I could power through it, but on the final trip outside, I ran straight to the bathroom and rinsed them, only to look up and see at least 20 extensions scattered over my cheeks.
As you can see in the image to the right, they no longer looked too crash hot- especially on my left eye- and this is why I swallowed my pride and admitted defeat.
The beautician was super lovely, and agreed to remove them for me after hours free of charge, and that afternoon, my beautiful lashes and dignity fell into the abyss.
Moral of the story
If you have watery or sensitive eyes, I strongly suggest that you steer clear of eyelash extensions, or proceed at your own risk.
However, if you have eyes of steel and are considering them, I really do recommend giving them a go. They made quite a big difference to me, and I do think all of the benefits are worth the cost.
If you have any lash extension fail stories, questions and concerns, or any tips for first timers, please leave them in a comment under this post as I’d love to hear from you.
Until my next fail, 😉
