Back when I was a child I fondly (a loose interpretation for hated) remember my mom setting my hair in curlers overnight, the night before Easter. Boy oh Boy it was never a pleasant nights sleep! My mother always retorted that “Beauty is Pain”. Again, when dance recital time came around and my mother applied my mascara (which, at the time, to me, was the equivalent of her sticking me in the eye with a dull spork, love you mom!!) I would blink and blink and my eyes would water, and again…. boy oh boy how I hated it! However, something happened between 11-16 and suddenly make-up and hair were my life! I could not go to school without both being properly in place, ever! If I were late because of my hair, oh well, at least my hair was done!! As I grew older I no longer had the time to commit to this beauty routine; and yet I was still somehow late in the morning……
No longer having the time to commit to ‘put my face on’ and not wanting to suffer by the “Beauty is Pain” motto, I discovered eyelash extensions …..”You mean I don’t have to wear an ounce of make-up and still look like I have make-up on?!” With my impending nuptials I decided to meet with a local Lash artist to catch up on trends and see how other brides-to-be are handing eyelash extensions for their big day.
I met with Danielle Cluka, owner of Foxy Lash Boutique, in Hollywood, Florida. Danielle is bubbly, energetic, knowledgeable and most of all passionate for what she does, for real-I could have hung out with her all day! She recently re-located to South Florida from Las Vegas bringing her lash-artistry experience and a dabble of sparkle. I asked her no less than a billion and a half questions about lashes she happily obliged all of my queries.
What should a potential bride look for when she is searching for a lash artist?
“She definitely has to look to make sure that the lash artist is trained properly. I’ve had three clients come to me already that have had horrible lashes done, it’s a very meticulous job you have to be very precise, I’m kind of ‘OCD’ so it helps me out but [some] lash artists are trying to do fills in 20 minutes whens it should be about an hour, and so they are kind of sloppily putting them on. If you don’t do each lash individually and you start sticking other lashes together, that’s when it starts being bad because your lashes grow at different speeds and so it’ll be ripping out other lashes. Look for photos, look at peoples work, make sure they’re licensed. It’s [eyelash extensions] kind of a newer thing so there’s not a lot of regulation, so you don’t technically have to be certified. Some people are watching YouTube videos and then doing it.”
What would your advice be to a bride that went to a nail salon, that didn’t really advertise out-loud that they did lashes, but were approached by a nail artist to get lash extensions?
“I wouldn’t do it, I’ve heard nothing good about it. I wouldn’t do it, I would go to a specialist that is only doing lashes.”
So if a bride does go to a Lash Artist that is not certified and they were unaware, what are some of the warning signs, after the fact, that they might want to look for?
“My clients that have come, their eyes have hurt, your eyes should never hurt, you shouldn’t feel it. There are different adhesives, some adhesives (while you’re getting lashes) might burn a little bit, just because it’s a really strong one but I am certified in Xtreme Lash® they are the global leader in lash extensions , I chose to go with them because the lady that started them used to be a nurse, so everything has a medical research background to it, so all of their products are made for lash extensions and I haven’t had anyone tear up from my adhesive. I know a lady I went too, my eyes were watering and burning and it didn’t hurt, but the fumes is what does it. [Lashes] Should never touch your skin, it’s only on your lash, and your eyes are closed, I always believe you should wear a gel patch, some people use tape, but the gel patch is the best for your skin. Try to educate yourself on lash extensions before you go, a lot of clients don’t even know their lashes are bad. I’ve had clients go to somewhere that is really popular and gets a lot of traffic then went [to another lashes] and were told “we need to get these lashes off, your lashes are being damaged” That is why I only specialize in lashes. So when you are talking to your lash artist you can tell by what they’re saying if they are very educated. I’ve gone to some places that will not tell you what type of adhesive is being used, it’s kind of important. It should never be dangerous, that’s a big misconception that people think that eyelash extensions are bad for your eyes, it’s not the lashes it’s the clinician.”
How long before a wedding would you suggest that a bride come in to get her lashes done?
“I would say you should book a consult maybe two weeks out, look for those warning signs, make sure they’re educated, then book your appointment for the following week, then a week before come back for a fill so that it looks really nice and full. I have three different curls I have three different thickness and 14 different lengths, so I start in the middle of the road for people, and then once the girl comes back I would ask “Would you like a little more curl, less curl, longer, shorter” so it’d be good to come in for that second fill before your wedding.”
For maintenance, you suggest to come back every two weeks and see your lash artist for a fill?
“Two weeks is average, I have some girls that like to come in every week because they like to keep it really full, and then some like to come in every three weeks, so it really depends on your hair growth too. I have a client, her hair grows super fast, so she needs to come in more regular because shes loosing and growing a lot faster, I, on the other hand, have really slow growing hair so I can go a little longer with it looking ok. Lifestyle is a different thing too, I have some girls that are really rough on their lashes, they come in every week and there are not a lot left on there and I have some girls that come every two weeks and it looks great still. So, it’s just kind of multi-factorial, but it averages two weeks’
What about if a bride were tempted to put mascara on top of their extensions?
“You can, the most important thing is that you only put it on the outer third. Normal mascara you would do base to tip, extensions you only want to do the tips, you never want to use a waterproof mascara, it’s too strong, you can’t get it off, you’d be trying to get it off and you’d be taking your lashes off, so no waterproof. You have to be really careful because oil breaks the bonds, if any of the mascara has oil in it, its going to be breaking the bonds. I have a special mascara that’s made specifically for eyelash extensions, so it has all the safe ingredients for lashes.”
Going back to stating that some of your clients are a bit more rough, say if a bride was really into intense workout mode, is there anything she should look for, would they be falling out more?
“You know, I’m a pretty intense workout girl, and I don’t notice any difference in the fallout. Technically, once the adhesive is cured it doesn’t really….. you can get them wet, you can work out with them, the main thing is the first 24 hours, you don’t want to get them wet, so working out doesn’t really matter”
If, after a wedding, a bride is looking to have her eyelashes removed, what would be the steps she would need to take?
“I always say the best thing to do is go back to the lash artist that put them on, we actually have a special remover to take them off safely. You never want to pull at them or take them off yourself because you could be pulling out your real lash with the extension, that would be the best thing to do.”
What are some of the trends that you are seeing with lashes?
“It’s actually… everyone wants something different, some people want a really natural mascara look, some want a super dramatic Kim Kardashian look, a lot of people like thicker. A new trend coming out is the volume lashes, which is where, rather than having one extension per eyelash, and say having it be thick, it’d be like having three extensions per eyelash and they are super voluminous, it’s a little more featherized, but really everyone likes something different and that’s why I like to have a variety of things available.”
Trends vary depending what your clients are looking for but have you noticed a difference between the West Coast and South Florida?
“Not really, I guess in Vegas there was a lot more dramatic [lashes] and out here I have a lot more natural, that’s kind of what I see. I think the biggest thing I see between the two areas is the humidity, it makes a big difference in the length of time, in Vegas I’ve noticed that people keep their lashes for longer, but I think it’s because there’s no humidity so there’s no water. When I did lashes in Vegas you place the lash and it just sticks on there really good, out here when I started, I’d go to put the lash on and it wouldn’t want to stay. So, what I realized, was the humidity- so I bought a dehumidifier to try and keep the humidity out as much as possible and it really helps. I’ve had girls come to me and [say] “my lashes just fall off, they’re not staying” and I think that you should have a dehumidifier, just because the water is not good for the bond, there’s a lot of water in the air, it makes a huge difference.”
If you had to guess, who would you say, right now is leading the trend with eyelash extensions?
“Oh Kim Kardashian! That’s the first person that comes to mind.
Danielle can be reached for booking at:
Salonz Suites
Suite #5
4921 Sheridan Street
Hollywood, FL 33021
786.777.8725 786.777.8725
Mention this post and receive $25 off your first full set of Foxy Lash lashes!
***Disclaimer: So This Is Love is not affiliated with Foxy Lash Boutique and is no way responsible for any client relations that may result in the reading of this blog. So This Is Love has in no way received compensation for writing this feature***
