Why I Will Never Get Eyelash Extensions Again

As much as I love reading glowing reviews about amazing treatments that make you both look and feel beautiful, the cynical side of me always wants to go and search out  ones. In fact, I purposely search them out before I make my decision on whether I want to go ahead with something.  A few months ago I decided I was going to get eyelash extensions.

I had a wedding coming up and if you’re South Asian or know someone who is you’ll know the celebrations last at least a week and let’s face it, who can actually be bothered to spend hours faffing around trying to get lashes to sit and then spend another hour crying because they won’t (that’s not just me, right?). Either way, I was looking for an easy way out because I love love LOVE the look of long eyelashes. They look so pretty and lift your face in a really subtle feminine way. Unfortunately I was blessed with poker straight eyelashes which point downwards. So basically my eyes look bald most of the time. So as always I sat on my daily commute and read one review after another about getting eyelash extensions.

The eyelash extensions that I ended up ripping off!

Now before anyone says anything, I have both tried and loved LVL. In fact I did it pretty regularly for a while but since it was a wedding, I wanted a more dramatic look without the headache of working with eyelash glue.
I had seen an offer on Treatwell and thought I’d just go for it. I had previously had them before but it was applied by a friend practising to be a beautician so they weren’t exactly perfect. I thought it might have just been a one off experience and if I got them done again by a professional maybe I’d feel different about them. So I went for it and here are 10 reasons why I will NEVER get them done again:

1. You need a HUGE amount of patience – Especially if you have big eyes like mine, it will take at least two hours before they’re all on properly. Each eyelash has to be fitted with an individual extension or a cluster, depending on the look you’re going for and boy does that take some patience! I have found both times that I had them put in, the beauticians started off really enthusiastic and by the time they were done with one eye they really rush the second.
2. They hurt – You can’t keep your eyes closed and just relax like you can with LVL, nope. your eyes have to be kept open at just the right angle, plus you can’t keep blinking either. Not fun.
3. You will cry –  The glue and fumes from the glue can really irritate your eyes. I generally have really watery eyes any way so this was ten times worse!
4. They itch – I’m not sure if it’s the glue or if it’s just because my eyes weren’t used to it but the eyelashes itch!
5. They never really feel natural – Even when I’ve had natural looking extensions I hated that they never felt natural.Unlike eyelash strips which I can eventually forget I’ve got them on, the extensions constantly feel like there’s something on my lashes.
6. They fall out disappointingly fast – I was so so careful both times round and avoiding any makeup, oils or water but they do fall out with over time. Sometimes it’s just general wear and other times it’s when your natural lashes fall out. Either way it hurts your heart when you think about how much they cost!
7. They’re pretty freakin’ expensive – Yep, they’re seriously expensive. Although you can often find good deals on Treatwell and Groupon, it can leave quite a big dent in your wallet.
8.  They clump together – Extensions require A LOT of maintenance. Even if you follow the care instructions carefully the eyelashes will still clump together or start facing different directions. Nothing worse than looking like a 90s teenager who’s just discovered mascara for the first time!
9. Mascara is a no no – I like to look a little bit different when I’m dressed up and it bugged me that I wasn’t allowed to use mascara just to give my eyelashes a little something extra. If you go for a natural look then you’re just stuck with that look for the time that they’re on.
10. You’ll lose and ruin your existing lashes – If the above reasons aren’t enough to put you off then the main one is definitely that your natural lashes will seriously pay the price. I feel like my eyes look wayyyy worse and more bald then they ever did before eyelashes! Honestly, it is not worth it.

In the end I ended up pulling out all the extensions purely out of sheer frustration because the itching and clumping was just driving me mad! Personally would not recommend that you ever do that!

I don’t want to be completely negative, I mean they did and do look pretty freaking amazing when they’re done properly. However, if you were to ask me if I would get them again then my answer is hell no. If I start thinking otherwise I will definitely be referring back to this post to remind myself just how annoying they are!