Looking Back: A Post-Eyelash Extension Post

 The first and most painful lesion I learned about eyelash extensions is that they are highly addictive. From the moment I saw my eyes at the salon, I was in love with them. After about a week, I was so used to seeing them, I had a hard time believing they weren’t actually mine. I was attached. Very attached. As time went on, and the reality of the lashes falling out hit me, I started thinking of ways I could afford to keep going with this. I didn’t come up with anything.

When I had about fifteen or twenty eyelashes left, they got a little annoying. You can’t really wear mascara yet, but you really feel like you need it. I mean, I guess you could wear it, except you’d have some giant long eyelashes mixed in and you'd look at least partially insane. It was around this time I started googling “eyelash extension removal.”

The best thing, of course, would be to go back to where they were applied and have them removed. However, I didn’t really feel like doing that, and there were DIY options online! Which are not really recommended.

But, anyway…

Basically, they tell you to steam your face and then apply oil to the lashes and gently slide the fake lashes off your real lashes. If they’ll come off, that is. This is dangerous because if you pull too hard, you can pull out your actual eyelashes. Which, obviously, you DO NOT WANT, especially since you’re so used to having long, beautiful lashes. So, you’re supposed to keep steaming, and oiling, and carefully trying to get them off, until you do.

I never managed to steam my face, but after showering, and whenever I thought of it, I would apply whatever kind of oily stuff I had. Clinique Take The Day Off eyemakeup remover, Un-Petroleum Jelly, or Argan Oil. None of them burned my eyes, and I think, of all the things, the eyemakeup remover worked best. I didn’t pull on the lashes, I would just wipe them with a tissue or cotton pad, and sometimes a couple would pop off, and I would inspect them to see if any of them took a real lash with it. (Only once or twice did I lose a real lash with the fake one.)

I did this over a few days, and was eventually left with four long eyelashes by the time I had to go somewhere that I needed to look presentable. So I just went ahead and snipped them, which you are totally not supposed to do. But I was careful that I only got the falsies, and I only trimmed enough off so I wouldn’t look crazy. Then I applied mascara. When I took the mascara off at the end of the night, one or two lashes came with it. Some other time I lost another. Now I have just one. It seems to be holding on for dear life, and I admire its dedication.

Here are some FAQs, that I don’t think anyone has actually asked me:

Did the extensions damage your real eyelashes?
My real lashes seem okay. I appear to have just as many, and they’re just as long as they were, but they don’t have as much curl. I imagine that will return over time. Their self-esteem has suffered slightly as well.

Would you recommend eyelash extensions for someone who is getting married?
I would recommend them for someone even if they are just going to be a guest at a wedding! And yes, I have already recommended them to someone who is getting married. Doing a trial run would be best, or at least have the lashes applied two weeks ahead of time and then get a touch up before the wedding. You know, just to make sure you don’t have a reaction to the glue or for some reason hate having eyelash extensions even though they look sooooo prrrreeeetttttyyyyy.

How long did your extensions last?
I got a good three weeks out of them. Toward the end, they weren’t quite as fabulous, but they didn’t fall out in chunks, or sections. They were just less full. When they got too sparse, I spent about four days removing them. But I think if you go to a salon it probably takes less than half an hour. (Whatever, it’s cold out!)

Did you wear your normal eye makeup with the extensions?
I really only did full eye makeup when I went to parties. Other than that, I did just a wash of sheer neutral color on my lids, or nothing at all. I really didn’t need it. I don’t think the extensions would have lasted as long as they did if I had been wearing a lot of makeup all the time, unless I was really, really, really careful taking it off. Eyeliner pencil was kind of tough to remove, so I switched to using black eyeshadow as a liner instead.

Would you get eyelash extensions again?
Did you seriously just ask me that? Yes, in a heartbeat. Duh.