When you have a new lash extension attached to each one of your natural lashes (you have 100 or so to an eye), you’ll end up with a fluttery lash line that looks like your own, and that needs no work with the mascara brush each morning. Find a listing of women or minority make up artists, eyelash businesses, and other options below.
You’ll find that your half-dozen eyelash makeup tricks are just no longer needed, and you’ll even begin believing that your new lash length is your own. As cosmetic enhancements go, lash extensions from a women owned business are a great way to save much time at the makeup desk each day and to continually delight yourself. There are few cosmetic procedures that offer such return on investment.
For good results, you need to understand the process
If you’ve ever been to a salon, whether owned by a women, minority, male, or anyone, you know how different a real pro can be from someone who’s just not there yet. With eyelash extensions, you’ll find that the need for professional training is much higher than with other procedures. That is why it is imperative to find a high quality beauty salon, or aesthetician, for your needs. Even for your skin tone, such as Black woman may want to go to a black owned business; Latino to a Latina owned beauty salon; etc.
It isn’t hard to find news reports on how unprofessional salons get extensions wrong: the eyes swell shut, substandard glue causes allergic reactions, and a shaky hand injures the eyes. There are many salons out there with questionable professionals who’ve learned their skills on YouTube and come to you with a DIY kit bought online.
The fact that it’s possible to charge anything from $100 to $500 for a session draws many people to the trade. It is never a good idea to go with one of the green ones. You need to look up reviews and do your research to find a great salon. We have an extensive list of beauty salons that are owned by women or minorities – these are small professionally owned businesses.
Ask the right questions of a beauty salon
Once you’ve put in the research and narrowed your search down to a couple of places, you should visit them and ask questions. You can even try places like CarmaBella Skincare.
Ask about where the person applying the lashes trained, and how long they’ve worked there. Look for certification and ask about the brands and products that they use. It isn’t too intrusive to ask these questions, and you don’t need to hesitate. These are your eyes, after all.
A great women or minority owned salon takes its time
A good lash salon won’t rush you through the process. When you call to make your appointment, they will first tell you how to prepare for the session. Ask for a beautician of your race – skin type or tone. As noted above, if you are say African American, then a black owned beauty salon may be a great option for you.
You need to sleep well and skip coffee (or anything that can make you restless), take off all your makeup, clean your eyelids and lashes well with mild baby shampoo, and show up with a good couple of hours on your hands. It’s essential to remain free of makeup because the oils in makeup can weaken the glue on the lashes.
When you come in, the cosmetologist will first put you through a patch test, applying the glue to the skin on a less sensitive part of your body. Once it’s clear that your body doesn’t react, the attendant will walk you through the different choices available to you — synthetic, silk or mink, and the different kinds of looks possible depending on how the lashes are applied.
Extra length added to the outer lashes, for instance, is excellent for a Marilyn Monroe look, and long lashes over the entire lash line can create the showgirl look. They may even use beauty products from a Latina owned business like Luna Magic.
Stay alert through the process
If you’ve done your research and found a great women owned salon to use, all should be fine, and you should be able to lie back, relax, and look forward to new, bewitching lashes. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to remain alert. A quality eyelash extension session should not hurt at all. If the person applying the lashes is not going doing a good job, however, you will feel pain and discomfort. If you sense this, you shouldn’t hesitate to end the session immediately and seek a better professional.
Make sure that you take care afterwards
Once you’ve had a great professional application from a minority or women owned beauty salon, there’s still some work left to do.
It’s a good idea to stay clear of all make-up around the eye region for 24 hours to make sure that the glue sets correctly. You do not want to rub your eyes or sleep with your face buried in a pillow. If possible, you should get a silk pillowcase — it’s likely to be softer on your eyelids.
Even once past the first day, it would be a good idea to skip mascara altogether — it could weaken the glue. Make sure to wash your eyes with plain water each day, or water with a small amount of diluted baby shampoo. Groom your lashes with little spoolie brush, as well — clean, untangled lashes last much longer.
Since extensions attach to your natural lashes, they won’t last past six weeks. Your eye recycles all its lashes on a regular basis. Then, it will be time for your next appointment. Once you’ve seen what extra lush lashes can be like, you’ll have a hard time going back to the way things were.
By Jon McNamara
