Are At-Home Lash Extension Kits Easy To Use?
In a word, yes. At-home lash extension kits are very easy to use with a little practice — and pretty easy to use your first time! But how easy is easy?
What Are At Home Lash Extension Kits?
Lash extensions are semi-permanent synthetic lashes applied to your natural lashes to enhance your natural lashes’ volume. They can be wispy or glam, subtle volume lashes, or mega volume lashes.
While you can always see a lash technician for professional eyelash extensions, not everyone has the time, funds, or inclination to do so; luckily, at-home lash extension kits will let anyone apply lash extensions on their own.
A home lash extension kit is any kit that includes the necessary components of DIY lash application: Lashes, an applicator, and an adhesive.
There are DIY eyelash extension kits for beginners and experts alike. False eyelash kits may come in faux mink or silk. The difference between faux mink and silk just comes down to personal preference; both can be high-quality and low-quality versions. There’s a wide range of quality across different brands of lash extensions.
Our lash extension kits use premium Korean PBT silk to get an impossibly natural look for our lash fans. Lashify has three home lash extension kits: The Classic Control Kit, The LED Control Kit, and The Glutton.
Lash Extension Kits vs. Lash Lift Kits
There is a HUGE difference between DIY lash extension kits and DIY lash lift kits. Lash extension kits, as described above, contain a synthetic lash, an adhesive, and an applicator tool. Lash lift kits contain serums and other chemical solutions designed to help your natural lashes grow longer or fuller. DIY extension kits are generally perfectly safe to use, but DIY Lash Lift kits are incredibly dangerous.
Look at the chemicals present in a Lash Lift Kit: The main ingredient is Ammonium Thioglycolate, which, if you’ve seen Legally Blonde, you know is the chemical responsible for perms. Ammonium Thioglycolate completely changes the structure of the hair and can also be used for hair removal.
It can disrupt the pH around your eyes and cause swelling, potentially causing permanent follicle damage. Other chemicals you may find in a lash lift kit are ammonia and formaldehyde.
These chemicals can cause retinal burns, bacterial eye infections, permanent bald spots in the lash line, swelling, skin irritation, scarring of the cornea, permanent destruction of your meibomian glands, and potentially even blindness. What are meibomian glands, and what happens if you destroy them?
They produce lubricant in your eyes and help preserve the structure of the eyelid, so if they’re destroyed, you may have permanent dry eyes, irritated eyes, blurry vision, and tearing. Seriously, don’t mess around with DIY lash lifts.
Professionally administered lash lifts are much safer since they’re trained professionals, and you’re more likely to keep your eyes shut when you’re not administering the product to yourself. Still, the safest choice of all would be DIY lash extensions.
In many DIY lash kits, you may find a lash glue that contains toxic ingredients, like formaldehyde or cyanoacrylates. Always read the ingredient label before you put anything near your eyes. In Lashify’s kits, however, our Whisper Light contains no toxic junk like those chemicals, plus its cruelty-free and vegan. Whisper Light contains biotin and natural oils, so it forms a protective and nutrient-supplying cushion instead of harming your natural lashes.
What’s the Control Kit?
The Classic Control Kit is our DIY lash extension starter kit. To make everything easier for you, it comes with everything you need to try our Gossamer lash extensions the first time. Of course, the Control Kit comes with the eyelash extensions themselves and the basic tools you need to apply your falsies. Basic tools include the Fuse Control Wand, a tube of Whisper Light dual-sided bond, and Glass Finishing Coat sealant.
Because the lash artists at Lashify know that being your own lash artist demands so much more than just proper application, we’ve included other tools in the kit to get you started on the right foot. The Control Kit includes Wandoms to keep your Fuse Control Wand clean after multiple uses.
It includes a Precleanse Cleanser sample to ensure you apply your lashes to a clean canvas free of makeup, dead skin, and other debris. Plus, the cleanser is perfect for cleaning your lashes between wears. There’s also a sample of our Remover, so you can safely and easily remove your lashes when the party’s over.
So to recap, here’s what’s in it:
- Three Classic Gossamers; your choice of Amplify, Bold, or Curl
- A Fuse Control Wand; in your choice of bronze or holographic
- A tube of Whisper Light Dual-sided Bond
- A tube of Glass Finishing Coat sealer
- A Wandom pair
- Samples of cleanser and remover designed specifically to work with your Gossamers
- A magnifying mirror
- A hard storage case of your Gossamers
How Do You Use Lashify’s Control Kit?
There are a lot of cool goodies in your Control Kit; let us show you where to start.
Start with your prep. Locate the Fuse Control Wand and your Wandoms. Apply the wandoms to the Wand to keep it clean. Locate the sample of pre-cleanse or use a gentle cleanser you already have to clean your eye area.
Before applying, ensure you remove all makeup, including eyeliner and mascara. Remember, your Gossamers will take the place of mascara and eyeliner; you won’t need them where we’re going. Ensure you thoroughly dry your eye area before applying your false lashes.
Next, locate your Gossamers. You want to use your fingers instead of the wand to remove the Gossamers from the cartridge. Using the Fuse Control Wand like tweezers to pluck out the Gossamer means you risk plucking out individual fibers from the Gossamer.
Just make sure your fingers are fresh and clean before you do. Gently grab the entire fan of a Gossamer as close to the base as you can and gently slide it out of the cartridge. Once you have your Gossamer out of the cartridge, you can pick it up with your Fuse Control Wand.
Hold them such that the base of the Gossamer is pointed down, and the curl of the lash points back to your face — parallel to the orientation of your own lashes.
Take a moment to practice where you’ll place your Gossamer before adding any lash adhesive. You will attach the Gossamers to the underside of your natural lashes.
Practice looking down into the magnifying mirror of your Control Kit; it bends back completely flat to make this even easier. It helps to lay out your lash map (your design plan) ahead of time so you know which lash fan will go where along your lash line.
Once you’re satisfied with your practice round, locate the tube of Whisper Light in your kit. There are two methods of applying the Whisper Light: Directly to your natural lashes or directly to the Gossamers.
If it’s your first time, we recommend trying the direct-to-eye method first. Are you a visual learner? We have video tutorials to help you with this part!
Apply a super thin line of Whisper Light along your lash line. It will go on white but dry clear. Wait approximately 30 seconds for the Whisper Light to get a little tacky. Then, using the Fuse Control Wand, place your Gossamer. It should stick like a magnet in the Whisper Light, with no slipping or sliding.
When you apply your Gossamers, always look down into a mirror. Your Control Kit contains a magnified mirror specifically for this purpose. Apply the following Gossamers such that their spines touch but don’t overlap.
As you apply them, give each Gossamer a quick reverse fuse; use just the tip of the Fuse Control Want, with the curve of the want curving away from your eye, to press down on the spine of the Gossamer, binding it to your natural lashes.
Once all the Gossamers are in place, use the Fuse Control Wand to fuse all the Gossamers at the spines: make sure the curve of the wand fits against your eye’s curve, and hold the fuse down for at least ten seconds before you release.
If your Gossamers seem to stick to the wand, don’t panic, and certainly don’t force the wand away from your eye. Just gently blink until the wand releases. Pro tip: You may want to do an additional reverse fuse at the outer corner lash since that area may get less pressure during fusing than lashes at the center. Viola! Perfect lashes!
If you’re already familiar with the Classic Control Kit, check out a more advanced tutorial featuring the LED Control Kit.
How Easy Is That?
Anyone can be their own lash artist, and that includes you! In addition to being so easy that anyone can learn, it’s much more affordable than seeing a professional lash tech every few weeks because Lashify’s Gossamers are reusable. You can’t reuse individual lashes from a lash tech or most strip lashes, so think of a Control Kit as an investment in your lash look longevity.
Have you already gotten started with your control kit? Show us how easy it was! Share a pic with us on Instagram or Twitter!
Sources:
At-Home Lash Lift Kit Dangers and Risks | Good Housekeeping
