Lash Lift or Lash Extensions for Vacation?

Who doesn’t wish every vacation could last just a little bit longer? Do you know what pairs nicely with a long-lasting vacation? Long-lasting lash enhancement! 

When you think about lash enhancements that last longer than a day, you probably think of extensions and lash lifts. But it’s vacation time, so turn your brain off and let us do the heavy lifting to help you answer one question.

Which one should you get before vacation? Lash extensions or a lash lift? 

What Is a Lash Lift? 

When we talk about lash lifting with lash extensions, we sometimes mean the Gossamer fan is lifting away from the lash line; however, lash lifts also refer to a different eyelash enhancement strategy. 

A lash lift is a chemical process that curls your natural lashes; it’s like a perm for your natural lashes. When you see a professional for a lash lift, the number one ingredient in their kit is keratin, a protein that can nourish your lashes while it helps them hold the curl. 

If I Can Have DIY Extensions, Can I Have a DIY Lash Lift?

Short answer: Technically, yes, but don’t do it! While plenty of DIY lash lift kits are on the market, DIY lash lift kits are very dangerous. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

There are no at-home lash lift kits that are FDA approved. Most of the kits online contain harmful and potentially dangerous chemicals. 

Some of these chemicals are formaldehyde, propylene glycol, and methylparaben, which can cause irritation at best. If you accidentally get some of the product in your eye, it can cause damage to your cornea and even vision loss. If you’re not a professional, odds are you’ll get some in your eye. 

You may also consider lash serums if you want something similar to at-home lash lifts. While these products have many variations in their ingredients, they’re not necessarily a safer option. 

If you’re considering an eyelash growth serum, do your research first: avoid isopropyl cloprostenate, a synthetic chemical that mimics the active ingredient in glaucoma medication. This ingredient, and even the chemical it’s mimicking, can cause severe side effects. Ophthalmologists strongly advise against using lash serums with this ingredient.

Pros and Cons of Professional Lash Lifts

Since we’ve just clarified that at-home lash lifts are a big no-no with nothing but cons, we’re only going to discuss the pros and cons of professionally applied lash lifts. 

The Pros

Lash lifts are basically no maintenance after the procedure is done. The lift will last between six and eight weeks. You’ll get a lovely curl in your lash that doesn’t sleep, and you don’t really have to do anything to maintain it. 

However, if your natural lashes are not the most healthy or simply run on a faster-than-normal growth cycle, you may find your lashes falling out. If your curled lashes fall out, the fresh ones that grow in won’t have the same permed curl. So, your mileage may vary depending on how long a lash lift lasts. 

Generally, it’s cheaper to get a professional lash lift than it is to get professionally applied salon extensions. This depends on where you live, the caliber of the salon you visit, and which treatments you select. 

You won’t need mascara with a lash lift. Just like extensions, the purpose of the enhancement is to not need to use a different enhancement, like mascara. However, unlike with extensions, you can use mascara with a lash lift if you want to. Just talk to your esthetician to check when it’s safe to apply it. 

Lash lifts are more subtle than extensions. Generally, being more subtle also means it looks more natural. No synthetic fibers are involved in a lash lift, so in a sense, it is more natural, but there are a lot of unnatural chemicals at play, so it’s not strictly ‘all-natural lashes.’ Still, their inherent subtly make them a great choice for people who want longer lashes but nothing over the top. 

The Cons

For a lash lift to have a noticeable effect, you must have fairly long lashes. This is somewhat frustrating for people dealing with shorter lashes. A lash tech would have a very difficult time curling short lashes during the lift process. Extensions may be a better idea for people with very short natural lashes. 

The chemicals used in a lash lift that curl your lashes are usually quite harsh. Ask for a patch test of any product on your arm before the product is applied to your eyes. It’s far better to have a reaction on more hardy skin than on the delicate skin in your eye area. 

Remember, the FDA doesn’t regulate the chemicals or tints used in cosmetics, which means greater risk involved in procedures like lash lifts and eyebrow tinting. Always do your own research and be your own advocate: read ingredient lists. 

Lash lifts may be less expensive than salon lash extensions, but they’re still pretty pricey. You’re still covering the basic costs of the tech’s time and their workspace overhead costs. 

It’s not uncommon to pay up to $200 per lash lift. $200 every six weeks adds up very quickly. Lash lifts are more expensive than at-home lash kits like the Control Kit, both in the short and long term. 

Pros and Cons of Lash Extensions for Vacation

Pros

DIY eyelash extensions are crazy convenient. Since at-home (or at-hotel) lash extensions are DIY, you can do them anywhere. You could do and redo your lashes on vacation whenever you’d like. 

If your lifted lashes start losing curl in the humidity of your tropical island, you’re kind of SOL and stuck with your mascara. If your Gossamers look a little sad in the humidity, a quick refuse and fluff with a spoolie will have them cheered up in no time. 

A wider range of styles becomes available when you try extensions. Lash lifts really only do one style, but the art world is your oyster with extensions. You can be your own lash stylist anywhere! 

When you choose your vacation lash style, you can experiment with your look before and during your travels. Cruise through our catalog of Gossamer styles: classic lashes, volume lashes, mega volume lashes, wispy lashes — even colorful lashes. Extensions give you way more creative versatility than lash lifts, and vacation is the perfect time to get a little wild with your look! 

DIY lash extensions are cost-effective. Vacations are expensive enough as it is; why add one more cost to the bill? While a Control Kit and a few full sets of Gossamers may feel like a big investment upfront, remember that they’re reusable for months and can get 10 days of continuous wear from a single application. 

Extensions can be a huge time saver too. Since you should not be wearing eyeliner or mascara with them, they’ll save you time doing your makeup in front of the mirror. You don’t want to sit in your hotel room; you want to be out doing your thing! 

Lashify’s system is completely safe, non-toxic, cruelty-free, and vegan. We don’t use any of the icky chemicals that you may find in a lash lift since extensions aren’t trying to chemically curl your lashes. 

Whisper Light is unlike other lash adhesives since it is free from formaldehyde, parabens, and cyanoacrylate (yuck!) and full of biotin and lavender essential oil to keep your lashes nourished and protected. 

Finally, Gossamers work for any lash length as long as some natural eyelashes remain healthy enough to support a lash fan. The length of your natural lashes doesn’t matter, just their strength at the lash line. Naturally short lashes, never fear. 

Cons

Since Gossamers are small, even smaller than strip lashes, and designed to come off when you want them to, it’s possible to lose them. We know you’ll be super careful, but tiny things tend to get lost in transit. To minimize the risk of losing your Gossamers, ensure they are either securely on your eyes or in their case. 

Extensions require fairly diligent daily aftercare to keep them clean and protect your eyes from irritation and infection. After each vacation day, wash your lashes with your dedicated lash cleanser, like our Pre-Cleanse Japanese Cleansing Water.

You can do this with your lashes still applied as long as it’s been more than 48 since your application. Another great way to protect your lashes is to wear a lash sealant. A sealer like Glass Finishing Coat will encase your extensions in a glossy top coat and protect them by reducing stickiness from leftover bond that may result in extra debris getting trapped.

Verdict: Extensions for Vacation

In our opinion, lash extensions are the clear winner of this head-to-head. They have fewer side effects, are more personalizable, offer more style options, are safer, are more cost-effective, and are just so convenient! 

What do you think? Take Lashify on your next vacation, and let us know how it goes on our socials! 

Sources: 

What You Should Know About Eyelash Growth Serums | American Academy of Ophthalmology

Know the Risks of Eyebrow and Eyelash Enhancement | American Academy of Ophthalmology

What Are Parabens, and Why Don’t They Belong in Cosmetics? | Environmental Working Group

Do Not Give Yourself a Lash Lift at Home — Expert Insight | Allure