DIY Lash Extensions : my thoughts and experience!

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(wearing Lashify lashes in “A” Amplify)

The same moment I started wearing makeup, I also became obsessed with trying to create the longest, softest eyelashes with every and any possible combination of products under the sun.

I don’t have the biggest eyes and curled lashes that were opened up and layered with mascara helped my eyes look bigger and more awake! My lashes in their most natural, organic state are naturally very straight, thin, short, and weak.

My sister, somehow, got all the good eyelash genes and she has the prettiest, longest most fanned out lashes I’ve ever seen.

Really makes me hate her guts, but she’s family so I had to work through it.

(these are my natural lashes with a few coats of mascara)

Given my years of eyelash focus, you would think that I’d be the first one to jump at the chance to get eyelash extensions. I’ve seen them done really well where it simply looks like a step up from your natural lashes but they stay dark, curled, and look thicker than your natural lashes. I’ve also seen it done terribly where they are way too heavy and end up making the eyes look smaller because your eyelids are holding up way too many lashes for their size or shape.

Overall, I generally love to experiment with mascara and once I discovered how well lash lifts work on me, I was set!

I’ve written about my lash lifts here, and would highly recommend finding a professional in your area to do it who comes with great reviews or is personally referred. It can be done WRONG so you want to be sure you go to someone who will do your lash lift perfectly and safely.

Since I’m a professional, I decided to live on the edge and do my own lash lift. It works perfectly 99% of the time. But about 2 months ago I used a rod that was too small and ran into the lashes being too curled so I needed to let them fully grow out, shed, and start with a new set.

In the meantime, I decided to try Lashify to buy me some time while I gave my natural lashes a break. I had purchased and tried Lashify lashes a long time ago and liked them, but I don’t think I got to experience much of the longevity that you can achieve with these lashes. So, when I tried it again, I prepped by watching several of the application videos from their Instagram so I could have the most success.

Lashify are DIY lash extensions that are applied to the bottom of your upper lashes, glued directly onto your lashes (instead of your eyelid, for example), and can last several days if applied correctly and well maintained. I’d recommend reading this if you have more questions about Lashify.

(wearing Lashify lashes in “C” Curl size 12)

Overall I found Lashify extremely easy to apply, and profoundly comfortable to wear. They were more comfortable on my eyes than mascara. They are truly lightweight, and since they are attached to the bottom of the lashes, it is not obvious where the lashes start. If you are looking for a natural, comfortable lash option, I would highly recommend these.

The longest wear I got out of them was 4 days. I found that I could gently clean them and reapply them for the second round of wear but that was about their max. They weren’t terribly fussy to deal with, but I did make sure not to put my face directly into the water spray from the showerhead, and I also didn’t soak my face when I washed my face at the sink. I used washcloths and makeup remover wipes to clean my skin when necessary.

I wore Lashify when I worked out, slept, applied makeup, etc. They really are kind of amazing.

Ultimately, while I really loved having them and they made my daily makeup application so much faster, I found them to be something I’d wear for a special event or a time when I didn’t want to wear much makeup and just wanted to have lashes “on”. I didn’t feel like I needed them for every single day, but I’m certainly glad to have this option in my back pocket for when I want more dramatic but still comfortable lashes.

Whenever I discussed Lashify online, many people told me to try FlutterHabit. This is a similar concept to Lashify but the lash segments are larger and heavier than the lighter-than-air Gossamers from Lashify. FlutterHabit also doesn’t come with some of the helpful tools that Lashify has as well.

I bought FlutterHabit, to try and compare, and couldn’t get a single lash segment to stick to my lashes. I have no idea what was happening, but it was kind of frustrating. There are many people who love FlutterHabit but it just didn’t work for me for the first few attempts!

(Natural lashes after using lash conditioner for about 4 weeks!)

At this point, my lashes are in a healthy place and I’ve done an updated lash lift. The medium rods are a better fit for my lash length and thickness, and it makes such an impact to have a fresh curl in the lashes that lasts over a month. I’ve been using GrandeRepair Leave-in Lash Conditioner and it has made my lashes NOTICEABLY stronger and thicker-looking. I’m truly impressed. I’ve just added in Neulash to my nightly routine as well.

While I’m at it, below are a few of my very favorite mascaras at the moment. These are constantly changing except for the Benefit one!

Benefit Roller Lash: such a great clean mascara that adds thickness in one swipe. A few layers and you’ve got length and definition. Doesn’t flake, doesn’t smudge. Truly a great classic mascara.

Urban Decay Lash Freak: If you want serious drama, this mascara is for you! The applicator is really cool too and the product is dark black so your lashes will certainly be the star of the show.

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes: don’t think I’ve used a mascara that fans my lashes out as well as this one does. It adds thickness, is slightly on the clumpy side so you must work quickly, but also adds a nice fullness to the lashes as well!

Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara: This is a tubing mascara and wears like a dream. I’m blown away by how dark, inky, and long my lashes look when I use this.

And of course, the primer that makes a big impact on the final result of any mascara, the GrandePRIMER Pre-Mascara Thickener and Lengthener.

 

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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says · 09.29.20

Your natural lashes are already so beautiful! 🙂

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

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Ashley Nescio says · 09.29.20

Beautiful! What lip color are you wearing here, it’s gorgeous!

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Lindsey says · 01.06.21

I would like to know as well!!

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Kate says · 09.29.20

They look so good! thanks for sharing!

-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/

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Beth says · 09.29.20

I’m so glad to hear you say that about flutterhabit. I ordered them because they are significantly cheaper… And I guess you get what you pay for. I could not get any of the lashes to stick to my lashes either… And then what finally did adhere was extremely uncomfortable and looked ridiculous. Thank you for sharing all of this information!

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Kate says · 09.30.20

Interesting! I think so many people really love them but I wish I had a better experience!

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Kelly says · 09.30.20

You mentioned the lack of resources from FlutterHabit. They actually have a ton of resources on Facebook. There’s a helpful group with tips, tricks and videos. Just thought I’d let you know in case other people want to give them a try.

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Kate says · 09.30.20

Hi Kelly! I meant tangible tools, not video! I did watch a handful of their helpful videos!

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Susanne M Murray says · 10.01.20

Have you tried Grande Lash Mascara (lash boosting formula) works right along with nightly serum and the primer – great combination!! Love, Love, Love it and I use to have straight, short lashes.

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elle says · 10.01.20

I guess I just don’t understand this whole drawn on eyebrows and fake eyelash trend. Seems like such a lot of time to waste each day, only to re-do it the next day.

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Kate says · 10.01.20

Hi Elle. I don’t naturally have much hair on my brows, so filling them in with pencil is the only way to make it look like I have a brow. And the entire post was about Lashify, which is NOT a daily eyelash–it’s a multi-day wear eyelash.

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Jo says · 10.03.20

What lash lift system do you use? I’ve been wanting to try one bush unsure which brand to get. Thanks!

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Kathleen says · 10.04.20

Have you ever tried a heated lash curler?

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Kelly says · 10.04.20

Any tips on curling your lashes without a lash lift? I use my eyelash curler but they just don’t stay curled. So frustrating!!

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Erika says · 10.04.20

I think it would be cool to follow this up with separate pictures of you with each of the mascaras. Great descriptions of each one but I like to see it. I suppose I could find each product and a persons with it on but would prefer to see the same person using the different mascaras rather than a different person. I hope that makes sense.

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Amy Santiago says · 10.05.20

Omg! That looks so beautiful. I was thinking of trying it out very soon

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Carolyn says · 10.05.20

Thanks for the review! The lash conditioner sounds interesting. I’m a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury, however I think I’ll give some of these others a try!

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Emily says · 10.10.20

Great article…maybe next time though, could you do a head shot, side-by-side comparison so we could truly see the difference?

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Nicki says · 10.28.20

That last photo does not show us your “natural lashes” as stated. I can clearly see you have several coats of mascara on!!

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Kate says · 10.28.20

Those are my lashes with mascara, as stated in the blog post.

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Kelly says · 01.20.21

Could you give more input/photos/lash maps for lashify, please? It’s hard to tell the difference between the amplify and the curl gossamers. Also, do you have a coupon code? Thanks!

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Nadine says · 03.24.21

your eyelashes look so fluffy and natural.
I love them.
xoxo

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MEGA VOLUME lash says · 04.12.21

Love this post! I personally have used Vegalash and it irritated my eyes, so I’m just using castor oil now. We’ll see how that turns out. Also, for whatever reason, my eyelashes shrunk after I stopped breastfeeding my oldest. So I’m working on getting my eyelashes back. Again, thank you for this post. I loved it!

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Aisha Riaz says · 04.12.21

Thanks for sharing your experience. Your eyelashes looking very natural and nice. I do my eyelashes from a technician at Mirrors Beauty Lounge salon Dubai and she is amazing.

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Lou says · 07.14.21

Hi Kate! Do you still use Lashify? Is there a certain starter set you recommend? I want to try, but I’m a little nervous because it looks like an investment (which I’m totally ok with if they work for me!). Thanks!

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Kate says · 07.15.21

Sometimes I do! The control kit will give you everything you need!

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Lisa says · 02.17.23

What lipstick is this?

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