Review of natural silk lash-by-lash eyelash extension + touch-up at Lavande, Punggol Plaza

Went down on Friday evening to redeem my lash extensions and was surprised to know that it is a sister company of Dreamlash.

Started the eyelash extensions promptly but I was stunned by how much the glue stings my left eyelid, fortunately at the end of the extensions there was no visible damage to my eyelids. The extensions were very short-lived because today is merely day 3 but as you can see from the photo below, the remaining extensions are very sparse as many strands of extensions have already fallen off. I was expecting the same quality akin to Dreamlash and I was pretty disappointed.

The Groupon includes a touch-up session which I have booked my appointment on the coming Sunday, let's see if that can help lengthen the lifetime of the eyelash extensions.

Review of lash extensions by freelance lash artist Julia

My lash craze has continued much to the dismay of my wallet and after hunting down a few saloons to find out about their package prices, below are some of my findings (in order of priority based on my experience with them) -
1. Dreamlash (I called the saloon 11times before someone answered my call, really casted doubt over how easy it would be to secure an appointment with them if I had purchased a package)
Each session comprising of full set extensions + removal
5 sessions - $688
8 sessions - $988

2. Lolita's Lash
Buy 4 touch-up sessions and get 1 touchup free - $396

3. HighBrow (I asked if it was possible to swap the removal sessions into touchups, the kind staff responded with an explanation of how important it is to have proper removal to ensure no glue residue is left behind on the eyelids, now I know!)
Each session comprises of full set extensions + touchup + removal
7 sessions - $660

If you had seen me without eyeliner on, you would know I look perpetually exhausted because of my tiny Asian-slit eyes and literally non-existent natural eyelashes.

Imagine waking up in the morning with a presentable face.

Imagine having semi-permanent fake eyelashes without the hassle of pasting the falsies, without the discomfort of the fake lash weighing down on your eyelids.

These are just some of the benefits semi-permanent lash extensions offer.

In short, the lash extensions really make me look less shitty when I get up in the morning so much so that I can come to office without eyeliner. Which explains my undying love for eyelash extensions. Based on my experiences with both the good and bad, here are 2 factors which I believe determines the level of comfort in the user as well as the lifetime of the extensions -

1. Adherence of the lash extensions - the uncomfortable lash extensions are pasted onto the root/tip of your natural lashes, hence when you blink or close your eyes tightly, the glue residues "bite" into your eyelids causing great discomfort. When the extensions fall off, there is also a high likelihood of your natural lashes falling off together.

On the other hand, the comfortable extensions are pasted mid-length onto your natural lashes. this way you do not feel the extensions at all.

2. Quality of the lash glue and skill of the lash technician - a skilled technician would know the right amount of glue to use to ensure that the extensions adhere well because excessive glue would cause a burning sensation - which was what happened at The Best Beauty - when you open your eyes after the lashes are completed.

No matter how strong the glue is or how skilled the technician is, much depends on how well the user maintains the extensions. Some of the common activities to avoid include -
1. Oil-based makeup removers and mascaras (in fact, with the extensions done you would not require much eye make-up, hence a gentle cleanser should suffice)
2. Swimming
3. Rubbing of the eye area (this is self-explanatory because it causes the extensions to fall off)

In fact when I shower, I try hard not to get water from the shower head directly onto my face otherwise I would have to dry my eyes using my palms, this is deadly for the extensions!

Back to the recent lash extension I did, after searching high and low for reputable saloons offering lash-by-lash extensions, I was thrilled to chance upon Julia's advertisement for home-based eyelash extensions services! Prices were really competitive, what more, she travels to your place at no extra transport charge, Imagine my surprise when the petite lady who showed up at my doorstep is a Korean lady! Upon taking her suggestion I went for the $75 extensions and because my natural lashes are very short and sparse, Julia had quite a hard time fixing the extensions. The whole session took approximately an hour, thanks to her patience, dexterous fingers and fantastic skills, I was very pleased with the end result of the extensions!

As at today, the extensions are already 2 weeks old and I am very happy to say that they are still very much intact and I really recommend Julia's services :) No doubt for first-timers, Groupon deals will be alot cheaper but going long term, as seen from package prices of the various saloons listed above, $75 per session is definitely more affordable :)

Review for Eye Lash Extension at Dreamlash

Groupon deal - For $42, you get a 60 min Korean Premium Silk Lash-by-Lash Eye Lash Extension + Additional Touch Up for One Pax (worth $168).

Made an appointment to redeem the Groupon & the therapist explained the 2 different types of extensions available, (1) Premium lashes & (2) Diamond silk lashes (which feels more comfortable when glued onto your real lashes & appears more natural but of course, costs more). The Groupon I bought, entitles me to the Premium lashes. Naturally the therapist went on to promote the Diamond lashes because currently they have an in-store promotion, for $68 customers can enjoy the Diamond silk lash extension + a free removal.

For the Groupon I purchased, I have to top up an additional $28 for removing the extensions, which brings the price of the whole lash extension to $70 ($42 + $28). Of course I didn't opt for the diamond lashes because I already paid $42 for the Groupon, if I were to top up for the Diamond lashes, this would mean the money spent on the Groupon was as good as throwing cash down the drain.

Subsequently I went onto Dreamlash's website & found that the Diamond silk lashes trial costs $68 & includes free eyebrow trimming + removal of lash. If I had gone on to purchase following what the therapist's advice, I would have spent $42 + $68 = $110. Not very honest selling eh? Groupon could have been clearer by adding on that customer would need to top up $28 for removal, I had originally believed that no removal was necessary as the extensions would eventually fall off by themselves.

It was my first time doing lash extensions & I was very glad that the extensions felt comfortable & not the least bit heavy or prickly on my eyelids. Myself being a heavy eyeliner user, have to rub my eye area daily when removing makeup, safe to say the lashes are still intact after 1-2 weeks. From below pictures it is obvious how the lash extensions made me look refreshed (Very zhng-ed) even without my usual eyeliner.

Oh for those who are curious, I didn't go back for lash removal, I figured the bonding glue will fade eventually & the extensions should fall off by themselves.