falsies vs. lash extensions… which should brides choose?

brides often ask me whether or not they should get lash extensions for their wedding day. in my opinion, falsies are a much better option for the wedding day and i would save the lash extensions for the honeymoon.

here’s why…

for the camera: lash extensions are great for a natural, day-to-day, makeup-free use, but for weddings, you need full and more dramatic lashes in order for your eyes to show up nicely in your wedding photos. it’s important to remember that for your wedding day, you need a good balance between looking naturally beautifully in person, as well as stunning on camera.

i have had brides who have gone to get the full set of mink lash extensions before their wedding day and later realize that they do not show up very well in their wedding photos. i do think that the extensions look great in person, but are lacking in photos.

for makeup: when brides have lash extensions, it puts limitations on what i can do for their makeup. for eyes to really pop, lashes need to be tight lined; this means that eye liner needs to be applied in between the lashes to really outline the eyes. it is also much more difficult to apply liner to the lash line without ruining the lash extensions. you should keep in mind that in order to remove waterproof liner, you must use an oil based makeup remover which would also loosen the glue used to adhere the lash extensions to your real lashes.

save them for the honeymoon!…

i myself had lash extensions done after my wedding just before heading off on my honeymoon to bora bora and hawaii. it was great because i didn’t need to pack any makeup with me since i had planned on being out in the sun and on the beach every day! they lasted just long enough (our honeymoon was 2.5 weeks). they are supposed to last 3-4 weeks, but it was hot weather and i was in the water so random lashes were falling off here and there.

lash extensions by stephanie trieu at trulyposh…

i couldn’t talk about lash extensions without showing some photos! i went to my good friend stephanie trieu who is a lash extension technician in markham. she is based at mccowan and steeles but also does mobile services. during my session, i interviewed her at the same time to find out more about lash extensions and so that i could write about pros and cons that i’d find.

contact: STEPHANIE TRIEU 416.275.1678 || trulyposhbyst@gmail.com

so here are my lashes before the session:

here they are after my session:

these are synthetic mink lashes. at first, stephanie had applied a full set to each eye (60 lashes) which gave a very natural look. i would recommend that to people who do not normally wear any makeup. but for myself, i’m used to putting several coats of mascara and tight lining my eyes, so i requested more lashes to give a fuller effect.

will lash extensions make my lashes fall off??…

that was my main concern and my question to stephanie. i’ve had bridesmaids tell me horror stories of all of their natural lashes falling off after repeated sessions of lash extensions.

single lash vs. clusters: stephanie explained to me that applying single lash to each individual lash ensures that the extensions fall off with your natural lash cycle. however, if you apply cluster lashes (which are lashes that are kind of like a fork… more than one lash being attached to one real lash) the weight of them could make your real lashes fall off more quickly. although it looks fantastic, ladies should keep in mind that it should not be done repeatedly. you need some time in between to give your lashes a “rest”.

are real mink lashes better than synthetic?…

real mink lashes are much more expensive than the synthetic ones. stephanie explained to me that they are softer, however for that reason they have less of a curl to them. i personally like a nice curl because my asian lashes are so straight that i need the synthetic ones to lift them. i have seen friends with the real mink extensions and i do admit that they look great because they seem more dense and full, but i have not yet tried them myself.

stephanie also explained to me that it depends on how many lashes you have naturally. you notice the gap in my lash line? it’s because naturally, i am missing some lashes there… it could be because i may have accidentally pulled some out when removing my falsies.. oops! so if you’ve got lots of lashes for extensions to be attached to, then you’ll get a fuller set of las extensions.

i do love how natural they look and how much time it saves me to get ready. i’ve recently been extremely busy and have no time to sit down and really apply makeup, so having the extensions are great!

to sum it up.. pros and cons!

pros: 

1. saves time getting ready
2. lasts for 3-4 weeks
3. great for travelling
4. saves product (no need for lash curler, mascara or eye liner)
5. excellent for those who don’t wear makeup
6. subtle and natural compared to falsies. (when my sister saw me, she thought that i had just used a lot of mascara that day.. lol)
7. hassle-free compared to falsies (which you have to apply carefully and remove carefully so as not to rip off your own lashes!)

cons:

1. need to be careful when washing your face (not to rub them)
2. difficult for those who like to wear makeup (eye makeup remover will loosen the glue for the lash extensions)
3. not ideal for those who like to work out a lot, i.e. hot yoga (sweat will loosen glue as well)
4. need to put aside a block of time for application (it takes a few hours to get them done nicely, so be prepared to block out a good amount of time from your day)
5. lashes fall off at different times which could make your eyes look uneven. you would need to go back to refill them.

would i get them again?

i would like to try them in clusters to see how they look. at this point in my life, i would get them again because i’m so busy!

final verdict, falsies or extensions?

i love my falsies so i’d never give them up! to create looks with makeup, i find that extensions could never replace falsies. falsies enhance the eyes far more than extensions could and are essential for creating different types of eyes with makeup. however, for those who don’t like wearing makeup, extensions are the way to go.