My Obsession with Fake Lashes: A Cautionary Tale

Hello girls!

I'm about to share my honest experience with lash extensions

I started getting lash extensions when I was 16, just like I did with my hair. Going to all these beauty treatments was my favorite thing to do. My first lash extension was classic – one artificial lash per natural one. This type of extension is super convenient, but it's not for everyone. If you have really thin and sparse lashes, this isn't the way to go. I'm naturally blessed with super long and thick lashes, but even that wasn't enough for me. With these lashes (1d), I went for about a year.

I started with 12mm and gradually increased the length with each appointment, eventually getting to 19mm – almost 2cm! I was totally obsessed with my lashes and didn't care that they were long for some people. After about a year, I stopped doing this type of extension because when the lashes started falling out, it was super noticeable, and with such long lashes, it looked pretty bad. Here's what it looked like:

At the time, getting lash extensions, hair extensions, and nail extensions were super trendy in my city, and all the girls who could afford it were doing it. I met a friend who had these amazing lashes, and I was totally inspired. I decided to go see her lash artist.

What is Hollywood lash extension?

Hollywood lash extension is when you have 4 artificial lashes per natural one. Hollywood can vary in density – 4-5D or 8-10D, depending on the desired effect and the client's preference.

So, you can have up to 10 artificial lashes per natural one. Yeah, it's a lot, and it's a nightmare for your natural lashes. Only girls with super strong natural lashes can handle 10D, or else you'll be left with nothing.

Length, thickness, curl, effect

For Hollywood, just like for any other lash extension, there are no limits. You can choose any length, density, curl, and effect you want.

Here are some length options: 6mm-20mm

Thickness options: 0.07mm/0.10 – light volume

0.12mm -0.23mm – natural volume

0.25mm/0.30mm – strong volume

Curl options: B, C, D, CC, L, LC, LD (I think that's all of them)

Effect options: natural, fluffy, doll-like, white, sparkles, sparse (I'm pretty sure there are more, but that's all I remember)

Lashes of my dreams

And then I went to the lash artist, and she started working on these super dense and voluminous lashes. I don't remember what thickness I chose, but it wasn't the thickest. The length was still super long – 16-18mm – and I loved them. The curl was usually D, and the effect was always doll-like (which is what I got with 1d, too). Doll-like means that almost all the lashes are the same length, except for the inner corner, where the artist can add a few shorter lashes.

Sometimes I'd wear them with just one rock glued to the sideFor Hollywood lashes, I'd shell out 20 euros (that's around 2,000 rubles). The technician had her own little technique going on, and the lashes were super tightly glued together – no glue was visible, but when I touched them, the whole row would move like one big lash. That's a huge no-no! I could've ended up without lashes altogether, but these ones lasted me for a good 1.5 months.

I remember my friends would always say I looked like I had windshield wipers instead of lashes. If I'm being honest, they did come in handy during the snowstorm – they helped keep snowflakes out of my eyes. But they'd also get snowdrifts on them, which was pretty funny. I had these lashes on for about 3 years.

I'd get them removed twice in that time, and each time, they'd only last me a month. I just couldn't bear the thought of going out without lashes – it felt like I was a total mess. I'd avoid going out, let alone to a club.

But the price I paid for that beauty was steep. When I first got them removed, there were a lot of lashes left behind. They were noticeably thinner, and I had to apply castor oil 4 times a day to help them grow back. I barely used mascara.

The first time I got my Hollywood lashes removedWhen I got them removed for the second time, I was left with basically nothing. I mean, there were 3-6 lashes left on each eye, and they were all bent and pointing downwards. I thought I'd never grow them back and would be stuck looking like this forever. But about a month later, everything went back to normal. I looked like this

No more fake lashes

It wasn't until I was around 20 that I finally gave up on fake lashes altogether – and I don't regret it one bit. In the almost 5 years since, I've only gotten them done once, and that was for 4D lashes right before New Year's. Let's just say I didn't last a month with those. I'd just gotten too used to not having them.

And you know what? I think I prefer it this way. When I'm wearing my natural lashes, my eye color really pops. (I used to hate my blue eyes when I was younger and always wished I had brown ones – what a fool I was.)

I have to say, my natural lashes are pretty much invisible under these false ones.

Pros and cons of fake lashes:

Pros: they look great

Pros: they save time in the morning

Pros: they save money on mascara

Pros: no panda eyes after washing my face

Pros: I can add volume to my lashes

Cons: my real lashes get damaged

Cons: they're pricey for some people

Cons: it's uncomfortable sleeping with long lashes

The verdict:

While I'd consider getting them for special occasions or a long beach vacation, I wouldn't recommend it to girls with weak lashes - just use a good mascara and a lash oil. For everyone else, welcome, and I'll pass on this one.

My real lashes

My real lashes