There is a type of client who arrives at the studio tired of upkeep. She had extensions, liked the result and hated the routine. Infills every three weeks, sleeping on her back, never rubbing her eyes. Lash lift and brow up are the answer for that person.
Lash lift: curling instead of adding
A lash lift works with the lashes you already have. Instead of gluing on fibres, it curls the natural hair from the root, separating it and lifting it upward. The eye opens, the gaze lifts, and it is still yours.
It makes an enormous difference on anyone with long but straight lashes: the ones that point forward and disappear in profile. After the lift, the same lash, with nothing added, appears.
I usually include a tint in the same appointment. On pale lashes the lift alone barely shows; with tint, the effect is of wearing mascara without wearing any.
Lash lift or extensions?
They are different things and do not quite compete. Extensions add volume and length that do not exist: if you want a dramatic effect, that is the route. A lash lift adds no volume; it brings out what you have.
In exchange, it needs no maintenance at all. No infill appointments, no restrictions on how you sleep, no adhesive, and none of the risk to the natural lash that comes with badly applied or badly removed extensions.
Brow up: taming and shaping
Brow up, brow lamination, reorganises the growth direction of the hair and sets it. Hairs that grew downward now grow up; gaps that existed because the hair was lying flat disappear because the hair now covers the space.
The result is a fuller, more defined brow you can brush however you like for as long as the effect lasts. It is particularly transformative on thick but unruly brows, and on brows with gaps along the lower edge.
As with the lash lift it can include tint to even out colour and add depth, and I always finish with the shaping (tweezers or thread, depending on your skin), to clean the outline once the hair is in its final position. Shaping first would mean drawing on a brow that is still about to change shape.
Both together
This is the pairing I do most, and for good reason: brow up opens the eye from above and the lash lift from below. In a session of around ninety minutes you leave visibly more awake, without a drop of makeup.
For anyone with a wedding, a holiday or a long trip coming up it is the most practical service there is: because it works on its own, every day, without depending on you.
Aftercare for the first 24 hours
Simple and few, but they matter: keep dry for twenty-four hours, no steam, sauna or pool, no eye makeup on that first day. After that, normal life. Mascara, rubbing, swimming, all fine.
From then on I ask only one thing: nourish them. A drop of a suitable oil on lashes and brows at night keeps the hair healthy and makes the effect last longer.
When it is not advised
Known allergy to perming products or hair dye, active eye infection, conjunctivitis, recent eye surgery, and pregnancy in some situations. If you wear contact lenses, bring the case. They have to come out first.
If you have never had a lash or brow tint before, we do a patch test beforehand. It is quick and it avoids an unpleasant problem.
Talking to me
Tell me what you have today and what you would like to have. If you do not know which of the two you need, or whether you need either, describe the problem and I will tell you.
Lash lift or extensions, side by side
| Lash lift | Extensions | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Curls and separates your natural lash from the root | Glues added fibres onto the lash |
| Volume | Enhances what is already there | Adds length and volume that do not exist |
| Upkeep | None, no scheduled infills | Infills every three weeks |
| Restrictions | None after the first 24 hours | Sleeping on your back, not rubbing your eyes |
| Lasts | Around 45 days | Depends on the infill rhythm |
A lash lift adds nothing. It lifts what is already there, and in return it asks you for no upkeep at all.
Larissa Wendler, makeup artist and visagiste in Porto
References
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009: the European regime for cosmetic products: composition, labelling and safety assessment of everything applied to the skin.
- INFARMED: the national competent authority for cosmetic products in Portugal.
