Brow Lamination Has Arrived!

Brow lamination has been taking over Instagram lately but what is it and how is it done? 

Beautiful, bold brows are in right now and no matter what your issue is with your own, brow lamination (we call it the Brow Bump®) may be able to fix it.  In less than one hour, this amazing service can gaps, unruliness and over plucking.  For the first time, a client can have their arch raised and extend their tails with a simple semi-permanent solution and the results last up to eight weeks. 

How does it work?

Brow lamination is a straightening perm for your eyebrows.  Your brows are set in a symmetrical, unfirom shape for an extended period of time and the solution helps them stay brushed up and lifted outward.  After a lifting cream is painted onto the brows ( a chemical solution that breaks down the bonds in each hair), they are moved into their new shape.  Then a neutralizer reforms the bonds in their new shape.  Lastly, a nourishing oil replenishes the moisture and voila!  Your brows are fuller and fluffier!

Brow Lamination can be done on most anyone and can be an alternative to microblading and Ombre brows or used with those services.  A brow tint can be added at no extra charge if you have an additional 20 minutes to spare.

What are the risks?

Because all perming solutions use a chemical called ammonium thioglycolate, people with ultra sensitive skin may have some irritation after the treatment.  That is why it is important that a brow artist use good products and not a cheap Chinese knock off brand.  At STAY Cosmetics, our product is LACQUER® BROWS from Canada.  Bylle is LACQUER® BROW certified and will begin offering the service March 1 in 2020.  The products PH levels are specifically formulated for the brow bone area and is gentle on sensitive skin.  Waxing and tweezing to shape the brow perfectly can be done post treatment.

What is the maintenance?

Brow lamination has no touch-up appointments.  If you are already getting regular brow shaping and tinting done, you can get it all done at once every couple of months, all included.  Or, if you are highly loyal to your regular brow shaper, you can opt for just the lamination.  You can use your normal brow growth serums as long as you wait 72 hours post service.

Appointments for Brow Lamination can be booked Tue-Sat and run $95 for Lamination only or $130 for all inclusive (lamination, waxing, tweezing and tinting).

More with Megavolume

A few years ago, Volume lashes and Russian Volume lashes gave lash technicians a way to apply more lashes safely.  With a lash diameter of around .06 (weighing only .00005 g), we could apply 3-6 lashes to one natural lash and the weight would still only equal one classic lash (which weighs .00015-.00030).  Plus, and this is a big plus, the fan created (either by the artist or the lash manufacturer) provided more support for the other lash extensions giving them longer retention.  Hybrid lashes could be created mixing classic lashes with volume lashes.  Lash technicians became bonifide artists and there was a rush of new clients wanting lash extensions.  But for some girls, volume still just wasn’t enough.

 For the client who feels like “more is more” when it comes to your flutter there is good news; dreams can come true.  Lash manufacturers are creating extensions as small as .03 in diameter (weighing only .00002 g), meaning a well trained, experienced lash artist can apply up to 15 extensions on one natural lash!  That’s right, there is no more “no” when it comes to density and volume.  You will need to find someone certified in the technique (not just Russian volume) but basically, if you can pay, we can slay!

 But, I wasn’t always a believer.  

As a two time certified and licensed lash artist, working in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood since 2010, I have hundreds of sets under my belt.  After watching tons of YOUtube videos and ordering masses amounts of product to try this “megavolume dream” technique, I decided that it was probably a lie to push product or artists were spending half a day applying these uber fine lashes.  Not only that, but I was seeing horror sets coming in to have lashes removed after these sweet lash babies doled out hundreds of dollars to a lash hustler who didn’t have this technique down either.  Now, I have seen everything from hair extension glue used to apply extensions to over the counter clusters passed off as Russian volume lashes but I had never seen the tragedies I was seeing with the new mega volume lashes.  There were situations like chunks of lashes glued together from using a glue that dried too slow, natural lashes glued together from bases way too wide, or groups of lashes glued together and appearing as one lash from dipping too deep into the glue.  Each client requesting removal from another salon brought me closer and closer to personally calling previous lash artists to ask “What the hell are you doing?”  I just couldn’t believe people were turning out such bad work and actually charging for it.  There are several lies told in the lash industry and I was convinced this one was the biggest.  That is, until Sophia walked in.

 Sophia looks and dresses like a supermodel, runs her own Fortune 500 company, maintains her lashes every two weeks, is always camera-ready and is kind and respectful to all of our spa staff.  She books online, never questions my pricing and is always on time.  Sophia has her stuff together like no one I have ever seen and is by far, my most intercontinental client.  She first came to me for a volume fill where she had them done previously in Hong Kong. 

 The first thing I noticed was how fluffy her eyelashes were.  Brushing them made them even fluffier and as I combed through them with my tweezers to check the application, I saw that they were beyond volume lashes.  They were everything mega volume lashes had been promising they were and they were perfectly applied.  Microscopic strands of lashes were connected neatly to form a thin base.  The base was as thin as her own natural lashes and the fans were full and naturally imperfect, making them soft and whispy on the ends as a collective.  I could see by Sophia’s lashes and her love for them that true mega volume lashes were not only possible, they were even better for the natural lashes long term.  Here’s why:

1.     Megavolume lashes take less lash glue than classic lashes.  They are picked up and fanned out in groups of 10-15 and then barely dipped in a drop of glue to bring the base together before being applied to one isolated lash.  The entire act from glue to lash line takes place in less than three seconds before the glue is dry.  Less of the natural lash is covered in glue as opposed to a classic lash that is almost completely covered.  Glue has weight too, so less glue means less weight.

2.     The weight of mega volume lashes is distributed better than with classic or volume lashes.  Weighing the same as a classic lash, less pressure is put on the entire lash and the weight is fanned out.  Applied correctly by a skilled artist, the fan acts more like a cloud sitting lightly on a natural lash instead of an extended lever that the natural hair strand has to hold up from just the follicle area.

3.     Clients can throw out all mascara.  Most of my classic lash clients go mascara free but there are always a few who just can’t wing off the tube.  Even great quality mascara made for lash extensions can be hard to clean when a girl is rushed.  And, let’s be honest, when are we NOT rushed?  Unclean eyelash lines can cause a build up of dirt and oil which will weaken the lashes and cause them to shed much sooner.  With mega volume lashes, there is no need to ever buy another tube of mascara.  Even between fills, the lash line still looks full.

After seeing Sophia’s lashes, I knew I wanted to do the kind of work she was getting in Hong Kong.  I sought out the best Mega Volume certification programs and now I’m three times certified, well practiced and several clients in.   With only 30 more minutes of service time, these gorgeous, fluffy lashes are well worth the additional expense for those clients who want more.  Not only do I now believe in Mega Volume lashes, I wear them too!

Deciding Between Microblading or Ombre Powder Brows.

Ombre (powder) brows vs. microblading

Permanent cosmetics has made a huge comeback in the beauty industry and most of that reason is due to the new techniques.  Gone are the days of blue-ish, overly curved lines framing the eyes. Now clients can get realistic looking brows with more naturally colored pigment and very little down time.  So which service is right for you?  Here’s the low down.

 Microblading is a treatment done with a small hand tool containing nine tiny blades.  Small hairs stroke like cuts are made throughout the brows and pigment is implanted to mimic real hair strokes.  This is a great service for clients with fair and dry skin and fair hair who want a very natural look.  For clients with darker or more oily skin, microblading fades much faster and more touch-ups are needed throughout the year to keep the pigment fresh.  Eventually, microblading can no longer be done on these clients and they will have to opt for the Ombré (aka powdered brow).

 Ombré brows is a service done with a small pen-like machine that insets tiny pixels of pigment into the top dermal layer of the skin.  The results are much like when clients fill in their own brows with brow powder.  The look is soft and gets softer over a period on one to two years.  This service is much less discriminative than microblading when considering what skin types will be able to keep the pigment.  Almost all clients can have this service done with beautiful results.

 Combination brows is a service combing both microblading and powder brow techniques for an in-between look.  Small hairs strokes are done at the bulb at the brow, nearest the nose, and then the brow gradually fades into the powdered brow.  But again, microblading is not great for all skin typed so the same problems may arise.

 At STAY Cosmetics, we offer both the Ombre Brow service and Combo Brows.  We do not offer just microblading alone as we just don’t believe the look stays long enough for us to consider as a service.