Nine Items Your Lash Kit Should Have

For aspiring lash artists, training kits are not one size fits all.  Ordering a lash kit on Amazon and then watching YouTube videos to learn how to do lash extensions is a horrible idea for so many reasons.  For starters, you are only searching for information you think you need to know.  But we don’t know what we don’t know until someone more experienced teaches us.  So, taking an actual lash training course will save you tons of time down the road by helping you avoid pitfalls and mistakes you won’t find in a search engine.  Another reason is that YouTube tutorials and videos are often made to sell products.  So, when you search “How to do eyelash extensions,” you’ll come across lots of basic videos, but each of them is selling you on anything from glue to likes so how will you know if your learning correct methods?

 Now, this brings us to product.  A good lash course is probably already going to have a product line to go with the training.   It should be branded according to the program, and it should be what the instructor also uses on lash clients.  Taking a generic course with someone who sends you items in a kit from random lines means this person hasn’t thought this out much and certainly hasn’t invested the time and money in making sure you’re getting quality.  They also may not be around very long so by the time you discover you’ve been ripped off; they could be gone.  Either make sure the company has their own brand and markets it accordingly and has been doing so for years, or make sure you’re learning from an artist who has been serving clients and has a reputation at stake.  

 So what should be in a quality kit?  Here are the top things:

1.)   Eyelashes on speed strips, boxed and branded according to the company you’re learning from.  Loose lashes in a jar are unacceptable anymore and will make your learning curve much longer.

2.)   Glue packaged in a Ziplock container that has been unopened, also branded accordingly.

3.)   High quality tweezers for isolation and for lashing.  

4.)   A Lash palette large enough to hold both lashes and glue.

5.)   A glue palette.

6.)   Lash Strips to glue onto your palette or doll head for practicing.

7.)   Foam Tape

8.)   Gauze tape

9.)   Mini scissors

 Any other supplies included may be primer, remover, applicators, and bonding agents but again, all items (especially chemical) should be branded according to the company.  

 If you’re taking an online course and practicing from your home, you will need exceptional lighting, a massage table, a stool, and magnifiers.  These are things artists usually need to buy separately.

 STAY. Cosmetics makes an excellent kit for beginners and the online training course is a perfect pairing for aspiring lash artists. 

Three Reasons To Do Your Lash Training Online

Anyone thinking about starting a career in lash extensions has more options now than ever before.  In fact, there are probably too many options now.  And, while there are so many quality lash extension training programs, it can be difficult to know which ones are quality.  The biggest question is training online vs. training in person.  

 A good course lash training course for beginners should have the foundational aspects.  This includes cleanliness, set-up and tear down, glue make-up, lash curls and cuts, mapping and allergies.  Most beginning courses are geared for only the skill of applying the lashes but there are so many other elements involved in becoming a lash artist.  For someone who doesn’t already have beauty school training, the foundational basics of sanitation and disinfection will be key for you so that you can practice your new skill safely until you’re able to get a state license.

 If you are already a licensed esthetician or cosmetologist, then online training is perfect for you.  Most of the time spent learning lash extensions is spent in your practice hours and that is not something you will do in an in-person training course.   A course with live model video as well as close up video explaining stroke, isolation and glue consistency will be most important.  Then, having the luxury of working from your own home on your own time will alow you to stage your own timetable.

 Trying to learn lashes in a classroom setting isn’t necessary and can hinder learning.  One teacher to 10-12 students isn’t any more quality than you can get online, and you usually only have one day to work on a live model.  When you work on your own, you can time manage in a way that fits your schedule and you can book your models in a staggered way that gives you more practice time.  So many times, people go to two-day lash certification courses and are frustrated because they don’t feel confident to do a full set of lashes professionally even though they now have a lash artist certificate.  An online training program with chapter quizzes that don’t allow you to move forward before you understand what you need to is ideal.  

 And what about the expense?  Paying $1200-$2000 for an in-person training doesn’t even cover your travel costs.  Often, students stay in hotels and fly or drive to the spaces where the training is being held but why can’t we think differently?  There is a chance that you won’t like doing lash extensions.  What then?  You just spent thousands of dollars on something that just isn’t for you.  Why not spend a few hundred and let them come to you?  Are you someone who thinks spending more will make you more committed?  And if you are, is it true?  When we think back on how we’ve spent money thinking it will make us more driven or more committed, most of us can see that those qualities come from within.  They can’t be bought.  

If online lash training is something you’ve been considering, then please check out our Lash Comprehensive Course.  It is 13 chapters of complete information and comes with a starter kit to assist you.  Each chapter builds on the next and there are short quizzes at the end of each one to keep you on track.  The video for demonstration is professionally shot and high quality with each eyelash visible.  For only $345 through the month of October, learning the art of lash extensions has never been easier.

When You're Not a Candidate for Microblading

It is never easy to turn a client away or tell them they aren’t a candidate for something but in the case of microblading, clients should know they have other options.  While microblading is only good for about 30% of the population, microshading is right for almost everyone.  So, what is the difference?

Microblading is tattooing very fine hair strokes that are meant to resemble real hair into the skin.  It is done with a very fine blade with little cuts into the brow line.  The healing process can be intense, and the results vary depending on the artist, of course, but also on your skin type.  If a client has dry skin and the artist is experienced, caring, and talented, the results can be beautiful and very natural looking.  However, when microblading is done on skin that isn’t dry (as in dry skin type), the lines can become flat and murky.  Those lines against your real hair can look anything other than natural.  They are fatter, grayer, and end up looking like stripes instead of hairstrokes.  Usually, the only way to fix it is to have it removed or shaded over.

Another thing that can happen with microblading is when a technician isn’t experienced enough to know how deep to go into the skin.  If the cuts aren’t deep enough, there is no saturation with the pigment and the client is left with red brows.  The redness is usually caused by a combination of iron-based pigment and scarring.  It can be difficult to conceal but an artist who understands color correction and microshading may be able to help.

So, what is microshading? 

Microshading is a technique known by many names.  Micropigmentation, Ombre Brows, Powder Brows and Combo Brows are all forms of this permanent make-up technique.  It works by leaving microscopic dots in the brow line to give a filling affect, like what clients would do to fill in their brows with brow powder.  When done right, the color is perfectly matched to your hair and skin and is only detectable very close up.  It is a gentler procedure, so it is good for clients over the age of 50.  It is usually done with a permanent make-up pen machine and smaller needles.  The needle size depends on the client’s skin condition.

Clients who have a lot of sun exposure, sweat, or swim a lot or have oily skin will benefit more from microshading as the pigment is implanted slightly deeper into the skin so it doesn’t fade as fast.  Touch-ups are usually necessary once per year to refresh the color, but otherwise provides a low maintenance way of life when it comes to daily make-up application.

Book an appointment or zoom consultation.

When Should You Take a Lash Break?

To break or not to break, that is the question.  Clients ask me all the time if their own lashes look alright and if they should take a break.  My job is not only to provide beautiful eyelash extensions but to also care for the client’s natural lashes so that they can continue to be my client.  Lash artists who are in it for the long haul know this is far more important than always giving the client what they want.

When a client asks me if they should take a break from their lash extensions, I take two things into consideration.  

1.)   Do I know their lashes?  In other words, have they been coming to me long enough where I can tell if I’m leaving their lashes in the same condition or better than I found them?

2.)   Have they been on a vacation recently that involved sun, sand and saltwater?

For the most part, eyelashes grow and shed so if a client is getting lightweight extensions suitable for their own natural lash with high quality glue and regular fills, their natural lashes should be perfectly fine.  The exception to this rule is if the client wears any sort of eye makeup on a daily basis.  The wonderful thing about a nice full set of lash extensions is that you don’t need eye make-up but there are those who still love to play in their sparkly shadows and smokey liners.  In Los Angeles, a large percentage of my clients are actors or models who don’t have a choice in what is applied to their eyelids.  In these circumstances where the client is exposed to make-up particles near the lash line on a regular basis, I always advise a break every six to eight months.  This gives the client a chance to thoroughly clean the lash line every day to make sure the skin isn’t over exposed to dirt and oil build up.  The eyelids will naturally exfoliate so it’s a great way to give the eyes a reboot.  Two months is the recommended time but even one month will make a difference.  

When a client is new and I don’t know the condition of their natural lashes before I started working on them, I usually ask if they notice an increase in itchiness or redness.  Then I study the skin on their lids to see if there is any peeling.  When the lids are desperate for exfoliation, tiny skin particles can get trapped in the lash line and has the potential to turn into demodex, especially if the client already has rosacea.  If none of this is happening, then I recommend that the client get a few more fills and let me monitor her lashes during that time.  Sometimes just adjusting the weight of the lashes can promote better results.

 The last consideration is the sun-n-sands obstacle.  Humidity changes, sunshine and salt-water influence our skin and that includes our eyelids.  When a client returns from vacation, I usually recommend filling them with lighter lashes than they are used to for one round.  This helps to allow exfoliation and breathing of the lash line.  If they have a severe sunburn or sun damage to the natural lash hairs, I recommend a break of one month.

And of course, a good lash serum is always recommended.

Five Characteristics of a Good Lash Artist

It’s very clear that lash extensions are here to stay.  But is the career of a lash artist a lucrative one?  Have you been considering a course, but you aren’t sure it’s worth it?  Well, that depends.  The factors involved include geographical location, market price for that location, experience, and skill.  It’s no secret that the ROI (return on investment) of a lash artist is higher than most beauty services if you are just comparing cost of product to cost of service.  However, depending on how determined an artist is, the actual skill of a lash artist that can make a high return on investment could take more than a year to develop.  While lots of people take lash artist courses, very few end up making it a lucrative business.  While lashes are conceptually easy to learn, they are not so easy physically for the unfocused.  Then, there are other attributes, like just being a good businessperson, that come into play.  Being a person who provides excellence as a priority isn’t easy to find in many businesses but it’s a must with lash extension technicians.  

 A great lash artist is all the following:

1.)   A person who can be focused on small details for a couple of hours at a time without getting frustrated.

2.)   A determined person who believes in excellence when it comes to craft over making a quick buck.

3.)   A person who is honest with themselves about their work and understands how they can justify their price in a competitive market.

4.)   A person who can handle various types of personalities.

5.)   A person with good work ethic who understands that lash extensions are more about repeat business than making beautiful photographs.

If you can check all these boxes, a career as a lash artist is probably for you and a lash course can train you.  And you will probably be very successful.  There are so many great reasons to take a good lash course and get started but ONLY IF you meet the criteria above.  Otherwise, no course can teach you a trick that will make you like your job more.  Lash extensions are simply one of those things that you either like or you don’t.

However, if you do meet the criteria, here are five top reasons you should become a lash artist.

1.)    It’s lucrative.  Once you learn your craft and you gain confidence, you can charge more for your service (for your time) than other services.  Lashes are not something clients can do themselves, not properly anyway, so they depend on you to apply them correctly and help keep their lashes healthy.  Clients are more than happy to pay good money for a great lash service.

2.)   It’s simple.  Lash artistry is less stressful than many beauty services.  Again, once you learn the craft and have a regular clientele, applying lashes can be meditative if you have the right personality for it.

3.)   It’s low risk.  The cost for the products is low compared to many beauty services, so it’s easier to get started without as much of a risk.

4.)   It’s repetitive.  The act of doing lashes is repetitive so every time you apply a lash, you’re getting better at your craft.  It’s also repetitive as far as the clientele.  Because a client’s lashes grow out, she will need to come back every three to four weeks for a fill, meaning you will need less clients to meet your expenses.

5.)   It’s empowering.  Lash extensions are great for both the client and you.  Women empower other women and when you see your client’s as often as lash artists see theirs, you become close and empower one another in a way that other services don’t.  Plus, they make us feel incredibly beautiful so when a client looks in the mirror and loves what she sees, you can feel confident that you can make others feel good about themselves in just under two hours.  It’s instant gratification.

If you’re considering an online lash course, read our next blog to see why you should take our Lash Artistry Comprehensive.

New Brow Colors for Blondes are creating Bombshells.

When it comes to finding the perfect blonde, even the best PMU color theorists can get stumped. Light colors are sensitive and one wrong adjustment can throw off the final results. That true in hair color, paint and especially PMU pigment. Fortunately for us, Brow Daddy has created the perfect three blonde colors the permanent make-up industry has desperately needed.

Golden Goddess is a perfect blonde and is great for light to medium skin tones. Just a slight yellow undertone keeps it golden without making it look brassy.

Berry Blonde is a medium to darker blonde and very similar to Shokolade but lighter. A great replacement for Taupe, this pigment has high opacity and works well on medium toned and tan skin.

Iced Caramel is a must have in the tool box. This cool pigment with yellow undertones has high opacity and is great for very blonde clients with blonde or gray eyebrow hair. It heals beautifully and is the perfect for ash blonde or gray hair.

Iced Caramel on a Brunette.

Dark Teddy is the Smokiest Brown for Brows

Dark Teddy by Brow Daddy and Permablend is a true, neutral brown with just enough yellow to give warmth but with a high opacity. This color is great for clients with darker skin and very similar to Oak in the Evenflo line. The neutrality gives the PMU artist flexibility, especially if working in two sessions. We are able to see how the color heals and then we can modify in the second session if necessary.

Why Truffle Dream is our Favorite Pigment.

It’s easy to see why the pigment color, Truffle Dream by Brow Daddy and Permablend took over the collection as the must have color when it comes to permanent make-up eyebrows.. With it’s high opacity and versatility, it works great on a variety of skin tones. It is literally the perfect natural brown and blends well with many hair colors. For clients who want Microblading, nano brows or ombre brows, this color works great for all three.

Truffle Dream Pigment by Brow Daddy and PermaBlend

Why we're excited about the Brow Daddy Gold Collection

The Brow Dadddy Gold Permanent Make-up Collection for brows is made up of 10 bottles of pigment specifically mixed to match those hard to find colors.  Before, PMU artists were left with very good options and could mix colors themselves to find what they wanted but this collection steps our options up to excellent.  It saves us both time and guesswork. The colors have an 80-90% retention rate and heal luxurious, soft and velvety.  

Some of my personal favorites so far have been Truffle Dream and Dark Teddy because of their versatility. However, the beauty of Iced Caramel is something our industry needed.  As a cosmetologist, mixing color is not intimidating to me, but this color is a difficult one to get right and Brow Daddy nailed it!  

 Honey magic is great for the ginger client who is afraid her brows will look muddy after microblading or an ombre brow service.  The pigment is a beautiful, rich red with orange and yellow undertones that will keep the color fiery.  As with any PMU service, touch-ups are recommended once per year to keep the color fresh.

 Working with the Brow Daddy colors and nano strokes is easier than ever because the strokes can be seen with each and every line.  Because the pigments are thin, a PMU artist who specializes in nano brows is able to work more efficiently.  

 

Hair Loss? Don't Stress!

There is some info going around the beauty industry in Los Angeles that hair stylists and eyelash artists are noticing signifigant hair loss in their clients that have either had Covid or who are recovering from an overly stressful time during our intense lockdown.  If this is you, I want you to know you are not alone.  Californians may have suffered more stress than most of the country during the past year, particularly Anglenos.  Clients who had Covid were terrified of having to go to the hospital in an already overcrowded situation and then the “not knowing” of how bad it could get or what kind of care you would receive even if you did get a hospital bed wasn’t the only thing they were wrestling with.  Many had young children at home depending on them and work that couldn’t be done while they were so ill.  Then, there was shame.  All the questions like “How did I get this?”  or “Could I have been more careful?’ or “Did I or will I pass it to others?”  All of this, on top of being violently ill and short of breath is enough to cause the most severe form of stress in the human body.

Alopecia Areata is a term used for hair loss caused by extreme stress.  Even if you did not suffer from the actual virus itself, you may have still suffered from the actual pandemic and all that came in that time.  This type of hair loss can affect the scalp, eyelashes and other parts of the body and usually shows up a couple of weeks after the situation.  So, with a pandemic, clients may have been suffering minor hair loss the whole year without even knowing it, until they see their hair stylist of lash extension artist who remembers this detail about them.  This type of alopecia usually grows back once the person is removed from the stress but lots of self-love and patience are required as it can take several months.

Medications and extreme diet changes can also cause hair loss but the rate at which it shows up is much slower.  Clients who took antibiotics during this time may not see the hair loss for about four to six months after the body has adjusted.  So, a person on a medication for Covid may suffer even more hair loss than a normal person who was unharmed during the pandemic.  But really, were any of us unharmed?  

Should you see extra hair in your shower drain, hairbrush or sink, try not to stress.  Stressing about the hair loss will only make the situation worse.  Try to take a deep breath and be grateful you made it through.  Love yourself right now and be as kind as possible.  Your hair will grow back.

LASH SCANDAL!

After months of testing, designing and examining, our lash growth serum, LASH SCANDAL! is finally here and available! And what perfect timing…now that everyone is stuck in quarantine and unable to go to lash appointments, this is a perfect time to give your lashes a break.

Designed by Ma Maison de Beaute owner Diana Podeneau and Lash Expert, Bylle Breaux, LASH SCANDAL! is packed full of quality ingredients to give clients the fastest and safest results in lash growth serums. After just four weeks of use, twice daily, clients can expect to see a 73% improvement in lash density. Many have reported a 25% increase in lash length after only two weeks of use.

LASH SCANDAL! gets it’s name from the trial process. A few of Bylle’s clients were asked to test it and it was available on her website but a passcode was required to access it. After a client told her friend what she was using on her lashes, she called and wanted to know how she could get “that scandalous lash serum.” After struggling to come up with a name for the unique product, Bylle knew that was it!

So how is it different than other serums on the market? Well, for one, it’s made in the U.S. and is a pharmaceutical grade product. Every ingredient is FDA approved. And, unlike serums that were originally used for glaucoma patients, it won’t change the color of the skin around your eyes. The serum is also thicker and more concentrated than some of the cheaper versions on the market. All of these factors were important to women who specialize in skin and lashes, so it had to be just right.

LASH SCANDAL! can be used with or without lash extensions. If you are currently using Latisse or another growth serum, we recommend you stop and give yourself two full weeks before starting this product. Sometimes, when stopping a lash serum, shedding will happen and we want all of that clear before starting on the twice per day regimen with LASH SCANDAL!

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