Eyelash extensions vs fake eyelashes

Today, I have decided to broach on a subject that is mostly for the gals. LASH EXTENSIONS!

These days, lash extension are super popular. Of course. Who doesn't want luscious lashes to frame their peeps? And thicker and longer eyelashes does make a big difference for the eyes!

So why don't you just stick to mascara, you say? In case you haven't noticed, asian girls are not exactly know for our thick curvy lashes. Most girls have stringy, sparse, straight eyelashes. And as the saying goes, putting mascara would be like painting on a pig to make it look less ugly. It's pretty much useless, for the most part.

How about fake lashes? Fake eyelashes are fine, and does provide a better effect than plain mascara alone, but it does give off the very essence of its being: being fake. It's easy to tell when you are wearing fake eyelashes, for most of the fake eyelashes available out there. Then you get the "trannie" effect, as my friend Alice calls it, where you end up looking either like a transvestite or a hooker.

And then eyelash extensions hit town, where you can transform your eyelash-less eyes to boomers...

Like this! And the best thing is it looks super natural! Whenever I wear eyelash extensions, I get people coming up to me asking if those were my real lashes (only in Singapore, because they are asians themselves, and they know how it's like for us. T_T).

Obviously, most of us would love to roll out of bed every morning looking like Cinderella. And the best thing is, you don't really have to put any eye makeup! You just look like you have perpetual eyeliner on. It's the best!

Ever wanted to put off a picture with you looking demurely down, with your luscious lashes showing? Worry no more! 

Ever felt jealous of all the countless Loreal or Covergirl advertisements, where they have va va vroom eyes?

Eyelash extension are super awesome for the above advantages. But as you know, there is no such thing as a perfect system......

Cons of eyelash extensions (for girls who are curious and possibly want to explore it):

1) The beautician is tres important. I cannot stress enough how important this point is. Thus far, I have tried about 4 different beauticians, and the variation is stunning. The first two times I did, (and they were over a hundred dollars), they used clusters of fake eyelashes that felt of broomstick-consistency, and they glued the clusters on my EYELIDS instead of my eyelashes. Hence, searing pain and red eyes for the whole of one day, until I was able to find another place that could take it off for me. The third one was the best. This vietnamese lady who has been doing Jenn's for the last five years. She would put human lashes one by one, and was very meticulous. Those were the wondrous times. Ahhhh.

And then I had to move back to Singapore. So I had to explore options here again.

Sophie Browhouse at Toa Payoh does a decent job. At least this girl called Alicia does, because my friend Nicole had clusters falling out the second day when she got a different girl to do it. But they mixed clusters with individual lashes. And the lashes are not of high quality, quite stiff.

I heard good things about Browhaus, so I will try it next, but I would look for these things before considering:

- Ask the beautician if they use clusters or individual lashes. Clusters are not as great as individual lashes, not only because they are heavier and weigh more on your poor lash, but once they fall off, they leave this gaping hole on your lashline and it looks super awkward. Use individual lashes if possible.

- Ask the beautician if they are going to apply on the eyelash or eyelid. Very important! The pain you feel if they stick it on your eyelid is like one of those ancient chinese torture gadgets. Where they pull your eyelashes one by one.

-Observe the general hygiene of the spa. If they have lashes all over a dirty towel, please don't try.

2) Washing your face is a bitch. I apologize for the language, but there's no better word to describe it. After a long hard day of work, you cannot just scrub your face in a circular motion like you're used to. Nope! You have to have a long regime of firstly removing your eye makeup using Q-tips, and then gingerly applying facial cleanser, avoiding the eyes. If you wash your hair, you have to avoid getting water on your lashes. It's like the kiss of death, cuz if that happens, you cannot open your eyes. Well, you could open it, but it'll be flooded with water. So you'll have to move around completely blind until you wipe them with your towel.

3) Having to touch up every two weeks. It's a chore.

4) Removal is painful! They don't tell you this, but they have to apply this chemical on your lashes to dissolve the glue, and usually for a couple of times, it gets onto your eyelid and it hurts like someone just cut a piece of your eyelid. Serious.

5) Every couple of months, you have to remove them to let the lashes rest for a month. If you don't do that, your natural eyelashes will stop growing, and then it becomes a vicious cycle because you don't want to stop doing it because you have very few lashes, but not stopping means they will drop even more, so well you get the drift. It adds to the cost, and also during that month, you will feel "naked" and exposed. True story.

I think that's about it.

These days, I'm so sick of maintaining it, I use fake eyelashes, when I feel like making myself pretty! I know I said fake eyelashes look fake, and I still maintain it, but there are some brands that looks less fake than others. Ardell is a good one that looks the most natural, and it is relatively inexpensive and you can get them from any Watson's, Guardian and sometimes Sasa.

Okay I wasn't expecting to write so much, but it just came out in a gush. Hehe!

Happy weekend!