In recent years, Eyelash Extensions Fill services have exploded in popularity as a way to achieve longer, fuller lashes without the hassle of applying mascara or strip lashes every day. With the growth of the beauty industry, more and more people are turning to eyelash salons or quality lash lifting solutions to get their desired lash look. However, timing your appointments around holidays like Christmas can be tricky, especially when you’re unsure of how long your lashes will last between fills. Understanding the factors that affect lash extension retention can help you better plan your appointments and ensure your lashes look their best throughout the holiday season.
Timing your eyelash extensions around Christmas can be difficult and how long lash extensions last between appointments varies, here’s your guide.
How to time your lash extension appointments for Christmas!
It’s November. Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey are defrosting. Christmas lights are being switched on around the country and your December social calendar is filling up fast. With so many family gatherings, parties and work social events fast approaching, you’re going to want to look your best for all of the picture-worthy moments coming up. For lash extension babes, perfectly timing your lash appointments in the weeks leading up to Christmas means that you’re always ready for the cameras. If you want to be able to put lash extensions on your own, get started with Islash Boutiques’s eyelash extension courses today.
We’re going to settle this Love Actually style, counting down the six weeks before Christmas and explaining how and when you should schedule your lash appointments over the festive season.
6 weeks before Christmas: it’s time for a full set of lash extensions
There is never going to be a perfect time to get a set of eyelash extensions, as at any one time your natural lashes will be growing at different rates and will be at different stages of their natural growth cycle. However, 6 weeks before Christmas is a good ballpark figure to book a full set of lash extensions to prepare for the festive season.
Whether you prefer classic, volume or mega-volume eyelash extensions, you should expect to get around 3 weeks of wear from your lashes. To improve the retention potential of your extensions, opt for lash extensions which are similar shape to your natural lashes. If you apply an eyelash extension in a curl that is not complimentary with your natural lash curl, the lash attachment area will be smaller, meaning the extension has less space to attach to the eyelash securely.
The retention of your lash sets will also depend on the quality of your aftercare routine and the quality of the extensions themselves. For example, if your lash tech uses high-quality professional products, you can expect 3-4 weeks of retention with proper aftercare. However, in the festive season, eyelash extension experts BELO Lash recommend booking in for infills every 2-3 weeks to ensure your lashes are always topped up.
5 weeks before Christmas: enjoy your beautiful lashes
Around 5 weeks before the Christmas mark, you’re usually starting to get into the festive mood. Christmas markets are popping up in major cities and maybe you’re having your first mulled wine of the season. This is the perfect time to get lots of pictures with your full, long lash extensions.
One week after a full set, the adhesive bond between extensions and the natural lashes should be very secure and you should have noticed very minimal fall out. If you’re keeping up a good aftercare routine, you should expect to get at least 10 days of full, long lashes.
Keeping up a good aftercare routine between eyelash extension appointments is simple, but it goes further than brushing through your lashes with a spoolie. Although this is a good first step, it’s important to clean your lashes thoroughly with a lash cleanser to ensure there isn’t a build up of dirt and oils stuck in the extensions. Dirt build up on the lash line negatively impacts the adhesive and lash extensions do not stick to dirty eyelashes. Brush through your eyelash extensions every day and complete a lash bath with cleanser 2-3 times a week to ensure they are squeaky clean.
4 weeks before Christmas: you’re noticing a couple of gaps in your lashes
At this point in party season, it’s up to you whether you bite the bullet and book in for your infill. If you’re playing the long game, BELO Lash recommends waiting one more week before booking an infill to better spread out your appointments.
Your decision on booking an infill will probably depend on whether you go for classic lashes or volume lashes. If you have volume extensions, you’ll be more comfortable waiting another week before your eyelash infill as you’ll notice fewer gaps in the extensions. This is because classic lashes are applied in a 1:1 technique, meaning that a singular extension is applied to each of the natural lashes. Volume lashes tend to look fuller for longer as volume fans with multiple synthetic lashes are attached to each of the natural lashes.
As tempting as it may be, no not apply any mascara or false eyelash strips between appointments. Mascara weighs down your natural lashes and the extensions, which harms retention, and eye makeup removers which are oil-based break down the adhesive bond between the eyelashes and extensions. In short, mascara kills eyelash extensions. Glue for strip lashes is even worse.
3 weeks before Christmas: infill time (Santa) baby
By the time we’re three weeks before the big day it’s infill time. If you have classic lashes, you’re going to be very glad to refill your lash line with fresh new extensions. It’s worth bearing in mind that if you turn up to an infill appointment with less than 30% of your eyelash extensions remaining then your lash technician is within their rights to charge for a full set. You should aim to infill your lash extensions once they reach around the 50% full point.
For classics, if you want a bit of extra glam for upcoming parties and extensions that look fuller for longer, ask for a few closed-volume fans in place of your individual classic lashes. This will provide a subtle depth to your eyelash extensions without the more dramatic look of hybrids. With Russian Volume, your usual infill will be enough to touch-up your sets in time for the big parties coming up. However, if you want a bit more drama, ask for volume fans with more lash extensions.
After your infill, be sure not to get your eyelashes wet for at least 24 hours to give the eyelash glue enough time to fully cure and to lock in your retention.
2 weeks before Christmas: perfect lashes just in time for the office party
Office Christmas parties, AKA hangovers that last a week and poorly thought through kisses under the mistletoe. We’ve all been there. At least you know that your lashes will look on point when you inevitably dance on the table or take over the karaoke Bridget Jones style.
To ensure that your eyelash extensions look their best, brush through the extensions before and after applying makeup. Do not attempt to curl your lash extensions with an eyelash curler as this will damage the glue bond. If you want bouncy lashes for party season, ask for a D curl during your appointment as this will provide you with enough lift and curl to bring a glamorous edge to any set of lashes.
1 week before Christmas: one last little top up before the big day
In Love Actually terms, this is the point where we get to that scene where Emma Thompson figures out Alan Rickman is cheating on her. It’s doubtful you’ll manage to get through this scene without crying, so chances are your lashes will need a little refresh before actual Christmas Day and family obligations.
At this point of December, you’ve probably worn a little more makeup than usual and donned a glitter eyeshadow or two. Before you get your final infill before Christmas, be sure to clean your lash extensions thoroughly by doing a full lash bath with an eyelash cleanser to remove any glitter and oils from the lash line.
“When clients arrive to infill appointments with dirty lashes, it makes it really difficult to complete their sets in time as we have to complete a full lash bath. Most lash technicians will only accept clients that clean their lashes in between appointments.” – BELO Lash CEOs.
One week before Christmas is the optimal time for an infill before holidays. Lash professionals will want to take a break around the holidays too, so don’t be surprised if they’re not available right before the vacation. As we mentioned earlier, you don’t want to get your eyelash extensions wet right away, so it works better to time your appointment 3 days to a week before the 25th (just in case you get a super emotional gift!) Having an eyelash refill in this period will also ensure your lash extensions still look full in time for New Year.
Enjoy a glamorous Christmas with full, long eyelash extensions
Eyelash extensions are the perfect way to stay glam effortlessly throughout the xmas season. There are so many other things to be worrying about at this time of the year, but timing your appointments properly ensures lash extensions are not one of them!
For more information on anything and everything lash related, check out the BELO Lash blog.
