tiny cup of cake

A LOT of you have been asking me how wedding planning is going and one of the biggest items on my to-do list before the holidays was taking engagement photos. I had a vision for these photos and I won’t lie, there was a lot of preparation on my part to bring my vision to life. I spent hours shopping, got my hair done, went for a manicure, and also tried eyelash extensions for the very first time ever!!

I’ve always wanted to try them because everyone I know who has them looks sooo good! The price and process itself always intimidated me so I just never tried them. I figured I would try them out eventually and save them for a special occasion. A serious case of FOMO and the newly opened Lash Lounge in Bellevue was the perfect excuse to bite the bullet. I thought I would document my experience in case any of you are new to lash extensions as well!

My Natural Lashes Before

Thin, sparse, stick straight. Unfortunately I am not naturally blessed like Jared, who has the longest curled eyelashes. (It’s fine. Not jealous of them daily.) When I curl my lashes and wear mascara, I don’t see a big difference so I usually compensate by wearing eyeliner on my top lid.

Getting the Extensions

Initial appointments generally take about 90 minutes for a volume set. It could take shorter or longer depending on how many lashes you naturally have, the person doing the extensions, etc. Basically they start by cleaning your eyelids and lashes and then they tape your bottom lashes so they don’t accidentally get glued to the top ones. This felt pretty strange at first but you get used to it within a few minutes. Then it’s just time to relax! The extensions were glued to each individual eyelash near the base. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of detail and precision to do this.

It does not hurt at all although a few times the extensions would poke my eyelid and it would be a bit surprising, but not really painful. When I opened my eyes for the first time the glue wasn’t totally dry so my eyes were stinging a bit but my stylist immediately had me close my eyes and she used a fan on me. Super easy fix! I have pretty sensitive skin and had no other sensitivity to the glue that was used. If you do have sensitive skin, of course you should be cautious, but I honestly feel that if you are going to a clean place with medical grade glue, you are in great hands. 

Pros vs. Cons

To start off on a positive note, I LOVED having extensions. Who doesn’t love having beautiful lashes all the time?! The most eye makeup I’ve worn in the past few weeks has been some eyeshadow for events but that is it! Remember, I’m a dedicated eyeliner wearer so it was amazing to get to skip this step in the morning. I even had random strangers comment on my eyelashes! Personally it did cut my morning routine time down but I actually enjoy getting ready, so it’s not enough for me to switch over to extensions full time.

The cons are more personal to how I dealt with them after and I should preface this with most of these are just small inconveniences. The most notable inconvenience is obvious – you have to be pretty careful with your lashes such as not getting them wet for 8 hours. Washing your face, showering, sleeping..all of these parts of your everyday routine are a little bit more difficult. I prefer sleeping on my side so it was hard trying to stay on just my back. Eventually I would just end up on my side which means each morning I’d wake up with some weird looking lashes. I learned that getting them slightly wet to keep them clean and to get any kinks out was necessary. When an extension gets twisted or is out of place, it can be pretty painful. Usually brushing through them fixes it however. Also if you live in a windy area, be prepared for your extensions to flutter in the wind. Yes, it is a really weird feeling.

How much it costs

I received a set of volume lashes so that I could share my honest review with all of you, however I tipped based on what the price of the service would have been. The volume extensions are around $300 at Lash Lounge Bellevue which is on the higher end of the range from my research. Lash extensions are one of those things that you don’t want to scrimp on though. I truly believe you get what you pay for. The good thing however is that Lash Lounge has different levels of stylists so the pricing is tiered. Right now, they also have an offer for a $99 classic set too! Volume fills are around $100 but depends on the type of course, as well as the level of your stylist.

How long they last

I’ve had mine for about three weeks now and they’re noticeably more sparse on one side but in general, they still look decent I think. I could definitely go for a fill soon but I honestly don’t have a lot of time and I’m still apprehensive about the cost. I am planning for a wedding, after all! I would say for most people, you can probably get away with 3-4 weeks if you get a full volume set.

Below are two photos of me immediately after my service. My stylist knocked it out of the park. Since it was my first time getting eyelash extensions and my engagement photos were just a few days after, I was a bit nervous. We chatted about my vision and she completely listened and delivered! I asked for fluffy, full lashes that looked natural but better than my natural lashes. I could have gone fuller, sure, but full glam isn’t my everyday look :)

I am super happy with my first experience and can’t wait to get them again! A big thank you to The Lash Lounge for hosting me. Everyone who works at the Bellevue location is so fantastic. I even got to meet Anna Phillips, the CEO and Founder, at a recent event and she is just so nice. If you’re local to the Seattle area, you can check out the Bellevue location or the Redmond Town Center location for your own set of lashes!