Eyelash Enhancement Options

Mascaras
Often thought of as the most convenient and user friendly of options to enhance eyelashes, mascaras do have some downfalls:

• Overuse of mascara can cause dryness which in turn can lead to the possibility of lashes falling out.
• Some mascara formulations have ingredients that may cause allergic reactions.
• Wearing mascara is not always a practical option such as while swimming or going to the gym.
• Many types of mascara are difficult to remove and create black smudges below the lower lash line. Removing mascara can damage the delicate skin under the eye because the process often requires rubbing or swiping to remove the product completely.
• If mascara is not completely and thoroughly removed along the lash line the remaining remnants can clog the hair follicles and prevent future lash growth.
• Visually, the effect is often not as dramatic as clients are hoping for with mascara. It’s important to note that the models used in mascara promotional campaigns are all wearing false lashes, a look which no mascara alone can replicate.

Mechanical Curlers
Curling your eyelashes is typically one of the quickest ways to get instant uplift. These popular devices raise several concerns worth noting:

• Skin can easily get caught in the clamping device, causing pain, pinching or tugging on the eyelid.
• The use of mechanical eyelash curlers can damage the lashes, potentially leaving them broken or distorted.
• Repeated breakage caused by the use of mechanical curlers can actually permanently stunt the growth of lashes.

False Strip Lashes
Traditional false lashes are made up of numerous human or synthetic eyelashes attached together in one pre-made strip. A full set is placed (via a special adhesive applied to the strip of false eyelashes) against your upper lash line on the skin, as close as possible to your actual lashes, but not on your real lashes (which indeed is as tricky to do as it sounds).
Readily available and often used by makeup artists for their dramatic effect, there are many disadvantages associated with the wearing of strip lashes:

• Visually, false lash strips tend to look, well… false. They are often glaringly phony and stiff in appearance, proclaiming to all that that the wearer’s lashes are, quite obviously, not real.
• The temporary adhesive used can come loose due to perspiration from heat, exercising, dancing or doing any strenuous activity, creating a potentially embarrassing situation.
• The weight of an entire strip of lashes added to the eye can feel heavy and weary the lid.
• False lash adhesive, which is attached directly to the skin, is difficult to remove and can irritate the eye and tear ducts during both application and removal.
• Contact lens wearers should avoid strip lashes as the temporary adhesive used will destroy their lenses should it come in contact with them at any time.
• Because the adhesive is applied to the skin, there is the possibility of an allergic reaction and an increased risk of infection.
• If used frequently strip lashes can cause irreparable damage to the natural lashes and cause them to fall out prematurely.
• Long-term use can lead to permanent lash baldness caused by hair follicle blockage or even infections.
• Clients should never sleep in false eyelashes as there is a danger that the glands in your eyelids may become blocked and cause an infection.
• Because they cannot be worn while sleeping, false lashes must be removed and reapplied each day.
• Removing false eyelashes must be done very carefully. Natural lashes can be pulled out by the root along with the false strip during removal. Repeatedly pulling the same lashes out by the root can eventually prevent their re-growth permanently.

Flares or Lash Clusters
Cluster lashes, or flares, typically consist of groups of 5-8 blunt-end lashes knotted together in a bunch. These clusters add instant fullness because of their multi-lash flare and they tend to be smaller and shorter than strips. They can be applied either directly to the skin (between natural lashes) or on top of a grouping of existing lashes. They are more natural in appearance than strips however they do carry many of the same concerns (the same skin adhesives are used when attaching to the eyelid) as well as a few additional ones:

• If you look closely you can see how flares and individual (see below) lashes are not tapered but are blunt at the end. This creates a stiff, abnormal appearance to the lashes.
• Lash clusters that are adhered to the natural lashes need to be placed on top of several natural lashes at once because their large size and weight cannot be supported by a single lash.
• Natural lashes grow at different rates. When they are glued together to support flares and left in place for a period of time, the flares will cause faster growing natural lashes to prematurely pull out slower growing lashes from the root because they are adhered together. This can result in permanent damage and lash baldness if done repeatedly.
• If flares are attached to the skin, the adhesives can damage the follicle, irritate the eye and increase the risk of infections.
• When applied to the skin, cluster eyelashes will last no more than a week at most.

Individuals (Sometimes incorrectly portrayed as eyelash extensions)
‘Individuals’ are synthetic lashes that are stacked one on top of the other and attached at the base, often with a knot to allow for fast and easy adhesion. Typically there are three lashes in each grouping with the longest on the bottom and the shortest on the top attached together. Like flares, individuals can be attached to either the skin, if they are knotted, or the natural lashes.

• Individuals have the same concerns as clusters or flares (see above) with regards to weight when applied to the lashes and skin irritation when applied directly to the eyelid.

---

XTREME LASHES™ Semi-Permanent Eyelash Extension

Xtreme Lashes™ are single strands of synthetic eyelashes that are curved to replicate a natural eyelash. Our lashes are thicker at the base and taper to fine point. They are applied to individual eyelashes, one lash at a time, for a natural, elegant and luscious look.

Xtreme Lashes™ Stylists Are Professionally Trained

Xtreme Lashes™ is proud to require quality training for the safest application.

• Every client purchasing professional products from Xtreme Lashes™ must be Licensed or Certified in the health or beauty industries. We require this to protect not only our name but the reputations of our clients and the eyelash extension industry as a whole. We train only professionals who are familiar with health and hygiene procedures due to their previous experience.
• Professionals wishing to purchase products from Xtreme Lashes™ MUST successfully complete our training and certification workshop. Eyelash extension application is a meticulous and exacting procedure and we will only put our products in the hands of those we know have been trained in the right methods!
• Before receiving an Xtreme Lashes™ Certificate all students must submit proof of their proficiency by sending in photographs of their work. Consumers have come to recognize that going to a Certified Xtreme Lashes™ Professional means they will not only be using the best products but also be getting the highest quality application of their eyelash extensions.

Xtreme Lashes™ Uses Only The Safest Eyelash Extension Adhesives

Although our procedure does not entail the use of adhesive on the skin, our adhesives have been formulated to be perfectly safe for skin contact. Both of our adhesives are medical grade, created with the same ingredient that is used by surgeons to close wounds on the skin without stitches.

• In a May 2006 article for the News Tribune in Tacoma, WA, Seattle ophthalmologist Dr. Richard Bensinger commented on the types of adhesive we use by saying, “I don’t see any problem with it medically. In fact, we use it (the same type of adhesive) medically to close incisions.”
• In August 2006 the Baltimore Sun released an article about Xtreme Lashes™. Elliott Myrowitz, an optometrist and an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions' Wilmer Eye Institute was asked if there were any concerns related to the procedure. Myrowitz says, “I think its fine to glue things to the eyelash… [Doctors] use that same surgical glue.” Myrowitz isn't familiar with any problems associated with eyelash extensions and says the fact that the procedure is done at certified salons, and not at home, is reassuring.

Xtreme Lashes™ Maintain A Natural Appearance

• Xtreme Lashes™ add curl, thickness and length to lashes, opening up the eye for added definition.
• Xtreme Lashes™ are designed to be indistinguishable in size and weight to human lashes. They are flexible yet crimp-resistant and they move with your natural lashes. As long as you keep up with the touch up applications, it is almost impossible to tell that you are wearing the extensions.
• Because Xtreme Lashes™ are applied one by one each application is completely customized. We offer three different thicknesses of lashes with lengths ranging from 6mm to 17mm and a variety of colors for highlighting effects. Differing individual synthetic lash lengths are chosen to carefully replicate the shape and frame of a natural lash line. The thickness of the Xtreme Lashes™ applied is determined by the health and thickness of a client’s natural lashes as well as client preference.

Xtreme Lashes™ Are Virtually Weightless

• Because an Xtreme Lash is an exact replica of an eyelash, it weighs about as much as a natural lash: practically nothing. You will not notice the addition of the extensions to your lashes and they will not cause your natural lashes to fall out ahead of their natural cycle.

Xtreme Lashes™ Are Durable

• The temporary adhesives used with most other lash enhancements are short-lived and do not hold up to activities that cause perspiration or any immersion in water. With Xtreme Lashes™ it is possible to do any activity that you would normally do. The specially formulated adhesives we use create a water resistant bond that will withstand most any level of physical activity.
• Not only do Xtreme Lashes™ have an instant enhancing effect, but they simplify the rest of your beauty regimen since little other eye makeup is necessary.

o Fuller lashes create a more youthful, open-eyed appearance; many consumers liken the transformation to a miniature face lift.
o A darker lash line is created by Xtreme Lashes™ replacing the need for eyeliner on most clients.
o Mascara is no longer necessary. No more mascara smudges; clients can go swimming and exercise knowing that their mascara won't run and distract from their appearance.

Easy Care & Lasting Results

When properly applied, an Xtreme Lashes™ eyelash extension will remain in place until the natural lash on which it rests falls out. This can be as long as two months or more.

• Natural eyelashes are programmed to grow in and fall out in cycles (every 60 to 90 days which equals 2 to 3 months). When a natural lash matures and falls out, a new natural lash has already been growing and quickly replaces it without us noticing the turnover. This process is constant and at any given moment our many natural lashes are at different stages of their life cycle. Some are just growing in while others are ready to shed. People typically shed between 1 and 5 natural lashes each day depending on our individual growth cycles. On shorter natural lashes this growing and shedding cycle is virtually unnoticeable.
• When eyelashes are extended with Xtreme Lashes™ it will be more noticeable when a lash sheds because they are longer and darker than natural lashes. Please keep in mind, this is a perfectly normal occurrence with or without extensions. Lash Stylists will apply Xtreme Lashes™ primarily to those lashes that are in the middle of their maturation cycle to maximum the amount of time they will last while not jeopardizing the health of baby lashes. The Xtreme Lash will fall out with the natural lash it is attached to when it reaches the end of its growth cycle. This time frame will vary for each individual lash depending on where it is in the growth cycle when the extension is applied. A few Xtreme Lashes™ may be lost in the first week because the attached natural lashes were at the end of their growth cycle however most will remain in place for approximately two months.
• With proper care and maintenance, touch ups are needed typically only once every 2 to 4 weeks to replace the lashes that have shed. Your Xtreme Lashes™ Stylist will add extensions to the newest mature natural lashes to maintain a full, lush appearance.
• Xtreme Lashes™ are easy to maintain. The first twenty-four hours are crucial to the bonding of Xtreme Lashes™. Clients should keep they dry and avoid touching them initially. After twenty-four hours care is simple: avoid oil based products and be gentle with the lashes. They are resistant to water, sweat and tears. Clients can swim, shower and spa worry free.