Cheryl Shops

Of all the things I've been blessed with in life, thick hair has not been one of them. This includes my eyelashes. I've tried every mascara and lash serum (I have a favorite, but more on that later) and while I've had some success, nothing ever gives me the lashes I want—think Audrey Hepburn, not Kim Kardashian. I've even tried false lashes, both the strip and cluster kind, and I am completely inept that those. So for my upcoming birthday, I decided to treat myself to a set of lash extensions. I was a little apprehensive—I've heard the lashes start falling out right away, and I was slightly worried I'd come out looking like, well, a Kardashian—but I decided to take a chance, and I'm so happy I did.





I bought a Gilt City voucher for Lash Lab, a salon in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood, and since I had Presidents' Day off, I was easily able to make an appointment. The salon is black and gold and chic, with Jo Malone hand soap; I was in a private room, but as I left, there were two other customers next to each other on beds in the main room. My artist (that's what they call their aestheticians) had me draw the type of lashes I wanted and fill out a questionnaire addressing thickness, material, color, and curl. We then discussed my answers—we were on the same, no-Kardashian page—and settled on a set for me, which was the Natural Woman, their lowest-priced and most, obviously, natural-looking set. So far, so good.

Pardon the lo-fi photos in this post—I took them with my phone!

With my eyes open, my artist applied a big white patch under each eye (I think it helped her both place the lashes and keep schmutz out of my eyes), then I closed my eyes and she added each lash one by one. I didn't fall asleep—she said a lot of people do—but I was pretty relaxed, and no part of the process was uncomfortable. I was slightly worried that the glue would irritate my eyes (the release form said this happens to about 5% of people), but it didn't at all. The entire application process took about an hour and 15 minutes, after which she removed the white patches and handed me a mirror.


I was so incredibly happy with the results! Even though I had no makeup on, I looked like I had on, like, five coats of mascara—except without any clumping whatsoever. My lashes are now about twice as thick as they are naturally, and I only apply a bit of shadow and the tiniest bit of eyeliner to my lids. The extensions have definitely cut down on my getting-ready time in the morning, although at the end of the day, I have to be pretty careful removing my eye makeup so I don't cause any lashes to fall out (about 5 per day per eye is normal, but so far I've been averaging 3-4). The best part is I don't have to wear mascara, which almost always flakes and gets in my eyes—I just fluff my lashes with a brush in the morning and at night. Talk about a #Iwokeuplikethis moment!



I've already made an appointment for a fill—it's less than half the price of the original extensions, but not exactly cheap, either, so I am aware of the fact that I've gotten myself into a rather pricey beauty habit. If you want longer, thicker lashes on a budget, there's always Grande Lash. It's my favorite of all the lash serums I've tried, but while it definitely made my lashes longer, they didn't get thicker, hence the extensions.



If you are in San Francisco and do want to try lash extensions, I'd highly recommend Lash Lab—if you use this link, you'll get 10% off your first service too! Tell them I sent you! ;)