We're asked SO OFTEN how to lash faster, from how to do a volume set in less time, to how to get faster at lash extensions as a beginner. Before you swap out to a more rapidly drying glue that might be too fast for you, we've put together a few of our top tips to help you speed up your eyelash extension treatment time!
Organise Your Space
Organisation is key to a faster set. Making sure your space is well organised and you have everything you need in place will take away any pre-appointment stress, and will ensure you can get started as soon as your client lies down!
What You'll Need
1. Lighting
The most important thing to consider before you begin any lash treatment is the lighting. You cannot do a full set of lashes if you can’t see those pesky little baby lashes. We would recommend using a very bright white light, if the lighting has a yellow/orange glow to it, it makes it even more difficult to see those tiny blonde hairs, which will lead to dreaded stickies! Our favourite lights are lamps fromGlamcor, which have a number of brightness settings for best results - they are definitely worth investing in.
2. Trolley and Storage
Next, you need to make sure your trolley is well organised with only the products you will be using on the top shelf. If your trolley is cluttered it is going to make it a lot harder to find the products you actually need. Anything you don’t need for the treatment, pop it on the shelves below so they are out of the way but still there if it turns out you do need them!
3. Pay Attention to the Time
Then you want to always ensure you have a clock nearby so you can track the time it takes you, this way you will know if you're on track or whether you need to speed up your work.
Prepare Your Client Well
It is vital that your client is properly prepared before beginning your treatment. Try to:
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Ask your client to come with absolutely no eye makeup on. You don’t want to waste valuable time by removing mascara and glittery eyeshadow! If they do arrive with some make up on, it's not a bad idea to give them the bottle of foam cleanser and send them off to the bathroom to cleanse their own lashes. It will be a little bit faster, it will be more comfortable for them, and it will actually be a bit more thorough as they can gauge how hard they can press without it hurting.
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Make sure your client goes to the bathroom before starting the eyelash application. There is nothing worse than having to stop for bathroom breaks when you’re on a mission to finish your set.
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Let your client know to avoid caffeine and sugar for at least two hours prior to their appointment to avoid their eyelids flickering during the treatment - this will save you time as you'll not be losing their nicely isolated lash to a poorly timed eyelid flicker, and you'll be avoiding chemical burnfor them.
ApplyingThe Lashes
So obviously by now, most of you will know how to “apply lashes” but we are just going to give you our tips and tricks that might make your life a little easier.
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Start Application with the inner and outer corners then fill in the middle. A lot of artists seem to miss the corners as it can be the most difficult part, but if you start with the tricky bits, you can then finish with the easy part. Resulting in a beautiful full set.
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Don’t do one eye then do the other eye. With lashing, symmetry is key, so whatever you do on one eye, go and repeat on the other. I personally do 3 or 4 lashes on one eye, then 3 or 4 lashes on the other eye.
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Don’t spend too much time looking for the “perfect lash” to apply for an extension on. This is very common with beginners. They spend a lot of time trying to isolate the best lashes. Remember every single lash should be covered, so it doesn't matter which lash you choose to do first.
Steps Your Should NEVER Skip
Of course, we all want to speed up our work - faster treatments mean the potential for more clients, after all but we should never cut corners! Never ever skip these steps:
1. Lash Mapping
A lash map is vital to your symmetry and the overall look and, believe it or not, will save you time when picking up the extensions 'which lash should I put here?' will never again be a question you need to ask, as your lash map will tell you.
2. Pre-Treatment
'But my client already used the foam cleanser!' Great, they did the very first step. I cannot stress enough the importance of an excellent and thorough pre-treatment routine! It's all so well and good doing the bare minimum to save time, but how much time are you saving when your client comes back for another set three days later because all their lashes fell off?
3. Checking for Stickies
Client safety and comfort comes before a faster service - no compromise. ten to fifteen minutes should always be set aside at the end of your treatment to check your work for stickies - they happen very easily, and can be so damaging to the natural lashes, not to mention uncomfortable!
We hope this little guide helped you! If you've been in the lash game a little bit longer, or want to know some other ways to speed up your work, check out this blog post!
