You can be forgiven for thinking that choosing eyepatches is as simple as just picking the first box you see - after all, how technical can you get about such a small thing? As it happens, picking the perfect eyepatches for your client can be the difference between smooth set after smooth set, and getting so frustrated that you want to just throw your tweezers away and give up lashing for good! 

To help you get to grips with all things eyepatch, our Master Trainer, Lash Artist, and Head of Education Karolina Swiderska had put together the ultimate guide to eyepatches - in short, she did the hard work so you don’t have to!

 

Picking The Right Eyepatches

You may have noticed that we stock lots of different types of eyepatches - you may have even wondered why. To put it simply, each type of eyepatch has its own subtle differences which make them perfect, or less so, for each of your clients. 

• Teflon are the second smallest in size with a revolutionary non-stick top layer, making them a life-saver when lashing clients with downward growing lashes, or beginners who are more prone to stickies (we’re all been there!). Additionally, their specially formulated gel keeps them in place, so they are especially good for clients with oily skin or deep-set eyes.

• Nanohydro Gel eyepatches are very easy to place due to their ergonomic shape, even for beginner lash artists. Their thin gel strip allows the customer’s eyes to be completely closed, which prevents potential chemical burn. They also contain aloe vera extract for an additional spa-like feeling!

Tips & Tricks

You’ve picked the perfect eyepatches for your client, but wait! You’ll almost certainly have an awkward one! Some clients have smaller eyes, or very round eyes. Maybe that has scared you in the past, maybe it’s even frustrated you - you would be completely normal for that, but what we’re about to show you will be a game-changer! Learning how to cut the eyepatches will help you to perfectly place them even on the most difficult eye shapes!

Next, You’re going to need to really perfect your placement - choosing the perfect eyepatch is only one part of the challenge - now you need to prep and place like a BOSS!

Before you do anything else, clean the skin with Protein Remover Pads (P.S. don’t forget to wash lashes with Lash Shampoo prior to the treatment). Oily, makeup covered skin simply will not keep those eyepatches in place! Take a Protein Remover Pad, roll it on your finger and gently cleanse the under-eye area. Let the skin dry, then place your eyepatches in 2 easy steps:

1. Start from the inner corners to ensure the eyepatch is not placed too far/too close to the eye and nose. 

2. Follow the lash line and place the eyepatch around 1mm lower than the water line. Placing the eyepatch too high will result in eye irritation, which is not only super uncomfortable for your client, but will leave a big red mark on the eyeball! The discomfort will make their eyes twitchy, making your job harder, and the redness will ruin your lash photos, and keep the client uncomfortable for days after treatment!

3. Remember not to place the eyepatch too low either as this will cause bottom lashes to come out from under the eyepatch, which will make it ever so easy to stick the extensions to bottom lashes (yikes!) 

What else can help?

• Lower the outer corner of the eyepatch to make it comfortable. This is easiest to gage when the eyes are closed, as you may find that your client’s eyes kind of suck in the patch. Gently pull back the top eyelid, lift the outer corner of the eyepatch and place back down where it is comfortable.

• Use surgical tape if needed for baby lashes. Again, this is easiest to do when the eyes are closed - simply pull back the top eyelid gently and tape down any stubborn baby lashes with tape.

• Continue to double check during the treatment to ensure your client’s comfort, and to make sure no baby lashes have snuck out from under the eyepatch! 

Now, you may be saying ‘LLP! Why not just use tape!?’ Well, of course you can. But keep in mind that tape has its own drawbacks as well as its own plus points.

Pros:

• Easily adaptable to all eye shapes and sizes
• More uses from a roll of tape than a box of eyepatches
• Generally speaking, clients are highly unlikely to be allergic to tape so it is a great alternative if someone is allergic to an ingredient in the eyepatches.

Cons:

• Far less comfortable than eyepatches
• Can hurt when removed as it can pull on the lower lashes
• Harder to correct than eyepatches
• Harder to draw a nice lash map on 
• Leaves marks on the skin more than eyepatches will 
• Doesn’t feel at all luxurious for your client
• May roll making it very uncomfortable to work with
• Is too thin and does not protect your client’s gentle skin from sharp tweezers

To recap, let’s go over some of the most common mistakes made when using eyepatches:

• Wrong size of eyepatches for the client - if the eye patches don’t fit, they simply will not be able to do their job as they should!
• Placed too close to the eye, causing irritation
• Placed too far from the eye, causing bottom lashes to escape 
• Placed too high on the bridge of the nose - this can cause the eyepatches to cover the inner corner lashes on the top eyelid, which will cause the eyepatch to lift, and will mean that the inner corners cannot be covered so you’ll have an incomplete lash set.
• Placed too far from the inner corners, meaning that the inner corner bottom lashes are not covered, leading to stickies.
• Using too much pressure when applying eyepatches or touching them too much during the treatment. This will cause the eyepatches to move around, exposing lashes and also potentially causing  discomfort for the client.
• Applying too much pressure on the eyepatches with tweezers when lashing - not only does this move the eyepatch, potentially exposing the bottom lashes and throwing your lash map out of place, it is also a horrible feeling for the client! (seriously, it’s actually terrifying)
• Not checking eyepatches during treatment, which can lead to misplacement, irritation, and stickies.

I hope this has helped to show you how amazing using eyepatches can be, for you and your clients! Who would have thought a simple eyepatch could add such luxury to your treatment?!

To finish on a happy note, we have some new products coming very soon that you have all asked for, which can become a great alternative for clients that are allergic to eyepatches due to a sensitivity to certain ingredients. We are also launching some eyepatch samples very soon, so keep your eyes peeled on our IG and website to be the first ones to try and find your favourite eyepatches!