When I first started working in a beauty salon, I noticed that an overwhelming majority of Beauty Therapists focus far too much on the treatment they are completing, instead of on the end result for their customer. For example, when shaping and tinting brows, girls in the salon were trying to create the textbook perfect HD shapes with a strong eyebrow arch, not considering the fact that it might not suit this client and she may not even like it. Similarly, when doing nails I noticed that therapists can do beautiful nail art, which is absolutely stunning when you look at the nail, but if the client’s individual hands are not taken into consideration, this can make the fingers look shorter -eek!
Something else I noticed was that quite often, it is the clients who are asking for a look which might not benefit their appearance - for example they often ask for lashes which are too full/long, eyebrows which are too dark, or bright nails which might not look good on their hands. These will result in a look which might not suit them, and will mean they are not happy with the outcome of the treatment even though they asked for it. In these cases, it’s not always good to follow your client’s wishes blindly, but to consider whether the end result of treatment will suit your client, and then give them careful advice if you think the look they’ve chosen won’t benefit their appearance.
So when I started to do eyelashes on a daily basis, my main goal was not to become a ‘good lash technician’ - I wanted to become a beauty specialist who makes women the most beautiful version of themselves, a specialist who makes them feel good. I didn’t want just to place fake lashes on the natural lashes - I wanted to give my client the perfect look that will make them feel beautiful and confident. I wanted to give them lashes which will complement their face/brow shape and of course their personality!
I had some make-up experience and had a good understanding of face structure, including eyebrow shapes etc. so I started experimenting with lash styling. This was 8 years ago when the industry was just developing and there was very little information about it at all, so most of the information on styling I managed to get was through experimenting with application and analysing clients’ photographs later.
I noticed that the biggest mistake I was making was overloading the outer corner of the eye with lashes that were too long. The popular “cat eye” or “fox eye” effect unfortunately often spoiled rather than benefited the clients’ appearance. 25-30% of women have down turned eyes and another 50% have ‘regular’ eyes BUT their eyelashes at the outer corners are growing down. So placing long lashes at the corners of the eyes often drags the eyes down and makes the eyes look sad.
“When I attended my Volume training at London Lash I remember Hanna saying: We are not just doing extensions here, we make women look and feel beautiful. We are not builders - we are architects of the face. I’ve attended many training courses and this view was different to any other lash schools. The majority of lash schools were concentrating on actual technique rather than on the result of the treatment, but London Lash concentrated on both - technique and outcome. Today I’m one of the leading trainers at London Lash and styling is one of the most important topics of my course.
I would say there are 3 main styling mistakes therapists make:
Using “Cat eye” on the clients whose lashes are growing downwards at the outer corners. It drags the eye down and makes them feel sad.
Using a Dolly style and lashes which are too long/curly on the clients who have rounded or bulbous eyes - it makes eyes look even more rounded and gives them “surprised” look.
Using extensions which are too full and too dark for clients with small eyes as it makes their eyes look heavy.
“To avoid making mistakes with styling I always recommend that my students follow a few simple rules:
Always make sure you have a good consultation with the client where you can observe your client’s eyes by sitting right opposite them - your eye should be on the same level
Clearly understand which eye shape your client has, if their lashes grow upwards or downwards.
Decide on the styling and length of extensions keeping in mind the effect it will give to the client’s eyes and face - ensure it will not make their eyes look heavy, sad, surprised etc.
Decide on the density of the set - will your client feel confident and comfortable wearing these lashes? Remember sometimes less is more, and some clients will prefer a lighter set rather than a full, heavy set.
Always “map” the lashes - write the lengths/curls you are using on the eyepatches, then make sure you copy the same map into customer’s record card.
After the treatment is done - ask client if you can take a photo of her full face - this photo will be used for further analysis. Make sure you take a photo from the distance of 50-60cm from the face and zoom if needed. Taking close up picture will create the appearance of wide set of eyes and incorrect face proportions and you won’t be able to use it for revision of your styling.
Look at the photo and consider what could be done better in order to improve the look. Don’t worry if you are not happy with the look you created - it might take a few treatments to come up with the best style for the client.
If you are struggling to find the best shape for this client - feel free to drop us an Insta message at @london_lash_pro or email to info@londonlashpro.com - our trainer team will be very happy to help to choose the right look for your client!
Hanna Putjato, London Lash CEO
Director Darja Stiletskaja, London Lash trainer, Veronica Rich, London Lash trainer
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