With the rising popularity of lash extensions, there is an increase of lash artists popping up on the scene. But how can you tell whether the lash artist you are looking at is good or not? Here are some signs of bad lashes that you can watch out for when looking at artists work.

1. Direction

When you look at someone's eyelash extensions, the lashes should all be pointing up and away from the face. If lashes are twisting and tangled with each other than chances are the extensions are too heavy for the natural lash. It could also mean that you or your friend forgot to brush out the lashes after a hard night, but if the lashes are always turned in different directions then it's time to find a new artist.

2. Thickness

Eyelash extensions are meant to make your lashes look thick and full, but the thickness of the extension should never be more than 2x the thickness of the natural lash. The most common thickness of lash is called .15 (point one five) for classic or 1-to-1 lash application, and .07 (point zero seven) for volume lash application. It takes three .07 lashes to make up one .15 lash. As you can see in the picture above, not only are the lashes all stuck together, but you can see how small her natural lashes are and that the extensions are WAY too thick. The previous artist that this client went to obviously used too much adhesive as well, let's dive deeper into adhesive use.

3. Adhesive Use

This is probably the most common problem I see when receiving a client from another artist. Personally, I've never seen a set that was this bad. You can see in the photo below that the previous artist applied pre-made cluster lashes, which are designed for use with temporary glue, to the client's natural lashes using lash adhesive or hair glue! You will also notice that the adhesive is seeping up the fan of the cluster and that there is a really shiny finish on the base of the lash line. Both are indicators of too much adhesive being used. Too much adhesive can lead to stuck together painful lashes, creating the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, and permanent damage due to premature lash shedding. 

4. Length

At Lash Affair Academy, we teach our students to only go 3mm longer than the natural lash length to keep the clients lashes healthy. You can see in the photo below that this client has the same length of extensions throughout her lash line. So even her baby lashes in the inner corners are trying to hold the same length as her longest length lash. Now, does that sounds sustainable??? Not to me! Make sure to look in the mirror after your sets to see if your extensions are more than 3mm longer than your natural lashes. If they are, ask to go shorter, or find a new artist. If your artist is unsure of how to measure the lashes, recommend this nifty tool!

5. Isolation

Proper isolation is right up there with proper adhesive use as far as importance to natural lash health. As you can see in the photos above, this client's previous artist committed ALL of the lash crimes we've listed on this blog post. You can see by that black chunk of stuck together extensions, that the isolation on this set is non-existent. If an extension is stuck to the one, next to it, or in this case stuck to multiple, they will start to pull and cause discomfort. This happens because the lashes grow at all different rates, so as a more mature lash is growing, it can pull on the smaller lash next to it. If the tension is high enough, it can pull that little guy out and damage the follicle, which causes your natural lash to grow back thinner. This lash abuse overtime will cause those natural lashes not to grow at all. Your lash extensions should never feel painful, itchy, or bothersome.

6. Poor Styling