Lash Extension Kits: Build or Buy?

Create-A-Kit or Curated Kit: A Guide to Finding the Best Lash Extension Kit for You

Starting out as a Lash Tech seems simple enough on the surface; get some lashes, a decent lash extension glue, and off you go! In reality though it’s a little more complicated, and while the list of tools and products isn’t overly long when it comes to what you need as a bare minimum, there are various options available for almost everything you do need or might want for your lash extensions kit. So, is it best to go for a kit that’s been put together by us, or should you go by what fellow Lash Techs have recommended to you? 

Starting with the Bare Minimum…

As a minimum, when you start lashing and putting together a lash extension kit, you will need the following:

Lash extensions 

The type of eyelash extensions you choose will largely come down to personal preference, but we always recommend beginning with a mixed-length tray of the thickness you feel comfortable working with, the in most universally flattering curls. Something like 0.15 for Classic lashes in C or CC curl, or 0.07 for volume will see you right. 

Lash Glue 

There is an element of personal preference here, but it largely comes down to your room conditions and experience level. Take a look at this blog post for tips on finding the best glue for you, because it varies from Lash Tech to Lash Tech. 

Very simply though, Satin Bond is a great choice for beginners as it has a nice gradual 2-second drying time, and Lady Bond has been the go-to glue for Lash Techs of all levels since the very beginning of London Lash. 

Lash Tweezers 

You guessed it – personal preference. There are lots of shapes available, and our genuine advice is not to overthink it. Back in the day, you’d attend a lash extensions course, and you’d be given two pairs of straight tweezers – one for isolation and one for picking – that you’d use on the day of your course and in your career beyond that. You can grab two of the same shape by all means, but it’s well worth getting two different shapes as then you can swap hands and just get a better idea of which shape suits you best. 

You’re likely to find that, as you progress through your career, you’ll have a different pair of tweezers for isolation, Classic lash extensions, Volume lashes, separating stickies, and even removal. It’s not unusual for a Lash Tech to have 5 or 6 pairs of tweezers, but when you first start out, choose two pairs and see how you get on. Maybe grab a third pair as a backup, or in case you really don’t get on with one of the shapes you chose initially.

Tape or Eyepatches

You’ll need to protect the bottom lashes while you’re working, and it’s kind of up to you whether you pick tape or eyepatches. We do recommend that you have some tape on hand either way as it comes in handy for other things that will help you work, so if you don’t feel that eyepatches are something that you can skip to begin with, feel free to just opt for some tape. 

If we may advocate for eyepatches for a moment though, they really do have their benefits:

• More comfortable for your clients than tape alone as they won’t pull on the lashes, and they keep the under-eye area more hydrated.
• Cover more surface area to help you to isolate more accurately, which in turn helps to prevent stickies. 
• Provide a really nice surface for you to draw out your lash map.
• Have an anti-stick surface so if an extension does get stuck to the eyepatch, you’ll have an easier time getting it off again than you do with some tapes.

If you’re looking for something in the middle of the two, Microfoam Tape is a good option – it’s wider than regular tape, nice and thick, and it’s super cost-effective too.

Lash Prep Products 

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that cleaning the lashes before treatment is a waste of time. If you want the lashes you worked hard on to last a long time, you need to prep the lashes properly. While we talk a lot about our 5-step routine, it’s not always ideal if you’re on a budget. We’d recommend Protein Remover and Cleansing Pads, Lash Cleanser, and Lash Primer as a solid 3-step routine – this is the routine we’ve recommended since the very beginning, and our Protein Pads and unscented Cleanser and Primer are actually the lash prep we’ve had in our collection since the very beginning of London Lash (before we were even called London Lash!). 

If even that feels like too much, you can simply use Lash Shampoo, just make sure you get to the lash roots by using a cleansing brush, and that you rinse thoroughly so that there is no leftover residue.

Create-A-Kit

You might not know exactly which products you like, but you do know your budget for lash extension supplies. There’s a lot to be said for building your own lash extension kit based on your own preferences or on recommendations from other Lash Techs, but there are some drawbacks. 

As you’ll have doubtless picked up on by now, so much of the specific products that you use will come down to your own preference. What it can also come down to though is room temperature, humidity levels, hand size, your client’s eye shape, which lashes you’re using, your lash placement speed etc., etc., etc. 

All of that is to say that just because one lash glue is the best lash glue your friend has ever used, doesn’t mean it will be a good fit for you. What we’re really saying is that while you should absolutely take word-of-mouth recommendations, try to take them for brands and advice rather than for specific products until you’ve looked into whether they will work for you specifically. If not, have a look at something similar from the same collection – pop a message over to our Customer Service team if you have any questions, they’re more than happy to help you with product advice or give you that little bit of reassurance you might need.

Curated Kit

We can’t speak for other lash brands, of course, but we’re really proud to be a lash supplier that was founded by a Lash Technician, and has grown to be a company full of other passionate Lash Techs and enthusiasts. Everyone in our product development team is either a working Lash Technician, or they were only a couple of years ago before putting that aside to focus on creating products to make other Lash Techs’ lives easier. The long and short of it is that we get where you’re coming from with any lashing struggles, and we get what you need because we’ve been there too. 

We have a few different options available when it comes to kits (do we need to say ‘personal preference’ again?) so that you can get a better idea of what you need and what you like, and you can do it all with fewer clicks, less guesswork, and save some money too, because by opting for a curated kit, you’re saving money compared to adding all of those products to the basket one by one.

If you’ve never bought lash extension supplies before, a curated kit really is the best option, so it just comes down to the type of kit you would like (so for Classic lashes, or for Volume lash extensions – we do have a combined kit if you’re offering Hybrid lashes or just want to sample everything) and how many products you ultimately want to try out.

If there are a lot of things you'd like to try out, it's worth noting them down and waiting for those Black Friday deals to go into effect, so that you can really make the most out of the deals and give your business a boost without breaking the bank!

Whichever path you choose when it comes to your lash extension kit, so many of the choices you make when it comes to your lash extension supplies will be down to what suits you best. You will almost certainly find at least a couple of products that you will buy and use time and time again during your career, and you will have things that will change as the years pass by – that’s really the beauty of having so many options, even if the choice can be overwhelming in the first instance!