It’s Not the Length, It’s What You Do With Them! Why Eyelash Extensions Aren’t Always About Making the Lashes Longer.
Eyelash extensions – length is kind of implied by the name alone if we consider that, by and large, hair extensions or acrylic nail extensions are more about adding length, but in actual fact, eyelash extensions are also about adding density, playing with texture and shape, and even being creative with color. Sure, a lot of clients come to us asking for long wispy lash extensions, and we get it! Sometimes though, length simply isn’t necessary or isn’t going to actually give clients that jaw-dropping look that they’re hoping for. Let’s take a look at some of the times that opting for short lash extensions is going to be an absolute win for you and your clients!
Long Natural Lashes
Some clients already have very long natural lashes, and if we tried to add extra length to those, we'd end up making them look quite strange, and potentially causing damage due to the excess weight of the extensions.
Long natural lashes can either be ignored in favor of adding extensions for density of a particular lash mapping style, or they can be incorporated into the lash set to add to the look of wispy lashes.
Density
Shorter volume lashes create density, which is what clients often want. If you think about the nature of a typical volume fan, you’ve got some density near the base, which opens up towards the top of the fan. By virtue of having less length, there is simply less space between the tip of each lash in a shorter fan.
Of course, with longer fans, you can create narrow fans to add density, but the trouble with narrow fans is that they don’t cover gaps, so if your client has sparse natural lashes, you’re really exacerbating those gaps by using longer fans.
Adding Length to Sparse Lashes
Let’s say your client has sparse lashes but wants length anyway – this is likely to be something that you hear a lot, so it’s good to have a game plan when you need one.
The key is to work with the layers of the lashes. On the bottom layer, use shorter lengths to cover gaps and create density in the lash line; by shorter lengths, we mean 10mm tops.
It’s up to you here how wide your fans are on the middle and top layers. If you want wispy lashes, you can use very narrow or closed fans on the top layer, and wider fans on the middle layer to further close gaps while adding length. When you go up a layer, go up by 1mm (add an extra 1mm for spikes to get lots of texture) to keep that density closer to the eye line, and texture on top.
An easy way to add both texture and density in a lash set without too much forethought or consideration for anything other than getting lashes applied is to use Easy Fan Lashes. They have a mixture of lengths on each strip, so naturally create a more textured top line, and due to the way that they fan (which you can read all about in this blog post), they have a natural density at their base.
Styling
Some lash mapping styles really benefit from the use of short lash extensions, such as eyeliner effects, or the newer Arrow Lashes Style, which we’ve detailed in this post. Short lash extensions work well in these lash mapping styles, both for the fact that they add density, but also because they make the payoff of those longer flicks in the outer corners even sweeter.
Safety
Shorter lashes are safer lashes. The longer the extensions that you use, the heavier they are. You could be using lovely fine lashes to create perfectly safe fans, but extra length adds extra weight, and for clients with weaker natural lashes, you might be adding pressure to those lashes, which will lead to damage in the long run.
If they’re still dead set on length, use finer lashes and smaller fans to accommodate their wishes, but make them aware that they may not have the density they were envisioning. If you'd like a little guidance, you can find out more about creating safe volume eyelash extensions in this blog post.
Client Wishes
Not everyonewants super long lashes. Be sure to discuss what your client actually wants from their lash set during their consultation to ensure you are giving them the lashes of their dreams. If they have very long natural lashes, you don’t even have to match that length with extensions. If they’re looking for density, don’t be afraid to use shorter extensions to create that.
All in all, the length of the lashes that you use comes down to what so many things come down to with eyelash extensions – safety, client wishes, and your own creativity. One last thing we should mention is that short lash extensions can be a little bit trickier to fan if you haven’t used them before, so you may need to adapt your fanning method or put in some extra practice before you start working on clients with short lash extensions.
