I’m a little obsessed with my eyelashes and rarely leave the house without mascara. Lash extensions are not for me because I’ve heard horror stories of them breaking and weakening your natural lashes. So, when I discovered I could give myself a lash lift, I started researching at-home kits. I bought one that was well-reviewed and put the treatment to the test. Here’s my step-by-step guide to giving yourself a lash lift along with some tips and tricks I picked up along the way. And, let me tell you, it’s a game-changer!
Before & After
This is a before and after photo of my lash lift and brow lamination. I love the way both treatments came out. If you’re interested, I’ve also created a step-by-step guide on how to laminate your brows.
The lash lift made a huge difference. Before you couldn’t even appreciate how long my eyelashes were thanks to lash growth serums. The lift made my eyelashes look even longer and my eyes more open and youthful.
Expectations
Just a quick note to manage expectations: Do not expect a lash lift to look like lash extensions.
Jump to the section that interests you most:
The Basics
A lash lift makes eyelashes look naturally fuller and more defined. It can cut down on the need for makeup or, for some, eliminate it altogether. The treatment starts with a chemical that breaks down the bonds in your eyelashes, making them easy to manipulate and shape. Then they’re “fixed” into shape.
| The Basics | Lash Lift |
|---|---|
| What Is It | A Lash Lift is like a perm for your eyelashes, giving them a semi-permanent lift and curl. Lashes will look like they’ve been pinched with an eyelash curler. |
| Why Do It | — For longer, more voluminous-looking eyelashes. — Makes eyes appear bigger and more open. — Can improve the appearance of mature eyes. |
| Who Can Benefit | — Luckily, everyone can benefit from a lash lift, including people with short lashes. — Those with longer lashes will see more dramatic results. — Anyone who wants low maintenance, natural look looking lashes…but better. — People with light-colored eyelashes, especially when done in combination with a lash tint. |
| Who Is Not A Candidate | – Anyone with lashes less than 4mm (0.15 inches) long. There’s simply not enough lash length to work with. – Those with a history of eye allergies, chronic dry or watery eyes, eye infections, styes, or sensitive eyes. |
| How Long Does It Last | A lash lift lasts about 4 to 8 weeks, depending on how quickly your lashes grow. Basically, until your lashes naturally fall out and are replaced with new growth. |
| Cost/Savings | A professional lash lift, depending on where you live and if you include a lash tint, can cost $100-$175! |
The Kit
I chose the Ayasal Lash Lift kit because it’s highly rated and reviewers said they got good results. It has a 4.2-star rating from over 10,000 reviewers on Amazon. While the kit is called Lash Lift, it works just as well for brow lamination and the process is the same.
Other items you may need that are not included in the kit:
The Ayasal Lash Lift kit contains everything you need to give yourself a lash lift at home. The items not included that I used were: nitrile gloves, cotton rounds, plastic wrap, and precision pointed-tip cotton swabs. For your convenience, I’ve included links to these items below.
How To Give Yourself A Lash Lift
Do a patch test per the instructions before giving yourself a lash lift. If doing this treatment on yourself at home makes you nervous or you’re worried about side effects, please go to a licensed professional.
If you love the look of long lashes, you’re going to love the lash lift. A less expensive and less damaging alternative to lash extensions, a lash lift creates a more natural look without the upkeep.
Including prep time, a lash lift will take about an hour because you can only work on one eye at a time. Once you know how to do it, the process goes more quickly.
Plan Ahead
- If you regularly wear waterproof mascara, stop using it for at least three days before doing your lash lift. The residue it leaves behind can prevent lashes from lifting.
- Use a water-based mascara and makeup remover before and after your lash lift. It’s gentler on your eyelashes.
- Plan to do your lash lift when you can go at least 24 hours without wearing making or getting your lashes wet. That includes no moisturizer, eye cream or serums, sweating, saunas, steam rooms, or tanning.
- Make sure you have everything you need, such as gloves, brow scissors, etc. See my list above.
Prep
- Cleanse your face to remove all makeup, moisturizer and oils from your eyelashes. When you moisturize your face afterward (because you should always moisturize), do not get any lotions or potions on your lashes.
- Put on latex or nitrile gloves before handling the treatment chemicals.
- I chose to set the treatment bottles out in the order I needed to use them along with the application tools and readied several pieces of plastic wrap, each about two inches wide. You can use kitchen plastic wrap if you don’t have or buy cosmetic plastic wrap.
- TIP: If you’re using kitchen plastic wrap, cut the long strip into thirds. One long strip is too hard to work with.
NOTE: More is not always better. Do not leave the chemicals on longer than instructed, especially not the first time. If your results don’t last at least four weeks or you have stubborn lashes that didn’t lift and the health of your eyelashes was not compromised by the treatment, you can try leaving the perm and fixative lotions on a couple of minutes longer the next time.
Step-by-Step Guide
I followed the instructions included with the Ayasal Lash Lift kit and made a few minor adjustments based on the many reviews I read and my own experience. To make my guide easier to follow, I’ve broken it down into four parts, which must be done in order: 1. Protect, 2. Perm, 3. Fix, and 4. Nourish.
Perform the lash lift treatment on one eye at a time. It goes without saying, but do not get any of the perm or fixation lotions in your eyes. If you do, it will sting, but you will not go blind.
NOTE: I highly recommend you read through all of the steps before you begin and not as you’re lifting your lashes for the first time. There may be tips and tricks you want to know about before you start.
Part 1 ~ Protect
1. The instructions say to apply the protective under-eye pads but I found them uncomfortable. Instead, I applied Aquaphor as a barrier cream under my eyes.
2. Use the Cleanser (#4) with a cotton round to gently remove any residual makeup, moisturizer, dirt, or oils you may have missed.
3. Choose a self-adhesive curl pad that best fits your upper eyelid. Position the pad as close to the lash line as possible. Then carefully apply the barrier cream around your eyes and eyelids, taking care not to get any on your lashes. I used pointed-tip cotton swabs to apply the barrier cream for more control.
TIPS:
- The smaller the curl pad, the more curl you’ll get.
- A couple of reviewers suggested curling your eyelashes with a lash curler beforehand. This didn’t work well for me because my lashes kept getting in the way while trying to position the silicone pad. You can try it and see if it works for you.
4. Apply False Lashes Glue to the curl pad and wait about 30 seconds for it to become tacky. Your lashes won’t stick while the glue is wet.
5. Use the comb tip of the small Y-tool to gently guide your eyelashes onto the curl pad.
Don’t stress if all your lashes aren’t sticking. I found there were other ways and ample time to get them up there, just keep reading. Some reviewers said they applied additional glue, but I did not.
Part 2 ~ Perm
6. Carefully apply the Perm lotion (#1) to your lashes with one of the enclosed micropore brushes. Completely cover your eyelashes getting as close to the root as possible without getting the perm lotion in your eyes. If you get any perm lotion on your lid line or skin, remove it with a pointed cotton swab.
7. Cover your lashes with regular or cosmetic plastic wrap so it holds your lashes against the curl pad. Set a timer for 10-12 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, carefully remove the plastic wrap and use a mascara wand spoolie or the comb on the Y-tool to make sure the perm lotion is covering all of your lashes.
- Cover again with plastic wrap for another 5 minutes. Remember, no more than 10-12 minutes total.
- Remove the plastic wrap and gently remove the perm lotion. The instructions say to use a micropore brush but I used pointed-tip cotton swabs. No need to waste a micropore brush for this.
Part 3 ~ Fixation
8. Apply the Fixation lotion (#2) with a micropore brush. Completely cover your eyelashes getting as close to the root as possible without getting the fixation lotion in your eyes. If you get any on your lid line or skin, remove it with a pointed cotton swab.
Then comb your lashes perfectly into place. Make sure none of your lashes are clumped together because the fixation lotion is going to “fix” them permanently into place (at least until they grow out).
- Carefully cover your eyelashes with a clean piece of plastic wrap without it moving your lashes. This can be a bit of a challenge, but I discovered a trick, see below.
- Set a timer for 10-12 minutes before trying my trick. Or set the timer for 5 minutes because you may want to separate and comb your eyelashes into place again midway through this step.
TRICK: I discovered I could carefully realign any lashes that moved out of place through the plastic wrap with the pointed end of the long Y-tool.
- After 5 minutes, check to see if any of your eyelashes need to be better placed or separated. If so, slowly remove the plastic wrap and use a spoolie, lash comb or the pick on the long Y-tool to separate your lashes and comb them perfectly into place again. This is your last chance to get them perfect.
- Cover again with a clean piece of plastic wrap for another 5 minutes. If the plastic wrap is messing up your lash placement but all your lashes are stuck to the curl pad exactly where you want them, don’t worry about putting the plastic wrap back on.
- If you still need it to tame any straight lashes that are sticking out, put the plastic wrap on again or gently hold the eyelash in place against the curl pad. Do not press down though, you will end up with a bend or kink in your eyelash.
9. Use pointed cotton swabs to remove the fixative lotion. Then use a micropore brush with Cleanser (#4) to gently remove any remaining product from you eyelashes and remove the curl pad.
Part 4 ~ Nourish
10. Lastly, apply the Nutrition lotion (#3) with a micropore brush to nourish your eyelashes — don’t ask me why bottle #3 comes after #4.
Use one of the enclosed spoolies to evenly distribute the nutrition lotion through your eyelashes and brush your lashes into place.
Tada! You’re done…with one eye.
Now do the same thing on the other eye.
I promise the process will go faster!
Lash Lift Aftercare
- Do not get your lashes wet for 24 to 48 hours. That means no makeup, moisturizer, eye cream or serums, sweating, saunas, steam rooms, or tanning. And try not to sleep on your face
- Avoid touching your lashes or rubbing your eyes, which can alter the curl. Use a spoolie daily to keep your lashes separated and fluffy.
- Keep lashes hydrated and encourage new growth by nourishing them at least 2-3 times a week with a lash serum, such RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum. An all-natural alternative is castor oil or coconut oil.
- I recommend putting a drop of oil on the back of a clean hand, touching the spoolie to the oil, and applying it to your lashes. This will keep the oil in the bottle free of bacteria and enable you to control how much oil is on the brush so it doesn’t drip into your eyes.
- To extend the life of your lash lift, wear water-based eye makeup and mascara. Makeup removers and cleansers can weaken the effects of your lash lift and affect its longevity. If you like to use a makeup remover, use one that is oil-free, like Neutrogena’s Gentle Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover.
- If you’ve got light-colored eyelashes, you might want to consider getting a lash tint a few days after doing your lash lift. Darkening the lashes will really make the look longer and fuller. You don’t realize how many blond and baby lashes you don’t see.
I hope this helps you get the same great results I did. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at AskBronna@gmail.com.
All items are in stock (unless noted otherwise) at time of publication.
[…] wake up looking like my eyelashes have been pinched with a lash curler. Check out My Step-by-Step Guide To Giving Yourself a Lash Lift and see my before and after […]
[…] This is a before and after of my brow lamination and lash lift. I love the way both treatments came out. If you’re interested in doing a lash lift, I also created a step-by-step guide to giving yourself a lash lift. […]