Eyelash extensions
It is said that a geisha can stop a man in his tracks with a single glance. Actually, we’re not sure if that really is said, or who’s been saying it, we just nicked the quote from Memoirs of a Geisha – which admittedly is a very bad film. In any case, wielding a set of lashes so lustrous you can get man-people to trip over each other when having a male-hating moment could prove fun. We decided to give it a try by getting some lash extensions and headed on over to Sisters Beauty Lounge, who have recently launched Balayage – the pre-coloured eyelash extensions from Lash Perfect.
The colours on offer are blue, violet, purple, green, blonde and dark brown and prices start from Dhs50 for 20 lashes to be incorporated amongst your own. Now, we weren’t brave enough to go for the coloured variety, and were actually curious to see how natural-looking the standard ones were, so we signed up for that.
A full set of eyelash extensions will normally use 70-100 pieces of synthetic hair. Half a set, or what they refer to at Sisters as a semi-full set, uses 50 pieces. Amy, who was our eyelash technician for the day, advised that if we wanted to go for a natural look, this was the better choice. She then asked whether we wanted just the top lid done or top and bottom. We sought her advice again and were informed that people often only get the bottom lashes done for special occasions because they’re harder to manage. With no special occasions on the horizon and a lifestyle too hectic to faff over misbehaving eye-lashes, we opted for a top set only.
The treatment step by step:
First Amy gave us a thorough eye-makeup cleanse and stuck eye-patches under our eyes to protect the bottom lashes from the curious looking black glue she’d be using. Then came out the synthetic lashes, which looked a bit like your sink drain in the morning after the man’s finally shaved off his two-week beard growth. No matter, we were confident they would look prettier on us. Amy rationed out five portions of these lashes, which were all of varying lengths and thickness. Then with the expert use of two tweezers she went about the task of painstakingly gluing each hair between our own lashes.
This turned out not to be as invasive or irritating as we’d imagined. And the only thing we could feel was a slight itching sensation, though this could very well have been due to the fact that we knew we couldn’t touch our eyes, which is exactly why they were itching to be rubbed (and thus all things in life boil down to the forbidden fruit story). Exasperatingly, this lasted the entirety of one hour and 47 minutes. We were bursting for the toilet by the end of it.
Once done, Amy went through our lashes with a fine tooth comb and her tweezers, separating any that had stuck together with glue, to ensure there were no clumps. And then it was time to open our eyes. We had to do a retake of this part because our left eyelids were feeling a little stuck together initially, so Amy had to get back in there with her tweezers and sort out the problem.
Pros:
Amy was very professional, commanding skill and a meticulous eye for detail as she worked with a quick hand and unyielding patience. The fruits of her toils were fantastic. The false eyelashes were incredibly natural looking and very flattering. Even with a half set of extensions, there is such a dramatic difference in lash length and volume, that it’s a wonder why anyone would go for a full set.
Cons:
Though Amy was fast working, the treatment is a long and laborious process that can take up to two and a half hours for a full set. By the time we’d gotten through our first hour the cheesy hotel-lobby muzak was driving us a bit mad and fidgety. Additionally, you will be advised to refrain from applying mascara and washing your face for 24 hours after the treatment. You will also have to avoid any steam baths (or similar treatments) for two days.
The verdict:
We’re confident that we can stop an elephant in its tracks if we wanted to, but the men in our office beg to differ. What do they know?
A full set of eyelash extensions at Sister Beauty Lounge costs Dhs600, and half a set Dhs425. Open Sat-Thu 9am-10pm; Fri noon-9pm. Khalifah Bin Shakhbout Street, Al Bateen (02 222 2502)
