Collection: Lash extensions

Lash extensions are matched to your client's natural lash - its thickness, growth direction and the distance between the brow and the lash line. Below I describe the rules I follow when choosing lash parameters for every set. For my own sets I use the Essential Collection exclusively - the collection that lets me fully customize lash design.

The rule I start from: the thinnest diameter you can possibly apply. I aim for 0.03 - my favorite diameter. If picking up 0.03 is still difficult for you, 0.05 is a safe choice and just as light on the natural lash.

The exception is clients with a very thick natural lash. A lash like that tends to shift in different directions and needs weighing down - that's when I reach for 0.07, even on medium volume, because only then does the set sit evenly. I keep 0.10 for thicker natural lashes, light volume and the classic 1:1 method.

The Essential Collection was designed around five lash curls, because without them customization doesn't exist. With one client I sometimes use all five!

J - the flattest one. It works when your client wants an eyeliner effect that darkens the lash line, without a visibly noticeable extension.

B - perfect for natural sets. In other brands, the B curl is almost completely flat and simply disappears once the eye opens, which frustrates clients. Our B is lifted just enough to look flirty and elegant - it stays visible after the eye opens, even though the set remains natural.

C - in our lashes this is the perfect middle ground and the most universal choice. Not too flat, not too curled, it suits practically every client. If you don't know what to choose, choose C.

CC - the in-between option. It lifts a dropping outer corner and downward-growing lashes, but without the curled-in effect of D.

D - we designed it to be strongly and stably curled, American style - it looks like a rolled circle. I reach for it to lift dropping natural lashes.

I choose length considering the height of the brow relative to the lash line - this is the parameter that modifies the entire effect. The same 20 mm can look natural on a client with high-set brows and overwhelming on a client whose brows sit low. Eye shape matters, but it's the brow-to-lash distance that decides whether a set looks light or heavy.

Many instructors teach working on 0.07 only. Yes, you'll be able to work with it in every method, but it will have nothing to do with customization. Clients love the effects that 0.03 and 0.05 diameters give!

Lash consumption depends on the method:

• large volume - around 4 strips
• medium volume - around 3 strips
• light volume - around 2 strips
• classic 1:1 - 1 strip

Retention isn't a question of the glue, but of how much of it there is and how much surface it touches. Lashes made with Porosiboost™ technology behave like high-porosity hair: the surface is rough and absorbs more glue, which increases the strength of the bond with the natural lash. The technology also supports polymerization and reduces the risk of stickies.

High lash porosity is what changed the most in how I control my working time. For years I didn't understand why an application on one client went fast and smoothly, and on another - slowly and exhaustingly. After testing most of the lashes available on the market, it turned out the cause was the lashes themselves, not the artist's skill. I also stopped looking for the "perfect glue", because on a high-porosity surface every glue holds far better.

Check how the glue behaves on the lash. If it runs off and takes a long time to grab, application gets longer and retention drops - not because of the glue, but because of a surface it can't cling to.

Look at how a set with a B curl looks. Most lash extension brands offer a B curl so flat that it stops being visible once the eye opens. A good B stays visible without losing its natural look.

Pay attention to how light the effect is. A long taper gives the clean & airy effect and is what separates wispy sets from clumpy ones. A short-tapered fiber will always look heavier and more artificial on your client's eye.

C curl and 0.05 thickness. C is the most universal and works on almost every client, whether you do large or light volume.

D if you want a strong lift, or CC when the effect should be visible but without the curl-in. Both lift a dropping outer corner and downward-growing lashes.

No - retention depends on the contact surface and the amount of glue, not on lash diameter. A high-porosity fiber absorbs glue well enough that thin diameters hold just as long.

The Essential Collection is a perfect fit. Its fiber has a long taper - this gives the clean & airy effect and was designed specifically for wispy sets.