I’ve been converted!

When it comes to my makeup regime, I like the focus to be on my eyes. A contoured lid and lashings of mascara, I always tend to highlight the feature that, I think, is my best. However, in recent years, after rubbing my lash line raw with makeup wipes, I’ve noticed they don’t quite have the curl and length they used to. My lashes have been looking a little sad lately, and with a growing dependency on false lashes, I began my search into a more permanent lash treatment. While extensions were my initial first choice, I didn’t like the idea of not being able to wear mascara (I’m addicted), slowly losing lashes as the weeks went by, and of course the price tag. With a full set of lashes likely to set you back around €100, I wasn’t willing to part with that much cash on what was essentially an experiment. Then I came across LVL. Standing for length, volume, lift, I was immediately enticed as these were all the things I was looking for. The treatment is compared to a perm for your eyelashes and works by using a setting serum to straighten the natural lash from the root, making them appear more curled. The treatment also includes an eyelash tint which leaves you with peepers that are good enough to forgo the mascara. Just 48 hours before my treatment, I popped into Late Night Beauty Salon in Temple Bar to get my patch test done. Making use of a banging special offer, I also booked myself in for an eyebrow shape and tint, with all three treatments coming to €59 – bargain! When I arrived, I was given some eye makeup remover to clean the area of any mascara or makeup that was around my eyes. Lying in the salon, I began to get a little nervous about how the treatment would feel while on my lashes. Would it sting? Or smell? Or make my eyes water? Placing shields on my upper lid, the beautician began combing my lashes from the root up onto the shield with the perming lotion. The sensation was very gentle and not uncomfortable at all. There was zero pain or irritation from the perming lotion, however, it was obviously not a natural position for my eyelids to be in so there was a level of twitching just due to not being used to it. The lotion was left on for, I would guess, 20 minutes before a neutraliser was applied to the roots. Following the neutraliser, my eyelashes were then tinted. All-in-all, I was laying there for a blissful hour and fifteen minutes and in that time I got my eyebrows waxed and tinted – now that’s time management. Before removing the shields, she applied a moisturising serum which loosened my lashes from the shield before it was removed. After a little bit of a clean-up, she revealed the results and when I say I was delighted, I mean DE-LIGHT-ED! My lashes looked long and curled and fanned out like the falsies I normally choose to wear. I couldn’t believe how many lashes I actually had. They were beauties, and I felt a weird sense of pride like I knew they had it in them to be that glorious all along. The beautician told me I could expect the tint to last around 10 days and for the overall lift results to last six to eight weeks. As I wasn’t allowed wear mascara for 24 hours after the treatment, I swanned into the office yesterday with not a drop on and the compliments came thick and fast. I honestly loved how natural and full they looked even without my trusty mascara wand. Today, however, I was really keen to see what these babies would look like with a lick of mascara. I won’t say I was dying to get out of bed to try it out, but when I did eventually drag my bum out of the leaba, my makeup was the first thing I wanted to do. Honestly, my lashes still looked great when I woke up. They still looked long, full and fluffy, but I couldn’t wait to see the results with mascara. On the first coat, immediately I noticed just how long they actually were. After building up the product at the root a little, I finally achieved the volume and length that I normally crave and need to rely on falsies for. Not even bothering with my usual swipe of eyeshadow and flicked liner, I left the house this morning with a lot less makeup than usual and, honestly, I felt so much better for it. To keep my lashes in good condition, the gals at the salon told me to apply argan oil to my lashline every night and to comb through them with a spooly. I also invested in some gentle eye makeup remover. I've been told time and time again just how bad makeup wipes are for my skin and now my lashes, so from now on, I'll be soaking cotton pads with a dollop of eye makeup remover before placing them on my lids for a few minutes to lift my heavy-duty mascara in a much less abrasive way. For anyone even considering getting the LVL treatment, I would say do it! I am totally converted and am so delighted with the results. And thanks to shopping around to find a decent price, it didn't hurt the bank balance too much either.   *This treatment was paid for in full by the writer and the clinic was not aware that a review was being carried out.