Amy Greenwood

OWNER

INDIVIDUAL LASH EXTENSIONSIST

My personal positive experience with Novalash extensions, coupled with friends’ negative experiences with other extensions has made me passionate about being an extensionist for Novalash. I have gotten lash extensions with Novalash for five years. The two lash types I tried prior to Novalash left me with an awful taste in my mouth. Novalash saved my interest in lash extensions. After training and being certified by Novalash, I hope to do the same for you.

IT ALL STARTED WHEN...

At a bachelorette party in Miami five years ago, my friend (the bride) had gorgeous eyelashes. They really made her glow, even when she wasn’t wearing any makeup. When asked, she explained that she had gotten individual eyelash extensions- each fake lash glued onto one of her natural lashes. Intrigued, I started research upon our return home.

After the trip, I tried to find a cheaper way to undergo eyelash extensions. They seemed expensive. I am all about spending your money efficiently and did not want to pay extra money unnecessarily. I found a nail salon that advertised individual lash extensions at a reduced price. The salon even advertised doing the professional football team’s cheerleaders’ lashes. I thought I had found the solution - beautiful lashes without the excessive time and cost.

When I went into that nail salon, they had me close my eyes, right in the main room, with everyone else who was undergoing manicures and pedicures. I sat there patiently, upright, waiting as she glued on the lashes. They cost somewhere between $50-100. Upon completion, they looked better than my normal lashes. For the money I paid, I was satisfied when I left the salon.

Regrettably, when I went to sleep that night, the lashes started to hurt my eyes. When I woke up, at least a third of the lashes had fallen off. It didn’t take long before all of them had fallen off, surely less than a week. After having had a long conversation with the bride in Miami, I knew that they were supposed to last much longer. That was when I was convinced that the cheap lashes were not the way to go.

Next, I went to a very popular and expensive salon in our area that has several locations. Reputable and expensive, I trusted I was in good hands. Unfortunately, my experience was negative there as well.

I went into the room with a lady whom I can only suppose spoke mostly Russian. She put me on a massage table, but the head of the table was slightly lower to the ground than the side where my feet laid, so I laid inverted. I don’t remember how she taped my lids, but I remember that my eyes were slightly open. I couldn’t fully close them.

The brand of lashes that they used at that salon was the brand most competitively sold besides Novalash.

Since I was laid inverted on the table with my eyes taped open, glue was getting in my eyes. It felt like chemicals getting in my eyes. It felt like burning. It hurt. Having no experience with REAL eyelash extensions (non cheap ones), I thought it was normal and that the process just hurt. No pain, no gain?

At checkout, they insisted that I buy their lash brand’s special mascara. It was over $70. I complied, remembering how my cheap and methodical attempt hadn't worked.

My eyes continued to hurt for days after their professional application.The lashes lasted longer than the ones from the nail salon, but they still irritated my eyes, even after the burning subsided. They lasted nearly two weeks. But, by that time, because of the irritation and a stye that had developed, I had given up on lashes. I decided they weren’t for me.

I had tried lashes because I thought they would be low maintenance, but my experience had been the opposite. The sad part was that I loved the way they looked on me. I looked better in the mirror. I didn’t have to do makeup to look alive. They looked better in pictures. I had an active lifestyle and played sports quite frequently. If I was going to get lashes, they would need to be practical.

Months after my surrender, I was given a hefty gift card to a very expensive salon in Baltimore City. The gift card was burning a hole in my pocket, so I looked at their service menu. Lashes were on their list of services. Clearly a masochist, I decided to try one more time.

Although I was apprehensive and guarded because of my last appointment, this time was different. The salon was beautiful and the lash stylist was nice. I kept waiting for it to hurt.

When she put me flat on a comfortable massage bed, I asked her if I was supposed to be inverted and explained my last experience. She said she wasn’t sure why anyone had done that. She told me it wasn’t supposed to hurt and my eyes should not have been opened.

Further, she explained that Novalash was the only physician developed lash brand and there was a special formula for their adhesive. Still, I kept waiting for it to hurt. It never did. I almost fell asleep. It was actually relaxing. When she said we were done, I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t felt a thing. She was nice for asking if taking the tape off from my bottom lashes hurt. It didn’t.

The application was not the only part of the experience that was different. The lashes never hurt. They weren’t heavy and uncomfortable like the other lashes I had tried. I didn’t even notice they were there.

What’s better is that they looked even better than both the prior times I had tried. And to boot, they stayed on longer. I was in love.

3 weeks later, I still had a good amount of lashes on my eyes, but they were looking thinned out. I went in for a fill. It was as easy as the full set, plus even quicker and cheaper. My love lived on.

I have gotten my lashes filled by a Novalash extensionist ever since. A few times over the years, I have let them all fall out and started over with a new set. But, for the most part, it has been convenient, easy and practical to keep getting them done.

I love Novalash and am a huge believe in them because of my experience. I am so glad that I tried lashes one more time in order to try the Novalash extensions. They completely changed the way I viewed lashes, and they helped me in ok my life. I am not able to go makeup-less without looking tired and dreary.  

My positive experience with Novalash, negative experience with other brands and my friends’ negative experiences with other lash brands inspired me to become a lash technician. Women should be able to enjoy the benefits of lash extensions without pain and with long lasting results. I want to help make that happen.

Photography by: Mike Oswald Photography