Wedding Blog
So I did something mildly crazy the other day. At least, I think it was crazy. I keep changing my mind on it. So I need your help.
Let’s start at the beginning: Getting married makes you do really weird things.
Awhile ago, I saw something I thought was pretty cool at the time, and vowed I’d try it. I might have forgotten about it if it weren’t for the fact that our wedding was fast approaching, and that it just so happens to be the perfect kind of thing to do before you go somewhere where you’ll be in the ocean or by the pool for oh, fourteen days straight.
And no, I’m not talking bikinis here.
More like makeup. Or lack thereof, rather. Because who wears makeup by the pool?
Well, blondies do, that’s who. Blondies like me, who, when they’re not wearing mascara, look like they have absolutely NO eyelashes at all.
Unless, of course… they fake it.
Ok, so maybe not quite like that.
If you can believe it, I’ve never tried wearing false eyelashes. I’ve admired them on other girls (did you know they’re not just for special occasions anymore?… I know one girl who pretty much wears them daily), but I’ve never seriously thought of trying them myself.
Which makes it even more strange that I’d go from au-natural (well ok, mascara-laden) eyelashes to…
… eyelash extensions!!!
See?!? I told you it was mildly crazy. At least, it is for me.
In case you were thinking of doing the same for your wedding, I thought I’d share my experience.
1. Go to get nails done (at Sparkle Nails in Vancouver). Remark at how lovely esthetician’s eyelashes are. She tells me they are extensions. Make mental note.
2. Six months later (and 2 before wedding) go back to try it. Lay on table. Get nervous waiting for esthetician.
3. She comes in and tells me to open my eyes wide. See something clear and plastic-looking coming straight for my eyeball. I think it’s a contact lens (flashback of laser eye surgery!) but turns out, it’s a clear bit of plastic she puts on lower lash and tells me to close my eyes. Plastic bit is clamped between my eyelids–verrrrryyy uncomfortable, even for someone who used to wear contact lenses and touch her own eyeballs all the time. I soon figure out it’s to make sure my eyelids don’t get accidentally glued together.
4. She asks if I want short, medium or long. I say probably short but she talks me into medium. I think, oh, what the heck.
5. I feel her placing the eyelashes on one by one. She has to glue each one to an existing eyelash.
6. I get bored, start asking questions. Apparently, the eyelashes come from Korea. She thinks they’re from real people. I didn’t know people harvest their eyelashes for sale… if they really aren’t synthetic (I later have doubts), then they must be genetically superior people because the lashes are long. I hope they’re not real. The thought creeps me out a bit. If I’d have known this, I’d have reconsidered. Too late now.
7. After about 20 min, she does the other eye. I vow to count the lashes this time. After 65 my mind wanders, but she finishes soon after so I’d say it was about 75 lashes per eye. Yikes.
8. I have to lay there with my eyes closed for awhile to let the glue dry. Scary.
9. I try to open my eyes; my left eye is sort of stuck closed a bit and burns. She tells me to keep them closed awhile longer. I think to myself, “Oh. My. Lord. What have I done??”
10. I open my eyes and all is fine. I go to the mirror, and I see this:
Whoa. I have eyelashes! And they’re looooong. And eyes! And they’re biiiiiiiig.
In case you’re wondering, at this salon, it costs $55 the first time you get the extensions done. They last about three weeks (as your eyelashes fall out naturally, so do the glued on lashes), at which time you can come in for a fill which costs $30. You can keep getting fills indefinitely. Prices vary though; this one charged $350 for first time extensions (!!).
Of course, I took some before and after photos so you can see the difference.
Here’s a better picture of the extensions in good lighting. This is more what they really look like:
So now I have a dilemma. Do I love them or hate them?
At first glance, they were way too much for me (hate them). When I went to bed, it was sort of cool to not have to wash mascara off my face (love them!), but then I had a mini-panic attack as I remembered that I always wear an eye-mask at night and that was surely not allowed with eyelash extensions (hate them; I did it anyway though).
In the morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see myself looking unusually doe-eyed and fresh (and dare I say… sexy?… morning breath and all?… love them!). Until I tried to wash my face, that is. I found out it is critical to avoid the eyelashes completely since if you touch or tug them, they sort of pinch (hate them).
During the day yesterday I couldn’t feel them at all, but liked how they looked when I caught a glimpse of them in the restroom mirror (loved them!). I even liked them as I walked home in the rain… no mascara-coated raccoon eyes for me! (loved them). But then came the face-washing episode again in the evening (hate them).
So eyelash extensions - yay or nay?
I guess you could say I’m undecided. I don’t want to look unnatural in all our wedding photos, but then again, the allure of not having to deal with waterproof mascara during the two weeks we’ll be in the Caribbean sounds mighty fine.
Did you wear false eyelashes for your wedding and were you happy with the result? Anyone have any eyelash extension advice?
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Share this post: Fakin’ It, Bambi-style
I think they look very pretty. It’s the sort of thing that I don’t think pops out at you so much it occurs to you that they are fake, but that if I noticed “wow, she has beautiful lashes”, and thought about it for a while, I might realize that they likely were extensions. But maybe not. I doubt it would ever occur to a guy.
they look great. yay.
i say YAY! love them!
I am in the same dilemma as you. I’m blonde with barely any eyelashes. I will be getting false eyelashes from my makeup artist for the big day.
I think the extensions look great on you though! 
Thank you for this! I am a blondie too and don’t leave the house without mascara! They look great on you, but it may come down to the day to day hassles that make it or break it… hmm… i have 10 months till my big day. I may have to consider this now!
GORGEOUS! Now i may have to try it!
I love them! My FI is in the “blondie” category. Wonder if I could get him to get some extensions? Hmmmm… (Kidding, of course!)
honestly….no i didn’t wear eyelashes to my nikkah ceremony…they wouldn’t let me. In any case, I think they look good on ya. keep em!
They look amazing. I am also getting eyelash extensions for the wedding from the girl doing my makeup.
i love ‘em! i’m thinking of doing the same, so reading about your experience is helping me try to make a decision.
Those are SO COOL!
How long do they last? Where did you get them done?
I’m not blonde but I have barely-there eye lashes. I was just going to get false eyelashes for my wedding make up but now I’m reconsidering!
Im voting for the eyelashes. They bring out those gorgeous green eyes of yours!
They look beautiful! You don’t look unnatural in the photo that shows your whole face…actually I can’t tell that you have them on. But your eyes do look really pretty in the photo, so maybe that’s the lashes talking.
Maybe you could deal with them for the time around your wedding and honeymoon, but then not do them consistently. You sound too aggravated by not being able to wash your face easily and sleep the way you like to deal with these all the time.
It always takes me a while to get used to fake eyelashes, but I think they look fantastic!
I got eyelash extensions recently because I didn’t want to deal with eye makeup on my engagement trip. I loved how they looked, but after about a week of so I was over it! I had issues with washing my face, wearing glasses/sunglasses, itching my eye, etc etc. After a couple fell out, I literally tried pulling the rest out because I could tell they were uneven. Really pretty, but for me it was just too much maintenance. Will probably just go with the eye lahses you can just glue on for the wedding. Just trying to give a different POV!
NOOOoooooo!
Fellow blondie mascara addict here! My lashes are invisible but annoyingly curly so I don’t know if extensions would work on me, but I think they look lovely on you. I probably couldn’t deal with the discomfort. As a frequent beach-goer, my weapons are waterproof mascara and big sunglasses. After a couple of days in the sun, I usually get enough of a glow that I feel sufficiently confident to go without makeup, at least when I’m on the beach. Going out to a nice dinner, though, the mascara goes right back on!
wow they’re soooo long I love them! I’ve always wanted to do this!
Why not tint your lashes? I’m a redhead with seriously invisible lashes (and eyebrows), and have gotten mine tinted several times. It lasts as long as extensions (until your lashes fall out), only cost about $15, only takes about ten minutes, and doesn’t require glue, etc. It works well for me, because I have pretty nice lashes, you just can’t see them. You’re “before” photos look good, so I think you’d like the result.
I wore fake eyelashes on my wedding day and people kept complimenting my eye makeup. So, go for it! It makes your eyes pop!
You take the best post pictures!! Let us know how you like them over the next week or two.
I’m sorry, I laughed all the way through your post! What a funny adventure! I think they look incredible, natural, and yes, sexy! You’ve inspired me to look into trying out a pair of my own….thanks!
I think they look great Miss SB!! They’ll show up so well in your pics too. Although you may feel like they’re a bit much when looking at them up close, in the pics they’ll make your eyes pop!
I had no idea one could get eyelash extensions so thank you for the play by play and for letting us know where, when and how you had them done.
I think I’ll try them too. I’m not a blondie, but I definitely missed out on the day that long eyelashes were handed out 
Can you wear mascara on them if wanted? Or can you choose thicker/darker extensions?
I love the way they look! Hey atleast you can see your eyebrows, mine are super blonde and I have to color them in everyday! I always wear fake eyelashes on special occasions and they look completely natural. But on days I dont, I like to wear Clinique’s Gentle Waterproof Mascera and I love it. It’s very gentle to your eyelashes…
I think they look great! I have the same question as Echo. Can you put mascara on them? Is there a need to? And if you do, how do you get the mascara off without removing the extension glue?
I would have tried this for our wedding. It’s funny, in our video tape you can see me whispering to my groom during the ceremony. My mother asked what I was saying and I said… “I was asking him.. am I crying mud?” lol
those are the MEDIUM ones? the long version must rap up over your eyebrows.
i think you look gorgeous. but you should try crying in them and see how it works out.
i mean WRAP, obviously. not like, drop a rhyme or anything.
siiiiiigh. proofreading.
@Mr. Mango: They wouldn’t let you?! I call discrimination!! 
@StrawberryBaby: I got them done at Sparkle Nails on Broadway in Vancouver. They last about 2-3 weeks at which point they recommend you come in for a fill.
@CatM: That is EXACTLY what I am worried about… looking weird once they start randomly falling out and looking uneven. Time will tell…
@LLKFSU: Thank you SO much for saying so! It makes all the time spent tediously taking and re-taking, editing and resizing all these photos all worth it!
@echo: @July2008Bride: Good question! So yes, I tried putting mascara on them although honestly, they don’t need mascara at all. I went to work today without ANY mascara, believe it or not. With mascara, they just look more dramatic. However, washing it off was a b*tch. I found I can’t really rub my eyes like I would normally so I had to resort to scrapping off the mascara goo with my fingernails verrrry carefully. The eyelashes were fine, but boy, it was not fun.
I’m not sure if you can choose thicker/darker extensions. I can’t see why you wouldn’t be able to just ask for extra extensions though, which would achieve the same effect.
@Priscilla P: Yeah… heh heh. I color in my eyebrows every day too! The number one BEST eyebrow pencil on the market for blondies? Clinique’s Super Fine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde. I stock up on these like it’s armaggedon.
@jaxies: I know, seriously, right? I can’t imagine what the LONG ones look like!! I am considering trying the ’short’ ones next time, just to see the difference.
I think they look great! If the maintenance is too much for you, don’t, but otherwise, I say do it!
I have red hair and also have the ‘disappearing eyelashes’ (blonde without mascara). My girlfriend says I use “industrial-strength” mascara. On the day of my wedding, I had mascara and fake lashes (the fakes were just on the outer corner of my eyes), and I liked it. (My twin sis called fowl and said I was being fake until my makeup artist offered HER some! Then she was happy! :D)
My nail tech has the most beautiful lashes, and I finally asked and she said they were extensions! They look so natural, yet beautiful, and she indicates that you just need fills to keep ‘em going . . .
I dyed my lashes once, just to see if I could dump the mascara routine–totally not worth it . . .
Let us know what you decide!
I love love love them and want them for myself. I looked in LA and Boston, though, and the prices were more like $200 than $50. Boo.
I WAS going to do it, until you told about that weird uncomfortable eye part. There are certain things I just can’t do in the name of fashion. I love how they look though. Do it do it!
Personally, I think your natural lashes are beautiful!! But I can see the appeal of the lash extensions - they’re an enhanced look…which will be beautiful for your wedding. I say, go for it, but ultimately you look gorgeous either way.
I think they look lovely! I’ve been thinking about splurging before the wedding and getting eyelash extensions done myself, so it was nice to hear a bit about what I would be getting into. It would definitely be nice to not have to worry about mascara in the Caribbean for the honeymoon (we’re looking at Costa Rica)!
I think they’re really beautiful. If you can deal with maintaining, I’d say go for it!
They look great on you, keep ‘em!
a few tips from me (the crazy firl who did pay over $300 for my first set..
my gal said NEVER use mascara on them. it can damage them, and as you mentioned its a pain to get off.
also, if you are getting them for your wedding, she said to go at least 6 weeks in advance for your first set. that way you have had a few fills, apparently they fall out more after the first (i didnt really notice that in my case, but a friend of mine swore all of hers fell out the first week)
my last warning is to check and see what glue they use. the kind my girl uses now is natural, no chemicals. she told that when she first started she was using cheeper stuff, and a woman had a terrible reaction to it. Last thing we want before a wedding is an eye infection!
just my two cents, hope this helps!
oh, and miss sea breeze, i think yours look great!
Here’s another vote for keeping your natural lashes. They’re pretty and they look real.
they look AWESOME!!! tinting works really well too!!!
I think that they’re lovely, but then again you already looked lovely. And yes, no mascara worries, but…you also have to worry about washing your face, rubbing your eyes, etc, etc. Personally, I would skip them. But whatever you decide will be good.
Love the look! When I had them, I used a cleansing milk on my face that I could apply to dry skin, and then did a lot of rinsing and applied a toner after that. The tugging/pulling on the lashes wasn’t an issue then, just had to dry my face with a little more gentle touch around the eyes.
I’ve decided not to go with the lash extensions for my wedding though. I thought the extensions were more trouble than what they were worth on a day-to-day basis because they sometimes got twisted together and I felt like I had “spider” lashes, and the dry adhesive didn’t feel great at the base of my lashes. Because I can get the same effect with getting individual false lashes applied, I’m going that route for my wedding day. My lashes are naturally long, but very blonde like yours so I get them tinted and voila, no mascara needed for the honeymoon! But I want a little more dramatic look for the wedding, hence the falsies that day.
Also, some of you might be interested in the new lash-enhancing products out there that make your natural lashes grow longer and fuller over the course of 6 weeks. A friend of mine used Revitalash, and the difference was obvious within 6 weeks. (Everyone asked her if she had gotten lash extensions.) I think a tube costs $160ish???
it’s pretty similar to your mascara-ed look, so, yeah, why not other than the straight-up photo, it doesn’t look terribly unnatural. and it has a nice featheriness that you don’t get with mascara.
WOW - what a great price!!! They are upwards of $250 everywhere by me!
They look awesome though!!
I think they look beautiful! But, can you swim with them? Or will they fall off?
Miss Sea Breeze, I live in Vancouver as well - can you tell me how much your lashes cost, and how much fills cost? I’m getting sick of wearing mascara as it all seems to be very drying, and taking eye makeup off is so frustrating at night - I think all the rubbing is giving me premature eye wrinkles!
thanks
@kate: Thanks for the tips! I never thought to ask what glue they use, I’ll have to do that next time (if there is a next time…)
@BananaPants: Revitalash, hey? I’ve never heard of it… I’ll have to look into that.
@Anon: I went to Sparkle Nails on Broadway; it was $55 for the first time and $30 for fills. The girl’s name was Linda.
I never would’ve considered these pre-wedding, but I was recently tempted, too…all sorts of weird beauty treatments now seem “worth it”, but luckily nothing too extreme yet…just some exercise & a trip to the dermatologist, etc.
LOVE it! you should def keep them for the wedding!
My husband paid for lash extensions for my b-day since I’ve had weak, thin lashes all my life. I love them, and have been getting fills for a year now. It makes a noticeable difference in pictures, and makes me feel prettier every day.
I have a great person who comes to your house and charges $60 for a fill. If you live in the Boston area, I’ll gladly give you the info.
Ladies, whatever you do not get flairs put on from cheap nails shops . They look fake and are to heavy for your natural lashes. That can cause damage overtime if worn to long. Flairs
are ok if worn no longer than a week . If you want that most natural and safe lash extensions you have to get the real kind. Ask
for tech from lavish lashes, xtreme. nova for appts. These lashes last 60 days and you will need two refill appts in between.
[...] add it to my list of Things I’ll Only Do Once For My Wedding (like eyelash extensions - that turned out to be a disaster… I’ll have to do that update [...]
Hello, My name is Jennifer Fitzpatrick and I am a certified Novalash technician. I have been doing lash extensions since 2006 and have ironed out all the uncomfortable parts of this procedure. Most of my clients fall asleep during the process because they are so comfortable. When they wake up they have beautiful lashes. I wear them too and I love them. If you want someone who is kind, gentle and an expert at applying lash extensions visit my website at http://www. DClashqueen.com Thanks! See you soon!
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Mrs. Sea Breeze, Vancouver/Dominican Republic
Age in 2008 and Occupation: 30, Communications Manager
Fiance's Age in 2008 and Occupation: 29, Experiential Marketing Director
Engagement Date: October 6, 2007
Wedding Date: November, 2008
Blogging Since: July 17, 2008
Venue: Majestic Colonial Resort, Punta Cana
About Me: Planning a destination wedding by the sea should be (oh no she di-in't…) a breeze (…*sigh* yep, she did) but when you've never been to the Caribbean, your powers of imagination are really put to the test. Luckily, I'm 90% resourceful, creative optimist (and kooky, neurotic practicalist-if-that's-a-word for the other ten). Other than writing about our week-long celebration of family, friends, laughter and love, I adore books, shoes and… you guessed it… long walks on the beach.
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