Is The Lash Extensions Era Over? We Asked Experts

In 2018, I worked a media job with a barely-getting-by salary, and I was offered a set of free lash extensions. With no clue what to expect, I waltzed my broke butt into New York City’s Envious Lashes, where its founder, Clementina Richardson, gave me a rundown. She walked me through the styles—cat-eye, volume, bombshell—and briefed me on the process. It took a while to get used to a fuller set of lashes, but once my eyes adjusted, I was obsessed.

From that point, I received a few more complimentary services at Richardson’s salon. Still, I eventually took it upon myself to start paying for my lash extensions, despite my income. To me, lash extensions were that good. I frequented my fair share of fancy salons and hole-in-the-walls, and I shopped Groupon deals for fuller lashes. For months, I experimented with different shapes (cat eye was my go-to) and lengths (I did go too long once, and it felt like Mr. Snuffleupagus). I was a lash extension girl for upwards of two years, and the service quickly became one of my non-negotiables, up there with my monthly manicure, pedicure, and Brazilian wax. 

The Rise of Lash Extensions

I wasn’t alone in the phenomenon. At work, many of my colleagues dabbled in lash extensions, with Richardson’s Envious Lashes being a hot spot for many of New York City’s beauty editors. In my personal life, my best girlfriends got their lashes filled like clockwork. Even my mother-in-law, a fabulous woman over 50, loved the way the service made her look and feel more polished.

However, despite the spike in lash extension popularity in recent years, experts like Richardson and Dionne Phillips, founder of D’Lashes Lash and Wellness Spa in Beverly Hills, have been at it for a minute. “I’ve been doing lash extensions since the early ’90s and have lashed some of the biggest names in Hollywood,” Phillips says. “I pioneered the lash extensions look by cutting up strip lashes to create a bespoke style.” Now, tons of professional adhesives and natural-looking hairs get the job done—no cutting and chopping up strips involved.

Phillips, who currently works with clients including Christina Aguilera, Viola Davis, Christina Milian, Sandra Oh, says there was an undeniable increase in demand for lash extensions from celebrity and non-celebrity clients. However, Phillips also recognizes the pandemic as a pivotal moment in the current state of the service.

How the Pandemic Shifted Things

I reevaluated my commitment to lash extensions at the start of the pandemic. Like many people, I turned to doing almost my entire beauty routine at home (brows, nails, you name it) for my safety, yes, but also for affordability.

According to Phillips, the fact that lash extensions were deemed non-essential altered her in-salon client presence. “Clients were concerned for their safety, so that created some limitations,” she says, adding that on the one hand, while clients stayed away from salons, their desire to have full lashes didn’t go away. “I did a lot of Zoom calls and saw a lot of success with my e-commerce business at that time.”

However, now that we’re living in a post-COVID world, the effect of these pandemic-era changes still stands in the lash category. The at-home lash aisle has developed tremendously from the single-strip lashes that once dominated, with consumers embracing the DIY extensions look as a major driver. 

Brands like Lashify, Kiss, and Ardell have all launched products to make achieving a lash extension look at home much easier and more affordable. In 2019, Flutterhabit launched at-home extensions for clients who don’t have time to spend taped down in a lash chair. “We’ve got meetings, errands, and maybe a toddler glued to our leg,” Flutterhabit’s director of marketing, Kate Soueid, says of their consumer. “Our at-home lash extensions deliver the salon look without the salon chaos.”

I, for one, can say that once I mastered systems like Kiss’s Falscara (which uses a bonding glue and sealing agent to adhere lashes underneath the lash line), going back to paying hundreds of dollars for lash extensions was no longer an option for me. Celebrity makeup artist Renny Vasquez, an ambassador for Kiss, says that he’s witnessed this shift amongst his clients. “I remember when clients were wearing the high-end, pricey lash extensions,” he says. “But what I love about the at-home trend for consumers and artists alike is that you get a seamless look that is easy to apply.” Kiss’ imPRESS Self-Adhesive Lash Clusters is a more recent launch from the brand, and a product I’ve been obsessed with. It uses a self-heating adhesive to stick teeny clusters under your lash.

Koni Bennet, a professional hairstylist and salon owner based in Stroudsburg, PA, is also one of my best friends, who was committed to lash extensions for a few years before stepping away and turning to at-home clusters. “I initially loved how lash extensions kept me looking put together, and I’d get refills every three to four weeks,” Bennet says of her practice.

However, after a few instances with glue irritating her eyes, Bennet decided to stop getting extensions altogether. The alternative? Lash clusters. “Clusters work out perfectly for me because I only use them when I need them, they last a few days, and then they’re easy to remove, and I feel like they’re much more gentle on my natural lash,” Bennet says. “It’s also so much cheaper.” My mother-in-law, also a once-regular lash extensions client, has now opted for temporary options like Falscara on special occasions. “Covid did it for me. I didn’t see the need to spend money on lashes since I wasn’t going out much,” she tells me. “Falscara is easy to use when I need it.” 

In the past few years, we’ve seen an uptick in glueless options, too, making enhancing your lashes even more foolproof. Flutterhabit recently launched a self-adhesive lash that pops right onto your natural lash. “This collection was born from customers asking for fast, glue-free lashes they could wear for a day or two,” Soueid says. “Every launch is shaped by what our community wants.”

The Current State of the Industry

It isn’t quite fair to rule professional lash extensions out completely. While many people are choosing to DIY parts of their beauty routine, there’s still a large community that prefers to outsource. This is evident in the fact that experts such as Richardson and Phillips (and all over the country) are still booked and busy, running active businesses on both coasts. 

“Lashes aren’t a one-size-fits-all feature, and people getting lash extensions by a licensed professional usually understand this,” Richardson says. “I’m an artist, and people come to me for a look that is unique to them versus a standard look that is sold in mass.”

Beyond achieving a super customized look, Phillips adds that many of her clients don’t want the hassle of figuring out at-home extensions. “These clients would rather leave things to the professionals,” she says. “They don’t want to have to fight on their own for an elevated look, just like they wouldn’t try to DIY the perfect blonde highlights.” 

Mik Haddad, senior manager at a tech company (and one of my best friends), has taken periodic breaks from lash extensions, but keeps going back to her professional service. “I’d rather sit down for an hour and not have to worry about lashes again until they start to shed around the three-week mark,” she says. Loren Childress, founder and CEO of Content Queen Marketing Agency, has been getting lash extensions for almost ten years now, and says, “I like that I don’t have to wear eyeshadow or liner because my eyes already give drama,” Childress says. “I build it into my budget consistently.”

Today’s Lash Extension Trends

Today’s lash trends—be it in a box at the drugstore or at the hands of a lash technician—speak to the shift in the category as a whole. According to Phillips, her returning clients are seeking the “ghost lash,” which is a barely there option. Richardson says her client base has shifted from “bombshell volume clusters” and generally prefers a softer look. In the at-home subsection, we’re seeing brands double down on wispy, fluttery lashes, further proving that a softer style is desired across the board. Still, that doesn’t mean the bombshell volume girl doesn’t exist, and women like Childress are the perfect example. 

In a world where everything is a trend cycle, we could go back and forth all day about what’s in and what’s not, but the reality is that when it comes to lashes (and everything else, fwiw), you can and should do as you please. Phillips put it plainly: “The choice is yours, do what you’re most comfortable with,” a sentiment with which we couldn’t agree more.

As more people consider venturing into lash extensions, whether through DIY kits or in-salon visits, it’s crucial to be cautious about who and what you let near your lashes. The sad reality is that the lash extensions industry is highly unregulated, and according to Richardson and Phillips, anyone could technically get a “certificate” and market themselves as a lash artist. “In New York State, you have to be a licensed aesthetician, cosmetologist, or registered nurse to apply lash extensions legally,” Richardson says. “Anyone can take a course, but a license should be the minimum requirement for safety.”