The Ultimate Guide to Lash Extensions - Part 2!

Guide to London Lash Eyelash Extensions: Choosing the Right Lashes

You’ve worked your way through the minefield that is choosing the lash range you want to use in your salon, but now comes a new challenge - which thickness do you pick? What do the curls mean? Is it safe to use all lengths on all clients? Lucky for you, we’ve waded through the minefield that is picking the best eyelash extensions, and have put together a little guide to help you, so that you can get right down to business!

Lash Thicknesses and When to Use Them

There are a lot of different thicknesses and looking at them all lined up in a collection on a website might be daunting! It’s far simpler than it seems - you’ve got lashes for Classic sets, and lashes for Volume sets. 

What are Classic Lashes?

Classic Lashes range from 0.10 up to 0.20. Those are the lashes that you’re using one at a time on the natural lashes. 

0.10 lashes are very light, they’re best used for nude looks, for clients who have very thin lashes who just want a little bit of something going on, or for those who aren’t actually allowed lashes at their job (we all love a rebel, right?)

0.12 lashes will give you a light mascara effect. They’re very flattering and very safe on all types of lashes.

0.15 lashes will give you a darker mascara effect - here’s where we start leaning towards a more dramatic effect, but still with a lovely natural finish. 

0.18 lashes are a bit more on the bold side - these are the thickest lashes you’ll be going up to for the vast majority of clients, as they’re starting to get just a little bit thicker and heavier, which means that for clients with very thin natural lashes, even these may be on the ‘too heavy’ side!

0.20 lashes are really for the clients with the thickest and strongest natural lashes. They’re quite heavy and though they bring the drama in terms of effect, for clients with thinner natural lashes, they can also bring about damage - exercise caution!

What are Flat Lashes?

These fall under classic lashes and absolutely NEED to be mentioned! Let’s say a client comes in and wants DRAMA but you look at their lashes and they’re thin and short - with flat lashes you don’t need to disappoint them! Flat lashes weigh only around half as much as their classic counterparts - a 0.20 flat lash weighs about the same as a 0.12 classic lash.

This is a game-changer, a god-send, your thin-lashed clients’ best friend! Now, instead of risking damage to appease them, or disappointing them a little bit with a much more natural look, you can make their dramatic lash dreams come true with a lovely dark flat lash, and no damage at all! The best part is that flat lashes are available from 0.10 up to 0.25, so you can create any lash look you desire, and know that your client’s lashes are safe and happy! 

What are Volume Lashes?

Volume lashes range from 0.03 up to 0.07, and which thickness you choose depends on the kind of look you’re trying to create. We’ve written a nice, in-depth guide to different volume lashes here, so be sure to check that out! 

0.07 are ideal for 2D up to 6D

0.06 are perfect for up to 8D

0.05 lashes sit comfortably between volume and mega volume lashes, so can be used up to 12D

0.04 lashes can be used for fans up to 19D

0.03 lashes can be used for fans up to a massive 35D!

Now, About Lash Curls…

Many lash curls have been created, but only a few have stood the test of time! The most common lash curls you’ll come across are C, CC, and D as they can basically be used on the vast majority of clients. 

Here’s a little look at a curl guide, just to help you visualise what we’re talking about!

J curls have a very natural appearance - they’re typically used for bottom lashes or nude looks, as - generally speaking - they are very close to the average natural lash in terms of shape. 

B curls are also very natural, again being used for bottom lashes and nude looks, but did you know that it’s very fashionable in Japan to have a full set of lashes with B curls? If a client has very curly natural lashes, B curls will be a good go-to as they can be placed on the bottom of the eyelash to give lift and volume, without touching the eyelid and annoying the client. 

C curls are where we start to get into the more common realm - they’re flattering on almost everyone and are almost always advisable in the inner corners, as they’ll give you lift without doing too much! 

CC curls are used in much the same way - if you ONLY stocked one curl, I’d recommend CC. Again, it’s flattering on everyone, it’s not so curled that it’s going to be annoying as it grows out and it’s not so flat that you don’t notice it. Try mixing C and CC across the eye for best results!

D curls are super common to find on a lash trolley, and that’s because they bring the drama. If a client has downward growing lashes, D curls are going to give them that lift they crave! Be careful with D curls - though they’re super common, if they’re placed on lashes which are naturally very curly, you run the risk of them touching the eyelid and/or brow bone as the natural lashes grow out, which is super irritating! 

M curl is pretty new, but is a game changer for those super dramatic extreme cat eye sets we’ve all come to love! Plus, because they start out flat and jut upwards, they can give those clients with downward growing lashes a nice dramatic finish too! 

L curls have been around for a long time but have slowly gained notoriety. Due to their unusual shape, it was quite common for lash technicians (especially those recently qualified) to shy away from L curls. Like M curls, though, L curls lend themselves very well to creating sharp, eye-catching looks such as extreme cat eye, and again are great for clients whose lashes grow downwards. Like M curls they begin quite flat and they suddenly lift upwards - they have slightly more curve to them than an M curl, so will give you a slightly softer look! 

The Extreme L Curl is a more enhanced version of an L curl, offering a broader and more pronounced angle. These lashes have a flat base and a remarkable 130º angle, which is still versatile to work with but significantly outshines the subtler appearance of L Curl lashes in terms of drama. If you and your clients love a glamorous and striking look with an incredible lift, then the Extreme L Curl is the perfect choice for you!

A Note About Lash Lengths

We’re sure you don’t need us to go into lots of detail about lengths - it’s how long the lashes are. But it would be remiss of us not to mention a little bit about length safety. 

The general rule of thumb is that when you attach eyelash extensions, you want to go no longer than 2mm more than the length of the natural lash. Remember though, that you don’t have to go longer than the natural lashes! The shorter the extensions, the fuller the look so don’t be afraid to opt for extensions shorter than the natural lashes! 

For spikes or for a wispy lash set, it’s perfectly fine to break this rule and have the odd extension that’s longer than your clients natural lashes by quite a bit. The most important thing is to look after your clients' lashes as a whole so that they can happily come back to you for years!