Both eyelash extensions and eyebrow embroidery, which includes techniques like powdery brows and eyebrow microblading, are becoming more and more advanced. They make a huge difference to your everyday look; you can jump out of bed half ready to go! If you’re trying to decide on the best salons for semi-permanent makeup or eyelash extensions in Singapore, read on for our reviewers’ personal experiences, and find out why these amazing treatments are so well worth doing!
The Lash Company
The Full Classic Eyelash Extensions in Singapore ($118; first trial $98)
I’d never had eyelash extensions before as I thought it would be a hassle to maintain them, so I stuck with using lash-building mascara. However, I was impressed with how they looked on friends. So I was keen for the opportunity to finally give them a try – and how I wish I’d done it sooner!
My experience at The Lash Company was seamless from start to finish. I felt relaxed and in good hands. Understanding that I wanted a natural look, stylist Leah suggested The Full Classic eyelash extensions. These add length and curl, without being too dramatic.
Eyelash strands are added to your natural eyelashes one by one, filling in any gaps and creating a fuller, bolder appearance. I was a bit nervous that applying them would be uncomfortable or irritate my eyes, as I’ve had bad experiences with trying to glue on false eyelashes; but my stylist was extremely gentle and I hardly felt a thing. The soothing eye mask and calming music lulled me into a lovely doze, and at the end of the treatment I couldn’t believe that two hours had passed.
I was really pleased with the result, and am loving not having to wear mascara. The extensions should last for three to five weeks. They are surprisingly low-maintenance – I just use the brushes supplied in the after-care kit to clean and primp them, and I avoid using oil- or cream-based cleansers. I’m definitely a converted fan of eyelash extensions and will be heading back for the recommended refills in two to three weeks’ time.
– Juliet Keys
• Holland Village | 27B Lorong Liput | 9144 0377
• Katong | 101 East Coast Road | 9113 7675
thelashco.sg
Jo Artysan – The Eyebrow Specialist
Artysan Signature Brows (from $890)
My short, sparse eyebrows seemed to be falling out as I grew older. I’d always held back from having them done, as I didn’t want them looking tattooed like some I had seen from my mum’s era.
While having coffee with a friend, I asked her the secret to her full and fluffy brows. I was amazed to hear she’d had eyebrow embroidery at Jo Artysan – they looked so natural! After another friend of mine also recommended Jo Artysan, I took the plunge and booked a consultation.
On the day of the appointment, my artist first prepped me on what to expect during the next two and a half hours. Then she crafted a brow design that was unique to my asymmetrical facial shape, using professional tools for the “golden ratio”. I was thankful for her patience in finding out what I preferred.
After we had agreed on the shape, she led me to a cosy and comfortable treatment room. While the numbing cream took effect, we chose the brow colour that would best suit my skin. During the treatment, I could hear light scratching against my skin, but I didn’t feel a thing. I must have fallen asleep, because she had to wake me at the end. When I saw my brows, I was so pleased that I almost cried.
There was no swelling or redness. By the second day, my brows had turned darker, as expected. The scabs started peeling by the sixth day, my brows became lighter by the ninth day, and the whole recovery process was a breeze.
Like my friends, I am very happy with my brows and have had plenty of compliments. Jo Artysan has a very warm, professional team who provide honest and transparent advice on what they can do for you. I sincerely feel that they are providing a service from the heart.
– Michelle Oliverio
#02-44 to #02-48 TripleOne Somerset, 111 Somerset Road
8889 2880 | joartysan.com
Skin Pple
Korean Classic Lash 2D Volume ($108) and Eyebrow Embroidery ($950)
Since the age of 18, I’ve almost never left the house without eye-makeup – mascara at the very least. That’s how self-conscious I’ve always been about my short, blonde and sparse lashes. My eyebrows are no better.
So I was extremely keen to undergo not only eyelash extensions in Singapore at Skin Pple’s swish salon in Ngee Ann City, but also eyebrow embroidery.
Skin Pple is a low-lit, upmarket salon with a lovely ambience and a super-efficient team. Hardly had I signed the check-in form than Sasa was taking “before” photos while lash expert Shirley and brow guru Olivia assessed their respective challenges.
From a menu of eyelash extension options, I chose the Korean Classic Lash 2D Volume – “for an everyday look with added oomph”.
While I dozed off under a cosy blanket to a soporific soundtrack, Shirley’s delicate fingers wrought their magic in around an hour. Adding just two additional lashes to each one of mine, the Classic Lash feels silky soft and looks amazingly natural. Next time, if I’m in a more dramatic sort of mood, I might go for the Korean Beauty Lash, either 3D or 4D.
To prepare me for eyebrow embroidery, Olivia applied an effective numbing cream that had to sit on my brows for 20 minutes. After some discussion and a bit of skilful measuring, she then pencilled in the shape she thought would best suit me – including slightly raising the left brow to create a more balanced look. A few minutes and a few tweaks later, we were both satisfied with the design.
Eyebrow embroidery is in fact a form of tattooing, using a tiny, triple needle. All I felt was a light scratching that was completely bearable. For me, the entire process took less than 90 minutes, though I’d been warned to set aside two to three hours.
Olivia had chosen a colour to suit my fair complexion. Though my brows look dark right now, two days after treatment, I know they’ll be a couple of shades lighter after they’ve healed and peeled. I can’t wait to see the final result.
Meanwhile, with lush lashes opening up my eyes and striking brows framing them, I’m enjoying waking up each morning ready to face the world. Not to mention the bliss of skipping the nightly drudge of mascara removal.
– Verne Maree
Eyebrows and Eyelashes – Trends
Eyelashes and eyebrows are having a major moment on centre stage – and they aren’t about to exit left anytime soon. I think the reason lush lashes and full eyebrows are so attractive is that they signal health. Only a vibrant, well-nutrified body will go to the trouble of maintaining a full, thick head of hair – let alone brows and lashes to frame, protect and beautify the eyes.
As with most aspects of fashion and beauty, brow trends have cycled and been recycled through the decades. Today’s dramatically full, defined and manicured brows were also popular in the 40s and 50s – think Elizabeth Taylor, Vivienne Leigh – but that hasn’t always been the case. They were thin and rounded in the 20s, understated Twiggy-style in the 1960s, and again thin and plucked in the 1970s and 1990s.
In fact, the natural brows of some of my friends and family have never really recovered from overzealous plucking in the name of fashion. New tattooing techniques like eyebrow embroidery which includes eyebrow microblading and powdery brows have been a godsend for them – and for anyone who has lost brow-hair to thyroid issues or simply getting older. Plus, of course, for people like me whose natural eyebrows are so short, fine and blonde as to be literally invisible.
Flutter-worthy Eyelashes
The lash-enhancement trend is difficult to ignore – especially for genetically dispossessed unfortunates such as yours truly. Sadly, only the rare few are blessed with eyelashes long enough to look great with mascara alone. For the rest of us, mascara – even today’s improved lash-building and telescopic formulas – doesn’t really cut it.
From long, wispy, ingenuous lashes that could almost be natural, to those ultra-dramatic fan-like sweeps, eyelash extensions instantly add glamour and an undeniable wow-factor. Yes, top-quality extensions are not inexpensive, and maintaining them takes time and commitment. The same goes for achieving stunning eyebrows, though perhaps to a lesser extent.
– Verne Maree
An eyelash serum to try!
Long Lashes Eyelash Enhancer by Cangro, $89
If you’re not sure about having eyelash extensions but want to thicken your own ones up a bit read on. This Australian-made product is vegan, cruelty-, hormone- and paraben-free. The tube looks like a mascara but when opened it has a fine brush on the end, which you use to “paint” a line along the top of your lashes where they meet the upper eyelid. Peptides, antioxidants and grape seed extracts help to moisturise, condition and strengthen the lashes at the roots.
I hate having things inside or close to my eyeballs! This product, however, didn’t run into my eyes or sting at all. Before you apply any other products or makeup around it, it has to be left to dry, which for me took only 10 minutes or so. (I used a folding fan in the bathroom to speed up the process.)
I used this eyelash serum daily for six weeks, and almost immediately noticed I had less lashes dropping. While I didn’t notice a lot of lengthening, it seemed to “fill in the gaps” so my uneven lashes looked thicker. Hydroxipropyl Guar, a plant-based ingredient, helps to separate, define and slightly coat the lashes. So when I put mascara on, my lashes definitely looked longer. As your eyes are such a focus at the moment above a mask, that is a bonus!
– Danielle Rossetti
We hope you found this story on eyelash extensions, lash lifts and eyebrow embroidery interesting. Click here if you’d like information on hair salons in Singapore.
