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LVL lash enhancement with Nailbrowlash Kensington
My eyelashes are poker straight, point slightly downwards and are really fine. In short, awful. They make my eyes look piggy and hooded. Curling them with my trusty Shu Uemura eyelash curlers delivers a little lift, it doesn't last much longer than an hour before the droop sets in. I used to get my eyelashes permed which gave a little teeny lift but then four years ago I discovered the lash changing magic of LVL Lash Lift by Nouveau Lashes
What is LVL?
LVL is an approximately forty five minute treatment process that straightens your natural eyelashes at the root, which lifts up the lashes up against your eyelid. This process combined with a lash tint creates a mascara like, wide-eyed effect on your natural lashes that can last up to 10 weeks
How it works
First up, as the process uses various perming and dye type chemicals, a patch test is needed to ensure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients, this should be down approx 48 hours prior to your appointment. Do not skip this, no matter how tempting. Your tolerance can change throughout your life and formulations can be tweaked so you never fully know if you are allergic without doing a patch test close to treatment. Google hair dye allergic reaction to remind yourself that whilst a patch test is a bit of a pain, it’s a better option than the alternative.
The treatment
The treatment began with a thorough clean of my lashes to remove all makeup and ensure there was no oily residue that could prevent the solution from working on my lashes. I did wear makeup to my appointment (as it was the end of the day) so this did take some time.
A sticky shield was placed over my bottom lashes to protect them and keep them out of the way, it wasn’t uncomfortable but it is quite a strange, almost heavy sensation. I think similar is used when you have eyelash extensions?
A shield is then placed on the upper eyelid, you have a choice of how much lift you want and you will have a different shield depending on you wanting a dramatic, medium, or light lift (I went dramatic naturally!). Your lashes are then brushed up and stuck to the shield, creating the lift of the lash. Once the lashes are evenly stuck down, a perming solution is applied and then left for ten minutes. The smell of this is pretty distinctive, it’s slightly reminiscent (for me) of cat pee (must the ammonia?). A neutralising solution is then applied for ten minutes to set the shape and then a tint can be applied to darken your natural lashes.
The shields are then very gently removed and your lifted lashes are revealed. Be aware, your lashes can look a little wet or clumpy immediately after treatment but this goes quickly, it’s just the product that’s been used.
Aftercare
Don’t get your lashes wet for at least 24 hours and they recommend you don’t use a steam room or swim for a few days.
Verdict
This treatment makes a genuine and long lasting difference to my lashes. When i’ve just had it done, people tell me how different i look (more awake, brighter). It lasts me for around 10 weeks, the last week or two is a bit strange as some lashes are still lifted whilst others are growing out, this feels like a small price to pay! It’s also ideal for summer holidays as with the tint it means you can forgo daytime mascara - no panda eyes!
Would I do it again?
Hell yes!
What’s the damage?
£45.50 (usual price £85) from here
More info: Nouveau (who own the LVL system) have a fab salon finder here
Check out the results - Crappy selfy, sorry!
