My LashDip Experience at Noir Lash Lounge

Ever wish you could wake up with pretty lashes sans mascara? The hot new treatment LashDip promises just that. Described as “the modern woman’s answer to mascara,” LashDip uses a 100% hypoallergenic, blacker-than-black gel substance to coat each individual lash and sculpt it into place. It won’t damage your natural lashes, and its toxin and preservative-free formula is gentle enough for contact lens wearers. When dried, LashDip can last up to 6 weeks. The result: weeks on end of beautiful curled lashes without smudges, clumps, flakes or fussing.

Featured in the May 2011 issue of Vogue, LashDip is available at a small but growing list of US salons; in Canada, it’s only available at 3 places. Luckily for Vancouverites though, 2 of those 3 places happen to be Noir Lash Lounge’s Yaletown and South Granville locations. (Noir’s owner Joyce Poon is the only one certified to do LashDip in all of western Canada.)

Noir Lash Lounge owner Joyce Poon

Last Saturday, I visited Noir for my very own LashDip experience. (First timers, take note: Don’t wear mascara or any sort of eye makeup to your appointment. And if you wear hard contacts, bring a case and some solution so you can take them out.) After getting settled in, Joyce applied soothing gel pads to my undereye area and instructed me to keep my eyes closed at all times. She set to work curling my lashes with a heated curler. She then applied 4 or 5 coats of LashDip, drying each coat with cold air. You can do as many as 6 coats, she explained, but it depends on whether your lashes can handle that many without being weighed down. Lastly, a waterproof sealant was applied.

The entire process took about an hour. At the end of it, my lashes looked amazing. They had lift, curl and length and I was more doe-eyed than ever.

Joyce sent me on my way with a sheet of care instructions, oil-free eye makeup remover and a box of pointed cotton swabs. “No crying for the first 24 hours,” I scoffed as I read the instructions. “You seriously have to tell people that?” “Oh you’d be surprised,” she said. “Girls call me all the time the day after their appointments, telling me they got into fights with their boyfriends and ruined their lashes.”

Ironically, I ended up committing that exact no-no 10 hours later when I got into an argument with the boy and teared up. The next day, my lashes had straightened slightly, and the spectacular lift and curl gave way to a more natural look. They looked like my lashes normally did after I curled them and applied mascara. According to online reviews and Joyce, the spectacular effect should’ve stayed for at least 2.5 weeks if I hadn’t cried. But even if you commit a LashDip faux pas like I did, the worst case scenario is that you have a natural, pretty look and fuss-free mascara’d lashes for days on end. It makes my minimal morning makeup routine go even faster, that’s for sure.

At $125 for upper lashes, $45 for lower lashes, and $45 for a refresh appointment 2-3 weeks down the line, LashDip is definitely a splurge. Get it if:

• You have an upcoming vacation and you don’t want swimming or sweating to ruin your makeup.
• You don’t like fussing with mascara.
• You’ve tried lash extensions or false eyelashes and you don’t like how they feel.
• You want something that’ll work for your lower lashes.

On the other hand, you should skip it if:

• You’re looking for the drama and wow factor that extensions or falsies give you.
• You’re a bride who’s considering LashDip as an alternative to extensions. Extensions are more dramatic and tend to photograph better.

Thanks to Noir Lash Lounge for the chance to try this cutting edge beauty treatment! For more information or to book your own LashDip appointment, visit Noir’s website.