One of my favorite features is my eyelashes. They are naturally really long and all I need is a swipe of mascara and I’m good to go. I’ve been using Tarte mascara (most recently the Tarteist type!)and I continually get asked if my eyelashes are real or fake. With faux lashes on the rise, I’ve been curious to try them out but I’m hesitant to take the plunge because it’s a pretty expensive habit to keep up if I fall in love.

After a couple glasses of prosecco, I found myself going through my junk emails and wound up purchasing a Groupon to get my eyelashes lifted and tinted. In a situation entirely unlike anything I would ever find myself in, I didn’t read about what that meant at all and I purchased the Groupon there on the spot without even Googling the salon I was going to. Risky.

Anyways, here’s my rundown on the whole sitch.

prep tips

• Don’t wear eye makeup to your appointment, they need a clean slate to work with.
• Come prepared with tip money. Standard tip is around 20%.
• Get ready for a lot of quiet time to yourself. The whole procedure took around an hour and you have to have your eyes shut the entire time. My salon had music playing, but it’s not like you’ll be able to scroll your phone or watch tv.
• Don’t make plans for directly afterwards. Thank goodness I did it on the weekend with plenty of time. When it was all said and done, my eye area looked a little irritated from having my eyes shut for so long and from scrubbing small patches of dye off. Not stellar looking.

the actual procedure

• The first step is the lift process. I’ve never had a perm before, but that’s basically what it is. They perm your lashes so that they curve upward in the same way you make them go when you use an eyelash curler, except clearly this effect will last 4-6 weeks since it is a chemical procedure. It smells like they’re using Nair on your lashes and I will probably never do it again. I am fine with the curvature of my lashes and I feel like the lift process caused some breakage at the tips of my lashes so that they wound up being shorter at the end of the procedure.
• My eyes watered a little bit throughout the process because I would twitch when the technician would go to touch my face. Your lower lashes are also somewhat taped down to stay out of the way, so it’s a very weird feeling.
• I chose not to get my lower lashes tinted. I never put mascara on my lower lashes, so it didn’t make sense to tint them and the technician said that she would try if I wanted it, but that it is difficult due to how short they are and close to the face.
• The tinting process takes 15-20 minutes. Your eyes are still closed and The tint is painted onto your lashes, but it doesn’t necessarily cover all angles of each lash.

the salon

• I went to Primp 817 salon in Easton for my lashes. I had never been there before, but I enjoyed my experience! Here’s some facts on the salon if you’re in the area and want to go:
• They only do lashes on two days of the week and you should definitely set an appointment.
• It’s on-street parking and the entrance is on the side, not the front (I obviously got lost lol)
• You should tip just like you would for other salon services, just a reminder!
• It was clean, modern, and the technician walked me through the whole thing and was super nice.
• They offer tons of other services and I would highly recommend trying your first lift and tint here because the technician did a fab job and it was a really great experience.

my thoughts

• I would not get my lashes lifted again because the breakage of the tips of my lashes made me nervous.
• Tinting is best for people that are looking for a subtle effect and are not used to volumized or thickened lashes. While I love the tint on its own, I wear mascara to add thickness to my lashes which tinting does not do, so it hasn’t really saved me any time.
• If you’re looking for something low maintenance, than this is definitely for you. Being able to roll out of bed and not have to deal with eye makeup is super luxurious.
• If you’re going on a long vacation, I would definitely do this first to prep.
• This is only good for people with blonde/really light colored lashes. My lashes are strawberry blonde, so you can’t really see them. The tinting made them black so that they would be visible all the time. Clearly if you already have brown/black lashes, this would not be a worthwhile appointment for you.
• The whole process cost me $64 including the tip. Typically, the procedure itself is $98 and then you have to tip 20% on top. While it would be something I would absolutely splurge for in the summer, it’s probably not going to be a daily routine for me. I love the results, I just don’t think I can justify the price point at this point in time.