May 3, 2019
Well, well, well. Here it is guys! Our first blog post! (You can’t tell but we are doing a happy little dance over here). There are SO many topics to discuss surrounding professional lash extensions. Both artists and clients alike are curious little kittens, so we decided to give everyone some answers! First thing is first: here at Lash Tripp, we aren’t stingy: we aren’t stingy with the lengths we will go to bring amazing quality products to the market and we aren’t stingy with educating everyone who has a burning question. We find the lash industry way to Hush Hush for our liking, and that has to stop. Like, now. So, we are going to start simple, with basic entries (because lets be honest, we can’t get to the hard-hitting stuff right out of the gate, right?) that answer some common questions.
So, what’s the first topic of discussion then? Here it goes: Premade Fans. We chose this topic because while we scour the interwebs and lash forums on social media, it’s the two words that come up most often (well, other than retention and no-show clients ). It seems everyone is moving toward using or at least trying premade fans. Now, I can literally FEEL seasoned artists rolling their eyes and cringing through the computer screen as I write this. But, we are here to assure you that newbs and vets alike are using these things and here’s why: First, it cuts down on application time and we all know that time is money in this business. Second, premade fans FEEL a ton lighter on the clients eyes and they like that! Who wouldn’t?? So, instead of blundering on about why premade fans are the bees knees, we decided to play devil’s advocate and address all the reasons why people say premade fans are for lazy losers.
- “You’re not a real lash artist if you can’t create your own fans.” – Okay, this one really grinds our gears. We know TONS of seasoned artists who can make fans in their sleep who choose premades because they’re fast and consistent. They have mastered application and feel no shame in using them. Our goal in this industry is to find ways to make our lives easier without compromising quality sets, and premades can help you do that. We still totally dig artists who are making their own fans and create STUNNING volume sets, don’t get us wrong, but the premade shaming stops here.
- “Retention with premades is awful.” – Again…wrong. Is there an art to applying a premade fan? Yup! Just like there is an art to creating a fan or a bridge or mastering direction, or the ever dreaded curly-q lashes. We actually find premade retention to be wonderful when applied properly and because they feel lighter weight to the client, they fuss with their eyes less, and voila….better retention.
- “Premades are too expensive. You’re killing your profit margin by using them.” – Okay, we will admit premades are more expensive than buying a tray of volume lashes and making your own fans. But the work has been done for you! If you’re a new artist and it takes two minutes to create and attach EACH fan, you’re losing your ever loving mind every day on top of it taking 4-5 hours to finish a set. Hmmmm…. And we wonder why artists are dropping like flies in this industry. They’re burnt out, frustrated, and broke. All because they feel they have something to prove by not using premades. So you may spend more on premades, but if they allow you to finish a set in two hours, and get more clients in that day, we think that’s a win. So use your premades queen, and keep practicing your fan making on the side until you’re lightening fast! There is also the option of buying loose fans as opposed to XL trays of fans. They’re less expensive, usually hold more fans per box, and are much more compact and easy to store if you’re in a tight space.
- “You can’t customize a set with premades.” – Why yes, yes you can. You have premade options from 2D-20D (we don’t recommend 20D, as our stance is that that is never healthy for the natural lash, but they ARE available to you) in multiple lengths and curls. So you get to be creative! Mix lengths, curls and dimensions to create exactly what you have envisioned in your mind and exactly what your client’s natural lash can handle.
- “You don’t get a dark enough lash line with premades.” – If you’re looking for a dark lash line, you probably want to try different length stems until you find one that gives you the aesthetic you’re looking for. Premades come in short, medium, long and sharp/pointy stems. Also, throwing in some short fans (aka 6mm or similar) can help you achieve a dark lash line whether you’re using premades or making your own fans. You can mix and match to create exactly what you want! So order some mixed trays and start getting creative.
- “Premades look too uniform. Unless I’m doing Russian Volume, I want them to be more wispy.” – Again, alternating lengths and curls will make your top line less uniform. But, we have the answer for you. CAMELLIA FANS. For some odd reason Camellia lashes and Camellia premades are the most underused lash in the industry and we just don’t understand why. Camellia (sometimes called ROSE lashes or fans) have staggered lengths in each fan which creates the most amazingly beautiful and fluffy top line EVER. Clients LOVE them. You should really try them…we dare you!
So, in conclusion we give premades 5 stars. Test out some brands (we are partial to our premades as the quality and performance is exemplary), get a mix of styles, dimensions, lengths and stems and get creative!!! Stay tuned for our videos coming on our YouTube channel and IG demonstrating how some of our ambassadors apply their premade fans for killer retention. Lash Tripp is set to launch in Junly 2021 and we can’t wait for you to see what we have up our sleeves. Oh, wait, that’s just that eye pad we couldn’t find :)
