Lash of Luxury™ is a full service eyelash boutique where clients feel like they are truly in the lap of luxury as they receive full, beautiful lashes that make them look younger and more glamorous than they ever imagined. Lash of Luxury offers Xtreme Lashes™ semi-permanent eyelash extensions, as well as, eyelash perming and eyelash and eyebrow tinting.

The specialty of Lash of Luxury is eyelash extensions. Each extension is adhered to one of your eyelashes. Because of this individual lash application method, the extensions look and feel like your own lashes…only better! Imagine waking up each morning already looking your best. Think of the amount of time you will save when you are no longer a slave to your mascara and eyelash curler!

Lash of Luxury owner, Heather Horton Schlef, started in the industry in the late 80s working as a makeup artist for Merle Norman Cosmetics while in High School and College. Though she went on to accomplish a full corporate career, Heather’s love for the industry has never lessened and she is thrilled to fulfill her dreams by opening Lash of Luxury.

Heather hand selects the Lash of Luxury stylists to ensure a consistent standard of service and skill is provided for all clients. Each stylist must complete a Lash of Luxury training program, even after receiving an Xtreme Lashes™ certification.

What You Should Know About Semi-Permanent Lash Extensions

A new fashion trend is growing in the U.S., semi-permanent eyelash extensions. Lash of Luxury is one of the first in the DFW Metroplex to offer this new treatment. Wearers can have long, beautiful, yet natural looking eyelashes 24 hours a day, seven days a week without the hassles of mascara. Eyelash extensions are being worn by A-list stars like Anika Noni Rose, Rap Star Trina, Angela Bassett, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Star Jones, Paris Hilton, Gwen Stefani, Lucy Liu, Naomi Campbell and Liz Hurley.

Experts at Xtreme Lashes™ explain that unlike the old fake eyelash strips which were applied to the eyelid, the new semi-permanent eyelash extensions are applied directly to the individual eyelashes. Eyelash extensions have a natural look and feel. They provide length and thickness to a person’s natural eyelashes.

Eyelash extensions are considered semi-permanent because they can remain in place for the natural cycle of the eyelash itself. A person’s natural eyelash typically falls out every 60 to 90 days and is naturally replaced with the growth of a new eyelash. Because of this natural cycle, it is usually necessary to get touch-ups to fill in every two to four weeks. The application of a full set of eyelash extensions typically takes between one and two hours, depending on the skill level of the technician and how many extensions are desired. The application procedure is painless. Clients recline comfortably with their eyes closed during the entire procedure. Most clients go to sleep during the procedure. Xtreme Lashes™ feel weightless and provide a beautiful, lush appearance.

The eyelash extensions are water resistant. Wearers may swim, exercise and shower worry free. Eyelash extensions do not require a lifestyle change for active people. Eyelash extensions are great for special occasions or for everyday wear.

Other Eyelash Enhancement Options

Mascaras
Often thought of as the most convenient and user friendly of options to enhance eyelashes, mascaras do have some downfalls:

• Overuse of mascara can cause dryness which in turn can lead to the possibility of lashes falling out.
• Some mascara formulations have ingredients that may cause allergic reactions.
• Wearing mascara is not always a practical option such as while swimming or going to the gym.
• Many types of mascara are difficult to remove and create black smudges below the lower lash line. Removing mascara can damage the delicate skin under the eye because the process often requires rubbing or swiping to remove the product completely.
• If mascara is not completely and thoroughly removed along the lash line the remaining remnants can clog the hair follicles and prevent future lash growth.
• Visually, the effect is often not as dramatic as clients are hoping for with mascara. It’s important to note that the models used in mascara promotional campaigns are all wearing false lashes, a look which no mascara alone can replicate.

Mechanical Curlers
Curling your eyelashes is typically one of the quickest ways to get instant uplift. These popular devices raise several concerns worth noting:

• Skin can easily get caught in the clamping device, causing pain, pinching or tugging on the eyelid.
• The use of mechanical eyelash curlers can damage the lashes, potentially leaving them broken or distorted.
• Repeated breakage caused by the use of mechanical curlers can actually permanently stunt the growth of lashes.

False Strip Lashes
Traditional false lashes are made up of numerous human or synthetic eyelashes attached together in one pre-made strip. A full set is placed (via a special adhesive applied to the strip of false eyelashes) against your upper lash line on the skin, as close as possible to your actual lashes, but not on your real lashes (which, indeed, is as tricky to do as it sounds).

Readily available and often used by makeup artists for their dramatic effect, there are many disadvantages associated with the wearing of strip lashes:

• Visually, false lash strips tend to look, well… false. They are often glaringly phony and stiff in appearance, proclaiming to all that that the wearer’s lashes are, quite obviously, not real.
• The temporary adhesive used can come loose due to perspiration from heat, exercising, dancing or doing any strenuous activity, creating a potentially embarrassing situation.
• The weight of an entire strip of lashes added to the eye can feel heavy and weary the lid.
• False lash adhesive, which is attached directly to the skin, is difficult to remove and can irritate the eye and tear ducts during both application and removal.
• Contact lens wearers should avoid strip lashes as the temporary adhesive used will destroy their lenses should it come in contact with them at any time.
• Because the adhesive is applied to the skin, there is the possibility of an allergic reaction and an increased risk of infection.
• If used frequently strip lashes can cause irreparable damage to the natural lashes and cause them to fall out prematurely.
• Long-term use can lead to permanent lash baldness caused by hair follicle blockage or even infections.
• Clients should never sleep in false eyelashes as there is a danger that the glands in your eyelids may become blocked and cause an infection.
• Because they cannot be worn while sleeping, false lashes must be removed and reapplied each day.
• Removing false eyelashes must be done very carefully. Natural lashes can be pulled out by the root along with the false strip during removal. Repeatedly pulling the same lashes out by the root can eventually prevent their re-growth permanently.

Flares or Lash Clusters
Cluster lashes, or flares, typically consist of groups of 5-8 blunt-end lashes knotted together in a bunch. These clusters add instant fullness because of their multi-lash flare and they tend to be smaller and shorter than strips. They can be applied either directly to the skin (between natural lashes) or on top of a grouping of existing lashes. They are more natural in appearance than strips however they do carry many of the same concerns (the same skin adhesives are used when attaching to the eyelid) as well as a few additional ones:

• If you look closely you can see how flares and individual (see below) lashes are not tapered but are blunt at the end. This creates a stiff, abnormal appearance to the lashes.
• Lash clusters that are adhered to the natural lashes need to be placed on top of several natural lashes at once because their large size and weight cannot be supported by a single lash.
• Natural lashes grow at different rates. When they are glued together to support flares and left in place for a period of time, the flares will cause faster growing natural lashes to prematurely pull out slower growing lashes from the root because they are adhered together. This can result in permanent damage and lash baldness if done repeatedly.
• If flares are attached to the skin, the adhesives can damage the follicle, irritate the eye and increase the risk of infections.
• When applied to the skin, cluster eyelashes will last no more than a week at most.