Beauty columnist Kerry Harvey looks at the pros and cons of her experience with LVL - the new eyelash curling treatment.

Image: Nouveau Lashes

In my job as a makeup artist I hear about all the wonderful beauty treatments girls are trying out (and some boys too) especially with my bridal clients, so I use this as an excuse to go out and about and test some of these treatments out.

It’s great to be able to relate and share my own experience with clients who may potentially be thinking of having such treatments done for their big day or otherwise so when I heard about a lash enhancing treatment called LVL, naturally I had to book an appointment!

LVL is a lash curling treatment to achieve a fuller, more eye-opening lash line without the addition of false lashes.  Fabulous for any girl that hates wearing mascara, hasn’t the time to be popping makeup on every day, or the bride who’d like a fuller more eye-opening lash line without the heaviness of false lashes.

So what are LVL lashes?

Created by Nouveau Lashes, this is an enhancing perming treatment whereby your natural lashes are straightened at the root, creating the appearance of longer, thicker uplifted lashes. A lash tint is then applied which creates a mascara-style effect.  Your lashes will look perfect from the moment you get up without the additional of mascara and can last anywhere from 6-8 weeks!

Pros

♥ A comfortable treatment to have done.

♥ Only 40 minutes and you have fuller lengthened lashes for up to 8 weeks!

♥ I have to say I would highly recommend this treatment to anyone with short straight lashes and would like an uplift effect without hassle.

♥ No need for mascara – the tint adds the illusion of length to normally natural transparent lash tips.

♥ Ideal for the girl that doesn’t wear makeup.

♥ Ideal for the honeymooner or holiday maker as you’ll no longer have that ‘black panda-eyed effect’ which mascara can leave when mixed with sun, sea and SPF.

Cons

♥ If you already have long full lashes, this will lift your lashes up, and back and you’ll feel them hitting the socket area of skin, especially if you have a hooded eye ie, the socket area with deep set eyes which the majority of Irish people have.

♥ Wearing mascara if the lashes are longer means ‘maintenance’!  You will have to check for black dots from the lash tips hitting the warmth of your socket area and rubbing off little mascara deposits which ruin your eye-makeup.

♥ If you love to add lashes for special occasions, LVL straightens the lashes and then lifts them from the roots so popping false strip lashes on top, is a nightmare and do not sit right.  Trying to navigate individual lashes in through the LVL set, again another nightmare.

All in all, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my own experience! Week one, my eyes felt very dry after the treatment – I am however very sensitive hence having some eye drops on hand will sort this small issue out! I also have long curved lashes naturally, and I love wearing mascara.

I didn’t, however, wear any mascara for a full 2 weeks bar one evening out, and the lashes looked full and pretty perfect every day without any need for mascara!  I’ve never gone without mascara when out and about, so oddly, this was such a freeing experience!

On that one evening where I wore mascara, I did feel it a real pain to have to fix my eyeshadow for black dots appearing on my socket area, which really bugged me simply as I’m used to popping on a makeup, setting it and never having to touch it again for the rest of the evening once I’m out the door!

So for the first 3 weeks, I literally wasn’t too enamoured with the treatment, bar when I went without mascara, but once my lashes started to relax, I can safely say I loved the look from week 3 to 6. Even now, they still look bright and full every morning. If I had shorter lashes, then I can honestly say I’d have loved every minute of having uplifted lashes and can honestly say I think I will get the full 8 weeks out of mine!

LVL lashes cost approximately €50.  If you’d like to see more images click here to go straight to their site for more information! If you’ve any beauty enquiries, feel free to drop me a line on info@kerryharvey.ie or follow me on Facebook or Snapchat (scan below code) for daily beauty tips and information K x