When you started lashing, did you immediately wish you could do MORE? More volume, more lashes, more density, more length, just... MORE? I know how you feel. At one point after doing classics for what felt like way too long, I gave in. I tried pre-made fans. They were 3D .07 and had the thickest, blockiest bases I had ever seen. Kind of like the cluster lashes of extensions. Against all the knowledge I had, up unto that point, gained, I applied them to a friend. See, I had TRIED volume lashes and they were hard. Like so hard I couldn’t really make them or do them or keep them together and I so desperately wanted to create that volume look I saw people on Instagram making.
Needless to say, applying MORE glue to already chunky bases and putting them on fine, thin natural lashes did not exactly have the desired effect. They looked … wrong. They felt wrong, and for all intents and purposes, they were wrong. I happily closed those cases of pre-made fans and never opened them again. Then I started saving for a real volume class. Because even though I had already tried by myself, I knew that there was something other people knew that I didn’t. It took time though, to save, to choose the right class, and I needed to keep learning and taking classic clients in the meantime.
I do love the process that my career has taken to lead me to this place. Now as our industry continues to advance and excel, it seems like there are opportunities and options that have opened up the heavens to lash artists. We can learn all varieties of techniques and methods. We have more products and lash types and adhesives available to us than ever before. And we have the resources to learn like never before! But this doesn’t mean it’s not a process, still. I will always encourage new students to stick to classic lashing for at least 6 months after learning, and it’s for MANY great reasons. There are so many nuances to learn when beginning to lash, the last thing you should be worried about is making, placing and keeping fans open on clients. Learning your adhesives, how to manage retention issues, or simply how to perfectly place a classic lash close to the lid without touching it, while correcting the direction of the natural lash, and making sure it adheres perfectly, then doing that 200 more times flawlessly - should be your focus. I haven’t even touched on learning how to cultivate and keep a clientele happy, how to deal with lash shedding and client retention problems and payments and refunds and, and, and...
And all that being said, we know you want to give your clients volume. Yes, we know it’s hard to learn, and yes, we know it is still worth it. But for those of you who haven’t perfected making hand-made fans yet, there are now reasonable options. Better than reasonable, actually, they are some pretty amazing options! We have developed some of the most beautiful, consistent, teeny-tiny-pointy-base pre-made fans available on the market for two reasons: 1) for lash artists who don’t have the ability to create hand-made volume yet, and 2) for advanced lash artists that want to be able to offer “express” sets. These would be for those “celebrity” clients who only have a certain amount of time to give to you but need a killer strip-free lash look like, now. I’ll take it one step further and go with an option: 3) ever tried to do a lash fill in a hotel room while traveling? Bring these along next time. You’ll thank me, I promise.
So WHY are pre-mades suddenly deemed “ok” in our world when they never were before?
Let’s work it out: Because technology has advanced to the point that as long as you are using the proper amount of adhesive, you’ll no longer need to worry about damaging client’s lashes with pre-mades (stay on the safe side and make sure you are using reasonable lengths for your client’s natural lashes). The fans are thin and fine and have tiny, beautiful little bases that are perfectly ready to apply to a natural lash without having to create them yourself first. Think of it this way - how many artists boast, “pro-made” fans? This is because they can ensure there isn’t too much adhesive on them the first time around, they use the proper amount of adhesive when attaching it to the natural, and they have been in control of that fan from the moment they created it. Guess what? We’ve just done it for you. And bonus round - these babies stay aligned and open wide throughout client wear-and-tear. I’m not saying retention won’t suffer if they are applying creams and hair sprays all over them, but it is so satisfying to see lashes come back to you just the way you put them on.
Now there still is a learning curve to these babies, albeit a much smaller one than learning volume or mega volume. But if you need fans like, now, we’re here for you. Pre-mades will never take the place of handmade fans - they still won’t wrap the natural lash, and they don’t have the ability to be customised the way hand-mades are. They are also more expensive per client than handmade fans, but someone’s hand made these fans just for you and that holds a great deal of value, if you ask me. For experienced lash artists I suggest keeping them on hand as a back-up for those emergency lash cases that seem to pop up out of nowhere. For beginners, they are an amazing way to start delivering volume while you are still learning the ropes and dabbling in making your own fans. Either way, I assure you that these are the best pre-mades I’ve laid my hands on, I can’t wait to see what you think of them!
Love & Lashes,
Tress