Want to hear a funny story? Then keep reading because I have a few to tell. I'm dedicating this blog post to some of my funniest lash stories.

This first one involves my incredibly outgoing, adventurous, no fear, chatty 5 year old. She was maybe approaching 4 at the time of this tale. I was lashing one of our cleaning ladies (I have cleaners come every two weeks because it turns out cleaning is not how I like to spend my time. It started as a baby gift from my parents when my oldest was born 8 years ago. We got kind of used to it.) Anyway, I was lashing this lovely lady who was already familiar with my crazy (adorable) kid and all of our mess when said child walks into my lash room. "Where are your clothes?" I say. She's completely naked. This question was immediately followed by "Don't put that there!!" You are currently in the exact same position my client was in - unable to see a thing, only able to hear (read) my words. The suspense was killing her. Why was my kid naked and what was she putting where? Well, my silly kid was playing with her colour changing silly putty by putting it you know where. It was funny and mortifying all at the same time.

My next story is not for the squeamish, so if that's you skip ahead to the next paragraph. I have quite a few police officers as clients. I don't know what it is about my neighbourhood, and maybe all neighbourhoods are like this, but we have a lot of police, teachers and nurses living here. I love it! Sorry, I got sidetracked again. Ok, police officer client finishes her appointment one day and says she has a story she just has to tell me. I get excited. I love good stories. She starts to tell me about this call to an incident and the scene is covered in blood. Let's just say it sounded disgusting and I'm wondering why on Earth she had to tell me this story. She proceeds to say that while she's speaking to one of the witnesses, who is clearly not sober, the witness stops mid sentence to say "Wow! Your lashes are amazing! Are they yours?" and calls my client, the police officer, Lashes for the remainder of the conversation. I'll take that as a compliment, thank you!

This next one I hope you find as funny as I do. It still makes me laugh every time I think about it. One morning one of my regulars was a little bit late for her appointment. She's a working mom, does a lot for the school and lives in the neighbourhood and often walks, all of which are great reasons for being a little late. Well, when she shows up she says "I got all the way to the pub before I realized that's not where I was going."  Oh, my God! I still laugh to myself every time I think about it. My place is only about a 4 minute walk away from the local pub. I don't judge. It was an honest mistake. It was like 10 in the morning. Perfectly understandable.  =)

I will be as vague as possible for this next little story so as to protect the identities of all involved. Ha ha! One of my clients was at the doctor having her every other year (how often is it supposed to be now?) exams done. As the doctor is performing a breast exam she comments on my clients' beautiful lashes. Should she be flattered at the compliment? Concerned about the distraction from the task at hand? Awed at the doctor's ability to multitask? All of the above? All kidding aside, please follow the guidelines around breast self exams, doctor exams, mammograms, PAP tests and all those other medical to dos. It can literally save your life. I don't want to see any of you at my other job.

Those are just some of my most memorable stories from lashing. There are many others that involve conversations I have with all of my lovely, amazing clients, or my children who are an endless source of amusement, even at bedtime when at least one of them is having a meltdown about the horrible prospect of going to sleep. Kids say the darndest things after all. Do you have a story to share? Message me because I would love to hear it.

Hi! I bet you thought I was a three and done kind of gal, didn't you? I was doing so well with my weekly blogging and was actually seeing new clients because of it. So what happened? I certainly didn't run out of things to say. Nope, instead life got in the way of a really good plan.

As I chastised myself for letting this ball drop after getting the great advice to blog in the first place, I decided I was going to give a little shout out to Megan who gave me said advice. Then I decided I was going to make my whole post about some of my favourite things because who doesn't like discovering new things? I say it all the time, one of the things I love most about doing eyelashes is that I get to spend a decent amount of time with each client and sometimes we spend that time chatting and I learn about amazing, cool things, people and places. Here are just a few.

The Local Space

Honestly, I don't remember how I found this store in Langley, but it is awesome! They support local businesses by carrying only local products: clothing, cosmetics, accessories, jewelry, bath & body, pet gear and the list goes on. I once saw their outdoor chalkboard sign say that if Jillian Harris likes it they probably carry it. I haven't followed Jillian Harris long enough to know how accurate that statement is, but I believe it.  Finding the store meant I also found the owner Megan who has a "side gig" helping other businesses with their marketing, websites, etc. It was her course on SEOs where I learned about the importance of blogging and she cleaned up my website for all you lovely folks. If you're looking for some help with your business, check her out for sure, and if you like statement Ts and sweaters head to the store or online. I should add that unless I say otherwise, I don't know any of the people I'm going to rave about. I'm not a paid promoter or anything like that.

The Heart Cloverdale

The Local Space led me to The Heart Cloverdale. Annie is the owner and she is one of the nicest people I've ever come across while shopping. =) Her store also carries clothing, accessories, mugs & wine glasses (made by her and customizable if you need), bath & body, etc but she does not limit it to local vendors only. It's a very cute little store and I try really hard not to go there too often because, well, it would lead to a few problems with the bank account. Check her out for teacher gifts in particular right now.

The Fifty Fifty Workshop

This home based business is my most recent, most favourite find. They make these adorable concrete bowls/planters, as well as larger sizes, earrings, and candles. They donate 50% of their profits to local and global organizations. Imagine my surprise when I found out that one of my daughter's teachers is the warm soul behind this magical business. She is an amazing teacher and obviously an even more amazing human being. Please, please support her and her family with this endeavour. You can find them at Hunni's in Langley, local markets and their website which is linked above. Love!

The Perfect Feather

Look at that eyeliner! Erin is a permanent makeup artist in Surrey and she is also a wonderful friend. She does eyebrows (microblading and powder), eyeliner, lash lift & tints and teeth whitening. She does my lash lifts and I send all my clients interested in brows to her. I pride myself on my work ethic and want all of my clients to be informed about and happy with the service I have provided them. That is exactly what I look for in my own service providers. I would never send my clients somewhere I wouldn't want to go myself. If you're thinking of getting your brows done, Erin's your gal. I'm saving up for that liner myself.

Cats!

This is no big secret. I adore animals, especially cats. That's Rosie and Katy in their bed, but I actually have 4 cats. Vienna is 18, Bella is 8 and Rosie & Katy are almost 1. Vienna and Katy can often be found sleeping on my clients while I do their lashes and I find it to be an additional source of calm. I even have a client who isn't the biggest cat fan who allows them on her and I think we're slooooowly converting her to a cat person. =) I have a very hard time walking away from kittens and cats that are up for adoption. I just want to save them all, but my husband and my mom tell me I can't. I've often thought about volunteering at the SPCA but I'm afraid I'll come home with too many unwanted pets. I can't encourage everyone enough to adopt their own rescued animal, be it a cat or rat, dog or guinea pig, bunny or horse. Animals are so good for us. They are intuitive to our needs, they are adorable to stare at and they are family. They create an awareness in our kids too. While we were away on vacation in February, my 5 year old daughter saw some litter in the resort's pond that was home to many fish. She immediately said we couldn't leave that there because a fish would get trapped inside and die. She walked right up to an employee and asked them to get the garbage out. I was so proud of her. So yeah, get a cat!

This is just a short, random list of things I love at the moment. I hope you found a new gem that you will also love. If there are any of your own favourite things you want to share, comment or message me because I want to know all about it.

I guess I should start by saying this is my truth about eyelash extensions. There is an amazing Facebook group for the moms who live in South Surrey and White Rock, which is where I live. I love the group! The women are supportive, informative and gracious. A lot of my clients have come from this group, so the other day when someone posted about wanting to treat themselves to lashes for their birthday (I think it was) I was surprised and disappointed by the number of people who scared her off. Then I realized they were telling their truth about eyelash extensions, and the truly disappointing part is it should never be this way. They were unhappy with how long the lashes lasted, the maintenance involved and what happened to their natural lashes afterwards. I decided I should turn my frustration into my next blog.

Let's be clear: eyelash extensions are not permanent. We have 90-160 lashes on each eye, about 60% of which are old/strong enough to hold an extension (you've all heard me talk about your baby lashes), and their average life span is 45 to 90 days. We lose 2-5 eyelashes per day, per eye. If we do the math 60% of 90-160 is 54-96 extensions per eye at a rate of loss of 2-5 lashes a day means extensions could last as few as 10 days and as many as 48 based on natural eyelash shedding alone. This is why most eyelash technicians will tell you to get a fill every 2-3 weeks which is the point at which you should have at least 50% of your extensions remaining. I always hope my clients will get more like 3-4 weeks out of them and some do and some don't because, and here's a key point, everyone is different. This is a best case scenario, by the way. By that I mean, this is for the person who takes immaculate care of the extensions and doesn't lose a single lash due to the loss of lash glue integrity.

Some of the maintenance instructions (which I'll get to in a minute) are because the glue is not impervious. One thing that happens is it will degrade with oil that can be from makeup, makeup remover, sunscreen and natural oils in the skin. People with oilier skin will not have lashes last as long as those who tend to have drier skin. People who wear a lot of eye makeup, or wear it daily, will not have lashes last as long as those who wear very little eye makeup, or wear it infrequently.

These are the two (there are many more, mostly client specific) main reasons lash extensions fall out and get gappy. Does it happen after 3 days? Well, yes, some will fall out daily but it should by no means be gappy after 3 days. If it is, you should be contacting your lash tech who can troubleshoot what might be happening. Does this mean every time you get lashes they will be gappy after 3 days? Absolutely not, unless you have very few lashes to begin with, and they cycle quickly and/or they are not properly cared for. After 2+ years of applying lash extensions, and 10 years (on and off) of having my own I can tell you that I can never predict how long lashes will last, but for most people they will still look good for at least 2 weeks.

Let's talk about that maintenance. I'm not going to lie, it is maintenance, but it's pretty simple and takes a couple of days to get used to it and then it doesn't feel like maintenance at all. Most importantly, don't get them wet for 24 hours. That's it, 24 hours. The glue is still curing on the inside so if they are exposed to excessive water in those first 24 hours, they'll just fall off. I have a long time client who can tell you all about that because she once she forgot this rule and had a shower the same day. That set of lashes didn't do so well. It's music to my ears when clients come in saying they showered that morning because they know they can't that night. After the 24 hours, no problem. I have been to the pool with my kids many a time with my extensions and they do fine. A week at a beach resort where you're in the water for 6 hours a day and wearing sunscreen is different, but regular showering and pool time is fine. Next, don't sleep on your face. If you're lying on your face you're basically going to rub the lashes and you will lose some. I now sleep on a silk pillowcase which reduces the friction on my lashes, my hair and my skin. Now my lashes last longer, my hair doesn't get as frizzy and my face won't get as wrinkly. The next piece of maintenance is washing the lashes. There are a couple of conditions that can result from dirty natural lashes, and those conditions will mean your lashes aren't healthy and will fall out, taking the extensions with them. I send every new client home with a special lash and brow wash that should be used a few times a week. I feel that regular face washing and showering is good enough for the remainder of the days. Again, too much rubbing of them will lead to loss. There are other maintenance instructions for keeping them pretty (brushing them and avoiding high heat), but these are the main three for keeping them on.

The last thing I wanted to clear up, which I hear very often, is that lash extensions will damage the natural lash. No, no, no, no, no. If lashes are applied correctly, with the correct weight and length, and cared for properly they will not damage natural lashes. Damage comes from lashes being glued to multiple natural lashes at once, being applied to lashes that are not strong enough to hold an extension, or using an extension that is too long or too heavy even for the adult natural lash. Lashes come in many different lengths (5mm up to 16mm and sometimes longer) and many different thicknesses (0.03mm up to 0.25mm). Some of you may recall that my most feared lashing words are "Can we go longer?" This is why. Chances are that there are longer lashes that I could use, but not safely. I never want to disappoint anyone, but sometimes longer just isn't possible. Find yourself a trained, experienced tech who knows these rules, follow their instructions (even if that means taking a break from lashes, or using a growth serum) and you won't get damaged lashes.

Lash extensions are a luxury. It takes proper training, practice and products to create quality sets. It takes time to apply one tiny extension to each tiny natural lash. It is an art and a skill and it honestly breaks my heart when clients come back with a less than normal amount of extensions at their fill appointments. I guess this is why it broke my heart (ok, it didn't break it in half or anything) to have people bad mouth my passion. So please, if you ever have any questions about lash extensions (or lifts or teeth whitening) please ask someone or two or three who provide the service and make a decision based on their information.

Thanks for reading. I hope you've learned one or two new things. Please share, post, like or comment and let me know if there's anything you want me to cover in an upcoming blog.

P.S. Happy Mother's Day to me!  =)
P.P.S. Normally I get my husband to proof read these, but he's asleep now too, so I apologize if there are any grammar or spelling erros.

The short answer is nothing, at least not on the surface and not according to most people. For me, they are very similar. We all have lashes and we all have teeth but we aren't always happy with them. Our lashes aren't long enough, thick enough, dark enough or curly enough. Our teeth aren't straight enough, white enough, or tight enough (ie, gaps). Turns out I can fix some of that in both cases. I can't make your teeth straighter but I can definitely make them brighter. Just like with lashing, there are few things I find as satisfying as seeing the before and after of a teeth whitening transformation. Here's an example:

This is a photo from Beautiful Bright Smile, which is the system I use to whiten teeth. The process uses a whitening gel which is painted onto your teeth, making it totally custom for every individual, and an LED light to open up the tubules on the teeth, allowing the gel to sink in and do its job. The light is on generally for an hour, making the whole process about 75 minutes in total. The best part? Well, the second best part behind walking out with whiter teeth, is that it doesn't create any sensitivity in your teeth. The system was created by a local former dental professional who did all her research and came up with this product. It is FDA and Health Canada approved, and made in North America, and it works.

Most of my friends and clients know this, but I like to try things out before I offer them as a service, and the teeth whitening was no exception. As with most new (to me) regimes and products that promise results, I was skeptical. I thought it would be one of those things that works for other people, but not me. I mean, look at those lovely teeth up there. Those are not my teeth, that's for sure. So I went to my appointment not expecting a whole lot. When my tech handed me the mirror I was pleasantly surprised, to put it mildly. It worked! I don't know that I've ever been happy with my teeth as I've always had crowding, but my copious tea consumption was now also affecting the colour of my teeth as well. That was almost completely gone. Had I gone for my touch up, which I keep telling myself I need to do, they'd be as white as that photo and now I feel so much better about my smile.

You may be wondering what's the catch? The catch is it can only work on surface stains. It can't make your teeth any whiter than they are genetically meant to be. The other bit of magic it can't do is make any fillings, or bonding, etc whiter than it was when it was applied to your teeth. The next photo is one of mine. You can see the Beautiful Bright Smile system did its' job everywhere except on the bonding which I circled. This client has since returned to the dentist to have the bonding changed to match her new whiter smile.

The next set of real world photos I'm going to show you are what your teeth might look like immediately after the whitening. Some of us (yes, us - my teeth did this too) have bright spots but those bright spots go away the next day after the teeth have completed their whitening, are rehydrated and remineralized.

To be clear, I'm not nearly good enough at photo editing to fake those results. The Beautiful Bright Smile system really did that. Aren't they amazing? We guarantee results. We can't guarantee how many shades whiter your teeth will get, but they will get brighter. I would love to now show you the photos I took of my husband, but he asked me not to post them. My husband isn't fond of dentists, but is quite fond of coffee. He went about 5 years without seeing a dentist and had a lot of staining on his teeth. An hour of lying on the couch and his smile was whiter. I also thought I found a cavity in one of his molars which forced him to the dentist so when I do his touch up I will post the before and after photos.

How do you feel when someone smiles at you? How do you feel when you smile? Confident, friendly, happy and relaxed are the first four words that pop into my head. Don't we all deserve that amplified by a brighter, whiter smile? What's holding you back? Message me if you have any questions and for pricing go to Services.

Longer lashes and whiter teeth aren't critical for a life of health and happiness, at least not physical health. However, there are mental health benefits to them. When we look better, we feel better. Simple as that. My clients come not just for the prettier eyes and teeth. They come to relax and have a break from the everyday, and some get the added bonus of kitty cuddles. That's health and happiness right there, at least in my opinion.

I'll be back next week with another topic. Any requests? Remember to please comment, share, like, tag, whatever floats your boat to get my page out to your friends and followers. Thanks for reading!

Hi! Welcome to my first blog post. Even though I'm just sitting at my desk in front of a computer (a very normal position for me) this is still kind of scary. I'm not a blogger. I'm a mom and wife, daughter and sister, friend and acquaintance, but not a blogger. Yet here I am because I'm also an eyelash technician, Beautiful Bright Smile teeth whitening technician and small business owner. I'm learning about SEOs and Instagram when I'm not practicing the art of making the perfect volume fan. Who knew one would lead to the other?

If you've read this far I'm hoping you'll keep on reading, and I know you're not here to learn about SEOs, so let's talk about eyelashes. Eyelashes are one of my favourite topics. Do I assess the eyelashes of everyone I meet? Yes, absolutely, but I'm not judging so don't be nervous if we ever meet. I'm just observing, making mental notes and admiring. Have you ever noticed that kids and men seem to have the best eyelashes of all? Here's my theory: men are hairy people so it stands to reason that extra hairiness extends to their lashes. We'll try not to hate them for it. After all, I prefer having thin, blonde lashes if it also means I don't have facial hair. As for kids, well, they're young. Our hair thins as we get older. I've been doing lashes for over 2 years now and I can tell you that teenagers also have amazing lashes. Something seems to happen to us in our 30s, I'm sorry to say. But don't fret! I can fix that.

Classic eyelash extensions is the application of 1 extension on each natural lash that is strong enough to support it. Volume lashes are multiple fine lashes spread out into a fan and then applied to a strong, healthy natural lash. The fans can be handmade which is much more custom to each lash or premade. Hybrid lashes are a mix of classic and volume. This means lash extensions can give you length and/or volume, depending on what you're looking for and generally last 2-4 weeks before needing a fill.

A lash lift is like a perm for your lashes. It won't add any length or volume to the lashes, but it will curl them up for 6-8 weeks which can make them appear longer. The lashes can also be tinted at the same time which will eliminate the need for mascara. It's a great way to enhance your lashes without the commitment of extensions. As an extra benefit, the appointments are also shorter than extension appointments. After years of having my own extensions, it's what I now do.

I'll go more in depth about both extensions and lifts in future blogs. I've got to keep you coming back for something, right? The one thing that really excites me about writing these blogs is getting to educate people a bit about these services. I don't know if it's my Type A personality, or my background in health care, or trying to raise two little people into normal human beings, but I'm a bit obsessed with making sure everyone is educated about what they're asking me to do to their face. Sounds kind of dramatic, doing something to your face, but that is what I'm doing. Clients should know exactly what is happening to them and why. It helps you make thoughtful decisions about service providers, it convinces you how important the aftercare is and most importantly it leads to a successful outcome. Nothing makes me happier than a happy client.

On that note, here's a little surprise for you. The first 5 people who message me after reading this will get 10% off their next service. Just my way of saying thank you for sticking with it. I will only contact the 5 "winners" but if you don't hear from me, don't worry. There will be other surprises along the way. (Come back to finish after you send me your Email!)

I don't know if you've ever seen the posts about how you can support a small business without spending a dime, so I'm going to share that info here. Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc, etc all use algorithms and other fancy things that can basically help promote my business. Every like, share, comment or tag you make about my posts is a gold star for those algorithms. I'm not trying to collect "likes" so that I can win a popularity contest, but I would like to collect them to improve my passion project's visibility. Please, click the like, heart or comment button. I appreciate it!

So there it is. My first blog. Did you like it? Can't wait for next week? Is there anything in particular you want to know about? Comment, share, like and let me know how you feel. But please, be kind. No trolls or mean people. I'm trying to make people feel better about themselves.

Until next week...