Eyelash and Eyebrow Services and Makeup Application
Lash and brow questions center on safety: adhesives, patch tests, isolation, fumes, sanitation, and knowing which clients cannot be serviced. Makeup items test sanitation, color theory, and face and brow shaping.
Lash services
Eyelash extensions use cyanoacrylate adhesive, which cures with moisture and can sensitize. Patch test 24–48 hours before the first application and document it. Isolate one natural lash per extension, keep adhesive off the skin, work in a ventilated space, and keep the client's eyes closed. Advise no water, steam, sauna, or oil-based products for 24–48 hours, and rebook fills every two to three weeks. Lash lifts and tints require their own patch tests and timings; tint tests are typically done 24 hours ahead.
Brows
Brow mapping uses the brow bone, the outer iris, and the bridge of the nose to establish start, arch, and end. Tinting follows a patch test and a skin barrier check; wax or tweeze before tinting, not after. Report any broken skin or recent chemical peel.
Makeup
- Sanitation: never use a mascara or lip product wand directly on a client, scrape product onto a palette, sharpen pencils, and sanitize brushes after each use.
- Color theory: complementary colors neutralize - green cancels redness, peach or orange corrects blue-toned undereye circles, yellow corrects purple bruising.
- Face shapes: contouring adds shadow, highlighting adds light; brows should balance the face's proportions, not follow a trend.
Worked example
A client arrives with a stye on the upper lid and wants extensions. Reasoning: an active infection is an absolute contraindication for the eye area, and adhesive near a stye risks spreading infection. Correct answer: reschedule after the physician clears it and document the finding.
Traps
Applying extensions to several natural lashes at once. Skipping the patch test because "she's had lashes before." Using a client's own mascara. And choosing corrective color by preference rather than complementary color theory.