Lash Extensions vs. Lash Lifts ~ Which one is right for you?

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Hello, friends! I thought I'd wrap up my lash experience blog posts with a comparison of lash extensions and lash lifts. I've been on the lash lift train for the last year or so but before that, I was a regular lash extension-er for 2 years. If you're curious about the process for each - check out my full review of each ( Lash Extension Review, Lash Lift Review. ) but if you're debating between the two and curious about how they compare - today, I'm going to break it down for you, so let's dive in! 🙂

The Application Process

Lash Lifts: Lifts tend to be a lot shorter than lash extensions and usually last anywhere from 20-45 minutes depending on how fast-acting the perm solution is.

While the whole process is faster, the experience of getting a lash lift is a little less pleasant than getting extensions. Generally, lash lifts meant to be painless and as comfortable as possible, but there is more room for error that might cause discomfort.

To get your lashes lift, the lash technician has to essentially glue your lashes onto a template and then apply perm solution to get your lashes to stay in place. Gluing the lashes is generally fine - maybe a little tugging here and there - but the perming part can sting a lot if the solution gets too close your eye (or god forbid - IN your eye).

Lash Extensions: Usually takes somewhere between an hour and two hours for a full set. Yep. You read that correctly. TWO hours. In order to give you a full set of lash extensions, the lash technician has to carefully place an extension on each of your natural lashes - it's a meticulous, time-consuming process.

If you're getting a fill where some of your lashes have fallen out and only part of your set needs to be refilled, then the process is shorter depending on how many extensions need to be replaced.

The good news is that the process is generally pretty comfortable. It generally just feels like someone is moving your eyelashes around and you get to close your eyes and relax for a couple hours. I maaaay have fallen asleep during several of my lash extension fills in the past 😅

with Lash Extensions

with Lash Extensions

The Lashes

Lash Lifts: A more subtle, but buildable look. Since lash lifts work with your natural lashes, it's essentially just allowing you to skip the lash curling step of your routine.

Lash Extensions: A lot more dramatic! You can get lash extensions that are less dramatic but generally, lash extensions tend to be a lot more obvious than lash lifts.

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Comfort

Lash Lifts: Hands down, lash lifts are much more comfortable than lash extensions because they're essentially your own lashes - just curled! In my experience, I haven't had to alter any of my everyday activities in order to accommodate my lifted lashes.

Lash Extensions: I've had really up and down experiences with uncomfortable extensions. Some would start to weigh down my lashes and get stuck on my eyeball (ack - sorry!) and I'd have to pull them out before they started stabbing my eye! My understanding now is that lash extensions aren't supposed to do that - but it's certainly still a risk you run.

with a Lash Lift

with a Lash Lift

Longevity

Lash Lifts: Similar to lash extensions, most lash places recommend that you avoid getting your lashes wet for at least 24-48 hours. Outside of that though, there aren't any direct guidelines for taking care of your lash lift because once the perm sets, the shape of your lashes is good to go.

Most lash places also say that lash lifts last between 6-8 weeks. For lash lifts, however, there's no filling process, so you simply get a lift and as the weeks go by, your lashes slowly go back to being straight or fall out naturally.

In my experience, most of my lashes are usually straight again by week 5 but for lash health reasons, I'll usually wait until the 6 week mark to get them lifted again.

Lash Extensions: Most lash places recommend that you do not get your extensions wet for 24-48 hours and that you avoid picking or pulling at them too much. Generally, you should also avoid wearing too much eye makeup around the area because taking off that makeup usually involve a lot of swiping and tugging that might affect the longevity of the lashes.

While most lash places say that a full set lasts somewhere between 6-8 weeks and recommend a lash fill once you hit the 2-3 week mark - in my experience, by the time I hit week 2, usually about half of my lashes are already gone and by week 4 there are really only a couple of lashes hanging on by a thread. I tend to sleep on my side and will wear a little bit of eye makeup with my lash extensions so both of these factors probably contribute to my lashes falling apart more easily.

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Cost

Lash Lifts: Lash lifts are a bit more affordable than lash extensions and usually go for $50-$100 per lift where you only need to get them re-lifted every 6-8 weeks. Some places do offer a lash tint that can add to your cost but might be worth it if you can't be bothered to wear mascara and want an easy one and done process.

Lash Extensions: Varies a lot based on the lash place but can range from $75 to $200-$300 for a full set. Fills are usually prorated (could be anywhere for $40-$150) based on when you get them and how many of the lashes you're missing.

with Lash Extensions

with a Lash Lift

Choose Lash Extensions if:

• You don't use a ton of make-up and want no-fuss situation where you can just wake up and run out the door.

• You sleep on your back! (I'm told that if you sleep on your side or your stomach you lose a lot more extensions - I am a chronic side sleeper)

• You have a highly photographed or one-time big event [vacation, wedding, etc] where you want a more dramatic look for a shorter period of time 🙂

Choose Lash Lifts if:

• You want to save a bit of money

• You rub your eyes a lot!

• You want to be able to wear eye makeup regularly (especially mascara)

• You have stick straight lashes that are long! (e.g., if you use a lash serum)

If you want a more in-depth review of both the lash lift and lash extension process check out my previous reviews below. Drop me a comment if you have any other questions about the lash extension or lash lift process and thanks so much for stopping by! ♥️

My Monolid Lash Extension Experience

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My Lash Lift Experience

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I Tried Slow Mornings for a Month | Something New

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Hi, friends! Today I'm sharing another post in my Something New series where I try a little something new each month. This month, I tried out a slow morning ritual - find out how it went below!

Why did I start trying slow mornings?

Welp, it probably doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, but, like many of you, I've been experiencing more anxiety over the past 6 or so months since the start of the pandemic. Some days are total trash and some days are happy. I'm lucky in that my anxiety is pretty mild and I don't experience panic attacks - but there are certainly days where I find it really hard to focus on my work or relax because I'm so distracted by being anxious about the state of the world, my life, my career - [insert anything here].

Enter slow mornings.

I read and watch a lot of “self-help” style content and have always been enamored by the idea of having this super duper morning ritual that sets me up for the rest of the day. The philosophy of taking care of yourself and putting on your own mask before putting someone else's on resonates with my own general life philosophy, so, in an effort to try and calm the EFF down in the midst of a pandemic I decided to give slow mornings a shot 🙂

My pre-slow mornings routine:

• 6:00-6:30 am wake up

• 6:30-7:00 feed the cats + caffeinate

• 7:00am + plop in front of the computer and start working.

• Somewhere between 10-12: hit a productivity wall and do a workout to get blood circulation back up to my brain in the hopes of achieving something in the afternoon haha.

My slow morning routine:

• 6:00-6:30 am wake up

• 6:30-7:00 feed the cats, tidy up the apartment

• 7:00-8:00 workout

• 8:00-8:30 shower, skincare, putting on makeup and generally getting ready for the day

• 8:30-9:30 caffeinate, journal, meditate, listen to a podcast or read depending on my mood

• 9:30-10:00 am start my work day

So, did it work?

TL;DR sort of 😝

The slow morning routine I created was long and extensive. Some parts of it worked and other parts of it didn’t. BUT that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work for you! I still love the idea of having a cozy, lovely little morning ritual to set up the day - but maybe an extensive slow morning routine isn’t the best approach for someone like me, and here’s why.

What I've learned about myself over the years is that if I want to get something difficult or daunting done, I have to do it in the morning. I really hit the ground running first thing in the morning and am able to work harder and make much more mentally taxing decisions In the mornings (e.g., making financial investment-related decisions, pulling the trigger on submitting papers for my PhD, sending emails I’ve been putting off - etc.). Any big decision I've ever made or anything scary that I've been putting off always ends up getting done first thing in the morning.

As much as I'd love to have a slow morning to take care of myself for hours at a time, it's not something that is practical when my mental strength is at its highest in the morning. It’s not that I'm not capable of doing things at other times, but anything that requires lots of thought and decision making willpower has to be done first thing. Spending my mornings enjoying the quiet and taking care of myself was wonderful but it isn't a ritual that is a good use of my time. Essentially by spending a huge chunk of my morning hours doing this slow morning routine, I was losing hours where I was most decisive, driven, and productive. For those of you who struggle with getting up in the mornings or are most productive in the afternoons, however, having a slow morning routine might be perfect for you!

All of that being said, I won't be ditching all of my routines just yet. I still enjoyed working out as well as journaling first thing in the morning, so rather than ditching all of the slow morning rituals, I'm going to try out doing a shorter morning ritual instead - and I'll try to post an update soon! 🙂

Have you tried a slow morning routine? I'd love to hear how you've incorporated it into your daily life and what routines you've tried or want to try!

Thoughts on Productivity | Day in the Life of a PhD Student

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The good and the bad thing about being a PhD student is that there is no one way to do things. PhD students face a lot of pressure to constantly be productive and to constantly be working but, in my experience, this isn't sustainable - and most importantly - it doesn't make me happy! Some grad students I know work long hours 5 days a week and then take weekends off. Some of them wake up at noon and work late into the night. Others have families at home and stick to a very strict 9-5 schedule. There's really no one right way to do it, but the lack of transparency when it comes to when and how much PhD students work can lead us into a deep dark pit of self-comparison.

For me, seeing how other PhD students, post-docs, and faculty spend their days has been extremely helpful in creating realistic expectations for my own productivity. So in an effort to try and shed some light on productivity in academia, here's a glimpse into one day in my life as a PhD student (in written and IGTV form!) - with hopefully many more to come as my schedule evolves and changes over the years!

Watch the IGTV version of this day in the life here!

6:00-6:30 am Wake-up! Since the beginning of quarantine, I've been trying to be better about listening to my body so I don't set any alarms and I let my brain wake up when it wants to which tends to be between 6 and 6:30 because I'm a natural early bird! The first thing I do in the morning is feed my cats and make coffee. Some of the phd students in my cohort don't drink coffee so it's clearly possible to be a fully functioning grad student without caffeine - but this isn't a reality for me 🙂

6:30-7:00 am Journaling. I've started journaling first thing in the morning because I've found that it helps to curb my anxiety a lot if I've reflected on my own insecurities and given myself a pep talk at the start of the day.

7:15 am Workout. Since quarantine started, I've been working out mostly in the mornings because that’s when my motivation to workout is highest. If it’s past noon, you can usually kiss my chances of working out goodbye haha :)

8:30 am Time to get to work! I usually tackle my emails first, but this changes depending on the day. My days are a mix of research, teaching, and all the admin in between. On this particular day, I was running a study and approving payments to participants.

I know some academics who designate certain days to do teaching and some to do research but I prefer to have it all mixed together because I have a tendency to get easily bored by doing one task all day! I use the pomodoro method with my pomodoro timer (working in 20-25 minute intervals) to keep myself on track.

9:45 am I had meetings and office hours this day so I got ready for the day. 9:45 might seem a bit late to get ready for the day but I typically prefer to schedule my meetings for later in the day because I am most productive in the morning and want to be able to tackle projects during that protected morning time.

10:00 am Continuing work by preparing lectures and grading student submissions.

2:20 pm Decided to do a bit of decluttering around the house. I have really been taking advantage of this time at home to declutter and try to create an ideal space for my life. Shoes were my target today. For someone who doesn't wear heels often, I own a lot of heels :P I'm sure many of you can relate!

2:40 pm Back to work creating more notes for my lecture. My standing desk is one of my favorite tools for productivity in the middle of the day. To try to combat boredom during the workday I take breaks, switch between standing and sitting, and will switch spots throughout my apartment.

3:30 pm My lecture notes are prepped and ready to go so I recorded my video lecture with my iPad. This semester I'm teaching a hybrid format class where all of my lectures are online videos.

6:00 pm Wine time! I like to wrap up all of my work by around 6 pm and spend time with my fiance in the evenings. He works until around 5 pm and time is a precious resource so I try to make the most of the time we have together in the evenings.

6:30 pm Tonight's activity: making an amazing apple crisp because FALL!

9:00 pm Bedtime!

As you can see, I generally follow an 8:30-6:00 schedule from Monday through Friday but the flip side of this is that I usually work half days on the weekends. The great thing about pursuing an academic career is the flexibility you have to work when and where you want, but oftentimes this means a lot of responsibilities that don't always neatly fall into a 40 hour workweek. Because I work on most weekends though, I usually give myself some leniency on weekday afternoons if I'm feeling burnt out or unmotivated. This is just the way I prefer to work and it may not work for everyone!

This year, I'm a dissertator, meaning I no longer have to take my own classes. This has meant I have a lot more control of my own schedule because I no longer have exams or coursework of my own to complete. I now have more teaching responsibilities and need to focus on research more, but for me, this is a welcome change because I truly enjoy the teaching process whereas I didn't enjoy going to classes quite as much! If you're curious about my days before I was a dissertator, check out my instagram day in the life highlights!

Thanks so much for following along with my day in the PhD life! If you have any questions about PhD life, let me know in the comments - I’d love to create more posts or videos to shed more light on what life is like as a PhD student!