Elderly lash client advice please

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Ibi Lashes

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Mar 7, 2011
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I've just had the worst appointment to date, feel so low its awful, on the way home I just wanted to pack it all in and do a different job. Sad as I love lashes and was happy to get two new clients (her daughter bookd an infill and were no problem).

She was old, I'd say 70ish, white hair, lashes were thin, sparse, had gaps and zero pigment, they were almost transparent! She said she'd had them many times and was happy to sign a disclaimer for no patch test (she's on holiday). Kind of wish I'd refused now, these were the first two I've not patch tested ever (lesson to be learnt for sure!)

Anyway...

When I put the patches on (Flirties new gel kind, which are perfect on all other clients), they looked fine on the bottom but when she closed her eyes they kind of swallowed up the inner and outer lashes as they were very hooded. I did tape them up a bit but it only exposed the middle lashes.

The patches are white and with her lashes being so fine and white they were invisible, even with my daylight lamp right above I was worried that I'd stick the lashes to more than one, so it was really difficult trying to isolate them.

I struggled for about 1.5 hours and in the end just had to admit defeat. A first.

She had with her some Marvel lashes in 9mm and 11mm, IMO they were way too long for her short thin lashes but some technician obviously gets them on.

PLEASE can you give me some advice on what you would do (excluding the patch test as this isn't something I do normally and own't be doing again!).

How would you expose the inner and outer lashes, how would you see them better (I did suggest she should have had them tinted) and what technique would you use to cover up the gaps and thinness.

Feel so deflated - have been crying for about 2 hours and I know its not life or death, but its really knocked my confidence.

HELP!!

:(:sad:
 
OK. First of all, don't beat yourself up about this. I won't mention the patch test ....

As for some constructive advice? Well, a good lash technician will tell you that you have to match the extensions to the natural lashes. So if someone has tiny, thin, lashes, you have to apply slightly less tiny, thin lashes so I probably wouldn't advise using over a 0.15 and probably 7s, 8s or 9mm at the most.

If she is in her 70s she's not going to want to look like Jordan anyway!

I don't really bother about tinting but I would probably advise it in this case and would recommend a dark brown or a grey tint, rather than black just to make it easier to see the lashes.

I know what you mean about the lashes disappearing. Older clients with hooded eyes will give you problems. You can use a piece of tape on the outer and inner corners to lift the lids. You can also use your little finger to hold or stretch the lid as you apply a lash.

As for the other tech getting 9s and 11s on. It doesn't mean they are better than you. It probably means they don't care about isolating or about the damage they are doing to the clients natural lash.

Perhaps go back to your trainer for some reassurance and troubleshooting but honestly, these types of lashes would be a challenge for anyone
x

(Although I am curious to know why a 70 year old woman, on holiday, would have lashes with her!) LOL
 
please dont be upset. the best therapists learn by experience and this is one of them. the next time you are in a similar situation you will have a reference point and know from the get go that you would need to tint them and that you would advice the client that possibly the finished look may not be what they envisage in their mind even if they have had them done with someone else before. just because another therapist has managed to do them before doesnt mean they were done correctly. and you never know, that therapist may have had an experience just the same as you and gone away thinking, what a nightmare too. its possible that its a situation that that therapist has encountered before and therefore knows how to tackle it, like taping up hooded lashes, tinting them etc. dont be disheartened pick yourself up, dust yourself off and stop being so hard on yourself. :hug:
 
Thanks ladies, I've calmed down a bit now! 3 glasses of wine later and alot of tissues!

I totally agree, what does a lady of that age with hardly any natural lashes want big extensions for. My smallest lashes were 15's 7 and 8 but she didn't want them any shorter than the ones she gave me, which were no thickness (looked thicker than 15 though) and 9 and 11 length!!!! I wish I could see a photo of what was created with those lashes which were far too long - probably part of the reason she has no lashes now - they weighted them down til they fell out!!

She's on holiday in her holiday home so I suppose she wanted them for the summer.

I hate the fact that I gave up and the worst thing for me is that it was a new clients via a good contact via another good contact who gave me the work for the first time, wouldn't have been as hard if it was just a client who had Googled me.

My biggest lesson is don't be persuaded about the patch test. Lesson for all mobile techs arriving for client for the first time, especially as she was 40 minutes drive away too!

I'm not giving up, I'm going to get myself booked on an advanced course as soon as I can!

Thank you xx
 
im glad your feeling better hunny. im sure the client would feel just awful if she had any idea how upset the situation made you. at the end of the day its just eyelashes, it not like youve ruined her holiday. chin up and enjoy your next course. and thank you for coming on here to vent, coz as much as our loved ones reassure us at times like this, we tend not to believe them and think they are just saying what you want to hear, but fellow therapists can give our honest opinions. this is the best place to go when feeling the way you did and hope it helped you. i hope the vino is delicious. try and have a good evening x
 
May be worth just taping the bottom lashes down rather than use pads under the eye with ladies like this. I had a similar lady and I explained she wouldnt have the huge full lashes her daughter could get away with. Took me forever but I really think just the tape...no pads makes a huge difference to elderly eyes
 
Hi Ladies

I so glad I found this thread.

I have two ladies in for patch tests today, mother and daughter.

Daughter fine no probs, but mum is nearly 70 and I patch test by preping the lash and applying a couple of lashes and I found a 7m on the outer area of the eye was longer than her natural lash. She also had extremly hooded eyelids.

I'm fine with the taping up and holding up the lid whilst applying, I had already suggesting tinting her lashes prior to extensions and agree brown would be better than blue/black.

My concern is that using such short extensions, I'm worried they won't show because her lids are so hooded. What lash curl would you ladies use on this occassion?

Thanks

Heather x
 

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