Why You Should Try DIY Lash Extensions: Cluster Lashes vs. Professional Lash Extensions
If you love all things beauty, then you’ve probably seen the rise of DIY lashes online. On every social media platform, people are raving about the innovative cluster lashes that have come on the market. But is all this rave enough to convince you to leave your beloved lash stylist? Don’t get me wrong, I love my lash tech with all my heart, but as the beauty industry continues to grow and develop, I have to weigh out all my options.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the difference between cluster lashes and professional lash extensions. From one beauty girl to another, I want to share everything I’ve experienced and learned in hopes of helping you find the best products (in this case, Noon Lash) and services the industry has to offer.
What Are They?
Lash extensions are synthetic lashes that are glued to your natural lash to enhance your everyday look. But, under that broad umbrella, there are so many different kinds of eyelash extensions. When you say lash extensions, that could mean anything from professional sets, strip lashes, cluster lashes, mini clusters, magnetic lashes, and more. The options really do seem endless. But, each of these has pros and cons that make them more popular than others. Today, we’re going to compare cluster lashes vs. professional lash extensions, two of the most popular options.
Application
Professional lash extensions are applied by a professional, either a cosmetologist or an esthetician. These extensions work by taking single or multiple synthetic lashes and gluing them to your natural lashes one at a time. The lash tech will use two sets of tweezers. The first one is used to isolate the natural lash, and the second is used to grab a lash extension and place it on the natural lash. For a full set or a refill, this process can take anywhere from one to two hours. Since individual lashes are placed onto the natural lash, this can make for a customizable look depending on your eye shape as well as your preferences. But, it also creates variability in the look based on your lash stylist. This is where most people struggle. Finding a lash stylist that provides a quality look as well as good retention can sometimes feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Lash clusters, on the other hand, are small strips of lashes, approximately a quart of an inch, that can be applied at home with an adhesive underneath the natural lash. If you’ve ever used a classic whole strip lash, the process is a little similar, except that instead of applying above the lash, it will be applied underneath the lash. You might think that sounds crazy, but it’s actually shockingly easy (when using the right products). The glue provided with the cluster lash can be applied to the natural lash. Once tacky, you can place one cluster lash at a time, and the cluster lash will cling to the adhesive on the natural lash. Although there may be a small learning curve to this application process, once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can complete both eyes in around 10-15 minutes.
Maintenance
This is often one of the most important things when it comes to lashes that will influence what you will do. A professional set of lash extensions, on average, lasts three weeks. But there’s quite a bit of variability with this. A handful of things could possibly go wrong that negatively affect your lash retention. It could be the humidity in the room when you’re getting your lashes done, the weather outside, or even the type of makeup/skincare you use that could possibly cause your lashes to fall off prematurely. This is where finding a good lash tech comes in handy. You’ll need someone who can work against the odds to get you the best results possible. You’ll also need someone who won’t charge you for a refill if you need to come a week later because of lash fallout.
Depending on the brand, lash clusters can last up to five or even seven days on average. For lash clusters, this is where quality matters. Having a good adhesive and a lash that is durable enough to wear for days at a time is what is going to make a good cluster lash. Outside of product quality, your application can also affect how long they can last. As you continue to use and try cluster lashes, you’ll learn little tips and tricks here and there that help you get the longest wear out of your lashes.
Cost
The cost of lash extensions is another category that will heavily influence which lashes you decide to wear. For professional lash extensions, the price will depend on where you live and who you see. But, on average, for a full set of lash extensions, you can likely expect to spend anywhere between $200 and $400. Yes, you read that right. Professional lash extensions are definitely an investment as well as a commitment. For a refill, you can pay anywhere between $80 and $150. If you’re picking a lash stylist, you should ask how the pricing works for refills. Some people charge a flat fee no matter the lash retention since your last appointment. Others will charge based on lash retention, which means if you wait too long for a lash refill, you could be paying for a full set all over again.
There is also a wide range in cost when it comes to cluster lashes. If you’re starting your cluster lash journey, it’s best to get a starter kit so you have all the products you need. You can find starter kits online ranging from $30 to $150. With cluster lashes, it’s important to remember you get what you pay for. Personally, anything in the middle of that range is what’s going to give you the best product. You’ll also need to consider the cost of refills for clusters. Most clusters can last you up to a month or longer, so keep that in mind when looking at your budget.
Risks
With anything you do, there’s always a risk, whether large or small. Thankfully, with lash extensions, there are usually minimal risks, but that doesn’t mean none. With professional lash extensions, there are two main risks to be aware of. The first is exposure to chemicals. The glue required for professional lashes contains strong chemicals that will release fumes into the eye during the application process. This is why you see eyes are often red when you watch videos online of people who just had their lashes done. This glue can cause irritation or even chemical burns to the eyes. Secondly, you should be aware of the possibility of your natural lashes being damaged. To reduce the risk of damage, it’s very important to not pick at or be harsh with your lashes. If you tug too hard or pull at your lashes, the adhesive is strong enough to break your natural lash off at the application site.
With lash clusters, the risks are pretty minimal. Because the glue is not as strong, it has less chance of irritation or discomfort. As long as you’re not accidentally getting the glue in your eyes, then all should be well. The risk of damaging your lashes is a little different with clusters. Because the glue has more give, your lashes will not break in half. If anything, you may have some natural lash fall out, but really, this only happens if you’re pulling and tugging at your lashes rather than removing them as directed.
Benefits of DIY
There are a handful of benefits that DIY cluster lashes have when you compare them to professional lash extensions.
The first is time. Professional lashes require a one to two-hour appointment every three weeks, and that doesn’t include your time traveling to the salon. Cluster lashes can be applied at home in under 30 minutes.
The second is cost. Professional lash extensions can cost you up to $200 a month for refills, whereas if you decided to buy new clusters each month, you could drastically cut your cost down to $30 a month.
The third is safety. Professional lashes have harsher chemicals that can damage the eye over time. Cluster lash glue is much gentler and safer, and you shouldn’t ever experience discomfort. But overall, what makes cluster lashes better? Summed up, you can get salon-quality lashes that cost you significantly less money and allow you to save time by applying them at home.
Start DIY Lash Journey With Noon Lash
If you’re ready to try cluster lashes, one of the best brands you can find online is Noon Lash. They use Korean beauty technology to make salon-quality lashes at a great price. With a handful of different styles to fit your needs, you can create a natural or full glam look. Make sure to start with the Noon Lash Starter Kit. This will give you a set of 3-length lashes as well as the adhesive, sealer, remover, and application tool you need.
In each order of lash refills, you get three different lengths of cluster lashes. This is important so you can customize the lash style for your eye shape. For example, if you have almond eyes, creating a cat or doll eye look will best compliment your eye shape. A cat eye has short lashes at the inner corner and gradually gets longer to the outer corner. A doll eye has shorter lashes in the inner and outer corners and longer lashes in the middle of the eye.
The Noon Lash cluster lashes are high-quality. You can regularly get up to five days of wear with these, and they are durable enough to clean and reuse (unlike some other brands online that will fall apart after one use). They also have a thin band holding all the lashes together, so they’re very comfortable. You’d never know they are there!
Lastly, the application is a breeze. There are cluster lashes online I’ve tried that have been an absolute nightmare to apply (as I said before, you get what you pay for). With just a few steps, you can have a full set of beautiful cluster lashes in no time with Noon Lash.
Here’s an in depth review of Noonlash below:
NOONLASH
Look and Feel – 10/10
Glue/Longevity – 9/10
Ease of Application -10/10
Additional Products – 10/10
Value – 9/10
Overall – 9.6/10
I was so incredibly shocked at how great these lashes were. They were the first ones I tried, and genuinely didn’t know if I would try anything better. To be honest, I was expecting Lashify to be at the top of my list because of their price point and how often I see advertisements and review videos. But Noonlash surpassed Lashify and all of the other brands.
Noonlash uses Korean beauty technology to make ultra-light lashes that offer a salon-quality look. I love that Noon Lashes are super customizable. I got the Noon-style starter kit, which comes with three different lengths of lashes: 14mm, 12mm, and 10mm. Although Noon Lashes does offer sets of lashes, I personally think it’s important to get the individual lash segments. Each person has a different eye shape, which requires a different lash style. When you have different length lash segments, you can create the lash look that suits you best. I have almond-shaped eyes, so a cat eye is the most appealing look for me. I was able to create that easily with the Noon Lashes.
The lashes looked beautiful, natural, and high quality. I also didn’t have any issues with comfort (for all I knew, they weren’t even there)! I regularly got 4-5 days of lash wear out of these. Although they are advertised to last 5-7 days, I’m usually quite rough on my lashes and will always end up on the shorter side of the ranges given for lash wear. They were also incredibly easy to apply, I actually couldn’t believe it. I didn’t run into any issues when applying and was able to get them on super quickly. I’ve been able to apply them in about 10 minutes on a regular basis.
In the starter kit, you’ll also get a lash remover. Through this process, I’ve learned how incredibly important it is to have a remover for many of the glues. I loved the Noon Lash remover, it was packaged like mascara with a plastic brush to apply and rub off the glue. During this process, I often used the lash remover from Noon for other lash brands.
What makes these lashes even better is their price point. They sell the starter kit for $75, which feels like a lot if you’re new to DIY lashes, but I promise it will be worth it. The refill segment kits are a great price at $28, or a lash set for $12. In the segment kits, you can get about three sets of lashes. So, using each set twice, you’d have lashes for about a month or more for just $28! That certainly beats the $100-$200 cost of professional lashes.
