Practice Makes Progress

As a lash artist, you already know that creating beautiful lashes takes skill and precision. However, what you may not realize is that no one is born a master of the craft. It’s so easy to feel those discouraging thoughts creep in that some how lash artistry is so challenging for you and only you, but we are here to help you kick those thoughts to the curb.  Not a single experienced lash artist has effortlessly built their confidence and skills! Everyone has to dedicate time and effort to perfect their craft, increase their speed and efficiency, and most importantly build their confidence. Whether you're just getting started in your journey or looking to take your career to the next level, practice is essential! We are going to share our tried our true techniques for your next practice sesh. 

Prepping for practice is the first step to success! Getting started with the right materials, supplies, and equipment let’s you focus on the details of your practice. Take a screenshot of our practice supply check-list:

• Comfy chair
• Table
• Light
• Scopes, Magnifiers, or glasses
• Tweezers (input links)
• Lash tiles 
• A variety of lash extensions
• Lash adhesive 
• Adhesive stone or adhesive rings
• Alcohol 
• Layered Mannequin Head 
• Round cosmetic sponges

Always make sure any space where you’re using lash adhesive is well ventilated where you can open a window, turn on the AC, and get some air circulation going. This is key to prevent adhesive fumes from building up in your practice space. 

A clean, well organized space will be make it easy for you to get comfortable and your creativity will flow! 

Now let’s get into our first method of practice, the sponge! Rounded sponges or foam pads can simulate the curves and angles of the eye, but most importantly a white sponge helps you focus on your adhesive use and angle of placement. This can help you practice individual skills like dipping into your lash adhesive to get a consistent, perfect amount. And isolating skills like lash pickup and adhesive dip with strengthen your muscle memory and consistency of each skill. Something as simple as starting with just adhesive pickup, adhesive dip, and placing at 90 degrees on a sponge is a great way to start practicing the fundamentals you’ll need to have mastered before adding more advanced elements to your repertoire. 

Muscle memory fact:It’s been proven to take over 10,000 hours to master a skill. 

Next up is an exercise we’ve grown to love called, lash on a log! Think of this as setting up a “tightrope” of hair across the opening of a cup. This simulates a more realistic attachment to a natural lash.  This exercise is especially helpful for practicing your extension attachments and adhesive use.  You can practice attaching from the bottom, left, right, and top of the hair much like how you would attach your lash extensions to a natural lash. This exercise can take a little time to perfect but once you manage to set it up, it’s such an awesome way to perfect your attachment fundamental skills. 

Lash on a log can be a challenging but the perfect exercise to help you refine the most important element of lash artistry, your bonds and retention! 

Pro Tip: Purchase some basic natural hair extensions from a beauty supply store to use for this exercise, just a few strands go a long way! 

After you’ve worked on some skill building exercises like lash on a log and sponges, it’s time to put it all together, mannequin practice helps you get a feel for all the skills while developing your workflow! And now just ANY mannequin but our new 3 lash layered mannequin is the most realistic lash experience ever. You can reuse this mannequin countless times! The extensions you apply simply come off with our Undo lash remover. 

When working on your mannequin you can practice literally all the fundamentals to artistry from setting up your station and lash bed, to cleansing + prep, isolation, application, mapping, design and removal. Anything you do on your mannequin will be amplified when you work on a real client! The only thing we wish it did was give us feedback on your hand pressure and comfort. 

Pro Tip: A mannequin is a great way to try different design and lash effects! Working with a new curl? Give it a try on your mannequin first! Taking photos of your design can even be a great reference to use when doing a consultation with your clients. 

And last but not least, there’s no substitute for practice on a real, live client! Working through your process and building your confidence working on a real person is the best way improve your skills. When you’re looking for a lash model here our tips:

Someone with healthy, natural lashes and no lash extensions- Removing foreign lash extensions can be nerve racking for even the most experienced lash artists, so opt for models who are extension free with healthy lashes!

Ability to sit still and chill- It’s challenging enough to do lash extensions on a real person but someone who’s really antsy and active will make you sweat bullets. Vet your models to ensure they’re able to lay down comfortably, relax, and take a snooze. 

Family + friends are great but boundaries are key! Sometimes our friends and fam want to chat it up, but honestly you’re going to need to be lasered focused on your task. Let them know ahead of time what will support you! 

Steer clear of models with intense expectations of what THEY want.  Your practice sessions are just that, YOURS. You of course can talk to your model about their preferences but explaining to them where you’re at with your skill level and what you’re looking to accomplish with your practice session will keep both parties on the same page.  We call it practice for a reason!

And last but not least, a positive attitude is the best thing your model can have! Someone who understands they are receiving a free or heavily discounted service and is down for the cause will always be the choice candidate.  Model sessions can be long for both you and your model so making sure you have someone who understands the process is key! 

No matter which methods of practice you choose, consistency is key. Regular practice will help you build muscle memory and develop the techniques needed for success. Set aside time each week for practice, even if it's just a few hours. By making the effort to practice regularly, you'll be able to build your confidence and feel more comfortable in your skillset.

Lastly, remember that practice doesn't have to be daunting or boring. It can be a fun and creative process, and you can experiment with different styles and techniques to discover what works best for you. And don't forget to enjoy the process! By making an effort to practice regularly, you'll be well on your way to a successful and rewarding career as a confident lash artist.

Snag all the professional lash supplies you need for your practice sessions right in our shop. We’re here to support you lash friend!