Learning To Live With Your New Eyelashes
Everyone expects artificial eyelashes to duplicate their growth eyelashes. They do not. You can create the illusion of growth eyelashes—but there is a definite difference. Adjusting to prosthetic eyelashes takes a lot of time and an extreme amount of patience. Please read over these instructions several times before you attempt to apply your eyelashes. You will save yourself a lot of time and frustration. If you have ordered your eyelashes to wear to a special event or occasion—PLEASE practice your eyelash application well in advance of the event date. The instructions may seem a bit over-simplified when you do your first read through. They will make perfect sense once the application process begins. The best advice I can give you is TAKE YOUR TIME AND TRY AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND…! Just like everything else in life, it takes time, patience and practice and a major mental adjustment to get use to your new look with eyelashes. You must practice your application technique over and over before your eyelashes will look normal. You may even ruin a pair of lashes in your practice application.
How Your Eyelashes Are Housed When You Receive Them Your eyelashes are housed in a pink resting tray form. If you have ordered more than one (1) pair of eyelashes, the pink resting tray forms will be stacked one-on-top-ofanother. The pink resting tray form is where your eyelashes live when they are not attached to your eye. The resting tray form helps the eyelash remember its contour and curl shape. It also prevents damaged to the eyelash hairs and lost eyelashes.
Application Tools You will need the following items to make your eyelash application as pain and frustration free as possible. You received a T-pin with your eyelash order. You will be using the T-pin to lift the edges of the eyelash from the pink resting tray form—for easy removal from the resting tray form without damaging the eyelash. DO NOT USE THE T-PIN for eyelash placement onto your eyelid. Doing so could cause eye injury* ©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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You will find a spatula in the back of this booklet. You can use the spatula to gently push the eyelash in place against the eye rim for a more secure fit. Blunt-end toothpicks are great for gently pushing the eyelash up and onto the eye rim. They help eliminate any air bubbles that may be in the adhesive. Damp wash-cloth and soap—a must have in case you end up with eyelash adhesive on your fingers or hand. Eyeliner Pencil or cake/liquid Eyeliner helps eliminate that white-space between the eyelash band and the eye rim.
Pre-Application Procedures Eyelashes are extremely fragile—so carefully lift each of the eyelash corners from the pink resting form with the T-Pin. Now, gently and carefully lift and peel the eyelash off the resting form. Curving The Eyelash. Remember when you were a child and you played with a Slinky® toy? You will be using that same movement to curve the eyelash. Gently take each corner of the eyelash and hold between your fore finger & thumb. Now, push your hands toward each other—slightly. Once you have an arch curve, move your hands carefully using that Slinky®-toy movement. Repeat this movement three or four times. This arch shape bending will recreate the natural contour of your eyelid, creating a more flexible band and better fit.
©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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APPLYING ADHESIVE TO YOUR EYELASHES The best way to prevent that white space that shows up between your eyelash band and your eyelid is to very lightly line your eye with eyeliner. Lining your eye also helps you see your eye contour more easily. Apply a small dot of eyelash adhesive from the applicator wand to the center section or corner of the eyelash resting form. Using the T-pin or toothpick, pick up a very small amount of eyelash adhesive and apply it to the band of the eyelash.
APPLYING YOUR EYELASHES…FINALLY! Let the eyelash adhesive bond with the eyelash band for a few seconds before trying to apply the eyelash to your eye lid. If you are in a hurry, you can always blow on the eyelash application—but blow gently. Sometimes blowing on the band causes the adhesive to trickle down into the eyelash hairs. You want the eyelash adhesive to be a tacky consistency before your application. Hold the eyelash in the center with your fingertips and center the eyelash to your eyelid. The eyelash should be centered above the iris of your eye. Move the eyelash into and onto the eyelid. Adjust the fit in the corners and push the eyelash down close the lash line of your eyelid. Now, look into the mirror and adjust the lash down some more. Push the eyelash into position with your fore finger, the applicator spatula or a toothpick. (OK, if all else fails use blunt end tweezers—at your own risk. By now, the eyelash should be bonding to your eyelid by itself. In other words, you can let go now. Run the edge of your fore finger under the eyelash and gently push upward on the eyelash hair tips to achieve a natural lash extension. Remember, a growth eyelash follows the arch of your eyelid and does not stick straight out.
©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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REMOVING YOUR EYELASHES Remember all the fears you had about applying your eyelashes? Well guess what—they have just returned; only this time it is about removing the eyelash without causing damage to the eyelash or your eyelid. The eyelash adhesive we use is very forgiving and easy to remove from your eyelid and the eyelash, so don’t worry.
THE TECHNIQUE FOR REMOVING YOUR EYELASHES Pinch the eyelash in the center and lift gently. Now, take the outside corner and lift. Pull gently toward your nose until the eyelash is removed from your eyelid. IMMEDIATELY PEEL AWAY ANY EXCESS EYELASH ADHESIVE FROM THE EYELASH BAND with your fingertips, tweezers or T-pin. Be careful not to pull on the eyelash hairs, especially at the lash band area. Replace the eyelash into it home—the pink resting tray form. Push gently into the form. This will re-form the contour of the eyelash for the next wearing. Repeat this same process for the other eye.
©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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CLEANING AND CONDITIONING THE EYELID AREA It is important that your eyelid area be completely cleaned and condition every night after removing your eyelashes. Use a cotton-round or square and saturate it very lightly with an oil-free Eye-Makeup Remover. Apply to the eye lid area of your eye to remove any eye make-up or eyelash adhesive that may be left. If the eyelash adhesive is still on your eyelid, gently peel away with your fingertips. Rinse eye area well with warm water and a wash cloth.
CLEANING YOUR EYELASHES You will need to clean your eyelashes weekly. The normal wearing time per eyelash is ten to twelve days—but you must removal them every night.—no exceptions! By cleaning them weekly and returning them to the pink resting tray form, you can extend the amount of time they are wearable by a few days. They MUST be returned to the pink tray resting form and pushed gently into the form to reinforce the eyelash shape and curl pattern. Use a liquid oil-free eye make-up remover to clean your eyelashes. Lay the eyelash over your fore finger (with the lash hairs curling around your finger). Apply a small amount of eye make-up remover to a cotton swab. Gently work the liquid in a downward motion from the eyelash band to the eyelash hair tips, removing adhesive and/or mascara buildup. DO NOT REVERSE THE DIRECTION OF THE COTTON SWAB—YOU WILL RUIN YOUR EYELASH. Once the eyelash is clean - gently return the eyelash back to the pink resting tray form. Gently push the eyelash around and into the form so it will look like it did when you received the order. Repeat the process with the second eyelash. Allow eyelashes air-dry. This will reform the eyelash to insure a secure and perfect fit the next time you wear them.
©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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FAQ’S ABOUT WEARING EYELASHES 1. I am having problems keeping the eyelashes I purchased in a drug/department store on my eyes. What am I doing wrong?
Nothing! The majority of over-the-counter (OTC) eyelashes are almost always manufactured to be used on eyes with growth eyelashes. They are designed to fit on top of the growth eyelash and adhere to it. Obviously, in our situation, those eyelashes will not work on our bare eye rims. The OTC eyelashes are also made with hair that is coarse. The eye lash band is thicker and less flexible. OTC eyelashes have been designed to fit the most common eye shape of the massmarket demographics purchasing them. The eyelash strip is longer in width, making it too long for our eye. The actual hairs are longer and more dramatic than we need. False eyelashes that are purchased in big-box or mass-market stores are purchased differently. They are usually purchased by a corporate home-office buyer when the vendor is running a two-free-with-twelve deal. They purchased enough eyelashes to fill their stores for a year or more at one time. That means the products will be sitting in a distribution warehouse for a long time before actually getting to the store. The adhesive that is enclosed in most eyelash packages is housed in a plastic pellet-tube that does not close securely, so by the time you make a purchased, the adhesive has lost a lot of its efficiency and binding qualities, or dried up completely.
2. I did not realize that buying practices made such a difference. How do you purchase your eyelashes? First of all our eyelashes and eyelash adhesive is ordered monthly. We also sell our eyelash adhesive separately, so it is always fresh when you receive it 3. What makes your eyelashes different that the ones purchased in drug stores? Our eyelashes have been custom designed starting with the original Believable Eyelashes in the 1980’s. Since then they have been re-designed by Holly in response to those of you that have requested a wider eyelash base. They are the same basic construction of the original eyelash, but have a wider base width by two (2) lash clusters. The eyelash hair is a bit shorter and less dense than OTC eyelashes. The eyelash strip band is clear, making it invisible when applied to the eye, and you will find the band very flexible and easy to fit to your eye contour. 4. Is it possible to trim, thin, feather the lash hairs? Yes, you can do that if you need to. The majority of the time it is not necessary. Just follow the step-by-step trimming instructions in Holly’s My Eyelashes book. ©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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FAQ’S ABOUT WEARING EYELASHES 5. Do the eyelashes come with lash adhesive? No, it must be purchased separately – unless you are purchasing our Introductory Eyelash Kit. Our lash adhesive is medical grade surgical adhesive and perfectly safe to use in the eye area. We sell it separately to insure freshness. 6. Do I have to use your adhesive with your eyelashes, or can I use the one I am use to? That is your choice. If you have found an adhesive that works for you, by all means use it. 7. I remember from previous purchases that you will not ship eyelash adhesive during the winter months. Is that still true? Unfortunately, yes it is. The lash adhesive is packaged in a glass bottle with an applicator top. When the temperature is below freezing, the bottle could possibly break during shipment. So, we have made it a policy not to ship the adhesive during freezing temperature months. We suggest you pre-purchase an extra bottle of adhesive when you place your order in October or early November. 8. Do you sell eyelashes for the lower lid? No. I have yet to find one that will adhere securely to the lower eyelid. I have trimmed and thinned our regular eyelashes and reversed them for wear on the lower lid. I did not find them to comfortable or as natural looking as the makeup application techniques I use to correct the lack of eyelashes on my lower lid. You will find those step-by-step instructions in Holly’s My Eyelashes book. 9. I am taking chemotherapy for the next few months and look forward to wearing your eyelashes during that time. We will be happy to ship you the eyelashes, for wearing once your treatment is over and you are waiting for your growth eyelashes to return. Most physicians will not let their patients wear false eyelashes during their treatment period. I suggest purchasing My Eyelashes by Holly and following the application instructions for a very natural and normal look during your treatment period. Having said that, if you are adamant about wearing false eyelashes during your treatment period, talk it over with your doctor. If he/she says yes, have them write you a note of authorization on their prescription pad and mail us a copy for your file. We will be happy to sell you eyelashes when we have the authorization to do so. FYI-in my photographs throughout the site I am wearing only the products in the My Eyelashes book. I do not have on false eyelashes. As you can see – the look is very normal. I use those photographs for all my PR work – even for programs and articles that are not related to the medical community or hair loss.
©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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LIABILITY STATEMENT REGARDING THE WEARING AND APPLICATION OF FALSE EYELASHES. Please note that Medical Image Products, Holly® Cosmetics and Holly® Cosmetics .com or any institution or organization that may furnish this brochure for your information, do not endorse the use of tweezers for eyelash application and takes no responsibility for the eye damage or injury that may result from such use. MEDICAL PATIENTS SHOULD GET AUTHORIZATION FROM THEIR PHYSICIAN OR A MEMBER OF THE PHYSICIAN’S STAFF BEFORE APPLYING EYELASHES. VERY FEW ONCOLOGY PHYSICIANS WILL ALLOW PATIENTS TO WEAR EYELASHES DURING THEIR TREATMENT PERIOD. Eyelashes should not be worn by clients taking chemotherapy or having radiation to the head and neck area. Medical Image Products, Holly® Cosmetics and Holly® Cosmetics.com or any institution or organization that may furnish this brochure for your information does not endorse or suggest the wearing of eyelashes by medical patients and takes no responsibility for the eye damage, infections or allergic reactions that may occur from such wearing or use.
Medical Image Products Holly Cosmetics.Com 3014 Springcrest Drive Louisville, KY 40241 502-423-1233 800-222-3964 holly@medicalimageproducts.com
©Holly Ralston-Oyler, Medical Image Products 1997 - 2011
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