What are the different types of lash curls?

Keeping a wide variety of lashes in your arsenal is a must.  You never know who will walk in the door and it is best to be prepared.  There are many lash curls and even hybrids of curls that are at your disposal.  Here are the most basic ones.  I’ll go in order of least curly to most curled.

J-Curl: J-curl is the most natural curl meaning it’s not very curled.  This curl is not one you will use often as most clients prefer to have a little pop/lift with their extensions.  You would use this curl if the natural lash is straight or points downward and the client wants a very conservative look.

B-Curl: B-curl is a simple curl that offers a little more lift than a J-curl.  For those clients who don’t want to feel the lashes in the inner corner, this is a good option for that specific area.

C-Curl: C-curl is the most popular curl.  It is commonly used because it can create an open eye effect without appearing too drastic.

D-Curl: D-curl is gaining popularity as the trend is to have more lift and visible lash lines. This curl does not disappoint!  It provides the most lift and tends to be the most dramatic.

L-Curl: L-curl lashes look like an “L” and also provide a lift to lash lines.

Now to the hybrid curls that are becoming increasingly popular…

CC-Curl: CC-curl lashes are more curled than a C but less curled than a D

LC-Curl: LC-curl lashes have a straight base like the regular L-curl, but instead of going straight up, they curve like a C-curl.

LD-Curl: LD-curl lashes also have a straight base like the regular L-curl lashes, but curve into a D curl instead of a straighter line.  These lashes also go by the name “L+” (L-plus).

How to choose the right length and diameter eyelash extensions

Now that you understand the basic curls, it is important to choose the right length and diameter.  This is a crucial step as selecting too long or too thick of an extension can damage the natural lashes.  As a rule of thumb, you want to choose a length that is no longer than 2-3mm longer than the natural lashes.  This balances the weight of the extension on the natural lash.  Diameters should also be chosen to balance the weight.

Please see the blog “how to choose the best lash extensions”, for an in depth explanation of weight distribution. In general, you want to match the diameter of the client’s natural lash, going only a teeny bit thicker for a more dramatic look.

Lashes come in diameters ranging from 0.03mm to 0.30mm.  Most lash artists don’t use anything over 0.15mm, and if you have been lashing for awhile you might recall when using 0.25mm was common, (pre volume lashes), but now we know that thickness is much too heavy.

If too thick of diameter or too long of a lash is chosen, you can cause strain to the natural lashes, resulting in them breaking off, or falling out prematurely.

Longer lashes tend to look wispier, and shorter lashes appear more full and dense.  Talk to your client to see what style best suits her and proceed accordingly.

Choosing the right lashes for different eye shapes

This is where you put everything you know about curls, lengths, and diameters into practice to create your masterpiece. At Infinit Lash Products, believe beauty is limitless and the goal is to enhance your client’s natural beauty. What looks good on one person may not look good on another. Why? Physical features are different, as well as curl patterns and amount of lashes. In this section, I will break down the most common eye shapes and how to lash accordingly.

Almond Eyes– The universal eye shape where everything will look great. If you have a client with almond eyes, do a happy dance. You can use any curl or length with this shape, as long as their lashes can handle it.

Monolid– These eyes tend to have finer lashes so doing volume lashes is highly recommended. Using L or L+ curls are extremely flattering on these eyes, keeping the inner and outer corners short.

Wide Set Eyes– Any curl will work with wide set eyes but going longer in the center, and shorter in the outer corners will create a balance between the eyes.

Close Set Eyes– Using longer lengths on the outer corners of the eyes will be ultra flattering for this eye shape. Use a D-curl for most of the lid, about ¾, and then blend into a CC-curl towards the outer ¼ corners.

Downturned Eyes– Downturned eyes need lots of lift in the corners. It is the opposite of close-set eyes so you want to use a CC-curl for the ¾ of the eyelid and then blend into a D-curl in the outer ¼ corners to create the appearance of an eye lift.

Hooded/Deep Set Eyes– Longer lengths with a softer curl think C-curl, will make these eyes pop.

Prominent Eyes– add D for drama! These eyes look great with shorter D-curl lashes.

Just like no two fingerprints are the same, no two sets of eyes are the same.

You may have a client who doesn’t fit into one of these categories, or sometimes there are clients who have two different eye shapes. This is where you being an artist comes in to select the right lashes based on your own knowledge and experience.