A lift and tint offers low-maintenance, eye-popping results!
A few years ago on vacation, I couldn’t help but notice a new acquaintance’s striking eyes. Though it was clear she wasn’t wearing makeup, her dark, curled lashes gave the impression of natural beauty. I asked about her secret, and she told me she had her lashes lifted and tinted. I’d never heard of such a thing, so this year, before heading to that same tropical destination, I decided to investigate.
At Sirène, a tranquil Westside salon specializing in expert haircuts, color and other beauty services, Raechel Walters is the go-to lash expert. I’ve seen her for years for eyebrow waxes, so trusting her with my lashes was an easy next step.
“The lift is essentially a perm for the lashes,” Walters said as I laid down on her table. The process began with taping my lower lashes down and ensuring that the area around my eyes was protected. Next, she selected a medium-sized curl form that she positioned just above my upper lash line. The idea was to create a curl that would add some drama and make my eyes look more open but not so tight of a curl that the lashes would touch my eyelids. Then for the next 20 minutes, she meticulously separated my lashes onto the forms with some light glue, positioning them in the exact shape she wanted so that they wouldn’t cross or overlap (“However they’re glued is how they will be set”).
The tedious part completed, Walters applied a special solution to each lash on the curled form, its sulfur smell bringing back memories of elementary school perms. After a few minutes, she neutralized the solution and removed the tape and curl form to prep my lashes for the next step.
For color, Walters uses a jet-black vegetable-based dye specially formulated for lashes. She re-taped the area around my eyes to protect from the dye, this time leaving my lower lashes exposed so they could be tinted at the same time.
The entire process takes about an hour and a half. It’s not an unpleasant experience, but it is time consuming. The results, however, were worth the wait. While I have naturally long, thick lashes, they’re light brown, so it seems like they disappear without mascara. When I looked in the mirror after the treatment, I was pleasantly surprised at how dramatic the transformation was: My green eyes were framed by lush, dark lashes that gently curled away. It was just the result I was hoping for, without the damage or constant maintenance and fill-ins needed for lash extensions.
Walters sent me home with instructions about how to care for my newly dramatic lashes: no water for 24 hours to preserve the color and shape, and gentle cleansers thereafter. She also gave me a spoolie (essentially, a mascara wand sans product) to brush the lashes and a small pot of castor oil to moisturize and keep them glossy and hydrated since the curling solution can make them slightly brittle.
A day later, I departed for a weeklong vacation on a sun-swept island off the coast of Mexico blissfully makeup-free. Rather than worrying about wearing waterproof mascara and having to scrub it off at the end of each day, I enjoyed going au naturel. The effects lasted for more than a month, extending well into my at-home life. Now that I know this smart treatment exists, I’ll add it to my beach prep checklist for the future.
SIRÈNE
678.974.8389
sireneatl.com
@sirenesalon
Lift and tint: $160 (services available a la carte)
PHOTOS: Joann Vitelli
