How to Choose Eyelash Extensions: Diameter, Length & Curl

Clients may come in and tell you what they think will look best, but there are so many factors to take into account; such as personal style and professional lash products when creating a work of art that will be pleasing to both you and your clients.

So how you choose the right curl for eyelash extensions?

Let us go over the different type of curls, then discuss how to choose the best length and thickness, then go over which curls flatter which eye shapes the best.

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.

Now it’s time to chose the curl of the lash extension. Hopefully, if you are trained in lash extension-ing you have gotten the “low-down” on the different curls. If not, here is a basic break down.

⭐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.

⭐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+”.

🌷Choosing the right lashes: DIAMETER

First, you will choose an appropriate lash diameter to start with. You can determine the diameter of lash extension to use by the diameter of your clients NATURAL lash! Generally, the goal is to match the natural diameter, but there are few situations where you might go slightly thicker than the natural. Though, matching the diameter to the clients natural lash is a good rule of thumb. Seems easy enough?

🌷Choosing the right lashes: LENGTH

Next, the length of the lash extension! The goal is, more times than not, to EXTEND those natural lashes. Next, determine the style they are looking for! Do they want something drastic? Do they want something subtle or full? Longer will appear more wispy, and shorter ones that are much closer to the natural lash length will give them a much fuller and darker appearance. But you will need to determine the style your client desires.

Choosing the right lashes for different eye shapes

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.

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