Are you creating beautiful lash sets, but struggling with speed? Are you booking 3-4 hour appointments to complete a Russian lash set? This can be frustrating, especially if you’re having to turn down clients because you just don’t have the time. We’re not recommending you rush your sets, because when you rush – that is when mistakes are made! But, speeding up your lash application can be done through lighting, organisation, timing and knowing your environment.
Of course, with practise you will naturally speed up during appointments, but we all start somewhere and sometimes we take a little too long. It’s not ideal for your clients to be laid for hours, and not good for your backs either!
Firstly, your lash room set up.
Make sure you have good lighting! Lighting is a lash artists best friend, not only do you need good lighting to produce the best lash images – (see our blog ‘How to take a good lash pic’ for more tips and tricks) but also, for you to be able to see your clients lashes clearly. If your lighting is dim and yellow, or if you are just using a rooms ‘big’ light – then you won’t be able to see all those tiny lashes on your client, and this will ultimately slow down your application. We highly recommend getting yourself a bright studio light, ideally a LED white light. The ‘Neewer’ lighting (available on Amazon) is a great investment and will make a huge difference.
Organisation.
Let’s talk about your lash trolley… Is it tidy? Do you know where all of your products are? Do you prep your lash trolley before each client? If the answer to any of those questions is no, then listen up!
Before each appointment you should be organising your lash trolley, making sure you have exactly what you need for each client. There is nothing worse than running out of lashes and having to root around your trolley trying to find some more, or realising you haven’t got your primer, all of this takes up valuable time out of the appointment that can be avoided.
Next up, is timing.
It’s very easy to get carried away during your appointments, and lose all sense of timing. But it is essential to keep checking your progress during application. The best way to do this is to get a simple table clock next to the lash bed. You may ask, why don’t I just use my phone? Well, that’s because whenever you go to check the time on your phone, there might be a message you want to reply to, a missed call – all of these things will further distract you from your appointment when you should be focussed on your client and working.
Knowing your environment.
When it comes to your glues, we all know that there are certain humidities and temperatures that work best. If you haven’t already, then make sure you have a thermometer & hygrometer placed next to your lash bed. This is so you are able to monitor any changes, as change in humidity and temperature can affect the drying speed of your lash glues, and will slow down your set.
Alongside these factors, is of course, practise. The more you work, the better you will be at time management. The less errors you will be making, and overall you will be working much quicker than when you started out.
However, there are some client factors that can impact on the length of your appointment. Ensure your client arrives at their appointment with no eye make up on, and clean lashes. Check out our blog (The importance of cleaning lash extensions) to read more on how this can impact your appointments. Also, are you talking to your clients too much, or are they chatting non-stop which is making it difficult for you to concentre? We recommend supplying a hydrating lip mask for your clients who may need one, which will cover their mouths so they won’t be able to talk.
Each of these tips will help you on your way to slowing down your lash appointments, everything takes time so try not to force it. It’s better to learn, and do things correctly rather than rush and make mistakes. Be sure to practise, practise, practise.
We all want to be better at what we do, but success and perfection take time! So don’t beat yourself up if you’re slower now. You’ll get there!