How to Choose the Right Length of Premade Lash Fans: Pro Tips
2 minute read
When it comes to styling your clients’ eyes and maintaining the health of their natural lashes, it is essential that you choose the right length.
The general rule of thumb is to choose a length that does not exceed the client’s natural lashes by more than 3mm. However, it is highly recommended that you have a thorough consultation with your client before application, and ask their feedback about your styling and the length and curl of the lashes at their next appointment. This will ensure that your clients are always 100% happy and satisfied with their sets.
If you don’t have a go-to length for lashes, and are not sure about which premade lash fans to stock for your lash business, the most commonly used length of eyelash extensions is 8mm-15mm. Shorter lengths (such as 5-7mm) are used for bottom lash extensions.
Premade Lash Fan Length Guide
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8-9mm
These lengths are normally used for the inner and outer corners of the eyes, where shorter and weaker natural lashes tend to be present. These lengths are still recommended in these areas for clients with strong natural lashes, to prevent lash damage.
When creating cat eye sets, these lashes should be used at the outer corner to prevent the eyes from looking droopy.
8-9mm fans can also be used for clients who want a very short, dark, and full effect set (such as Russian volume style).
They’re also great for clients who have very short and weak natural lashes, or those who prefer a subtle enhancement. These lengths create a mascara-like effect, rather than a dramatic effect.
Please note these short lengths usually have stronger curls, compared to the longer fans (such as the 13-15mms).
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10-11mm
10-11mm fans are great as a ‘transition length’. They are also commonly used for the middle area of the eyes, as well as for the longest lengths in a natural eye set.
As these lengths are very versatile, and must-haves for any type of styling (including natural, doll, and cat eyes), we recommend you stock up on these to ensure you have enough of them at all times, to ensure that you never run out.
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12-13mm
12-13 mm lengths are commonly used as the longest length in a set, as well as to accentuate a certain part of the eye.
For doll eye styling, these lashes are be applied in the middle of the eye to really open up your client’s eyes and create that ‘doll-y’ effect. A doll eye is great for those who have small, droopy, downturned, wide set, or monolid eyes, as they tend to make the eyes look bigger and lifted.
To achieve a cat eye, these lengths may also be used towards the outer corners of the eyes. The cat eye style is great for round and close set eyes (rather than downturned or wide set eyes), as it really elongates the width of the eyes, and creates an exotic and sexy cat-like appearance. Remember, for proper ‘cat eye’ style, you will need to use at least four or five different lengths, which will increase gradually along the client’s lashline. For example, you might start with the shortest length (like 8mm) at the inner corner, then gradually increase to longer lengths (such as 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, or 13mm), then finish with a very short length at the end.
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14-15mm
14-15 mm fans are great as accent lengths, and for clients who want really long lashes. Be careful when using these lashes though, as they are meant for clients who have strong natural lashes. They are normally quite heavy on most natural lashes, which is why they should not be used for clients with shorter or more sparse natural lashes.
Clients who want these lengths usually love that dramatic effect, though remember to let your clients understand that these fans tend to make the set look more sparse and wispy. By contrast, when shorter lengths are used, the whole set tends to appear fuller, cleaner, and way more tidy.
If you’re still a beginner, we recommend that you use up to 13mm only, and avoid these longer lengths in the meantime, until you are accomplished at creating full looking volume sets.
Please also keep in mind that these long lengths tend to have much looser curls, compared to the 8-9mm variants.
Pro Tip: When you use premade fans, it can be challenging to keep on top of and maintain your stock levels, when there are just so many variants out there. Our advice is not to throw out empty trays when you’ve used up all the fans. Instead, collect and store these someplace safe. Then, when you need to place another order with your supplier, all you need to do is count these empty trays! ;)
The Lash Jungle Team xx
