For those of you not familiar...Novalash eyelash is the only eyelash extension system that is Certified and Tested American made – Pharmaceutical grade and doctor-formulated for safety. For me, that is huge, because the safety of my eyes is a big deal! They are nothing to mess around with & "fingers crossed" hope that they are applied right and I don't go blind in the process.
So I arrived at my appointment yesterday with a little bit of jitters & a whole lot of excitement. My Novalash Certified Professional (Jessica Gonzalez from http://www.fabulashextensions.com/), who had just finished applying a full set to another client (see picture below of her new "FULL SET" of lashes)
greeted me with a smile and welcomed me into her room. I had to sign a release of liability form (just in case).
Of course, I had lots of questions before we began. How it all worked, how long it took to apply a whole set, how long they lasted, what was involved in caring for them, etc. You get the idea. Jessica was a fabulous resource! She answered all my questions with confidence & ease and even gave me a flyer to take home, about how my eyelashes grow and shed. She's been using & applying the Novalash system for several years now (yes, she even wears the product as well) and is also the trainer for the entire state of Connecticut. She is certified to apply them, experienced & trained and I felt like I was in extremely confident hands. We got started and she applied a couple guards (for protection) over my bottom lashes and then she proceeded to apply my Novalash Full Set of Extensions.
The process involves her seperating and singling out single lashes (they do this with two sets of tweezers), which she then takes an extension (single lashes), that she attaches to the base of each true eyelash with bond lash adhesive.
That's where the true art & artist is exposed. As she was applying them, she reinforced the fact that, this application process is an art. There have been some who have not been satisified with the quality of their lashes and it's not the lashes themselves that are the reason for the dissatisfaction. Practice makes perfect and applying these lashes takes practice. Getting the technique right, the timing of the adhesive to the extension/actual lash, etc. is very important!
She reinforced that people wanting to have the NOVALASH Eyelash Extensions applied, should only go to "CERTIFIED" Novalash Technicians, who have been through the training and classes for proper technique, care and safety. This is where some people's experience with lash extensions fall short, and in such, have a horrible experience with lash extensions. Not all facilities that do lash extensions use the NOVALASH system or are CERTIFIED to apply them. Make sure you ask before laying down, shutting your eyes and putting trust in someone to apply lash extensions to your lashes.
The process took about 2 hours from start to finish. This included time for answering all my questions & educating me on the process, the after care and even information about how she got started with the Novalash system. I have to admit, as I layed there with my eyes shut (listening to the soothing Andrea Bocelli "My Christmas" album on the cd player), I was wondering what they would look like, if I would be thrilled or disappointed, etc. 
They looked natural, full, lush and beautiful. AMAZING! Now, I have to admit, I am lucky enough to have decent eye lashes to begin with (which also makes it easier on the technician for applying them)...but this process has amplified the beauty of my lashes and made them even thicker, darker and more amazing than they have ever looked with mascara applied. The coolest part, for the next 4-6 weeks, they are going to look amazing and will require very little up keep. At which point, as my lashes start shedding, I will need to go back in, to a CERTIFIED Novalash Technician, to have "fills" done, to fill in the spots that are starting to thin out. Thankfully, it appears that there are a few "certified" technicians only 5 minutes from my house, so keeping them up should not be an issue (aside from the financial aspect). Full set applications can cost between $200-$350+ and fills cost around $75-$100 every 4-6 weeks. But keep in mind...you get what you pay for. If it seems like to good a deal, it just might be and you might be dissatisifed in the quality when you are finished.
