In case you haven’t noticed, eyelashes are big today. Did you check out Adele batting her lush sweepers at the Golden Globe Awards, or any of the actresses for that matter? Their long, thick, and black lashes couldn’t have been real, or could they?

By Georgetta L. Morque

 

In case you haven’t noticed, eyelashes are big today. Did you check out Adele batting her lush sweepers at the Golden Globe Awards, or any of the actresses for that matter? Their long, thick, and black lashes couldn’t have been real, or could they?

 

False eyelashes — at least the drugstore variety that take forever to put in place and end up looking fake — have been around for years. Yet, the professional way to enhance eyelashes with a more natural look is with extensions, which are all the rage right now. And you don’t have to be a movie star or supermodel to transform stubbles into something a bit more glam.

 

Fortunately, there’s a new place in town, R’s Eyelash Design, 15 Purchase Street, just a few doors down from Arcade Booksellers, where you can conveniently experience this beauty treatment first hand.

 

Opened in December by Rika Uematsu, the salon offers a serene and spa-like environment with two reclining sofas and professionally trained stylists who customize lash design to suit one’s eye shape, facial structure, and taste.

 

The lashes, which are made of synthetic silk, come directly from Japan in a variety of thicknesses, styles, and curls, and are applied on one’s natural lashes one-by-one. Customers can choose from designs such as natural, sexy, sweet, gorgeous, or cute, and a thickness ranging from 0.1 to 0.25 mm. The application takes from one to one-and-a-half hours, depending upon the number of lashes applied.

 

Afterwards, you can go about your everyday business, in the usual fashion. Mascara and eyelash curling are no longer necessary, nor are they recommended. The salon sells its own special mascara, also from Japan, and designed specifically for extensions. The lashes last anywhere from two to six weeks and at that point, customers can come in for a touch-up or can start again with a new set of extensions.  

 

“Eyelash extensions can change a person’s appearance instantly,” said Uematsu. “You don’t need mascara and can look beautiful with or without makeup,” she added. Eyelash extensions originated in Korea around ten years ago, according to Uematsu, but soon became popular in Japan, where salons are like beauty parlors and draw women of all ages, from teens to seniors. Because of strict health policies in Japan, the salons must carefully adhere to safe hygienic practices, which she has brought to her business as well.

 

Uematsu, who has a background in the beauty business, moved from Japan to New York a few years ago with her husband and two of their three sons. A longtime user of eyelash extensions in Japan, she couldn’t find the same quality of services in Manhattan, so she opened her own salon on East 43rd Street, near Grand Central, about a year and a half ago. After success with that salon, she wanted to open another one closer to her Rye Brook home.  

 

In just a short time, good news traveled and word-of-mouth has brought many to the Rye salon. One customer said she was very pleased with her lashes, since they look natural and she is able to save a lot of time applying her makeup without bothering with mascara. While other salons gave her shiny lashes that looked too artificial, the extensions at R’s Eyelash Design look so real that even her husband doesn’t know the secret.

 

So, check it out by calling 212-557-6227 or visiting www.r-eyelash.com. Prices for eyelash extensions start at $120. R’s Eyelash Design is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.