The alternative to lash extensions

Extensions or press-on: the differences

Time. A set of extensions takes two to three hours in the salon, plus a refill every three to four weeks. Press-on lashes go on in five minutes and come off in one.

Your own lashes. Extensions are bonded to your natural lashes with permanent glue and grow out with them. That pulls on your lashes; many people notice them getting thinner and shorter after a few months. Press-on clusters sit under your lash line with a soft adhesive strip and come off every evening or after a few days, without tugging at your own lashes.

Cost. Extensions are a recurring expense: the first set plus every refill. You wear a set of press-on lashes several times and only buy what you actually need.

Flexibility. With extensions you wear the same look for weeks. With press-on you choose per day: Natural for work, Volume for the party, and nothing on a lazy Sunday.

Who is press-on the better option for?

Anyone who wants the extensions look without the commitments. You decide when to wear them, your eyes and lashes get a rest in between, and there is no appointment to plan. If you have had extensions and want your own lashes to recover, press-on lashes are a great bridge: you keep your look while your lashes grow back.

To be fair: extensions are on 24 hours a day, at night and in the shower. Press-on lashes are worn during the day and removed before bed. If that is no problem for you, you save time, money and your own lashes. Here is how to apply them: step by step.