Semi-permanent mascara by Flutter - Review

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Semi-permanent mascara by Flutter - Review

Cost: from £60 in Surrey/Kent, £80 in London
Time: 30-45 minutes

Get perfect mascara for 2-4 weeks with semi-permanent mascara

I'm pretty lazy when it comes to make-up. Quite often a slick of mascara is all I'll commit to before I head out the door. I don't think any beauty product has more of an impact on the way we look than mascara.

Still being lazy there's times when I wish I could even forego the ritual of mascara-ing my lashes. For this reason I was very taken with the idea of getting my eyelashes covered in semi-permanent mascara.

I've always liked the idea of tinting my lashes because they're pretty lengthy anyway but dying your lashes doesn't give you that mascara'd volume that I love; semi-permanent mascara, however, does.

Semi-permanent mascara by Flutter uses the very latest in lash coating to give you fuller, longer and more curled lashes - it's 100% waterproof and best of all it lasts from 2-4 weeks.

The treatment takes between half and hour and 45 minutes and is done at your home at time that's convenient for you. Brilliant, no?

How is semi-permanent mascara applied

Your lash lady will set up her table, light and equipment and conduct a quick health check with you to make sure your suitable for the treatment. She'll also discuss with you how you like to wear mascara.

I like mine thick, clumpy even - a full on glamour lash. My lash lady, Kathryn Popplestone (creator of Flutter) advised me that I'm probably a better candidate for false lashes - a service Flutter also provides - as putting the semi-permanent mascara coating on too thick can be uncomfortable.

I decided to opt for a less dramatic lash with a little curl instead. At Flutter they really want to give you lashes you'll love, so I appreciated this attention to my preferences.

Following the consultation, my eyelashes were thoroughly cleaned and any old mascara dregs were duly removed. It's gentle and didn't hurt at all.

Lying back on the table things started to get ugly.

Kathryn taped up my eyelids with breathable, surgical tape. This allows her to work on the upper lashes without bonding the bottom lashes too. The coating can stick lashes together so she worked to get all of my lashes separated before she began.

The first step is curling. Using a pair of open-ended eyelash curlers she gently curled my top lashes a little before beginning to apply the coating which sets the curl in place.

The process was quite quick and relatively painless - there was the odd twinge as she caught my lashes but it wasn't bad at all. The most terrifying thing is having your lids taped shut!

It never ceases to amaze me what random things we'll subject ourselves too in the pursuit of beauty!

After about fifteen minutes or so, my lower lashes were released and my upper lashes were taped out of the way so Kathryn could get to work on the bottom.

This part went a lot quicker and pretty soon, the tape was slowly peeled away (not painful at all) and my newly lovely lashes were revealed.

They were amazing! I looked like an advert for an amazing new mascara - each individual lash looked full, black and lengthened.

After care for semi-permanent mascara

Kathryn presented me with a leaflet on the treatment and a small pot of removal gel. I was advised to remove the remaining semi-permanent mascara after 2-4 weeks depending on how it looked. I'd do this just by massaging it on to my lashes and rinsing it with water.

The semi-permanent mascara coating breaks down when it comes into contact with oil so I was advised to use only water-based eye products and avoid oily creams around the eye area.

One week later

My lashes are less full but still look as though they've been mascara'd recently. I found in the first couple of days that my lashes felt tight and quite often my eyes were dry.

It's a bit like when you leave your mascara on overnight and your lashes go all crispy. I put a little gentle eye cream under my eyes and on my lids to ease it.

I got used to the sensation pretty quickly and resisted the temptation to fiddle with my lashes.

I loved that they were waterproof and that I woke up looking as lovely as when I went to bed - it's amazing.

The curl dropped out of the lashes about five days after the treatment and after nine days the mascara looked very subtle. I will probably remove it in another couple of days.

My thoughts

This is a great pre-holiday treatment or prior to a special occasion but I wouldn't necessarily want to have it done all the time. It's a much more subtle look than the falsies but that does mean the effect is lessened more quickly.

The price reflects the time, care and attention Flutter therapists put into your lashes and also their expertise - it's certainly worth paying more for these sorts of treatments than trying to get them on the cheap.

I don't think I'd have this treatment done often but for special occasions it's a firm favourite.

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