Eyelash Extensions: $5 vs $100 vs $300

Eyelash extensions have been around for some time now, but in the last year the hype about them has really picked up.

I’ve always had pretty naturally long lashes so I didn’t feel that big of an urge to spend a dumb amount of money on extensions for your eyelashes. I already had hair extensions in and I didn’t want to be thaaaat high maintenance to start spending $100 for a fill every 2 weeks when they started to fall out.

Needless to say, I ended up caving and trying them out… a few times. I’ve tried going to a couple different places to get them professionally done, and tried doing them on myself one time. So here I am today to go over all of my different experiences, which will hopefully help you out if you’re interested in trying them out too!

Each of my lash extension experiences have been unique, none of them at all similar. They all have their pros and cons and it’s definitely up to you to decide which would be the most worth it! I’m not even sure which I’d say is the best option, but let me know what you think in the comments! In the tabs below you can jump through all of my different experiences at each of the price points!

$5 DIY Eyelash Extensions

After my attempts with the professional lashes, I just didn’t want to continue pay crazy amounts of money every 2-3 weeks! But being without the lash extensions for a few months, there was no doubt I was missing them. Waking up in the morning with beautiful eyelashes was just so wonderful. I’m a very spontaneous person and if I get an idea in my head, it must be done by the end of the day! Kinda great, kinda terrible… depends on the idea lol. After around 2 hours of watching Youtube tutorials, I felt prepared enough to do my own DIY lash extensions!

I bought my individual lashes and my eyelash extension glue, and I was ready to start! I figured that if I did it at home, I could always re-fill the lashes myself without all the time and money spent at a salon! I’m aaaaall about saving money wherever I can!

Basically I just dipped the cluster of lashes into a tiny dab of glue, then placed it above my lash line. It took a little while to get the hang of it, and it probably looked super messy from the top view… but overall they looked decent. They weren’t nearly as natural looking as when I got it done professionally but it still looked like I was wearing a nice set of lashes!

I will say, these ones were falling out left and right, so I was adding new ones everyday. After around a week, they started poking me in the eye and I figured I probably should just get rid of them. Took some oil and scrubbed until they came off (with just slight amount of damage). I still think about doing them myself again, with maybe a little more experience hahah!

$100 Eyelash Extensions

This was my most recent experience with eyelash extensions, and it was definitely a little different than the first experience (the $300 time) I had at a salon. When I say “a little different”, I mean VERY different.

It was actually in a nail salon and they did lash extensions in the back room. She didn’t ask me how I wanted them or even what length, she just instructed me to get on the table and close my eyes! The experience wasn’t nearly as “spa-like” as the more expensive option, and it really showed the difference. She took literal tape to cover my lower lashes and then more tape to lift my eyelid a bit. She didn’t really say much at all so for the entire hour & a half that I was laying there, I was incredibly worried about how it was going to turn out.

In the end, they looked pretty good if you looked at me straight on BUT I did notice the glue was incredibly clumpy and there were around 4-5 lashes all stuck together in different spots, as you can see in the picture below this. She applied the lashes on top of my natural ones AND under them… (I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do that…lol). When I got home, some of the lashes that were applied under my natural ones started poking my eye so I had to cut them a bit.

I found that these got pretty ratchet looking after 1 week, big clumps were falling out and they started going all different directions! Overall they look pretty solid for a week and then it’s all downhill! I probably wouldn’t go back here just because the application wasn’t very good and I could see it just causing more damage in the future.

$300 Eyelash Extensions

The most expensive option was actually my first real experience with eyelash extensions. I had actually been approached by a salon asking if I wanted to come for a complimentary set, so of course couldn’t pass up that opportunity! She offered me a full set that’s originally $300, so thats a pretty hefty price for something that lasts only 2 weeks. Considering it was my first experience, I didn’t really know what to expect, how long it would take, and how I’d look.

I definitely felt like I got more of a true “salon” experience there. The bed they had me lay on had a fluffy white cover, the place was decorated perfectly for an Instagram, and it smelled really good in there lol.

Here’s how they applied the lashes:

- 1 -
They start by covering your lower lashes so that they’re protected from any glue. Taping the lashes can be kind of uncomfortable but she actually used a under eye cooling patch to cover them so it makes it much more manageable.

- 2 -
After that, you just close your eyes and I ended up laying there for 2 and a half hours to complete the entire set… aka a very long time (it gets pretty boring).

- 3 -
She blow dried the lashes and sent me on my way!

I will admit, they were beautiful. I was hooked instantly! Something about them made me feel so girly and pretty, like I could take on the world with absolutely no makeup on! I sent numerous pictures to friends and family URGING them to try lash extensions as well! I fully inspected them in one of those zoom in mirrors and there was absolutely no trace of glue or any way of telling that they weren’t real! It was incredible!

Sounds pretty awesome right (besides the price… duh)?! The downsides though… not great. The lashes lasted around a week and a half before they started look trashy, for lack of a better word. I started to look crazy with the eyelashes going in all different directions and constantly having to brush them out to look just decent. I did get one fill, which she did give me a discount for (ended up being $50 with the discount). I thought I could deal with all the upkeep but I realized it wasn’t quite worth it for me.

Eyelash extensions can be a ton of fun, you just need to be prepared. Do your research!!! If I were to do them again, I’d probably try to find somewhere that had a package deal or something… not really sure. Have you tried eyelash extensions?! Let me know & let me know how you feel about them!

Worth it or nah!?