Sensitivities ?? Nothing to worry about

So of course if I tell you not to worry about having sensitivity issues regarding eyelash extensions it might appear a little biased to say the least. Check out what my lovely client Hannah had to say on the subject :"Growing up I was always fascinated by cosmetics, hair products, clothes, anything “girly”.  I would sneak into my older sister’s bedroom at a young age and try on her eye shadows, her mascara, blushes etc., and unfortunately for me, her tweezers (resulting in the ‘Grand Canyon’ of a gap between the left and right eyebrow, and a very unflattering class picture that year).  When I reached the ninth grade and was allowed to dye my hair for the first time, I made the unfortunate mistake of having my boyfriend at the time apply a box of Clairol “beautifully blonde” hair-dye to my naturally strawberry-brown locks.  It made perfect sense to me: my Norwegian mother had provided my brother and sister with beautiful blonde hair, and I was almost there with fair skin and blue eyes, unfortunately my British father “pissed in my gene pool”(Sorry, Brits! Only kidding!), and I was determined to “make things right”.  Someone should really tell you that the picture on the box does not magically appear on your head.  That night I hosted a party at my house with what can only be described as florescent orange hair, and should I ever piss the wrong people off, I have friends with photographic proof of this.This started me on my path of experimenting with hair colours, in search of what I had been naturally given, that I grew to long for.  One evening while living in British Columbia, I had a girlfriend dye my hair for me( I know, I know, you would think I would have learned my lesson with DIY hair dye, but this was a straightforward brown hair colour I had used many times before).  I spent that night in pain, itching my scalp like a mad woman.  From this point things only proceeded to get worse.  Every day I would wake up to find my head had grown in size, swelling to the point that I was unrecognizable.  It was a full 3 days later before I ended up in the hospital, with a face reminiscent of the Fruit Gushers commercials, where each person’s head turned into a giant fruit…I was the strawberry.  It turned out that I had an allergy to PPD, a chemical found in all hair dyes, as well as many different cosmetics.  I, like I said, was a frequent user of hair dyes and cosmetics and was baffled by this sudden allergy.  I researched the topic like crazy and discovered a whole community of people with the same problem as mine; varying by people with just irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis, which is what I had. Suddenly my favourite things were now my enemies.One of the other things I inherited from my Norwegian side was blonde eyelashes.  Eyeliners and mascaras would seem okay at first, until the morning after when I would wake up with swollen and itchy eyelids.  Hair dye had been taken from me, but I wasn’t about to give up on long black eyelashes too.  That’s where Sommer from Flirt Custom Lashes comes in.  The allergy-ridden girl’s best friend!!!  Sommer gave me lash extensions, using medical-grade adhesive, something she has become licensed to administer.  I had gotten eye-lash extensions in the past before a trip to Mexico at a nail salon (this was my first mistake- apparently I make a lot of those…?!?), which resulted in tears, “tranny” lashes, and eventually a loss of my own lashes.  I was reluctant to try again, but with my allergy to cosmetics, what’s a girl to do?  I contacted Sommer and the rest is history!  I also use Sommer’s Extreme Lash Mascara and have no problems whatsoever.  Two years later I still see Sommer on a bi-weekly basis and should I ever move across the world, I’m moving Sommer with me. There are a lot of lies out there in the cosmetic world; “hypoallergenic”- a word not regulated by the FDA and can be used without validation on any product, “natural” which simply means there is use of plant or animal derived ingredients (the product I used to dye my hair when I wound up in the hospital was “natural”), “fragrance-free” which can still contain small amounts of fragrance to mask the scent of chemicals, and “non-comedogenic” which means nothing more than it will not clog your pores. It’s not easy to decipher what will and will not cause problems for someone who deals with sensitivities and reactions to various products.  I went through all of the trials and tribulations to find what works for me, but if I can save you the time and swollen eyelids, go see Sommer if you have any issues with products or dyes. You don’t have to give up on, what I would consider, the most fun part about being a girl just because you have allergies! "