Cluster lashes have become increasingly popular over the last several years, and for lash artists, that popularity hasn’t always felt like a good thing.
We’ve heard the same concerns again and again: clients skipping their regular lash appointments to do their lashes at home, clients returning with damaged natural lashes, and lash lines covered in hardened adhesive that can be difficult to remove. We understood the hesitation because we had it too.
Citizen Lash wasn’t created because we wanted to jump on the cluster lash trend. It actually took us years to decide this was something we wanted to pursue. After more than a decade in the lash industry and countless conversations with lash artists, we knew that if we were going to create a cluster-style lash system, it had to solve the problems artists were already seeing.
Creating Something Lash Artists Could Stand Behind
One of the biggest concerns was clients replacing lash appointments with at-home cluster lashes. Rather than ignoring that shift, we wanted to create another service lash artists could confidently offer their clients.
Every part of Citizen Lash went through extensive trial and error before we landed on the final products. We tested uncomfortable bases, fibres that didn’t hold their curl, adhesives that dried too hard, difficult removal and clusters that couldn’t be reused. If it didn’t meet the standards we already had as lash artists, it wasn’t going to make the cut.
Addressing Lash Damage
Damage was another major concern. During testing, we found that many long-wear, waterproof adhesives dried extremely hard on the lash line. When natural lashes are held together in a solid piece of adhesive for several days, they aren’t able to move freely as they normally would.
That led us to create our own clear and black adhesives that stay flexible once dry. The goal was to allow the natural lashes more movement beneath the clusters while still providing the wear clients are looking for. We also created removers specifically for the adhesives so clusters can be removed properly rather than pulled off or left behind as buildup on the lash line.
Wear time was important too. Citizen Lash is designed around wear of up to seven days rather than encouraging clients to leave clusters on for weeks at a time. The clusters can also be reused up to 10 times, giving clients a reason to remove them when they should instead of trying to stretch their wear as long as possible.
Making the Service Easy to Introduce
We also knew that adding an entirely new service can feel overwhelming. For us, creating the product was only part of it. Lash artists also needed to know how to apply it, explain it to clients and make it work within their existing business.
That’s why Citizen Lash includes free education through our YouTube channel, covering everything from application to marketing, pricing and structuring Citizen Lash as both a service and retail option.
We also created a 40+ page Partnership Guide designed to walk artists through what they need to know before bringing Citizen Lash into their salon. And if you already know how to apply lash extensions, the learning curve is surprisingly short.
It Doesn’t Have to Replace Lash Extensions
Citizen Lash was never created to compete with traditional lash extensions. Think of it more like offering lash extensions and lash lifts. They’re different services for different clients. Some clients will always want traditional extensions, while others are looking for something different. Giving them another option means they can still come to you as their lash provider rather than going elsewhere or figuring it out on their own.
We didn’t create Citizen Lash because we ignored the concerns around cluster lashes. We created it because we listened to them.
