Ever since the craze for eyelash extensions came out, I wanted to get them. However, I was super nervous because first, I really didn't know what to expect or how it worked, and second, you really need to trust that the person you go to will do a good job. Then I met Rae Allina. The minute we started talking I knew that she knew her stuff. She told me she had worked at Mario Tricoci for 10 years as a professional makeup artist and had been perfecting her skills in Xtreme lashes since 2009. She was in the middle of transitioning to doing her own thing full-time and had just launched her own business in October 2016 and named it Uplift Beauty, Inc. A very fitting name because that is exactly what she wanted to do - to inspire women to embrace their inner and outer beauty and to be uplifted by it!
Check Rae out below chilling in her studio on 2656 West Montrose Avenue in Ravenswood where she goes by appointment only [photo taken by Kristina Danitz Photography]:
I was super excited and bright eyed when I arrived for my appointment with Rae, ready to experience the magic of the Xtreme lash and see how it would transform me and my daily routine. I was looking forward to not having to put on makeup and to wake up looking flawless. As I lay down on the bed, I noticed that I was lying on a down cover, so I got underneath the blanket and got super comfy - honestly I have been to a lot of spas and such, but this bed is by far the most comfortable one I have ever slept on. Below is my before photo... my lashes appear almost non-existent compared to what it looked like afterwards!
It took about two hours for the whole look to be complete. Look at the dramatic difference! My eyes are already almond shaped, but the lashes definitely made it a better-looking almond by elongating and lifting the sides of my eye to create a natural cat eye look. Rae told me that normally she would put in 80-100 lashes on one eye per person because you can only attach a fake eyelash to a real eyelash, but I had so many eyelashes that she was able to put in 141 lashes for me! She used a synthetic mink eyelash on me and used Xtreme glue, the best grade glue you can get for lash extensions.
That night I went back home super excited to show them off, but I actually got in a huge fight with my boyfriend and cried all night. I was upset because I was afraid that it would mess up my lashes, but it actually didn't at all! And what helped was that when I was getting my lashes done, Rae had told me the story about how the same thing happened to her (ironically) - she had just gotten her first lashes in and also got into a huge fight with her fiance at the time and because she told me that story I was able to not freak more about my new lashes getting ruined from tears.
The next morning I woke up and it took a little time getting used to just waking up and looking fabulous haha! I didn't touch makeup for a whole week and got countless compliments from strangers everywhere I went. It was pretty crazy. I went to grab lunch at a Potbelly's and the girl who was taking my order couldn't even tell they were extensions because they looked so natural, and she fell in love with the look. Then another day I went to get groceries and the lady checking me out was doing more than just checking out the groceries, and we hit it off with such a great conversation about lashes and beauty that the people behind me were probably getting mad! Then I went to a reunion with some college girlfriends and got more compliments on how natural it looked and how easy it was to maintain because you literally have to do nothing except maybe comb them in the morning. My whole experience with Xtreme Lashes was great but it all started with having a good technician putting them on - if you have a chance, check out Rae Allina's website at http://uplift-beauty.com/ and connect with her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/raeallina. She is truly a spectacular and super talented entrepreneur, and I can't wait for you to get to know her like I did!
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