Certified NaturaLash Instructor, Camelia Clum, interviewed for www.Moxxie.com

NaturaLash in the OC Register.  Click here to read see the original article.

Hundreds came to the Vietnamese Beauty Expo

Hundreds gaze at the latest grooming trends at the second Vietnamese Beauty Expo, which an organizer calls the largest such expo in the U.S.

By CINDY ARORA
The Orange County Register

Monday, April 3, 2006

GARDEN GROVE – In the middle of Little Saigon, between pho restaurants and a busy Vietnamese supermarket, about 1,800 people on Sunday attended the second annual Vietnamese Beauty Expo. Nail technicians showcased the latest trends, such as gel polish, a one-step polish that stays on for a month. Students from local beauty schools created snazzy up-dos for willing participants. The work of Vietnamese fashion designer Calvyn Hyp took to the catwalk, infusing traditional Vietnamese costumes with flowers and gem-covered mandarin collars.The event was exactly what Tham Nguyen and Tyrone Nguyen, creators of the

Vietnamese Expo, had envisioned. "There is a huge percentage of Vietnamese in the beauty industry," Tyrone Nguyen said. "In nails alone, they have over 50 percent of that share. And we wanted to build an event that will be a brand in this community. And that they could come to." Here were some of the highlights:

Konad Stamping Nail Art

The Gardena-based retail company Konad is bringing nail-stamp art to the masses. There are 322 designs, including Hawaiian flowers and horoscope signs. The stamping nail kits come with nail polishes manufactured by the company, a stamp, a scraper and image plates with seven designs. Here's how it works: Place a layer of nail polish on the design plate and then scrape it off. Press the stamp onto the design plate, and then press the coated stamp onto your nail. "You stamp it on, put on a clear coat of nail polish and you're done," said Jennifer Lee, 20, who has a penchant for the leopard print.

Eyelashes and Eyebrows

Mascara and fake eyelashes have competition with the growing trend of eyelash extensions. Brett Baker of NaturaLash, a Colorado-based company, says the market or big flapping eyelashes is hot.Eyelash extensions involve isolating each eyelash and adding to its length individually by weaving in small hairs. It's a tedious process, Baker said, but "They look good, and it really accentuates the eye." The NaturaLash company has recently introduced Natural Brow, or eyebrow extensions. They were originally created for cancer patients who lost their hair. Now mainstream consumers also can add texture, arches and color to their brows. (Note: NaturaLash Eyelash Extensions are not woven to the existing lashes, that was a mis-intepretation).

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Eyes open wide with these lash extensions

By Alison Maxwell, USA TODAY

Talk about an eye-opening experience: Eyelash extensions are the latest beauty trend sweeping the red carpet and heading to a salon near you.Not to be confused with the self-stick falsies of yesteryear, these semi-permanent, synthetic extensions are glued on one by one by a technician using tweezers and adhesive."In the last couple of years, we've gone through an intense phase of fake eyelashes, and this is the logical extension — pardon the pun," says Didi Gluck, Marie Claire magazine's beauty director. "It dovetails a little bit with the craze for hair extensions."During the application, which takes about 90 minutes, 25 to 35 extensions in varying lengths and thicknesses are bonded to individual hairs. The procedure averages $250 to $300 but can run as high as $500. The lashes stay put for about four to six weeks, but customers usually come back for a touch-up after two to four weeks to replace lashes that are lost in the natural growth cycle. "They give the eyes an instant lift, with no needles or injections," says Glamour beauty writer Tram Kim Nguyen. "You can roll out of bed looking great." Trendsetting celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton have fueled interest in the wide-eyed look. The procedure is taking hold in California and Florida and spreading slowly throughout the East Coast. Soul Lee of the Shu Uemura Lash Bar in New York's Soho gave Jennifer Jason Leigh extensions for the Golden Globe Awards. "It sounds high-maintenance, but it's really for low-maintenance reasons," Lee says. "It will make your lashes look like you're always wearing mascara."At Piaf Salon & Day Spa in Washington, D.C., appointments have increased 75% in the eight months since the spa began offering the service, and there's a short waiting list, says makeup artist Jennifer Fitzpatrick. At Le Petite Retreat day spa in Los Angeles, owner Lysa Kustek says appointments are up 50% since November. The procedure attracts people with "significant disposable income," she says. Lori Evans of Washington, D.C., got extensions at Piaf this month. "It's so funny because I'm walking around batting my eyes at everyone at work," she says. "You can't tell at all that they're fake." Experts recommend paying close attention to safety. Thomas Steinemann of the American Academy of

Ophthalmology, a Cleveland ophthalmologist, says he hasn't yet seen or heard of safety problems but advises asking whether the glue is safe for cosmetic use and keeping it out of the eyes. "You want to make sure you're not introducing something toxic or allergenic or potentially injuring the surface of the eye."

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Eyelash Extensions: The Next Big Thing in Beauty

Paris, Lindsay and J. Lo Have Them, and You Can Too

Jan. 21, 2006 - Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan have them, and J. Lo's are made of mink.

Madonna's cost $10,000 and are studded with diamonds.

Hollywood is hip to the latest trend. But if you blinked you may have missed it: People are

getting eyelash extensions.

"With lash extensions, what they are doing is taking a lash and actually bonding it onto your own lash," said Sally Blenkey-Tchassova, a New York beauty salon owner. "It really looks better than mascara. You don't have the clumpy dirty look. It looks really fresh."

Eyelash extensions started in Asia and made their way west. Unlike traditional false eyelashes that only last one day and are applied on a strip, synthetic eyelash extensions are glued to eyelash hairs one by one with tweezers. The process takes two hours and they last about two months. It typically costs between $300 and $500.

"We are surrounded by celebrity culture and so many celebrity-centric magazines, and everyone wants to look like they are walking down a red carpet," Blenkey-Tchassova said. "This is a way for the average person to look really glamorous really fast."

Beauty salons everywhere are catching on. At the Louis Licari Salon in New York City, eyelash

extensions are so popular that appointments must be booked up to months in advance.

For those who do not want to pay the high price or wait for an appointment, a good alternative is semi-permanent lashes. They cost about $50, last about 10 days and take just minutes to apply.

"People are really keen on the semi-permanent eyelashes," Blenkey-Tchassova said. They could come in handy "if you're going away for the weekend or if you have a hot date [with] someone who you haven't had a sleepover with before, and they have to see you in the middle of the night, and you don't want to frighten them. So, I mean, you're going to look great."

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

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WHAT’S HOT FOR ‘06

Jan 1, 2006

BEAUTY EYELASH extensions are set to cause the biggest beauty stir in 2006. Legendary trend-setter Madonna was ahead of the style pack at November's MTV awards with her ultra-glam crystal encrusted lashes. But if you're after a more modest look a pounds 100 treatment can give you luscious lashes and make clumpy mascara a thing of the past as beauticians glue a tapered false lash onto the base of each natural one.  Lynne Archer of the Guild Of Beauty Therapists says: "It looks really glam and you can be as outrageous or formal as you want."

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Then vs. Now: The Next Big Things for 2006

Excerpt from ABC News - Jan. 2, 2006

HAIR EXTENSIONS VS. EYELASH EXTENSIONS

First there were hair extensions — something that has definitely gained more mass appeal as of late (they used to be so expensive you had to be a celebrity to get them; now they have gone mainstream). Now, there are eyelash extensions. The process involves taking individual, synthetic hairs and bonding them to your natural lashes, one strand at a time. It can take up to an hour for a full set, but once on the extensions last up to a month (the average life-cycle of a natural lash).