Gender Reveal Lashes: An Interview with Lexi from Swanky Skin & Lash Studio

   Lexi teased the set by posting a series of behind the scenes photos in black and white, as to not spoil the surprise for any of her clients friends and family that might be following along. Once she got the approval of her client to post the results, she released the color version. As soon as I got the notification on @thelashritual that @swankystudio_lexi had tagged me in a post a few days later, I excitedly opened the app to see if my random prediction of baby was correct - and it was! 

I thought it was SO special that Lexi's client asked her to do this set. I had to know more! Below is my interview with Lexi:

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Shout out your business - where are you located?
"Swanky Skin + Lash Studio, Windber PA, USA. We are a group of licensed estheticians. You can find me on Instagram @swankystudio_lexi and our studio @swankystudio."

How long has this client been coming to you?
"Amber has been coming to me for half a year - we did her first vivid set in July 2022 which was inspired by The Lash Ritual “Oil Slick” set. Since then, she’s come for fills and has maintained her vivids, coordinating them with the seasons and holidays."

Who's idea was it?
"One day during Amber’s lash fill, she told me that she wanted me to do her gender reveal. Once the time came and she scheduled her ultrasound, she asked again and I felt surprised, excited, and humbled all at once! Believe it or not, she said she got the idea from her boyfriend… so sweet!"

When did she give you the envelope with the gender? At the appointment or in advance?
"Amber’s baby appointment was right before she came into the studio. I didn’t know the gender until the day of the appointment when she handed me the envelope. I had to do some prep and set up for both a pink or blue set. I made sure I didn’t open the envelope until she was prepped and taped so she couldn’t peek."

What lashes did you set up for pink and blue?
For the pink set I used Magenta FeatherTip .07 and Light Pink. For a boy/blue set I was going to use Jelly Blue and Blue. 

Did you charge extra for this service?
"At our studio we actually have a separate pricing menu for vivids since we have so many color clients. I charged her for a “Vivid Classic Set” that can be found on our booking site."

Who did the photoshoot - did she hire a photographer to come to the salon?
"Ever since I did the photoshoot for my Wonka Challenge submission (a creative lash contest The Lash Ritual co-hosted in 2022) I’ve been obsessed with wanting to do more creative shoots, much like The Lash Ritual's branding. Since this was already such a unique idea, I decided to call in a local photographer, Karissa, to help me out. Karissa and I traded services- a mini photoshoot for a full set of lashes. Amber got awesome free portraits of herself that she can keep forever in exchange for allowing me to document this for my portfolio."

Did she try to peek in the middle of the service? Did she see the pink hue as soon as she opened her eyes or not until she looked in the mirror?
"She didn’t peek, but I was scared that she would see the lashes as soon as she opened for the first time. I still needed to do her makeup for the shoot so I wasn’t sure whether to reveal them prior for this reason. She said she didn’t see them which surprised me! Maybe it was because we used M-curls? I did record a video of myself handing her a mirror for the first time and her reaction was so sweet."

Did she cry... did YOU cry? 
"Amber definitely shed a tear. I’m surprised I didn’t cry, but I definitely had that warm and fuzzy feeling. Her boyfriend and daughter were in the room when she opened for the first time. It was so sweet seeing a family’s life change right in front of me. Working in this industry humbles me in so many personal ways."

Do you think you’ll be seeing more requests for this service after the appointment?
"I’m hoping! I have so many more creative shoots planned in the future. My photography friend Karissa is super interested in doing editorial style shoots together so it was meant to be. Luckily for me more than half of my clientele wear vivid lashes already, so I’m hoping it makes more of my lash girlies want to model for me in the future. Colorful lashes are definitely becoming the norm in our town!"

How sweet is that? Let us know in the comments if you've ever heard of, or even had a request for gender reveal lashes! I think this is such a special part of being a lash artist. Be sure to follow Lexi at @swankystudio_lexi to see more creative color sets.