I know the photo above looks like I’m having an existential crisis. Yes, I really was, as I was packing everything in Japan and preparing to come home. But I chose this photo as the first photo because it’s exactly what Strokes’ KeraLift was for me. I could have no makeup and be fresh from the shower and have an existential crisis and all, but my lashes would be perfectly curled and volumized no matter what.
I’m already gonna do a TL;DR here and say that definitely, what I paid for this treatment was worth it. I spent one month in Japan and for the entire month, I had perfectly curled lashes, which made me fit in quite well as a lot of Japanese girls have lash perms or lash extensions. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants it.
So yeah, KeraLift is a lash perm and lift treatment which I got at Strokes. I’m gonna explain the procedure further, but basically, it’s a treatment for the lashes which does not involve lash extensions. There are no add ons, so as such, not everybody is eligible for this. Strokes will politely decline anyone with lashes that are too short, or those with eyelids that ‘eat up’ their lashes too much that the desired results will not be realized.
The perm will last ideally for 6-8 weeks, but with the right care and maintenance. After the treatment, one cannot wet the lashes for 24 hours. To make it last to its full potential, you’ll need to avoid any makeup that will need an oil remover for removal. Any makeup that can be removed by micellar water and regular facial wash is okay. Oil is the enemy of permed lashes, so keep that in mind. You can also use any kind of mascara that’s not waterproof, or use Strokes brand mascara. Your lashes will also be so pretty anyways you won’t need mascara anymore.
To chronicle the entirety of the perm, I’ll be indicating the dates.
July 15, 2019
I had the procedure done on this day. And yes, sorry for the weird photos! I took all of them with my eyes closed hahaha
The first step was to put on the stencils and eye protectors, then to separate my lashes and ‘set’ them that way in a gel.
They then proceeded to apply perming solution.
And then they applied ‘gloss’ or basically a solution to enhance the color and tint of the lashes, and give it a little more volume.
So here are the before and afters! My after photos straight out of the procedure are a bit weird because there really was a sting to it. My eyes were tearing up a bit and I got a bit red-eyed because of that. It’s a bearable kind of sting, but definitely, it’s not a 100% inconvenience-free treatment. I guess I also look weird because I closed my eyes for an hour and I guess I have this newly woken look.
So here are the before and after photos zoomed in:
And the before and after photos taken from below the lashes.
And here’s a more general before and after angle with my entire head:
And here I am carrying out my day to day activities in Japan and back home after the procedure!
I really felt that it was such a good decision because I had to wake up at 6:30AM in Japan time (5:30AM Manila time) and leave the housing before 8:00AM Japan time. In that span of time, I had to have breakfast (and wash all the dishes I used after because I lived in a sharehouse and therefore could not just leave the dishes on the sink), change clothes, wash my face and brush my teeth, do makeup, and tidy up my room. I only had 10 minutes for makeup so it immensely helped that I had perfectly done lashes each day. I just applied eyeshadow and actually no longer needed eyeliner because my lashes were also voluminous.
July 26, 2019
I went to a cat café! My lashes were still very highly lifted so it’s really visible in photos.
July 27, 2019
I went to Sunshine City Aquarium, and here’s my selfie with the Baikal Seal. The area was dark save for some spotlights and illumination from the tanks, so my lashes were very visible.
July 30, 2019
Just a random selfie before having dinner at Nadai Fujisoba. I didn’t put in a lot of eyeshadow, so my lashes are really very visible.
August 3, 2019
This day, I dressed up in a yukata and went to the East Imperial Palace Gardens. It was so hot that day, so I was thankful that I didn’t need to worry about mascara potentially getting too hot and heavy as I didn’t need to use mascara at all at this point.
August 5, 2019
I went to Cat Café Mocha this time. My lashes were no longer as highly lifted as in July, but they still were very nicely permed and visible in photos.
August 6, 2019
From the side, you could actually see how nice the perm is. My lashes were never stiffly standing up like what happens when you use an eyelash curler. Instead, they were curled following a seamless curve.
August 10, 2019
Tokyo Disneyland day! We woke up at 4:30AM Japan time to make it to the scheduled bus, so I was super thankful that I didn’t need to worry about my lashes. I also slept in the bus a lot, so I was also thankful that I didn’t need to worry about mascara bunching up whatsoever, as at this point I still didn’t wear mascara at all.
August 17, 2019
The day I left Japan! This was a sentimental day ahuhu. But yes, it was another day wherein I needed to wake up extra early to check out and finish all clearances and exit surveys. I also already stowed away a lot of my makeup into my suitcases, so I was immensely thankful I didn’t need to worry about my lashes.
August 27, 2019
Sorry if the skip was big! When I got home from Japan on August 17, I rested and took care of a lot of things that needed my attention while I was gone. So yeah, I shot headshots on this day, and indeed, even at 5 weeks, the curl was still visible and strong. It was no longer as intense as in July, but I still didn’t feel the need to wear mascara or curl my lashes at this point.
September 3, 2019
I attended a PR event. My lashes were no longer that curled and lifted, but I felt that it’d be such a waste to ruin the remaining curl by using mascara and oil-based removers. So I just let it be. Also, it was just a casual lunch event and I didn’t need dramatic lashes for it.
September 4, 2019
I attended a Pond’s PR event, and I also still didn’t use mascara at this point. I just used eyeliner for a little bit of definition as it was a nighttime event. I also didn’t want to use up so much makeup coz I knew it’d be a long ride home and I’d be too tired to remove too much makeup.
September 7, 2019
One day after I got my eyebrowdery at Strokes! The brow story is for another post. But this was a good photo basis as I didn’t wear makeup on the eye area in this photo. The people at Strokes were amazed that while some lashes had already drooped downwards, most were still going strong.
And this is still from the same day, but I used a macro lens to capture my brows here. Since my lashes could be seen I thought I might as well share this one, too.
September 11, 2019
This is where I can say that my lashes were already due for mascara again. This was already near the 8-week mark, which is supposedly the longest possible timeframe for the perm to last. I’m already actually beyond amazed that it lasted 6 weeks as promised, and did so with flying colors. I was thinking my lashes would already be super flat at this point, but still half of the lash hairs were permed.
From the side, this is how it looked like:
I can actually only recall using mascara again at the start of October, as I felt that most of the perm was gone by the end of September. I was really impressed with the service, and I only decided to not renew it at the moment as I needed to review mascaras again. But had it not been for that, I definitely would have gone to Strokes again for a new KeraLift. I am immensely thankful for the 8 weeks I didn’t have to curl my lashes nor wear mascara, it saved me so much time and effort. I also loved how I looked nice in almost all my photos in Japan as I had nice lashes.
I paid 2500 for this service and got it done at Strokes Premier Vertis North branch. If you want to know whether you’re eligible for this procedure or not, it’s best to just pay a visit to any Strokes branch so the technicians could evaluate your lashes.
Doll Up Mari: Top Beauty and Female Lifestyle Blogger Manila, Philippines
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