“Stickies – The Biggest Enemy of Every Lash Artist!”
💎💎💎💎 Stickies – the biggest enemy of every lashmaker! 💎💎💎💎
First of all, I want to say thank you to all my dear friends and followers for your activity, likes and comments. It’s a great honour for me to have so many amazing lash artists around the world who are always open to new knowledge! 🙏🏼💙
I always say that the best lash artist should be a perfectionist — someone who is always hungry for new information, always improving lash skills and never giving up. Exactly this type of perfectionist can reach the highest level in eyelash extensions. 🕊
And today let’s talk about stickies.
What Are Stickies in Eyelash Extensions?
Stickies are when two or more natural lashes become glued together during the eyelash extensions procedure.
Every lash artist faces them. Stickies are like Jason Statham in his movies — we try to kill them, but they always come back! 😂
In my experience I usually see three types of stickies:
1️⃣ Two natural lashes connected with one fan
2️⃣ Two natural lashes with two fans connected together
3️⃣ One lash in the telogen stage connected with a fan and baby lashes near the eyelid
Stickies can damage lash retention and make the set uncomfortable for the client, so every professional lash artist must know how to avoid them.
Main Reasons Why Stickies Appear
Let’s look at the most common reasons why stickies appear in volume eyelash extensions.
1️⃣ Glue – The Main Reason for Stickies
The first and most common reason is eyelash extension glue.
I always tell my students that glue is like a man — every girl must find her own! 😂
One glue works perfectly for one lash artist but may not work well for another.
If you want clean work, you must find the best glue for eyelash extensions for your speed, temperature and humidity.
For example:
• my salon temperature – 24°C
• humidity – 40%
But another salon may have 27°C and 60% humidity.
In this case the same glue will behave completely differently.
Your glue should be liquid and fresh, not thick and viscous.
Some lash artists like thick glue because they “feel it”, but this often leads to messy work and stickies.
Important Glue Rules
✔ Change your glue drop every 20 minutes
✔ Only dip 20–30% of the fan leg into the glue
✔ Never dip the whole fan
The perfect amount of glue should be almost invisible on the fan leg.
If you can clearly see the glue — there is already too much.
2️⃣ Wrong Distance from the Eyelid
Another mistake is placing the fan too close to the eyelid.
In the lash industry we call this mistake “fan in eyelid.”
When the fan touches the eyelid, glue flows down and creates a triangle shape.
This glue triangle can catch baby lashes and create stickies.
The correct distance should be:
0.3 – 0.5 mm from the eyelid.
Always make sure you see where the natural lash grows from.
3️⃣ Bad Separation of Natural Lashes
Poor separation is another common reason for stickies.
Typical mistakes:
• separating lashes from the top
• separating from the middle of the lash line
• using straight tweezers for difficult lash lines
Personally, I love working with curved tweezers.
They allow me to separate lashes from the base much easier and create clean work.
Using the best tweezers for fans and isolation helps avoid stickies and improves accuracy.
And remember the golden rule:
⚡ Always isolate ONE natural lash only.
If you isolate two or three lashes at the same time, stickies will appear almost immediately.
4️⃣ Mistakes in Lash Attachment
When connecting a fan to a natural lash, the connection zone should be 20–30% of the fan leg.
But many lash artists forget about something very important:
⏱ waiting time.
After attaching the fan you should wait about 5 seconds before moving your tweezers.
If you move too quickly, neighbouring lashes will bend toward the fan before the glue polymerises.
And again — stickies appear.
5️⃣ Working Lash After Lash
Another bad habit is working lash after lash in one zone.
Many artists work on one eye first and then move to the other.
But if you work constantly in the same zone, the glue may not have enough time to polymerise.
Instead, I recommend using the “carcass method”:
work in different zones of the eye and move around the lash line.
This technique helps reduce stickies and improves lash retention.
6️⃣ Bad Habits During the Procedure
Another reason for stickies is brushing lashes too often during the procedure.
Glue needs time to polymerise, so brushing lashes every few minutes can destroy your work.
Always brush the lashes only after finishing the set.
Another problem is the position of your hand while working.
Sometimes we press on the lashes with our hand without noticing.
Instead, rest your hand on the:
• nose
• cheek
• forehead
But never on the lashes themselves.
7️⃣ Thick Fan Legs
The final reason for stickies is bad fan structure.
The leg of your fan must be:
✔ thin
✔ neat
✔ perfectly closed
Thick or messy fan legs create extra glue and increase the risk of stickies.
Working with high-quality lashes for eyelash extensions in UK salons, especially 0.07 lashes for volume fans, helps create lighter and cleaner fans.
Always Check Your Work
Even the best lash artists sometimes get stickies.
The difference between a good and a great lash artist is checking the work after finishing.
Lazy lash artists skip this step.
But a professional never does.
There are two ways to check your work:
✔ check lash by lash with tweezers
✔ check between lash lines using curved tweezers
Always leave 15–20 minutes at the end of the procedure to check your work carefully.
Final Advice
Dear girls, eyelash extensions are very delicate and difficult work.
Not everyone can master it.
Be proud of your talent, keep improving your skills, and never let stickies destroy your beautiful work.
Practice, patience and high-quality tools — including the best glue for eyelash extensions, professional lashes and the best tweezers for fans — will help you create perfect lash sets.
With 💙
Anastasiia Hutsaliuk