What every woman should know before she gets eyelash extensions.

When I was 23 I got weary of putting on makeup before work everyday, but I still wanted to look put-together. Like I had made some effort. Eyelash extensions were the solution. It was a subtle way of adding polish and glam to a natural look.

I ended up having my extensions for two years and developed a bit of a love-hate relationship with them.

If you’re interested in trying a set, here are the pros and cons you should know about.

Pro: Looking glam is low-maintenance

Forget fussing around with falsies and a pair of lash tweezers; eyelash extensions are a simple and very low-maintenance way of looking fresh and glam.

I often found that my lash extensions encouraged me to go more minimal with my makeup because they drew so much attention to my eyes already. If you’ve got a set, you’ll know what I mean. You don’t really feel the need for loads of eyeshadow and a big eyeliner wing. Lash extensions make you feel gorgeous and glam without the extras.

Con: The extensions themselves are very high-maintenance

While extensions can mean your makeup routine is low-maintenance, unfortunately caring for the extension themselves is quite a chore. You can’t put any oil products on or around them (including your night serums and oil-based mascara) because it dissolves the glue that holds them on.

You also can’t get them wet in the first 48 hours because they can all fall off. You can’t trim them. You can’t tug them.

Apart from gently combing them, don’t touch them.

Pro: They save time

I used to spend 10 to 20 minutes perfecting my mascara and false eyelashes, but lash extensions give you all that time back. They are such a crazy time saver. I found that they cut my makeup routine in half. So if you wear makeup everyday, you’ll be able to squeeze in 20 minutes extra sleep in the morning.

Con: They can cost you a fair chunk of cash

What they save in time, they cost in money. If you want a decent set that don’t make your natural lashes fall out, then you’ll have to spend at least $100 on your first set. After that your infill can cost around $40-$80 and you’ll need to have them filled every two to three weeks.

All that really starts to add up.

Zoe Foster-Blake’s beauty advice for busy women. Post continues...

Pro: Lash extensions make you take time to pamper yourself

There’s something nice and very luxurious about regularly taking time out for yourself to lie down and get pampered. Most of us don’t factor this into our busy schedules as much as we should. When you have lash extensions it forces you to take the time to chill out, relax and be pampered.

Con: They make swimming and showering tricky

Lash extensions can take the spontaneity out of life, especially in summer. Had your lashes done yesterday? Well, there are no swims at the beach for you. Need to wash your hair? You better hope you can do it without getting your face wet. Because if you wet them too soon they’ll fall out very quickly.

Mia Steiber is Shopping and Beauty Expert at finder.com.au, the site that compares virtually everything.