illumino Lynk Gel LED Cured Lash Extensions
A little background:
At Shaestheticsss we have always prioritized client safety and education. We have been in the beauty industry for more than 7 years. Before becoming an esthetician from the prestigious Von Lee School of Aesthetics, I was a lash artist who has now been certified 7x now. Myself & my team actively pursue education and learn from other educators regardless of the fact that I myself am an educator. I strongly encourage other lash artists to continue their education as well to prevent misinformation from spreading based on opinions and not facts.
illumino LED and its LYNK Gel adhesive has been in development for 7 years. It is only new to me as of 3 years ago as I have been following the brand for several years and have been curious of its safety and efficacy myself.
Safety:
illumino is an LED or Light Emitting Diode. The lights that are emitted from this particular diode are completely safe and is the world's only A.N.S.I. (American National Standards Institute) approved safe device for LED. The Lynk-Gel Device emits a wavelength above 400nm, in the visible light spectrum, and is 600x less powerful than a UV nail lamp!
Lynk-Gel is the ONLY LED-cured gel eyelash extension method that has been extensively tested and found safe. Lynk-Gel has been tested by A.N.S.I., ACGIH, I.E.C., ICNIRP, and I.E.S. standards in 2020. It was found completely safe to use around the eyes and skin of both clients and artists. It has also been CE Certified as safe to use.
Here is an excerpt from the A.N.S.I. Report:
“Detectible short-ultraviolet (UV-B or UV-C) and emissions at ultraviolet wavelengths below ~360 nm were not detectable. Near-infrared energy from the LEDs and the emitted far-infrared (thermal) radiant energy is insignificant. The blue-light photochemical hazard is relevant to visible LEDs.”
There is a lot more to this test and I’d be happy to forward to anyone interested in the full report. We really want clients and other lash artists to be as educated as possible about this technology, as it is here to help not hurt. Of course I encourage you to do your own research and everyone has access to this and more here
Or at the A.N.S.I. website
If you’re concerned about LED lights and are curious about how they’re tested, please check out the following links.
https://webstore.ansi.org/preview-pages/IESNA/preview_ANSI+IESNA+RP-27.2-00.pdf
Being CE Certified means that your product has met the EU health, safety, and environmental requirements, which ensure consumer safety.
You can find more information about CE Certification here
Vapors:
Long before illumino LED system I’ve been concerned with vapors for not only myself but for my clients as with anything, long term exposure can cause issues. I myself have allergies and asthma and can be sensitive to these vapors regardless of a gel that claims to capture these vapors. The creator of Illumino , Soo-Jin , was concerned about this as well as a lash artist in Lash Vegas(as she calls it) for over 15+ years.
The adhesive she’s formulated still contains the same main ingredients of regular lash adhesive (cyanoacrylate, although no carbon as it is clear ) but because we as lash artists want to improve the standard in this industry it’s been upgraded tremendously!
This upgrade being in the STABILIZERS!
This doesn’t mean clients won’t have a reaction but the chances are significantly less.
We have a more than 50% success rate with clients who had previous allergies or sensitivity to traditional lash glues. One reason is that in some cases, the clients are not allergic to the cyanoacrylate but to the stabilizers in the glue.
Our Lynk-Gel has different stabilizers than traditional adhesives, which may potentially lessen the chance of an allergic reaction. We also have to store it differently because of this!
With Lynk Gel there are virtually no fumes to bother us or our lovely clients from the almost instantaneous cure time! While some lash artists may be using something to assist with this issue, not everyone does, and it doesn't eliminate all vapors. Vapors from glue can cause health issues for artists and clients over time, and Lynk-Gel will make it even less dangerous.
Retention/Longevity:
I still use traditional lash extension adhesives and have monthly memberships for the regular lash technique so this is not to knock regular techniques but to provide an alternative and upgraded solution, especially to those who have had issues with traditional lashes be it longevity, vapors or allergies.
This system has been proven to provide clients with increased retention. Most of us lash artists see clients for regular fill in’s every 2-3 weeks depending on the client. With illumino LED I have seen retention that’s lasted up to 4-5+ weeks without a fill in!!! Do you know how ECSTATIC that’s made me and my clients. This is because the adhesive is stronger and bonds onto the lash in a flexible manor as it is gel based & cures faster so there’s no chance of having issues after going outside into a different humidity range. Clients going out of the country can go and not worry about getting a fill someplace else while they are away for several weeks to months. Not to mention this saves you time & money in the long run, something we can’t get back 💕
Curing Time:
The Lynk-Gel curing time is 2-6 seconds, which while similar to applying traditional lash extensions, isn't exactly the same. This is not just the setting time, but the time it takes for the glue to fully cure and dry. That means that the glue is totally dry and ready to go get water, makeup, oil, cream, etc on it after being cured with the Lynk-Gel Device. This also means that instead of jumping from eye to eye or different sections on the eye, that you can lash right next to the lash you just applied without worrying about stickies. This allows you to not move your isolation hand around which saves a TON of time. Last, that curing time will also allow you to freeze the lash in place ensuring that it won't slip, slide, or move to a different trajectory.