iLashWorks brings extreme lashes to Winter Park

As the models sway up and down the runway, all eyes are on their eyes. Butterfly wings flutter, peacock feathers soar and heavy metal glitters hang from their eyelids. The looks are whimsical, ethereal, sometimes tough and edgy, and always surprising. No one is looking at the clothes, only the tiny masterpieces lining the models’ eyes.

At Harriett’s Park Avenue Fashion Week, the eyelash artists from iLashWorks in Winter Park revealed some of their most dramatic works.

“The most fun was watching the people’s faces, some in disbelief,” said Kit Stephenson, owner of iLashWorks. “People were actually paying attention to it; they were waiting to see the next look.”

The iLashWorks team had their own lineup at the runway show this year, and they used the creative opportunity to the fullest. The beauty studio offers an array of services, including facials and massages, but Stephenson’s passion is eyelashes.

She said her studio brings a little something extra and unique to the Winter Park scene, and takes beauty to the next level.

“We’re the frosting on the cake … what’s a world without eyelashes?” she said. “They make the face.”

iLashWorks has been in Winter Park for four years, and specializes in eyelash extensions. For photo shoots and fashion shows they’ll take it over the top with rhinestones and neon, but for everyday beauty they’ve got options for every woman, and they’re certainly not the ones you find at your local pharmacy. Theirs are hand applied, each lush lash to your own lash, creating a look that rivals a Kardashian smolder. They do mink lashes, which more closely resemble real lashes and are super soft to the touch with a slight shimmer, and Xtreme Lashes extensions that are thicker, a little more stiff, but still full of appeal.

Stephenson said clients have come in without them and left with the extensions making them look 10 years younger. They light up and play up the liveliest part of a person’s face. Many of her clients have given up manicures to keep up their lash obsession.

“When I don’t have them, I feel naked, like I’m missing something,” said Nora Reinfeld, who drives from Gainesville to get her lashes done at iLashWorks.

Laurie Fortune, an Oviedo client, agreed.

“It’s just so convenient, if I don’t do anything, I always maintain my eyelashes,” she said. “You look beautiful.”

While beauty doesn’t actually necessitate pain in the eyelash world – as many women take a little nap during the two-hour long appointment – it’s not an easy task for the eyelash artists. They apply one lash at a time, using a special glue to attach it to the client’s each individual eyelash. Tiny tweezers, a magnifying glass and a dedication to detail are invaluable to the process.

And it isn’t just about picking the longest, thickest lash. They’ve got drawers full of them, each different lengths, widths and amounts of curl. During a consultation, Stephenson or one of her other artists looks at the person’s face and eye shape, and amount of lashes they have already. Then they develop the right eyelash plan with a mission to create a look that mimics a natural lash line but with super lashes. It’s a strategy and skill not suited for everyone.

“It’s like threading a needle, you have to be able to have a steady hand and the patience for it,” Stephenson said. “It’s not for everybody, it’s very tedious.”

But lash artists say they love it.

For more information about iLashWorks, located at 111 S. Knowles Ave. in Winter Park, visit ilashworks.com or call 407-622-0226.

“You get in the zone, and I enjoy the outcome,” said Mel Morganstein, a lash artist at iLashWorks.

Stephenson loves the creative side, but the lashes don’t have to be crazy. She’d love more opportunities to create drama on the eyes like she did for Fashion Week, but she says making a woman look glamorous and beautiful for everyday is just as great. And while she’ll never admit it, it takes a particular talent to make eyes come alive in the way she does.

“I’ve never really considered myself an artist, I just look and do,” Stephenson said. “It’s fun; I’ve always been playing with colors and curvature.”

And the clients see that, too.

“When people walk in the doors here, they walk out feeling pampered and they feel special and they feel important,” said friend and lash photographer Carolyn Dolan. “She’s just really dedicated to making the world beautiful, one lash at a time.”

Stephenson has been training her own artists, and soon hopes to be able to start a business in eyelash extension consulting. She’d love to see a lash bar in every Winter Park salon, and it would be even better if it were called iLashWorks, she said. The beauty trend is only growing, and she likes being ahead of the curve.

“You could put a lash bar in any salon,” she said. “The more people who are educated, it will just become more and more popular.”