A lash lift and tint takes about 70 minutes. We book ours at one hour and ten minutes, and across Toronto you will see anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes quoted, depending on the products a studio uses and how your lashes behave once the lifting lotion goes on.
That is the honest answer, and if it is all you came for, go ahead and book.
But the number on the booking page and the number you should actually block off in your calendar are not always the same, and that gap is what sends people into a quiet panic halfway through a Tuesday afternoon. So here is what those seventy minutes are really spent on, why some appointments run over, and what happens after you walk out.
What actually happens in those 70 minutes
Most of the appointment is not the chemistry. It is the setup.
| What is happening | Roughly how long |
| Cleansing, and talking through the curl you want | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Placing the silicone shield and setting every lash onto it | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Lifting lotion | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Setting lotion | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Tint | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Nourishing step, removal, final comb through | 10 minutes |
The row that surprises people is the second one. Setting each lash onto the shield, one at a time, in the direction it needs to sit, is slow and fiddly work. It is also the part that decides whether your lift looks even or slightly crooked four weeks from now. A technician who rushes it gets you out the door faster, and you notice by week two.
Nothing in that list hurts. Your eyes stay closed the whole time, the lotions sit on the lashes rather than the lid, and a fair number of our clients fall asleep somewhere around the setting lotion.
Why some appointments run longer than others
Seventy minutes is the middle of a range, not a promise. These are the things that move it.
• Very straight or very fine lashes take longer to set onto the shield and sometimes need a gentler lotion timing.
• Lashes of wildly different lengths on the same eye mean more work choosing and positioning the shield.
• Sensitive eyes that water a lot slow everything down, because the shield has to stay dry to hold.
• First appointments run longer than repeat ones, mostly because of the conversation at the start.
• Add-ons change the picture completely. Brow lamination with a lash lift and tint is a two-hour booking, not a seventy-minute one.
Two numbers float around online that are worth addressing directly.
If you have seen a salon advertise a lash lift and tint in fifteen or twenty minutes, they are almost certainly quoting a tint on its own. A lash tint takes us twenty minutes and nothing more. The dye goes on, it develops, it comes off, you are done. That is a real service and a good one. It is not a lift.
At the other end, people sometimes come to us worried because an appointment somewhere else ran past two hours. That is not automatically a red flag either. A newer technician working carefully will give you a better result than a fast one working carelessly. What matters is how long each lotion sat on the lashes, not what the clock said at the end.
How long is a lash lift and tint appointment compared with doing just one?
Here is how the four bookings compare at our studios.
| Service | Time |
| Lash tint on its own | 20 minutes |
| Lash lift or curl on its own | 1 hour |
| Lash lift or curl plus tint | 1 hour 10 minutes |
| Brow lamination, lash lift, tint and brow shape | 2 hours |
Look at the middle two rows for a second. Adding the tint costs ten extra minutes and fifteen extra dollars. That is why hardly anyone books the lift on its own. The lift gives you the shape. The tint is what makes the shape visible, particularly if your lashes are fair at the tips, which most people’s are even if they have never noticed.
How long does a lash lift and tint last?
The lift lasts six to eight weeks. The tint lasts three to five.
Those are the numbers we give at the front desk and they are accurate, but they are also a little generous, and it is worth understanding why.
Your lashes are not all the same age. At any moment, some are brand new and some are ready to shed. A lift only affects the lashes that are on your eye on the day. So in week one, everything you can see is curled. By week four, a batch of new straight lashes has grown in underneath the lifted ones and the overall effect starts to soften. It does not drop or go flat overnight. It gradually stops being a lash lift and goes back to being your lashes.
In practice: it looks its absolute best for the first three weeks, it still looks good through week six, and by week eight you will want it done again.
One rule we hold to. Do not come back sooner than six weeks. Lifting lashes that are still holding a previous lift is exactly how people end up with the frizzy, over-processed look that lash lifts get blamed for. If you turn up at four weeks we will say no, and we would rather say it than take your money.
The 24 hours afterwards, which is where most people go wrong
The question we get most often after an appointment is about showering, so let us do that one first.
You can shower. You cannot get your lashes wet. That sounds like a contradiction and it is not. Wash your hair leaning back rather than forward, keep your face out of the spray, and pat around your eyes rather than through them. Twenty-four hours later you can stop thinking about any of it.
The rest of the first day:
• No steam rooms, saunas or hot yoga for 24 hours.
• No swimming, and in August that includes the lake.
• No oil-based cleanser, makeup remover or eye cream for 48 hours. Oil is what breaks the lift down fastest.
• No rubbing your eyes, and no lash curler again. You will not need one.
• Sleep on your back the first night if you can manage it.
• Mascara is fine after 24 hours, but skip waterproof. It is the remover that does the damage, not the mascara.
Most people find they stop wearing mascara altogether after the first week, which is usually the point.
Fitting seventy minutes into a Toronto day
Seventy minutes is an awkward length. It does not fit a lunch break, and it is too short to feel like an afternoon off. A few things we have learned from booking these for years.
If you are coming after work, ask for Thursday or Friday. We are open until 7 on both, and the last lift of the day never gets rushed.
If you want a Saturday, book early in the week. Saturday mornings go first and the 10am slots are usually gone seven days out.
If it is your first time, add half an hour to whatever you have blocked off. Not because the appointment runs long, but because you will want to talk through curl choice properly before anything starts, and that conversation is worth having without one eye on the clock.
And one that is particular to this city: book it in November. A lash lift survives a toque in a way that a curled and mascaraed lash simply does not, and January through March is when you will appreciate not having to touch your eyes before leaving the house at seven in the morning.
What does a lash lift and tint cost in Toronto?
Ours is $95 for the lift and tint together, $80 for the lift on its own, and $25 for a tint on its own.
Across the city you will generally see $80 to $130 for a lift and tint. First-visit promotions are common and usually take $10 to $20 off the regular price.
One thing worth checking before you book on price alone. Ask how long the appointment is. A studio charging $130 for a 45-minute booking and one charging $95 for a 70-minute booking are not selling you the same thing, and the longer one is usually where the lashes are getting set properly.
Is a lash lift and tint actually worth it?
That depends entirely on what your lashes do without any help.
It is worth it if your lashes grow straight out or point downward, if you wear mascara most days, if you swim or train and mascara does not survive it, if you wear glasses and your lashes brush the lenses, or if you have tried extensions and could not keep up with the upkeep.
It is less worth it if your lashes already curl on their own, or if they are very short. A lift lifts what is there. It does not add length. If your lashes are short but already dark and curled, a $25 tint on its own might be everything you need, and we would rather tell you that at the start than sell you something you will not see a difference from.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a lash lift and tint take?
About 70 minutes. We book it at one hour and ten minutes. Across Toronto the usual range is 45 to 90 minutes.
How long does a lift and tint take if it is my first one?
The same 70 minutes of treatment, but block off 90 minutes so the consultation at the start is not rushed.
How long does a lash lift and tint last?
The lift lasts six to eight weeks and the tint three to five. It looks its best for the first three weeks.
How long does a lash tint take on its own?
Twenty minutes. That is the service people are thinking of when they see a fifteen-minute lash appointment advertised.
How soon can I shower after a lash lift and tint?
You can shower straight away, but keep your lashes dry for 24 hours. Wash your hair leaning back rather than forward.
Can I wear mascara after a lash lift and tint?
Yes, after 24 hours, but avoid waterproof. Most people stop bothering with mascara within a week.
Does a lash lift damage your natural lashes?
Not when the lotion timings are right and you leave at least six weeks between appointments. Damage almost always comes from lifts done too close together.
Do eyelashes go back to normal after a lash lift?
Yes. The lift grows out with your natural lash cycle and your lashes return to the shape they had before. Nothing is removed and nothing is glued on.
How often should I rebook?
Every six to eight weeks. Sooner than six weeks and you risk over-processing lashes that are still holding the last lift.
Book a lash lift and tint in Toronto
We have two studios. One at 1647 Bayview Avenue, and one at 496 Danforth Avenue. Either one can take a lash lift and tint, and the appointment is the same seventy minutes at both.
If you are not sure whether you want the lift, the tint, or both, say so when you book. We will look at your lashes first and tell you honestly which one you will actually see a result from.
Bayview: 647-351-5233. Danforth: 647-748-5233.
