Introducing ‘Manscara’

Over the last couple of decades, male grooming has become quite the boom industry, proving it’s not only women who are passionate about appearance and self care. What began with a niche range of male skincare products created by savvy beauty brands in the 90s has expanded into every area of the previously female-oriented domain. Here in Ibiza, advanced eyelash extension technician – and self-confessed eyelash obsessive – Jayne Brami of Lash By Jayne has seen her clientele grow to include men in recent years, from shy guys looking for a subtle face enhancement to those looking for a total OTT transformation. Guy-lashes are for everyone.

Manscara, guy-liner, guy-lashes – whatever you call it, eyelash extensions for men are a natural evolution in the world of male grooming. Metrosexual, image-conscious and gender-fluid men all over the world are no longer keeping their beauty habits in the closet; after embracing skincare rituals, self-tanning, and indeed, fashion, following their sisters into the world of eyelash extensions makes perfect sense. As women have learned in recent years, investing in high quality eyelash extensions from a qualified professional like Lash By Jayne can completely enhance or transform your look, depending on what you’re going for, eliminating the need for mascara and giving you a bright-eyed look that can last for between four and eight weeks. It makes perfect sense for men to seek this convenience in their beauty regimes too.

“I can design eyelash looks to suit whatever anyone needs – male or female,” says Jayne. “I see so many transvestite or transgender people in Ibiza wearing strip eyelashes every day – eyelash extensions takes away all the time and hassle fiddling around with glue and you can look fabulous 24/7. Some guys wear mascara when they go out – for the same reasons as women, to draw attention to their eyes – and this way they don’t have to worry about smudging or washing it off when they get home. And there are some guys who, like many girls, just don’t feel confident with their appearance – eyelash extensions for extra thickness can give them a huge confidence boost.

What I do at Lash By Jayne is all about making people feel good.” Student and part-time make-up artist Leon Cairo [pictured] is one such guy in Ibiza, who says his experience with Lash By Jayne has been nothing short of life changing. “I wore mascara whenever I did my own make-up,” he explains. “But I don’t wear make-up every day because I like my skin to breathe. When I put on even just a little bit of mascara, without the rest of the make-up, I found it looked too heavy. I was drawn to the idea of lash extensions because they seemed like a practical solution to every day glamour while still being able to look natural.” This is where Jayne’s expertise comes into play: the artist takes the time to really understand what kind of effect and look her clients are after before starting the process.

“I’ll always ask about my clients’ day-to-day style, because their idea of ‘natural’ might be different to mine,” says the Lash By Jayne founder. “I ask them to send me photos of lashes that they like and then I look at the shape and size of their eyes, whether their lashes grow to the side or are naturally curly, and I ask that they listen to my advice before going ahead.” With over a decade of experience – not to mention 22 years of experience with having lash extensions herself – Jayne is a bona-fide expert when it comes to eye shape, lash length, width and style. “So many people think the cat eye look is what they want but really, in many cases, it’s better to do longer lashes in the middle of the eyes as cat eye can look droopy,” she explains, noting that on certain face shapes and sizes, biggest is not always best. “I’m always completely honest, and everyone who listens has said they prefer my style in the end.”

When it came to Leon, he was happy to leave himself in Jayne’s expertly trained hands. Jayne assessed the size of Leon’s face and decided 14mm extensions were needed for the desired result. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he says. “I went in prepared to let Jayne work her magic. She was so funny and charismatic from the moment I met her; she made the experience fun and relaxing. The actual process was super gentle, and felt almost therapeutic too.” After the experience, Leon was so in love with his new lashes he spent the night taking selfies and sending them through to Jayne, who could sense his genuine happiness with the results. “I’m in love with them!” he affirms. “I think Lash By Jayne did an amazing job and she really catered to my eye shape, opening up my eyes which made a massive difference. I definitely feel more confident. Now that I’ve done it, I would 100% do it again. In fact, I don’t think I can stop now!”

Seeing the satisfaction of clients like Leon is what keeps Jayne inspired. “He looks absolutely amazing,” she says. “People often have this perception of eyelash extensions – maybe they’ve seen jobs that weren’t done well in the UK – but most of my clients have such beautiful lashes people don’t even realize they’re fake. I try to make them look natural – they don’t have to be huge to be noticeable.” Using her own gorgeous lashes as an example where size doesn’t matter, Jayne explains that the size of your extension should be proportionate to your face. “My lashes are 11mm but I have a small face,” she explains. “Lash By Jayne clients often say ‘I want really long like you’ but they don’t realise that what looks long on me may not work for them. I met a girl from Tokyo this year who wanted 15mm lashes, but because of the naturally flat shape of her face, I suggested a different style. It just wasn’t going to look right.” Men and women of all ages in Ibiza – and indeed, those coming to Ibiza from all corners of the globe – look to Lash By Jayne for advice.

Her youngest client to date was 12 years old, and her most senior is 83. “Eyelash extensions can be adapted to anyone,” she says. “For older people, it’s such a blessing because they can’t easily see in the mirror anymore. I can give them a 7mm extension and they wake up every day looking amazing. That’s the smallest extension, which I can apply for extra volume or a natural, darker look. The longest is 16mm, which I would only apply on someone who had a larger face. With the Russian Volume lashes I use, we design with volume as well as length – 2D is super natural, 3D gives more volume, 4D takes it up a level and 12D Mega Volume does what it says on the tin!” Semi-permanent eyelash extensions are no longer the domain of the rich and famous, or models, actors and rockstars, thanks to artists like Jayne, who make the entire personalised process as relaxing as possible. As the old saying goes, the eyes are the window to the soul so it makes perfect sense for anyone to want to enhance them as much as possible. Man, woman, adult, teenager, senior citizen, gay, straight, don’t know, don’t care – the Lash By Jayne studio (in San Jordi, just a few minutes from the airport) is a safe space for one and all to make their lash fantasies a reality.