Destino Says...

Back when lash extensions weren’t “a thing”, Camilla Kirk-Reynolds (of Camilla Lashes) was a trained make-up artist working on several Hollywood films. It was whilst working on The Other Boleyn Girl, that Camilla spotted a gap in the market. “Scarlett Johansson was having her lashes tinted dark brown, Natalie Portman was wearing black mascara and Kristin Scott Thomas was having her strip lashes made for her by hand, with real hair,” Camilla explains.  “I felt like wanted to create something that was MORE than tinting, LESS than mascara and not as wasteful in time and resources as hand knotting ‘real hair’ strip lashes. I went on the hunt and found out about a new, at the time still mysterious, technique called lash extensions. When I was told that you applied one hair to each lash, I laughed! I never thought anyone would have the patience to do it – least of all me!”

Already being very good at intricate detail and having made facial hair and wigs for the film industry, Camilla quickly became one of the leading lash experts not just in the UK but in the world. Regularly winning blind-judged lash competitions, her clientele still include Hollywood stars and celebrities but she also dedicates a lot of time to working with clients who have alopecia, hair loss, or are post chemo.

Her approach is absolutely meticulous – from her vigorous lash hygiene measures during application – to ensuring she’s always at the forefront making the most of the latest innovations. Her latest training saw her being the first UK lash artist to use a new type of lash glue that minimises the chance of any allergic reaction and means lashes can last for up to 10 weeks. Camilla is also one of the few who can do incredible lower lash extensions, which are so beautiful to look at and particularly brilliant for brides and special occasions.

Her prices reflect the calibre of her expertise, so while they’re eye-wateringly expensive (full sets start at £590 and infills are £370) we tried her gel technique and only felt the need to even think about an infill at 10.5 weeks, so you could also argue that they last double the amount of time. Camilla can also come to you and has even trained her husband up to help them see more clients.