For Kim Kardashian eyelashes in Hong Kong, try Carte Blanche, a Japanese salon
The Tsim Sha Tsui salon, opened by a Japanese couple four years ago, offers more eyelash extension options than most others in the city, and specialist staff too.
For those who crave Kim Kardashian-like, spider leg lashes, summer presents something of a problem. Multiple coats of mascara and eyelash curling are easily undone by a dip in the water or by the humidity. If there ever is a time for eyelash extensions, it is this time of year.
With that in mind, we ventured to Tsim Sha Tsui to try Japanese salon Carte Blanche.
Opened in 2011 by Kyoko Tochikawa and her husband, the salon, which also does nails and hair, boasts one of the largest and most detailed range of eyelash extensions in the city. Tochikawa's concept is a one-stop destination for beauty, with professionals dedicated to each discipline.
"A hairstylist doing lashes on the side when they don't have a hair customer is lame," she says.
Not all the staff are Japanese but many do hail from the ultra-hip districts of Omotesando and Aoyama. My technician is Shoko, who is from Japan but also grew up in Taiwan. She walks me through the process of selecting the right look.
One problem I've found with my straight Asian lashes is that many extensions lengthen but don't have enough curl. Carte Blanche offers three different degrees of curl so the eye appears lifted.
It takes about 90 minutes to finish applying all the lashes, which feel like a light feather brushing against my eyes. Carte Blanche is not cheap but the expertise and attention to detail are top notch. I've skimped in the past and gone to cheaper places, but the cheap glue burned so much I was in tears.
The results are said to last four to six weeks; since my visit I've been swimming a few times and only about 10 lashes have fallen off.
