EMAIL FROM ZOE MITTER:
  
The moment the world has been waiting for – we know because we too have been like a kid on Christmas eve for this day!
 
Elleebana Flex Shields are HERE!
 
Let me start by saying the process for this one wasn’t easy.  We had originally envisioned to have these out before the end of 2022 and while our 3D cast looked brilliant, the prototype failed to produce the correct curvature.  The shield samples that were made from the mould were actually a great shield shape – but they weren’t the same as our current ever popular Elleebana Extreme Styling Shields. 
 
It’s important to us that when our customers are familiar with something, love something and we are looking to improve it, we don’t improve it in a way that makes our customers no longer familiar.  We don’t want to add confusion or see customers lose confidence in using what they are used to, we only want to add to their experience and we know the development of our Flex Rods certainly saw the customers confidence soar so we wanted all the benefits of our flex rods but in our traditional shield curvature, so it was back to the drawing board.
 
More 3D print prototypes, more expensive casts, more correctional positioning of the Elleebana logo on the shields, but we are here friends – we made it!
 
How are these shields like the current Elleebana Extreme Styling Shields?  
We have stayed with our identifiable colour of orange. We have seen so many brands begin to carry an orange rod or shield in their range and many suppliers producing orange-coloured silicone products because of just how identifiable the Elleebana orange is. 
 
These little beauties also have the similar elevated lift curvature that offers an extreme lengthening and heightened result to the lifted or laminated lashes.   
 
Storage and cleaning are the same and yes, these too will stain if you tint lashes while they are still wrapped on the shield.  This is the nature of silicone products – we have actually experimented with all sorts of cleaning products on the market (and some unconventional cleaning stripping products – think Coke a Cola!!) to reduce this staining and what we have uncovered is the faster they are rinsed the better.  Using the Elleebana method of a lash bath to remove the tinted lashes (and tint) from the shields (during the service) does immediately begin to rinse the shields with water but attending to the tint removal quickly will reduce the staining in the long run.  
 
Our tree tool sizing guide is still appropriate for sizing up these shields. 
 
So how are they different to our current Elleebana Extreme Styling Shields?
The physical silicone product is softer, more moldable and more FLEXible – hence the name.  This supple silicone is ultra-soft, comfortable and form-fitting for so many clients eye shapes.  They truly assist with the shield placement during the lifting service and similar to our flex rods the new silicone nature means there is no need to use adhesive on the back of the shield to hold the apparatus in place (from all of our tests, we dare not say EVER because there may be an eye shape we haven’t lifted before, but if you watch our Instagram reel we discussed some interesting statistics on this – here is the link for you to watch and share https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmXck0ZB8IE/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=).
 
If a salon has the need to rub to remove make up from the gentle lid area, this sometimes can cause micro cuts or soft abrasions to the eyelid area, and so to then apply adhesive, can see some clients comment that the adhesive can be irritative on the skin.  Not needing to use adhesive any longer will reduce any discomfort from this step.  Clients who also have some aversion to the use of the adhesive on the skin will also find this to be an easier service.  This aids to speed up the application time and most certainly is a game changer for salons using Elleebana, we have definitely had the feedback that some salons even feel like they are missing a step because its faster and they also have commented on saving money as a result of less adhesive required for their services.
 
Also, what is different with the new Elleebana flex shields is that there is a shield for each eye.  Meaning a Left and a Right side – this is clearly identified by the markings on the outer and inner sides of the shield where it lists the following:
 
SS R – Small Shield Right side
SS L– Small Shield Left side
MS R – Medium Shield Right side
MS L – Medium Shield Left side
LS R – Large Shield Right side
LS L – Large Shield Left side
 
On the packaging we have once again integrated the use of a QR code (perhaps the best things to come out of Covid is that many more people know how to use these handy codes 😊).  The QR code will take you through to the following link: https://elleebana.com/flexshields/
At this stage, the flex shields are not found in our kits, and are only sold in a combination pack.  Once we discontinue the Elleebana Extreme Styling Shields from our range, we will move towards having individual sizing of both the flex rods and flex shield as well as considering an ultimate combo box of both shields and rods.  I can’t accurately predict the release date of this as it is mostly sales relevant but stay tuned, we will always strive for more and better once we see how the market responds and what the market enjoys the most.