Melba Higginson
Owner; Eye Coco
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
I was born in the Dominican Republic, grew up in Jersey City, NJ, and lived in NYC for 22 years. We moved to Ridgefield 12 years ago and are loving it!
How many children do you have? Ages?
I have 3 wonderful children, Drew (25), Zoë (18) and Logan (17).
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor or in the corporate world? Please share!
Yes, I have a home-based beauty studio called Eye Coco, which specializes in lash and brow enhancements. I feel so blessed to be able to do something I love each and every day.
How has the community been instrumental in developing this business/initiative venture? And how can others help to support your mission?
I’m a health and beauty enthusiast with a strong belief that they should go hand in hand. To me, the eyes are not only the focal point, but the most beautiful and expressive part of the face. This is why I decided to focus on lashes and brows at Eye Coco. I was surprised to hear from so many people that it was difficult to find a studio that offered the look that I specialize in, polished, but natural looking eye & brow treatments. My goal is to uniquely enhance the client’s natural beauty, while educating them on the safest and healthiest way to take care of their lashes and brows.
Most of my clients have discovered Eye Coco via word of mouth and through recommendations which always makes me smile. Engaging with @EyeCocoStudio on social media is another great way to support the business, as well as posting reviews on Facebook, Google or Yelp, and of course through Ridgefield Moms!!!
After our appointments with Melba, we had these additional questions about her techniques, maintenance & regimen suggestions!
1. Do lash extensions damage your natural lashes?
If applied correctly by a licensed and trained lash professional, they’re safe and don’t damage the natural lashes. Most people are great candidates for lash extensions, but not all. When a client comes to me with fragile and sparse lashes, I work with them and create a regimen which will help to bring their lashes back to a strong and healthy place before we proceed with extensions or brow styling.
Lashes
2.What is maintenance & care for lashes?
-For the first 24 hours, avoid steam or wetting lashes.
-Avoid oil based products and creams on the lash line and excessive touching of your lashes. Your fingers secrete natural oils and constantly touching your lash extensions can cause them to loosen from your lash line, resulting in premature shedding of lashes.
-Avoid mascara, as it’s hard to remove and will cause the bond to break. If you need to, make sure it’s waterproof, wax-free mascara, applied to bottom lashes only. Never use a mechanical eyelash curler.
-Try sleeping on your back, instead of your stomach. Invest in a silk pillowcase, this type of material causes the least damage to your lashes as well as you hair.
-Schedule a lash fill within 2-3 weeks, to replace the outgrown or shedded lashes.
Easy!
Brow Lamination
3.Why laminate your brows? Do you prefer tweezing over waxing?
Many confuse brow lamination with microblading, they’re very different. Lamination is designed to give the illusion of fuller, more defined eyebrows.The process essentially involves straightening and smoothing the eyebrow hair using a gentle solution, so that they all lay in the desired direction. This treatment lasts from 6-8 weeks. Add info. about tweezing vs. waxing.
I never wax or thread, for several reasons. Even thought it takes longer, I prefer tweezing. It’s never made sense to me that we’re advised to gently pat eye cream around the delicate eye area with our ring finger, but then many choose to wax. Waxing facial skin time after time, peels off layers of skin. It may not show right away, but in time, you’ll notice those areas will lose elasticity, causing premature sagging and wrinkles on the delicate skin around the eyes. Also with tweezing, there’s more control, resulting in a softer more natural look.
4.What products do you really love for maintenance of your lashes/brows to incorporate into our regimen?