Technical rules, judging and prizes

The Expert Lash International Championship is organised in four main experience levels:

• Junior — up to 1 year of experience
• Master — up to 3 years of experience
• Expert — more than 3 years of experience
• Trainer — a level for people who teach courses in the field, regardless of experience.

For the Junior, Master and Expert levels, what counts is the year in which the participant completed her basic eyelash extension course. That is the official reference point for calculating experience in the competition.

Anyone who teaches or runs courses in the field is placed automatically in the Trainer level, however many years have passed since she completed her basic course. Working as a trainer or educator takes priority over experience counted from the basic course.

Placing yourself correctly is the participant’s responsibility and must be done honestly and realistically. The purpose of this system is for every participant to compete against people of a comparable professional level. Each participant competes exclusively in her own experience level.

Within each experience level the following nominations are available:

• Classic 1D
• 2–3D Volume
• Soft Volume 4–7D (Russian Volume)
• Mega Volume +7D
• Special Effects
• Lash Lift

Each nomination is a distinct type of work and must be carried out according to its technical requirements.

Each participant may hold at most:

8 nominations / person / edition

A participant is not required to enter every nomination available. The maximum of 8 nominations may be:

• different nominations;
• the same nomination bought more than once;
• several distinct works within the same nomination;
• any combination of nominations allowed by these rules.

If the same nomination is bought more than once, each entry is a distinct work, judged and scored separately.

For example, a participant may choose to enter Special Effects only, several times, with different works, up to the maximum of 8 nominations.

Participants who do not perform lash lifts are not required to choose that nomination and may opt for any of the others.

Each nomination entered contributes individually to the participant’s cumulative total score.

The Special Effects nomination is dedicated to creative work, modern styling and techniques that include special effects or visible elements such as spikes.

This nomination accepts, without being limited to:

• Kim Effect;
• Wispy Effect;
• Wet Effect;
• Mascara Look;
• Eyeliner Effect;
• Brazilian Effect;
• Angel Effect;
• Anime Effect;
• Bratz Effect;
• Barbie Effect;
• effects with spikes;
• pre-made fans;
• Y fans;
• W fans;
• U Shape fans;
• techniques derived from the Brazilian Effect;
• techniques derived from the Angel Effect;
• other techniques derived from special effects;
• creative and personalised combinations.

The main rule. Any effect that includes spikes as a visible and intentional element of the design falls directly into the Special Effects nomination. The same rule applies to effects derived from Angel, Brazilian, Anime, Kim, Wispy or other similar techniques.

The participant may combine several elements to create a complex, personalised effect, in compliance with the technical and safety rules.

In this nomination, particular importance is given to:

• the originality of the concept;
• the harmony of the effect with the model’s features;
• visual balance;
• precision of execution;
• aesthetic coherence.

Creativity is allowed and encouraged, but it must be backed by correct technical execution.

Each participant must submit a work made exclusively for the current edition of the competition. The work:

• must be made personally by the participant;
• must be made on a real model;
• must not have been published before on social media;
• must not have been published on websites or other online platforms;
• must not have been entered in another competition;
• must not have been judged before in another championship.

Using a work made earlier, or one already assessed in another competition, is strictly forbidden.

The work may be published only after the competition has officially ended and the results have been published. This rule is directly linked to the principle of anonymous judging.

Each work must be carried out entirely and personally by the participant. No other person may be involved in carrying out the work, whatever the degree of intervention. Works made partly or entirely by someone else may lead to disqualification.

The organiser reserves the right to ask for additional material to verify the authenticity of a work, such as:

• photographs taken during the process;
• video material;
• intermediate evidence of execution;
• other material relevant to verifying the work.

Taking part in the competition means professional, ethical and personal commitment. Each work must reflect the participant’s real competence.

Meeting the technical parameters of each nomination is mandatory. Using technical characteristics outside those allowed may lead to the work being penalised or invalidated.

Classic 1D

• Accepted curls: B, C, CC or combinations of these
• Colours: black, dark brown or light brown, including combinations
• Thicknesses: 0.10 / 0.07 or combinations
• Lengths: minimum 4 mm – maximum 11 mm

2–3D Volume

• Accepted curls: B, C, CC, L, M or combinations
• Colours: black, dark brown or light brown, including combinations
• Thicknesses: 0.07 / 0.085 or combinations
• Lengths: 4–11 mm

Soft Volume 4–7D (Russian Volume)

• Thicknesses: 0.07 / 0.06 / 0.05 or combinations
• Colours: black, dark brown or combinations
• Curls: B, C, CC, L, M or combinations
• Lengths: 4–11 mm

Mega Volume +7D

• Thicknesses: 0.06 / 0.05 / 0.03
• Colours: black or very dark brown, including combinations
• Curls: C, CC or combinations
• Lengths: 4–11 mm

Special Effects

• Custom curls and combinations of curls are allowed
• Thicknesses suited to the technique and the effect are allowed
• Colours and colour combinations are allowed
• Lengths: 4–18 mm
• Spikes are allowed
• Pre-made fans are allowed
• The structures specific to the creative effects set out in these rules are allowed

Pre-made fans, including derived forms such as Y, W, U Shape or other pre-formed variants, are allowed only in the Special Effects nomination.

In the other nominations — Classic 1D, 2–3D Volume, Soft Volume 4–7D and Mega Volume +7D — fans must be made by hand by the participant, while carrying out the work, using the specific volume techniques.

Using pre-made fans outside the Special Effects nomination may lead to a penalty or to disqualification.

The same model may be used for several works or nominations. The participant may create several different effects on the same model, in compliance with the rules and the official submission period.

When the same model is used for several works, it is recommended that each effect be clearly differentiated and distinct enough to avoid visual repetition.

To ensure fair judging, the eye area must be completely clean and free of anything that could influence how the work is perceived. The following are forbidden:

• makeup in the eye area or behind the lashes;
• eyeliner;
• eye pencil;
• eyeshadow;
• highlighter;
• any cosmetic product applied near the lashes;
• artificially intensifying the eyes with makeup;
• cosmetic tattooing or permanent/semi-permanent pigmentation of the upper waterline;
• cosmetic tattooing, permanent eyeliner or any other permanent/semi-permanent pigmentation on the upper eyelid.

The eye area must give the judges a clear and objective view of the extensions and the lash line. Models with this kind of cosmetic tattooing or pigmentation in the assessed area are not accepted.

Artistic makeup may be applied outside the eye area. Artistic concepts on the face, face painting or other decorative elements may be created, but the eye and lash area must remain completely clear. The aim is to assess the extensions correctly, not the makeup.

In an online competition, photographs and videos are the basis of judging. Without a physical assessment, the judges analyse only the material officially submitted by the participant. For this reason, making the material correctly, completely and in compliance with the rules is essential.

All photographs and videos must be:

• clear;
• well lit, with natural light or professional studio light;
• correctly focused;
• free of digital editing.

The use of the following is strictly forbidden:

• filters;
• retouching;
• digital corrections that alter the work;
• blur;
• beauty effects;
• any digital intervention that changes the real appearance of the work.

Makeup in the eye area is forbidden and may be penalised.

The set of materials required on the platform. For each work, the platform asks for the mandatory materials frame by frame, as follows:

• Extension nominations (Classic 1D, 2–3D Volume, Soft Volume 4–7D, Mega Volume +7D, Special Effects): 12 BEFORE / AFTER photographs (section 12), 1 technical photograph (section 13) and 2 videos, one BEFORE and one AFTER (sections 16 and 17) — 15 mandatory materials in total.
• Lash Lift: 12 BEFORE / AFTER photographs (section 12), 4 side photographs (section 14) and 2 videos, one BEFORE and one AFTER (sections 16 and 17) — 18 mandatory materials in total.
• Additional photos or videos may be added on top of the mandatory materials, up to a maximum of 25 items per work in total. Additional materials support the presentation, but they never replace a mandatory one.

Incomplete submissions. The platform does not block the submission of a work with missing materials. Before submitting, the missing materials are listed by name; if the participant submits the work anyway, it is judged on the materials sent, and what is missing is reflected in the score.

Photographs must be taken in a standard format, so that the judges can objectively compare the starting point with the final result.

The basic rule. Each BEFORE photograph must have an identical AFTER counterpart, taken:

• from the same position;
• from the same angle;
• with the same framing;
• from the same distance;
• in the same light, or in light as close to it as possible.

The mandatory photographs are:

• 1. BEFORE frontal — The model looks straight into the camera, with no makeup and no products applied to the eye area. Purpose: to show the facial features and the eyes in a neutral position, as a reference.
• 1. AFTER frontal — The same photograph as BEFORE frontal, taken after the work is finished, with the same position and the same framing. Purpose: to assess the final impact, the overall symmetry and how the result harmonises with the facial features.
• 2. BEFORE lying down – eyes closed — The model is lying down. White patches are used under the eyes. No mapping is applied. The photograph is taken from above, from where the technician sits at the head. Purpose: to document the starting point and the working context, with no visible pre-mapping.
• 2. AFTER lying down – same position — The same position and the same framing as BEFORE lying down, after the extensions are applied. Purpose: a direct comparison between the starting point and the finished work, under identical conditions.
• 3. BEFORE detail / close-up – 4 photographs — A close, sharply focused frame, for each eye separately: 3.1. looking forward – right eye; 3.2. looking forward – left eye; 3.3. looking up – right eye; 3.4. looking up – left eye. Purpose: to show the natural lashes and their initial direction and structure.
• 3. AFTER detail / close-up – 4 photographs — The same four frames as BEFORE detail, each identical in position, angle and framing to its BEFORE: 3.1. looking forward – right eye; 3.2. looking forward – left eye; 3.3. looking up – right eye; 3.4. looking up – left eye. Purpose: the technical assessment of attachment, direction, evenness, density and separation by direct comparison.

For each work in the extension nominations, a detailed technical photograph of the element actually used in the work is also mandatory. Depending on the nomination and the technique chosen, the photograph must show:

• the 1D extension used;
• a hand-made fan;
• a spike;
• a pre-made fan;
• a Y fan;
• a W fan;
• a U Shape fan;
• or any other structure allowed by these rules and actually used in the work.

The element may be photographed: a) applied directly to the model’s eye; or b) held in the tweezers.

Where the participant uses pre-made, Y, W or U Shape fans, spikes or any other special structure allowed in the Special Effects nomination, the technical photograph of that structure is mandatory.

The photograph must be clear, correctly focused and close enough for the structure used to be identified. Depending on the element, the following must be visible as clearly as possible:

• the shape;
• the opening;
• the base;
• the thickness;
• the structure;
• the technical particulars.

The purpose of the photograph is to confirm the material and the technique used and to check that they comply with the nomination in which the work was entered.

The technical photograph is mandatory in the five extension nominations: Classic 1D, 2–3D Volume, Soft Volume 4–7D, Mega Volume +7D and Special Effects. The Lash Lift nomination has no technical photograph; instead, the side photographs set out in section 14 are submitted.

In addition to the general material, an extra set of side photographs is mandatory for the Lash Lift nomination. For each eye, the following are required:

• one BEFORE side photograph, with the eye open;
• one AFTER side photograph, with the eye open.

These images must be taken:

• in clear profile;
• at eye level;
• correctly focused;
• without editing.

The aim is to show:

• the initial natural curl of the lashes;
• the direction of the lashes before the treatment;
• the change achieved;
• the degree of lift;
• the real difference between BEFORE and AFTER.

The AFTER side photograph must be taken from the same angle and at the same distance as the BEFORE photograph.

Video material is mandatory in the competition. Its role is to demonstrate the authenticity of the work and the real result, unaltered by photography or editing. Videos must be:

• clear;
• stable;
• well lit;
• focused;
• free of digital editing.

The following are not allowed:

• filters;
• colour adjustments;
• beauty effects;
• blur;
• speed-ups;
• visible cuts;
• any editing that alters, or could hide, the real appearance of the work.

Sound. Videos must be made so that they contain no audio that could compromise anonymity. None of the following may be heard:

• the participant’s voice;
• the model’s voice;
• conversations or other voices in the background;
• music;
• any other sound that could help identify the participant or the work.

The video must show the work exactly as it is in reality.

Before the work is carried out, the BEFORE video required by the competition must be recorded. The footage must give a clear view of:

• the natural lashes;
• their direction;
• any asymmetries;
• the model’s initial condition;
• the absence of extensions or of relevant previous treatments.

Filming must be slow, clear and without sudden movements.

The platform asks for one BEFORE video – overview: the model lying down, eyes open, both eyes filmed slowly from one side to the other, so that the natural lashes are fully visible.

After the work is finished, the AFTER video is required. Position, angle and distance must be as close as possible to those used in the BEFORE material. The purpose of the AFTER material is:

• to verify the final result;
• to analyse the attachment;
• to assess evenness;
• to observe the direction of the extensions;
• to confirm the real appearance of the work.

Photo and video material is the visual proof of the real transformation and is an integral part of the professional assessment.

The platform asks for one AFTER video – the finished work: the same overview as the BEFORE video, once the work is finished, with the same position, angle and distance.

Judging is carried out anonymously. Judges must not know who made a work at the time they assess it.

It is strictly forbidden to send any judge, directly or indirectly:

• photographs of the work;
• videos of the work;
• BEFORE photographs;
• AFTER photographs;
• the technical photograph;
• material from the process;
• any other material that could later allow the work to be identified.

Material may not be sent privately to a judge by message, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, email or through another person.

Asking a judge for an opinion on a work that is about to be entered, or is already entered, in the current edition is forbidden.

Any attempt to influence judging, or to deliberately reveal the identity of a work, may lead to disqualification.

After the results are published, each participant sees in her account the name of the judge who gave each mark and the judges’ comments. Questions and complaints about judging are addressed to the organiser, not to the judges.

Each judge assesses individually, on the basis of the official grid. Each criterion is scored separately, and the final score is the sum of the points awarded according to the scale.

How judging works. Each judge is given one or more criteria from the grid and scores them for every work in the nomination, without knowing who made it. The criteria “Penalty points” and “Bonus points” are scored by every judge on the nomination’s panel, and the score takes the average of their marks. The final score is the sum of the points, with penalty points subtracted.

The extension grid (Classic 1D, 2–3D Volume, Soft Volume 4–7D, Mega Volume +7D, Special Effects) has 20 criteria and a maximum total of 135 points:

• 1. General appearance (max. 10 points) — The overall visual impression of the work: balance, cleanliness, harmony, professional impact.
• 2. Symmetry of the eyes (max. 10 points) — The two eyes are compared for design, lengths, density and direction.
• 3. Choice of styling suited to the model’s features (max. 10 points) — Whether the chosen effect is harmonious in relation to the shape of the eyes and the proportions of the face.
• 4. General direction of the extensions (max. 10 points) — All extensions must point the same way, with no stray or chaotically angled lashes.
• 5. Direction inside the fan (max. 10 points) — All the lashes in a fan must point the same way, with no crossing.
• 6. Distance from the eyelid (max. 10 points) — Attachment must be at a correct and consistent distance from the eyelid.
• 7. Symmetry of the fans (max. 10 points) — The spacing between the lashes in a fan must be equal and proportionate.
• 8. Opening of the fans (max. 10 points) — Fans must be opened evenly and in a controlled way.
• 9. Uniformity of the fans (max. 10 points) — Fans must have the same opening, the same symmetry and the same direction of the lashes inside the fan across the whole work.
• 10. Thickness chosen (max. 5 points) — Whether the thickness suits the nomination and is proportionate to the natural lashes.
• 11. Curl chosen (max. 5 points) — The curl must be harmonious and suited to the design.
• 12. Colour chosen (max. 5 points) — The colour of the extensions must suit the model’s features and the chosen style.
• 13. Top line when the client looks up (max. 5 points) — The top line must be perfectly even when the client looks up, with no fans or lashes sticking out unattractively from the overall line of the work.
• 14. Top line when the client looks straight ahead (max. 5 points) — All extension tips must be at the same level, forming a perfect, even top line. Any uncontrolled fluctuation or visible difference is penalised.
• 15. Free lashes (max. 5 points) — Extensions must be applied to all the available natural lashes, without leaving lashes uncovered without good reason. The work must be complete and the density evenly distributed.
• 16. Lengths used (max. 5 points) — Whether the lengths were chosen to suit the design and the model’s features. Transitions must be logical and harmonious.
• 17. Sticking / amount of adhesive (max. 5 points) — Extensions may not be glued to each other, nor natural lashes accidentally glued together. Attachment must be clean, individual and free of excess adhesive.
• 18. Penalty points (max. 5 points, subtracted) — Given for obvious technical mistakes or for failing to follow the rules.
• 19. Bonus points (max. 5 points) — Given for exceptional execution, particular precision and impeccable harmony.
• 20. Red eyes (max. 5 points, subtracted) — Visible redness or irritation of the model’s eyes after the treatment is penalised.

The Lash Lift grid has 14 criteria, 4 of them penalties, and a maximum total of 100 points:

• 1. General appearance (max. 10 points)
• 2. Cleanliness of the work (max. 10 points)
• 3. Tint (max. 10 points)
• 4. Curl achieved (max. 10 points)
• 5. Direction (max. 10 points)
• 6. Symmetry (max. 10 points)
• 7. Inner and outer corner (max. 10 points)
• 8. Choice of curler (max. 10 points)
• 9. Choice of shaping (max. 10 points)
• 10. Extra points for difficult lashes (max. 10 points) — scored by every judge on the nomination’s panel; the score takes the average of their marks.
• 11. Penalty: eye redness (max. 5 points, subtracted)
• 12. Penalty: unworked lashes (max. 5 points, subtracted)
• 13. Penalty: final cleaning (max. 5 points, subtracted)
• 14. Penalty: burnt lashes (max. 5 points, subtracted)

Prizes in the Expert Lash International Championship are awarded separately for each experience level and for each nomination.

This means that assessment and ranking are established separately for: Junior · Master · Expert · Trainer and, within each experience level, separately for each nomination.

For each combination of experience level + nomination, the following may be awarded: 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place.

Participants do not compete globally against everyone entered, but only within their own experience level and the nomination in which the work is entered.

Ties. Works with the same score share the place. Ties are real and are shown as such: within the same level + nomination combination, more than one 1st, 2nd or 3rd place may be awarded.

For each experience level and each nomination, the participant ranked 1st receives:

• the official physical trophy of the competition;
• a premium personalised diploma in digital format;
• products offered by the competition’s sponsors, depending on the prizes available for that edition.

1st place certifies the highest performance achieved in that experience level and nomination, following the official judging process.

For each experience level and each nomination, the participants ranked 2nd and 3rd receive: a personalised digital diploma in premium format.

The diploma is produced in a professional, high-quality format, suitable both for digital use and for printing. It can be:

• used in digital format;
• printed on paper;
• printed on a rigid backing;
• printed on or applied to a trophy or plaque.

Participants who are not ranked 1st, 2nd or 3rd receive a standard participation diploma in digital format. It confirms official participation in the Expert Lash International Championship.

The standard diploma is not a placing distinction and does not certify that a place was achieved in the competition.

The competition’s highest award. Grand Prix – 1,000 € cash is the highest distinction awarded in the Expert Lash International Championship.

The prize is awarded to a single participant. The Grand Prix is not awarded for a single exceptional work. It rewards the participant’s cumulative performance across the whole edition.

The mechanism is as follows:

• each nomination is judged individually;
• each work receives its own score;
• all the scores obtained by the same participant are added together;
• at the end of judging, each participant’s cumulative total score is calculated;
• the eligible participant with the highest cumulative total score wins the Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix is therefore a competition of cumulative performance, not a prize awarded solely for the best individual work.

Eligibility. Any participant with at least one judged work in the current edition who has not been disqualified is eligible.

Tie-break. If cumulative total scores are equal:

• the participant with the highest score on a single work wins;
• if the tie persists, the participant with more 1st places wins;
• if the tie still persists, the organiser decides.

It is important for participants to understand how the Grand Prix works before choosing their nominations. A participant entered in a single nomination can build her Grand Prix score from that work alone. A participant entered in several nominations can build points from each of her works.

Example: if one participant has 1 nomination, her total Grand Prix score comes from a single work. If another participant has 8 nominations, her total score can come from all 8 works entered and judged.

Therefore, when some participants are entered in several nominations, a competitor taking part with a single work naturally has fewer opportunities to build her total score. This is the intended mechanism of the Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix is designed to reward overall, sustained performance, not a single execution. Entering several nominations does not, however, guarantee winning the prize. Each work is judged individually, and the value of each score affects the final total. A participant may hold at most 8 nominations, and each nomination is a separate opportunity to build points.

The Grand Prix thus rewards:

• technical level;
• consistency of execution;
• versatility;
• the ability to perform in several nominations;
• organisation;
• discipline;
• attention to detail;
• cumulative performance.

More nominations mean more opportunities to build points. The quality of each work remains essential.

The Grand Prix does not aim to name the best individual work in the competition. It aims to identify the participant who shows the strongest cumulative performance across the whole edition.

Participants who want to enter the race for the Grand Prix can build their participation strategy from the registration period onwards, within the maximum of 8 nominations per person.

Cumulative performance decides the Grand Prix winner.

The Expert Lash International Championship is built on the following principles:

Anonymity · Impartiality · Transparency · Technique · Creativity · Performance

Each participant is responsible for:

• choosing the correct experience level;
• choosing the correct nomination;
• the authenticity of her works;
• meeting the technical requirements;
• following the rules on the model;
• making the photo and video material correctly;
• preserving anonymity;
• not sending her work to the judges;
• avoiding any contact with the judges about the works entered;
• submitting works that reflect her real professional competence.

The aim of the Expert Lash International Championship is to create an international assessment system in which every work is analysed professionally, anonymously and comparably, under the same rules applicable to the experience level and nomination in which it was entered.