Britain Todd, founder of Contours Rx, was tired of having her friends and colleagues ask her if she was OK because her heavy eyelids always made her look exhausted. In response, she created a non-surgical correcting strip that lifts the shape of the eyelids like magic.
When I first heard about this, I was a skeptic. Then I met Britain, who gave me a demonstration, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. These strips make a huge difference, and you can choose the impact you want with the size of the strips.
Mario Tricoci is a retailer in Chicago that sells the strips and has staff trained to show you how to apply them. I had the opportunity to sit with Britain and Cheryl Santucci, the esthetics and beauty director for Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas, to discuss this new partnership.
Britain, you launched Lids By Design in 2014. Tell us about how & why you came up with this concept.
I was looking for a solution for my own need, and nothing on the market was working. I ended up at a plastic surgeon’s office for a consultation but wasn’t comfortable to go under the knife, so I never got the surgery… Years later, as I was still struggling with my own extremely hooded eyelids, I started developing the strips, and about a year later launched Lids by Design, which have now helped so many men and women.
Can you tell us about the process for applying and removing the strips? Is it important to use the tweezers? I imagined it would have hurt like a Band-aid being peeled off, but I am wrong.
It’s simple…One-step application and one-step removal. It is very important to use the tweezers, as they won’t damage the strips when removing them from the release paper. If using your fingers, you can cause damage to the strips, as well as place contaminants such as oils and dirt, and even remove the very delicate adhesive. We do include a pair of plastic tweezers in every unit to assist you should you not own a pair of tweezers. I developed our precision tweezers specifically with the strips in mind. They are a high-quality stainless steel, needle nose tweezer that work great with the strips as they are the thinnest tweezer on the market and work perfectly with the strips. It is really great to have a dedicated pair of tweezers, as it’s the recommended tool to use with your everyday beauty regiment.
When removing, you can simply peel the strip off…using a little face wash can assist in the removal if needed.
How long do you recommend one wears these? I see they come in different sizes, are these for the shape of the eye or the depth of the lift?
I personally don’t leave the house without mine! I look 10 years younger when I have them on…they instantly transform my look going from looking tired and aged to youthful and rested. And it is something that can easily be incorporated into anyone’s daily beauty routine.
I also wear different sizes for different occasions. I love experimenting with different looks. I tend to wear a [number] 4 or 5 for a casual look and a 6 or 7 for dramatic look for the evening. Our Variety Pack is the best for first-time clients as it has all the sizes in one easy pack.
With the ease of this product, one might think that you are in competition with plastic surgeons, but you mention that you work closely with a lot of offices – explain how.
When our surgeons place the product on the client during the consultation, the client gets to see their after result BEFORE going under the knife! Totally removes the guess work out of, “what will I look like after?” It helps not only the client but the surgeon as well because they can both agree on the millimeters that the surgeon will be removing.
However, if the client is not yet ready to make that decision, they can wear LBD in the meantime. Many of our clients are just too scared to go under the knife, but also it can be very costly. And that’s where we come in! Our product provides a non-surgical solution to instantly give the client the lift they’re looking for.
Cheryl, tell me more about the partnership with Mario Tricoci & Lids By Design. Can one set up an appointment with an esthetician to apply the contour strips?
A guest can make an appointment for what we call a Beauty Reservation with a makeup artist/beauty consultant. A beauty reservation can be booked for 15 or 30 minutes. I suggest a 30-minute appointment for sizing and placement.
Lids is available as a retail item and can be found in our makeup departments at all Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas locations. Making an appointment is a good idea so that the artist can help find the size that works best for the look you want…It does take practice, and we do the sizing and placement complimentary so the guest knows which size to go home with.
Mario Tricoci is located at 900 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. For more information on Lids By Design, visit http://contoursrx.com/