Felicity Loughrey talks a walk on the wild side of New York law and tries to find someone (anyone!) who will tint her lashes.

In a city where you’d think anything goes, eyelash tints are illegal in New York. But damn it, my lashes are impossibly fair and could do with the treatment. Breaking rules and living in the Big Apple go hand in hand. I’ve already fed the pigeons, taken up two seats on the subway and pedalled my bike on the footpath, and for double trouble, ridden without a bell. What’s an eyelash tint to my petty crime spree?

Since 1993 it has been prohibited for a beauty salon to apply any kind of dye to eyelashes or eyebrows. The state takes its legislative cue from the US Food and Drug Administration’s ban on the marketing of hair dyes for eyelash or eyebrow tinting, as it has been known to cause eye injuries or blindness.  “As for how this is policed, we respond to complaints,” says Eamon Moynihan of New York’s Department of State. “We are not aware of any complaints about this kind of thing going awry. If people were advertising this service, inspectors would write up a ticket. We are not aware that this is happening, so either it’s being done surreptitiously, or the inspectors are not properly sensitised to look for it.”

I, on the other hand, am always on the look out for an eyelash tint. Following a tip from Daily Candy’s creator Dany Levy in Vanity Fair I call Janna Beauty Spa in the West Village. I wonder if there is a secret code but in the end I coolly ask if I can have an eyelash tint. Sure, says the receptionist. When I arrive, I’m ushered into a shell-pink room where a vinyl bed is flush against the wall. I try to start a conversation with the beautician as she applies a protective coat of Vaseline and half-moon wads of cotton to my eyelids. But for all my rule-breaking bravado I can’t bring myself to ask about the treatment’s illegal status. I feel vulnerable, really vulnerable, beached on the table with my eyes closed and wet chemicals soaking on my lashes. “Um, not many places seem to do this sort of thing…” I offer. The beautician lets out a small, soft sigh and says nothing more. Fifteen minutes later the forbidden act is over and I leave rather pleased with my illegal lashes.

Useful Address (Shh!)

Element Beauty Lounge
73 Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn NY
(718) 398 2969

Get more than an illicit eyelash tint at hyper-chic Elements Beauty Lounge. There are flatscreen tvs on the ceilings of the subterranean treatment rooms. That’s right, watch video clips while staff wax away!