A mum who had a horror allergic reaction to eyelash glue says her eyelids became so swollen she feared she'd go blind.
Charlie Brown, 34, felt a million dollars after having hybrid lashes done, but began to feel an itchy sensation not long afterwards.
When she woke up the following morning, her lashes were stuck together and her eyes had become so swollen she could barely open them, so she dashed to get them removed.
The mum-of-five, from Essex, described having them taken off as "the most painful" experience ever, as the burning sensation was akin to having "someone throwing acid" on her eyelashes.
The café owner said she was forced to walk around "looking like Quasimodo", the protagonist from Disney 's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, for six days while waiting for the swelling to subside.
After a "horrific" experience that left Charlie fearing her eyelids would "burst" and she'd lose her sight, she's made a full recovery - but has vowed to never have the treatment done again.
The beauty lover is keen to urge others to be wary of the results of patch tests as she experienced such a severe reaction despite nothing previously appearing from hers.
Charlie, of Ongar, said: "I looked like I'd been in a fight with Mike Tyson or like Quasimodo, it was horrible.
"I thought my lids were going to burst because they were so tight and shiny.
"I was just really worried that I was going to get an eye infection or lose my sight, which I know is really dramatic but sometimes some people have had a really horrific time. And I was thinking I don't want to lose my eyesight just over a pair of lashes."
Charlie had been having her lashes done for years without any problems.
She took a short break from having them done but when she returned to the treatment, they became itchy and swollen so the lash technician used 'sensitive' glue this time around.
She said that during the same week as having her lashes done she had a similar reaction to acrylic nails.
Charlie said: "I came out [from having lashes done] and felt absolutely fine and absolutely loved them.
"For some reason they just started to itch a little bit. I could see a tiny bit of swelling along the lash line and I was thinking 'oh no', I hope this doesn't you know, [get any worse].
"And I woke up in the morning and they were all stuck together and just started to swell. I could barely see out of my eyes.
"I took pictures of my eyes because I looked horrific."
The business owner texted the lash technician and nipped back to her immediately to have them removed.
Charlie said: "She got them off straight away, which was by far the most painful thing.
"It burnt - it was like someone throwing acid on my eyelashes.
"I think I'm done [with having lashes]. It was quick but the pain, I was like 'no, I'm never going through that again'.
"And obviously you can't open your eyes and itch them and all you want to do is itch them. That was it, the swelling lasted like five or six days where I had to walk around looking like Quasimodo."
Charlie said that she visited the doctor a few days after having her lashes done on Wednesday 14th September.
After taking antihistamines to help the swelling subside, her eyes returned to normal around a week after having the lashes removed.
Although she's unsure of the exact cause of the reaction, Charlie suspects it was the glue.
Charlie said: "I visited the doctor to make sure that it wasn't infected because it was so sore, he said it wasn't an infection but it was just a reaction.
"I was absolutely gutted because they've said that now I've had such a severe reaction, my body will recognise it and I probably won't be able to have lashes on again.
"If they put the glue behind my ear or on my arm, I don't react to it, and that's why I can have it done.
"Yet you put it on my eye and I reacted.
"I just wouldn't trust the patch test unless it's going to be put on one lash on your eye, there's no point if you're not going to put it where you're going to have it.
"I've made a full recovery but definitely won't be getting my lashes done anytime soon."
