Press

SheNows.com -  "Steal the look: Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. Eat, Pray, Love, in book as well as movie form, became a worldwide phenomenon because women universally relate to the hurdles and triumphs of the heroine. The book is a study of a woman's voyage to find herself after her world as she knew it crumbled. The movie, likewise, tells of struggles and journeys -- but its costuming has already made its way into fashion. Want to embrace cultures of the world with your own personal style? Julia Roberts embodies the spirit in Eat, Pray, Love. Here's how to steal the look! ... Skin - According to Courtney Akai, of Courtney Akai Lash Boutique in New York City, Julia's natural glowing look starts with matte neutral/bone-colored eye shadow from lid to brow. Using an angled brush, fill in your brows with a taupe eyebrow powder. Wet a dark brown matte eye shadow with an eyeliner brush and softly use it against the lash line as eyeliner. One to two coats of mascara will accentuate lashes for a natural look. Contour cheeks with color."

MyLifetime.com - "We've always wondered how ladies like Jessica Alba, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Megan Fox and Selena Gomez had such long, luscious and perfectly curled lashes. Their eyelashes look larger than life, right? Well we finally unearthed the secret to the most gorgeous lashes in Hollywood when we met lash expert Courtney Akai at her New York City salon yesterday and she explained the process. Courtney attaches each lash extension to exactly every single little lash you have using a pair of tweezers. The shape and color is also customized to best match you existing eyelashes. That's why you'll notice that stars like these gals have eyelashes that look natural and yet completely enviable — a set of these extensions can lengthen lashes by 50 percent and can thicken them by at least 30 percent. Courtney gave us the star treatment and applied some lash extensions to only the outer part of our eyes. (A full session takes two hours; ours took 10 minutes.) We barely felt a thing, except for our very fluttery eyelids which refused to stop quivering. Still, Courtney worked her magic perfectly, with an amazingly steady hand, despite our jitters. Even with only a few extensions, we skipped the mascara this morning and still are getting compliments on our eyes today! (Can't say that's happened before!) Wanna get the scoop on how celebs will get star-worthy lashes for awards shows like the MTV VMAs and the Emmys? Visit Courtney Akai Lash Boutique."

HauteMimi.com - "The moment I walked into Courtney's lash boutique I was welcomed by girly pink walls, boudoir inspired furniture and sultry background music. I was in girly heaven! After choosing the look I wanted to go for, (dramatic, of course) Courtney cleaned off any excess eye makeup I had on, and taped down my bottom lashes so they wouldn't catch onto the surgical grade adhesive used to apply the extensions. After the preparations she went to work applying one extension at a time, the absolutely painless procedure can last from 1-3 hours. After the extensions were placed Courtney gave me a fabulous oxygen blast to the eye area to cool off the adhesive and comfort the eyes. The end results were amazing! My eyelashes looked extremely long, lush and glamorous yet natural. It has been six whole weeks since I last visited the salon and I have to say my lashes are still going strong."

LostGirlsWorld.com - "Thicker, longer lashes: Visit Courtney at the Courtney Akai Boutique Salon for eyelash extensions. I was admittedly freaked out about having someone glue individual lashes to each of my own eyelashes, but I heard the process meant I could skip mascara and eyeliner—and that my lashes would look full even after swimming in the ocean! Application can take up to two hours, but Courtney makes you so comfortable and relaxed it doesn’t feel like that long. She laid me down and propped my legs up on a pillow, and then we talked the whole time about everything from career to love. I’ll admit, the process can make your eyes water, but the end result is so amazing you won’t need makeup for six to eight weeks. Courtney is the only woman I’d trust to get that close to my eyes because she’s been doing it for more than five years and has the skills needed to give natural-looking results."

TotalBeauty.com - "As one of the first NYC-certified extension specialists, Courtney Akai is a pioneer in the business. Though she is a makeup artist by trade, her forte is lash extensions; it’s her bread and butter, so to speak, and it’s her passion, clearly. Chatting with Courtney is fabulously fun, and makes the up-to-two-hour process speed by, seriously. She works with precision and personalization, choosing the specific lashes to fit your natural ones. Curl, density, color – you name it, the process is customized to fit you, which means the result is totally realistic, kicked up a notch. It’s like you’re wearing mascara on beautifully-curled lashes, sans the makeup or curler (Really!). "



WhomYouKnow.com - "For first-class eyelash extensions, tailor-made to your own requirements, you won’t find better than Courtney Akai’s Salon. A session with founder Courtney is worth every penny, the results are just as stunning.  Conveniently located on 5th Avenue close to 42nd Street, it was easy to see why this salon is 5th Avenue treatment all the way! "



blog.americanspamag.com – by Heather Mikesell -  “A few weeks ago, a couple of my American Spa cohorts returned from the IECSC Las Vegas show with fabulous-looking lashes. To say the rest of us were a bit jealous is an understatement. If there is one thing we all covet, it’s lush lashes. Luckily for me, I had just discovered a gift card for a complimentary set of lash extensions from Courtney Akai in a swag bag from a SpaWeek Media event I attended last month. I had thought to save the card for a special occasion but couldn’t resist booking an appointment after seeing my fellow staffers bat their lovely lashes around the office. Because I’m blonde and fair-skinned, I must admit I was a bit worried that I might end up looking like a drag queen with lashes that were far too dramatic, However, Courtney instantly put my fears to rest, and two hours later, I was batting my own lovely NovaLash extensions. It’s been about five days now, and I still can’t get over the transformation. Interested in becoming a NovaLash lash artist and creating some transformations of your own? Then call (866) 430-1261 or log on to www.novalash.com.”



closetofstyle.com - by Catherine Horgan - “Courtney Akai makes women all around the globe feel beautiful and sexy with lash extensions. And the great news is, the process works for just about anyone, with the exception of those who change their make-up a lot, such as actresses. So, if you have trouble with mascara, or are constantly on the go every morning, or just want fabulous looking lashes (me!), lash extensions are for you!”.



spaweekblog.com - “If a picture speaks a thousand words, then two sets of before and after pictures are pretty much a magazine. Erin and Kaitlin, two of the ladies of Spa Week, recently got eyelash extensions at the Courtney Akai Boutique in New York City and have the rest of the office lusting! Courtney works around her clients’ schedules and applies every lash herself, ensuring top quality, VIP service. The process consists of a synthetic lash glued to each individual eyelash, and VOILA, you rid yourself of having to wear gunky mascara for up to 6-8 weeks. Both girls’ lashes look and feel totally natural! Summertime and the livin just got even easier.”



SHEFINDS.COM - "I was hesitant to try out Lash Extensions at first, but after a somewhat lengthy process, my lashes looked dramatic, voluminous and downright fabulous. And the best part was I didn't bother with eye-makeup - no mascara, no liner, no nothing. I didn't need anything else to accentuate my eyes!"



SHECKY'S New York BEAUTY - "So you didn't inherit the long eyelash gene (your brother did), but you can do more than just gob on the mascara. There are salons that specialize in long-term falsies now. At the hands of the licensed esthetician specialist Courtney Akai, I was at ease. Since I have blonde hair, my lashes need ten coats of mascara to stand out. After my extensions, I've found the real magic wand. Courtney carefully applied single lashes at the root of my lash line for an "after" that manages to remain natural but still look all out glamorous. A favorite of brides, celebs, and trophy wives uptown and downtown, the treatment is painless. Courtney will give you fantasy lashes whether you're going for movie star glamour, bridal beauty, everyday natural, or sultry sex kitten."



OK! Magazine Makeup Tips - "Typically, brunettes have deeper skin tones and could carry off warmer and smokier shades," says Courtney Akai, celebrity makeup artist. "However, soft plums and purple shades can always work well too depending on the tone."



LAUNCHPAD Magazine Pageant Peepers - "Oh beauty queen, why are your lashes so long?" Pageant princess Chelsey Rodgers relaxes while her lash stylist, Courtney Akai applies NovaLash lash extensions . "I previously wore lash strips because my lashes are shorter and much curlier than I would like them to be," explains Rodgers. "Now, I actually have the transformational results that I've read and heard so much about.. I couldn't be happier!"



NEW YORK Magazine Wedding - "If you're worried you'll cry at the ceremony and be self- consciously dabbing the mascara out of your eyes all night, consider getting Lash Extensions. Courtney Akai will tone it up or down a notch depending on what your style is and how long your actual lashes are to begin with"



NY POST- Haute List by Danica Lo - "As someone who, every day for two years, glued on false lashes, I was more than eager to submit to the care of Courtney Akai. Placing myself in her hands for two hours yielded an ultranatural-looking, enhanced set that will last weeks- And several months with regular touch-ups. "



WOODBURY Magazine Beauty Bank - Lush Lashes "Courtney Akai explains that she customizes the look of Lash Extensions depending on the strength and length of the natural eyelash as well as the desired look." "Some want longer on the ends,or longer in the middle. Both create different looks, I also can apply lashes to the outer half of the eye to create a semi-glam look."