Every lash tech runs into this: a client books a fill, and when she sits down, half her set has grown out or fallen out entirely. It's not really a fill anymore, it's a full set of removal and reapplication with a fill price attached to it. This is one of the most common ways solo lash techs quietly underprice their own time, appointment by appointment, without ever deciding to.
Quick answer: if retention is below roughly 40 to 50 percent, charge new set price, not fill price. The work and time are the same either way, so the price should be too.
Why this needs a rule, not a judgment call each time
A judgment call made in the chair, with a client waiting, tends to default toward “I’ll just do it as a fill this once.” That’s understandable in the moment and a bad pattern over a year of bookings, and the pricing calculator will tell you what one of those appointments has to earn before either price is worth charging. A stated retention threshold removes the decision from the moment it’s hardest to make well.
Price should track time and product, not the label a client typed into your booking form.
Setting the threshold
- Above 50 percent retention: a standard fill. The existing lashes give you a real foundation to build on.
- 40 to 50 percent retention: a judgment call, but lean toward fill price only if the time actually matches a fill.
- Below 40 percent retention: new set price. At this point you're doing most of a full removal and application regardless of what the client called it when she booked.
| Retention at appointment | What it actually requires | What to charge |
|---|---|---|
| Above 50% | Standard fill work | Fill price |
| 40 to 50% | Judgment call, check actual time needed | Fill or new set, based on time |
| Below 40% | Near-full removal and reapplication | New set price |
Saying it without it feeling like an upsell
State the retention percentage you see, plainly, then explain the threshold from your own stated policy, before you start the service, not after. “You’re at about 30 percent retention today, which is below my fill threshold, so this will be priced as a new set.” That’s an observation with a policy behind it, not a sales pitch, and most clients take it fine when it’s stated plainly and consistently rather than negotiated in the moment.
Where Artisee fits
Add your retention threshold to the contract clauses you use in Artisee, then create, review and share the contract before the appointment. Set the applicable service price and record payments yourself, keeping the booking and invoice amounts consistent with the work performed.
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