Lash-Ed Magazine Issue 1 April 2018

www.lash-ed.com

ISSUE 1 | APRIL 2018

HAIR AND BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS AGAINST DOMESTIC ABUSE. JOIN THE CAMPAIGN Lash Extensions | Business | Wellbeing | Safety Magazine for lash stylists, trainers, suppliers, experts and enthusiasts!

Inside

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Lashes

5 Welcome to Issue 1 of Lash~Ed - April 2018 8 Marina Litvinova London Lash Battle’s Lash Artist of the Year 2017.

14 Natalie Fella Story behind the Lash Art and Artist 17 Fibroblast treatments and Lashes. An explosive or complementary combo?

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20 Merlin Callaghan helps us to keep our bodies healthy 22 A week in the life of Frankie Widdows 25 Short on lashes? Keep calm and lash on!

27 Quick and easy Lash Tips 28 Starting your journey from Classic to Volume?

Give yourself a head start 30 Lash gallery 33 Making Lash Extensions

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Business 36 Hair and Beauty against Domestic Abuse.

Julie Knight invites you to get involved 39 Ria-Jaine Lincoln bravely shares her story 42 Sada Cole shares her inspirational lash story 45 Jess Balsam left a good career to be her own lash boss 46 Genevieve Hickin shares her insight around the options to work from home 48 Katie Godfrey share 4 amazing top tips to help your business 50 Photo Opportunity! Clare Creed take us on a journey to better lash masterpieces

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Business 54 IT expert Antony Knight advises on Cyber Hygiene

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56 GDPR is coming… Are you prepared for the 25th May (this year?)

59 Deal of the day marketing services. Love them or hate them.

62 A week in the life of a new magazine editor and campaign manager, Julie Knight 65 Hair and Beauty Awards for The Lash Specialists of the Year 2018 winner - Zoe Mizon

Wellbeing

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68 Challenge to Opportunity. Lifestyle & Wellbeing Coach Zoe Thompson offers 10 top tips 71 Optometrist Tim Harwood offers his expert advice on protecting our eyesight

Safety

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76 Meet your new best friend! Find out why Julie Knight commends the Hollie Guard App 78 Crime Prevention Advisor Clare Hawkins offers expert advice to stay Safe as a lone worker 81 Is Johnson’s baby shampoo the next generation lash cleanser?

If you've longed to be featured as a writer or contributor to a magazine, then now’s your chance. It’s free to be featured (other than direct advertising) and you will be accredited for your work. You’ll receive your ‘As featured in Lash~Ed’ badge to acknowledge your contribution that you can display with pride on your website, social media and marketing materials. See our website for more details at lash-ed.com/get-featured Disclaimer notice: Lash~Ed takes reasonable and proportionate measures to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes. Lash~Ed are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for any matters arising as a consequence. The material is provided for information and should not be solely relied upon or used as the main basis for making decisions. Any reliance on this material is entirely at your own risk.

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Tell us how you created your masterpiece and a bit about you!

Articles on ~ Lashes ~ Business ~ Wellbeing ~ Safety Earn your 'as featured' badge

Welcome

from the Lash~Ed team!

Julie Knight - Editor

Hi everyone. Welcome to your new Lash~Ed magazine and thank you for reading!

Lash~Ed is dedicated to supporting Lash Stylists, trainers, suppliers, experts and enthusiasts. By working together and sharing knowledge, we can continue to develop professionally for the good of our business and our industry.

We thought that you would like to know a bit more about who's behind your new Lash~Ed magazine so here's a bit about us. I’m the founder and editor and I really wanted to offer something truly educational, unique, fun and inspiring. I am passionate about working with likeminded people and businesses to strengthen our industry without ego.

I have an extensive background in lashing as the founder and CEO of Eye by i and Elite Eyelash Extensions, companies dedicated exclusively to lashes!

I’ve been trained by some of the best and I'm listed as an Expert Lasher. I run a busy treatment service along with my training academy where I've been training and coaching new and experienced lash stylists since 2012.

I adore helping anyone wishing to achieve their potential. I have written several lash related articles that have been published and several books that are soon to be. I have also been privileged to be invited to speak at several developmental and business conferences over the years.

Through Lash~Ed, I'm spearheading a campaign that invites all UK Hair and Beauty Professionals to be trained to spot the signs that a client or colleague is experiencing domestic abuse. This is so that they can sensitively and safely signpost to services who are best able to support them as and when they're ready. It's similar to a scheme that has been running in the US for many years and we hope that UK based professionals will help to inform how it could work best for us here in the UK. The front cover is designed to complement the campaign and there's more information in our special feature. If you would like to get more involved, please contact me at Julie@lash-ed.com as it would be great to share the work!

I hope that you love your new Lash-Ed magazine as much as we did in making it happen. We would love to hear how we can meet your needs as we grow and you are welcome to get involved and share your expertise and lash love with your colleagues. You can be proud to be published and noticed as you display your Lash~Ed contributors badge with pride!

Thank you for supporting us. I'm sincerely grateful.

Best wishes, Julie x

Antony Knight Hi there!

I’m Antony, the Technical Director for Lash-Ed. We want to offer our readers something a little different in a way that’s in keeping with 21st Century technology with our Digital version of the magazine. This requires a lot of my tech know how!

I’ve been in IT for nearly 30 years and have proudly worked for some big names and now my own, Ant and Tech (Limited). I’m delighted to be working with Julie on this amazing project as I have never come across a person so passionate about anything, especially lashing.

We hope you enjoy Lash-Ed as much as it is to create it for you.

Shannon-Bethan

Hi there, I’m Shan and I’m proud to be the Artistic and Creative Director for Lash~Ed. Together with Julie, I’m responsible for the look and feel of your magazine so it’s exciting as it is engaging. I work to ensure that it meets your needs as we are seeking to inspire lifelong learning thereby improving knowledge and strengthen our industry by working with our precious readers and experts.

I’d love to hear about the things that you’d like us to cover in future editions. Whether it’s about sharing lash or business knowledge, innovative ways of working or inspiring and motivating others to achieve their potential and beyond. We want to keep you company on your journey so you’re not so alone out there. x

Welcome | 5

Special thank you to all our contributors in this edition Extra special thank you our regular feature writers Merlin Callaghan International Lash Artist, Educator, Competition Judge and Founder of Merlin Lash and Beauty Brand based in London, UK. Merlin pursued her accreditations through various International training courses whilst being mentored by numerous Lash and Industry experts. With a strong focus on detail, she enjoys creating various looks for clients while using different techniques and top quality products. Seeing a gap in the market for Premium Lash Training inspired her to follow her dream and create her own brand MLAB, which offers eyelash extension training and top range lash products.

Her training is focused on different lash techniques, Health & Safety and customer care. With these core values Lash Artists develop with the highest calibre of skills and a 5***** customer service to match. As a devoted lash artist and trainer, she takes an extra interest in collaborating with various Industry Experts to promote good working conditions and opportunities to prevent repetitive strain injuries of the lash wizards across the globe.

See Merlin at Merlin Lash And Beauty www.merlinlashandbeauty.com

Zoe Thompson Zoe is a lifestyle and wellbeing coach. She's the voice in your ear that tells you that you can! Working with clients both online and in person, she helps them reach their full capability. She's a Neuro Linguistic Programming practitioner with over 10 years of coaching and mentoring experience. If you're ready to rise then she's ready to guide you on your journey.

She offers online webinar training, group workshops, online community groups and Individual coaching plans.

You too can rise to be the best version of you.

Visit Zoe's website at www.phoenixlifecoach.co.uk

Want to join our team?

Clare Creed Clare Creed is a professional photographer and trainer and CEO of Clare Creed Photography. With over 20 years of experience, she has an extensive and varied portfolio of photography work.

She’s a fire breathing, pole dancing, kettle bell wielding lash addict who’s a magical unicorn with a sparkly personality.

Clare is working with the Lash~Ed team to offer an online photography course that’s specifically about taking great pictures of lash masterpieces to make masterpieces! Watch the Lash~Ed website for more details and early bird offers.

Visit Clare at www.clarecreedphotography.com

Contact Julie at Julie@lash-ed.com

Lashes

MARINA LITVINOVA London Lash Battle's Lash Artist of the Year 2017

Multi-award winning Lash Artist of the Year tells Lash~Ed the secret of her success and shares an important message about what she's learned on the way Hello Lash Sisters!

I first picked up a pair of tweezers in 2015. Weirdly, I didn’t think about doing eyelashes before that day. It was first available course in Beauty College and I’m so thankful for having done it! I instantly fell in love with my new hobby and couldn’t stop.

In my first year of lashing, little dreams sprouted in my mind. Becoming popular, to be best in town, have a salon of my own, to finally have my own stable income and be my own boss.

I started to look for inspiration - looking for well known Time went by and I wanted to enhance my skills. That’s

lash masters, then following their work and thinking

when in 2016, I was introduced to Russian volume and

“wow, what a beautiful set of lashes”. I was following all

where my hobby developed into a passion! As a mom of

the lash groups there are, reading all the posts, all the

2 young kids age 5 and 2, their school/crèche time was

tips and criticisms, sponging all the information I could in

and is my lashing time. It’s hard juggling between

order to improve my own work. Oh, of course, I tore my

lashes, schools, house work and great parenting at the

own work to shreds.

same time. I can only work in school hours from 9am 3pm. It’s a little "me time" and an "escape from reality".

My passion grew bigger and bigger, I learned about new

It’s not much but let me tell you that this is more than

things, followed amazing lash artists and dreamt that one

enough to achieve many of your dreams and goals.

day I will be as good as them. But I thought “how will someone like me get into such a big world of lashes and

It didn’t take long before my name was well known. To

get known by others?” That's when it was time to do

my surprise, I was known in town’s miles away from

something different - competitions.

me, and I loved it of course. It drove me to do better, to do more with myself and my little home based

It all started in November 2016 when I entered an online

business. New dreams were born and I wanted to do

competition. No loss in trying right? Little did I expect to

something even bigger than I’d ever done before.

be in the top 10 finalists! My world was lifted!

8 | Lashes

I entered my 1st live competition in Ireland as a junior in early 2017. By the way, I knew nothing about the rules until I read the criteria and then it was too late to turn back. It was paid for. A funny word – criteria. I didn’t even know what it meant. I looked through the judging topics and I fell back to the ground fast. All my excitement was gone. I was not up to any of the judging criteria. The right length, coverage on inner and outer corners, transition, distance. I mean, I didn’t even know what the correct distance was from a lid at that time! Every single thing that I would be judged on had to be worked on! That is where I said to myself, “this is it, you wanted it, there is no way back, you need to win”.

I had 5 months to improve … every client was my chance to improve…...

Each week, I focused on one thing at the time.

I was so stressed, I started to do Volume on a Classic nomination.

My 1st competition was so so funny. My stress level was like a heartbeat line. Going from “I can do it!” to

I had 5 months to improve my every day work where clients

“at least it will be an experience”, to “I don’t want to

were getting the same style to competition standard! Every

do it, what have I got myself into”.

day, every client was my chance to improve. I completed a

This was on my mind on repeat on my 2 hour journey

course to learn more about correct Russian volume and about to the competition. Could you tell I was very competitions. Each week, I focused on one thing at the time. stressed? Well it gets funnier. As I arrived at the The first was my distance as mine was a good 2-3mm and I

hotel, not knowing where to go, I just followed the

had to get it down to 0.3-0.5mm. Ugh! This took a while let

girls in. Set up my equipment etc, the start was

me tell you. The next week was another and once something

announced, lash time was on. But 30 minutes in, I

improved, I struggled with others. This was why more courses was notified that it is not the nomination for Russian Volume. It was Classic. I had to remove the applied needed to be done. lashes and come back. Yes, only I could do something

I completed 4 different courses...

I completed 4 different courses in all, one each month ahead of the competition. I took that exact information that I was struggling with to each course. For example, placement, even fans or identical fans. After each course, I simply practiced on every single client because you don’t want to lose!

like this!!

It's a bit hard on the 1st go. Not your usual comfortable place, bed, chair, glues don't work same way (do make sure you have few with you), it's hot, your hands shake and time flies!! It was a little easier on my 2nd go. First thing I did was to adjust the bed before volume competition have started. I experienced a few other difficulties of course but I’ve done what I’ve done. I didn't know how bad or good I’ve done. When my model opened her eyes all I remember was few lashes poking out on both eyes and I didn't have time left. It was judging time. Oh well. Next few hours dragged. Conference before results however helped me to keep my mind relaxed a little. Subjects most famous lash masters were talking about were mind blowing. Do you enjoy doing courses? Now imagine having a "mini course" with so many in one day! At that point I thought, win or no win, the whole experience was SO worth it. I was glad I attended.

At results time, little voice in my head kept saying, "I'm so going to be happy with at least 3rd place", but someone else was called out. I was very doubtful about getting 2nd place, could I? No, someone else was called again. When my name was called for the 1st place announcement, I couldn't believe it! I was so lost for words. I couldn't understand. How did i get

Lashes | 9

1st place, was it a fix maybe?! Ah it was magical! My

I won two 1st places in 3-4D Volume and Dramatic

first 1st place trophy! I could finally exhale and

Volume and picked up 6 awards for best work with

relax after going hard for 5 months non-stop. I had

the biggest one of all, "Lash Artist of the year". All

the best 2 weeks of work after that where I could

my dreams came true at once! It was an

just do lashes and enjoy it. Only then did I see how

unbelievable experience. I did it!

much I had actually improved!! My work was clean, neat, it was beautiful. Of course there’s a few things

So many doors opened in front of me. I was asked to

I could improve on but I didn’t worry.

work or teach for well-known lash brands and girls

Every course came in the right time.

Only 2 weeks after 1st competition, I entered another one. My dream. The Lash Battle. I couldn't sleep that night. Mixed emotions, worry and stress hit me yet again.

wanted to learn from me. I didn’t know what to do with all of it as I didn’t expect it. I felt like it was all a dream for good month or two. I did go for my favourite lash brand – Lash Heaven and became their ambassador.

Rested days at work, gone. That time I was going as a master, and in London where the lash quality level is much higher. Masters from other countries would be there. It was back to trying to perfect my work as much as I could in the 2 months before competition day.

I worked on all topics where I had reduced points from the previous competition and tried to challenge myself for bigger volume fans and styling. Styling, definitely was my weakest subject. It's not easy to get it right. And to this day, I’m still so thankful for one of my most favourite lash masters visiting Ireland only few weeks before the competition. How did I know about her? She was one of the speakers at my previous competition/conference and her topic blew my mind, I had to meet and learn from her! When I finally did, so many questions were answered for me. Well explained information, everything. I don't think I could have done as good as I have at the Lash Battle without attending that exact course. Every course I attended came in the right time.

So many doors opened in front of me. I was asked to work or teach for well-known lash brands and girls wanted to learn from me.

I took a step back from competitions after that as it takes a lot from you. I gave my all in those 7 months so it was time to give more time to my kids and take it easy.

I entered 2 online competitions...

I didn't place 3rd in either ...

I was thankful for not winning.

I entered 2 online competitions and something very interesting happened. I didn't even place 3rd in either of them!

I was thankful for not winning. See, winning is amazing but all that success got to my head for quite a bit and I lost that "I need to do better". It was "I'm good now" and that's what was wrong with me.

Not winning brought me back to the ground fully, and reminded me of all other amazing lash artists out there who may or are better than me!

10 | Lashes

This is a message I want to share with everyone!

Both pictures show Marina's stunning work as her winning entries in London's Lash Battle 2017

My biggest advice to anyone and everyone - don't stop after one course or settle as a casual lash girl who does lashes. Build yourself up a lash master name, recognition!

This industry is so much bigger and has so much to offer than you think. Set your goals, and go straight for them. Do additional courses, at least 2 - 3 per year. I have done many, and not a single course did I not learn something new. Every single trainer has their own little secrets that will help you to prefect your work! If you are not sure who to train with, attend conferences, there are so many of them going around. Look for recommendations. I promise that your list "to train with" will increase! Your experience will rise and you will grow in your customer’s eyes. They will have to have you as their lash artist!

Do competitions, test yourself and don’t be afraid to do this step. Win It! Enjoy it! See for yourself how many doors will open up in front of you. Recognition all over the world.

When you decide to make your next step in becoming a trainer, you will already have a waiting list of girls who will want you to be their trainer and so much more.

Did you lose before? Take it as a lesson, learn from your mistakes, come back stronger, better and smash it next time. It is all going to be worth it! ❤

Marina Litvinova London Lash Battle's Lash Artist of the Year 2017 Lash Heaven Brand Ambassador

Lash~Ed asked the founder and organiser of the prestigious London Lash Battle, Hanna Putjato, what she thought of Marina's amazing achievement in their event...

Marina is an extremely talented lash artist – her work is stunning both visually and technically, and her passion and love for the industry is inspiring. We were honoured to welcome Marina to London Lash Battle last year and were so excited to see her crowned Lash Artist of the Year!

We’re now looking forward to the next Lash Battle competition, which will be held this year in Glasgow, Scotland and is being organised by the award winning Ksenia Karnejenko of Artistic Fur! - Hanna Putjato CEO London Lash Pro

Save the dates!

14th - 16th August 2018 Glasgow Lash Battle

Lashes | 11

STORY BEHIND THE LASH ART AND ARTIST

NATALIE FELLA You may have seen Natalie Fella’s winning masterpiece from the 2017 online Christmas Fantasy Lash Art Competition and wondered just how she created something so stunning? I certainly did, so I asked her!

BY JULIE KNIGHT EDITOR

Natalie earned 1st place in her first ever competition that was well-deserved. The competition was free to enter, but all entries had to be the artists own work, including the photography.

Natalie had thought about entering a competition for some time but the problem was finding the time. A busy mum with two daughters, she owns her own salon called Heavenly Glow Beauty working with 2 members of staff based in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, U.K. Her salon offers a range of services but as Natalie loves lashes, she mainly does lashes.

Before entering a world of beauty, Natalie travelled afar as cabin crew for Virgin Atlantic Airways. With the birth of her second daughter, she found that spending time away from her family was becoming more of a struggle and wanted to work around her children. She noticed that lashes were growing in popularity with a gap in her local market. She took what was to be her first course with Flirties and proudly became one of their trainers in 2016. She started out by offering a mobile service before working from home, then opening her own salon with plans for another next year.

How did you come up with your creative idea?

“A few weeks before, I looked at other people’s work as I wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before. I had a few ideas already and I was writing other ideas down every day. I had 3 but I wanted to do something funny. I looked at last year’s entries and the winning one was the Grinch. I thought about putting a twist on my entry so there was a fun element about

"I tried to make his beard plastic looking. He has a real beard and I used a brush to apply dark brown face paint

the Grinch stealing Christmas”.

on it. I was going to do a glitter beard and decided

As she was setting time aside, she needed reliable models. She was going to

changing things as I was working.

use a client but was worried about their reliability so she looked closer to home. The Grinch was well-played by her 10 year old daughter Holly and the Lash Elf that saves Christmas is stunning portrayed her partner Nick.

Nick was wearing the lashes as ‘he has such lovely lashes to work with’ and

against it as I went along. I was making up it up or

I used glitter on his lips and bought glittery sequins from a party shop and stuck them on. I had painted some strip lashes with glitter that I turned upside-down and stuck

she was quick to advise that he was patch tested!

under his lower lashes.

Tell us about his lashes and how long it took to create the piece

I brought all my Glamcor lights home from the salon and

“I made time over a weekend so it took 2 days. I finished work on Saturday

to submit”.

set up them up to make our home into a photo studio. I took loads of shots on my phone and I picked the best 4

afternoon and then worked on Nick’s lashes for two and a half hours in the kitchen. He had come home from football and fell asleep so that helped. I had to stop when he became restless! I did another two and a half hours on Sunday morning as I wanted the lashes to look great. I id 3-4D volume using green and red lashes in O.O7mm C curls with the longest lengths being 12mm.

I was going to make the costumes but time was an issue so I bought them. I was going to make some props like a fireplace but settled for putting the Christmas tree up early and wrapping some fake presents!

Holly the Grinch didn’t have her lashes done but I used green face paint and applied it with a brush on her face. I sprayed her hair green and she wore green tights.

I wanted to make Nick look like a doll. I put foundation on his face and then used dark brown eyeliner to draw the hair line over his forehead. I then used brown face paint to fill it in. His eyebrows took a long time. Nick as big brows and I needed to wax them and tidy them up! I had to layer on make up to hide his brows and then dab foundation over them. It took ages to draw the brows given the shape and I used a brush to apply brown face paint to fill them in. One of the major factors was not getting anything on the lashes as I had taken so long to do them".

Lashes | 15

How did you persuade Nick to be lashed and have his brows waxed?

“Once I had decided on the idea, it was a case of thinking of any men I knew who would be perfect as the Lash Elf. It suddenly dawned on me that Nick fitted the role perfectly. He lived with me and I knew he wouldn’t let me down and his face also suited the look I wanted to create. He did take some persuading. He was a little bit reluctant at first being a “man’s man” but he soon came around to the idea after asking a few times. He wasn’t too keen on having his brows waxed though and that did take a lot more persuading!

He made me remove the lashes straight away and it took half an hour. I’d spent ages doing them so it was a little soul destroying”.

Natalie Fella Award winning Lash Artist and Trainer Heavenly Glow Beauty, Coleford, Forest of Dean, UK Trainer for Flirties

Editors Note The 2017 Christmas Fantasy Lash Art Online Competition was kindly organised by Jess Martin, Amy Dommett and Danielle Crouch and judged by our industry’s talent, Ruthie Belle, Michelle Ryan and Kelly Storer.

How did it feel to win your first ever competition?

“I didn’t think I would win. I saw the 3rd and 2nd places being announced and thought that was it. I honestly couldn’t believe I had won! I was literally jumping for joy when it was announced. I really did put a lot of thought and effort into the idea and it was so worth it. It was hard work but at the same time a lot of fun! I received a certificate and Trophy which I have on show in my salon for all my clients and students can see.”

What advice would you give others who are unsure about entering a lash art competition?

“My advice would be to give it a go! Start by jotting down any ideas that come into your head and create an ideas board for them. Don’t rush your

We asked one of the organisers Jess Martin from Flutterbye Lashes what she thought about the winning entry.

'Natalie’s entry spoke volumes. It was her first go at fantasy lash art, and this is what we wanted -people to give it ago and get creative, even if they have never done it before.

We loved how Natalie’s entry photos told a story, showing that you can still be creative when taking photos of the fantasy lash art you have created. It was a fun piece and very worthy winning entry'

creative piece. It takes weeks of planning so allow yourself enough time to complete it. Think outside the box and look at previous winners, then think of something a bit different.

-Jess Martin Flutterbye Lashes

Choose your model well. They need good lashes, the right eye shape and are prepared to give up their time. The last thing you need is a model letting you down after all that planning. It also makes all the difference if they're

Ultimate Trainer LaseBase Training

photogenic too! I’ve never entered a lash competition before and I’m so glad

Academy Of the

I did! I’m now planning my next competition and can’t wait to get creative

Year 2018

again”.

16 | Lashes

FIBROBLAST & LASHES? An explosive or complementary combo?

Our Lash~Ed Editor Julie Knight finds out!

The revolution for hooded eyelids that challenges evolution!

Through lash styling, we work hard to disguise hooded lids with the creative use of different lengths and curls purposefully placed along the lash

Before 10 weeks after 1 treatment

line. We then hope that our artistry isn’t smothered and lost under a heavy hood that will then keep the extensions nicely oiled!

As a forty ‘something’ sun lover and avid lash wearer, I’ve noticed that my lids are taking on the familiar southerly decline that comes with age and lifestyle. I was pondering this with a client who announced that she was considering a Fibroblast treatment to deal with hers. She was marvelling about its non-invasive magic that tightens and lifts the skin. I was curious about whether such a wonder really existed and whether I’d be losing a loyal client for a while, but I wasn’t sure! For the sake of my heavy eyes and the what-ifs around treatment compatibility, I had to know more.

I searched for someone who was offering Fibroblast treatments who has a wealth of knowledge and a great reputation. I was delighted to meet Jozette, a cosmetic and medical tattoo artist and the first to be trained in Fibroblasting in Bristol early last year. I found myself chatting to a fellow lash colleague who’d trained several years ago with Nouveau. With an amazing wealth of experience and recognised training in the beauty industry, her career spans nearly 30 years. She’s trained to Elite level in permanent cosmetics being certification that is provided by Nouveau Contour™ and she's a member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals. She holds the globally recognised Certified Permanent Cosmetic Professional (CPCP) qualification. I’d found my Fibroblast lady, and one after my own heart – who puts quality over quantity, with a real passion for delivering exceptional service standards and sets realistic expectations on what can be achieved from her offerings. So my questions flowed…..

Lashes | 17

What's Fibroblasting?

Is it painful?

‘It’s a revolutionary new skin tightening treatment

She smiles now!

that’s incredible. There’s no surgery and it shows

‘It’s uncomfortable. On a scale of 1 - 10 with 10

fast and dramatic results.

being the most painful, most clients say it’s a 6 for them but the discomfort is fleeting as it’s when the

Fibroblast is a hand held device with a fine probe.

‘blast’ is applied’.

This produces a tiny plasma flash which leaps from the skin in a micro-millimetre size point. This minimises the skin in the immediate vicinity. A

How does it look immediately after?

series of tiny brown dots are strategically placed to

‘It looks like there’s lots of tiny brown dots visible

achieve the desired result. The plasma flash is

on the surface of the skin and these are carbon

formed through the ionisation of atmospheric gases.

plugs. Most people experience some swelling

Each spot sublimates the superficial corneocytes to

around the treated area but this reduces quickly

stimulate tightening of the skins fibres. This in turn,

every day. I advise clients to plan for 5 - 7 days

stimulates the body’s fibroblast cells to produce

downtime after treatment so it’s best to take some

more collagen that gives a long term tightening

time away from work’.

effect. The skin is left looking firmer, smoother and younger.

If a client is wearing lash

I can treat to lift the upper and lower eye area as

extensions, do they need to be

well as any crows feet, upper and lower lip areas, the jowls and the neck area. Out of all of these

removed?

opportunities, eye treatments are my most popular

‘They do for eye treatments for hygiene reasons

ones’.

and because of the swelling. We need to reduce the

Why did you train in Fibroblasting?

‘I saw it mentioned in forums and couldn’t believe the difference it seemed to make. I needed to know if it really worked. I spoke to someone I knew from a training course many years ago as she was doing it.

She said it was amazing. Consequently, I was convinced enough to invest substantially in my training and equipment as I thought it would really complement my permanent makeup treatment menu’.

risk of infection, so it’s necessary’.

How soon can they have their lashes done again?

‘It’s best to wait until they have been checked and assessed by the treatment provider, so at least 6 weeks. If the skin looks normal following a visual assessment then it should be okay. It’s not okay if there’s any signs of redness. Their skin will be baby like after treatment. Extensions are not the issue,

Is it a one off treatment or are top

it’s the treatment process. If the lower eye is

ups needed?

tapes may be a bit too harsh on the skin so soon

‘Everyone is different. They may need just 1 or up to 3 treatments. I see them after 6 weeks to assess if another treatment is needed. The effect is permanent but it doesn’t stop the natural aging process. How long it lasts depends on the area treated, their lifestyle and how they care for their skin. It is possible to be retreated in the future if they wish’.

How long does it take to treat hooded eyes?

treated then the adhesion from the eye pads or after treatment. With upper eye treatments, many of us use tape to lift the lashes from the pads or to separate the lash layers. There is also a risk, despite our best efforts, of adhesive coming into contact with the skin too’.

Is there a suggested waiting time between a Fibroblast treatment and permanent makeup treatments?

‘In all, it takes around 1.5 - 2 hours. The anaesthetic is

‘It’s okay, so long as those treatments do not

applied and the treatment itself can take between 20

overlap. I can do both on the same day. I would

minutes to an hour’.

treat the brows first and then Fibroblast. I am

18 | Lashes

wary of Fibtoblasting and my client going elsewhere for their permanent makeup. There’s a risk that the treatments overlap albeit unintentionally. I would advise clients to wait at least 6 weeks until I have

How soon can you treat my hoods?

‘You like the sun don’t you Julie? You’ll need to wait for 6 weeks and stay out of it for 3 months!’

assessed the treated area’.

This lucky lady has enjoyed a full face Fibroblast treatment.

Her upper eye area, crows feet, upper lip, lower lip, chin and jowls have been treated. You can see how her treatment has taken effect over the following 7 days from this models 'selfies'. It's certainly an impressive transformation.

This shows the need to book some time away from work after the treatment to recover.

Is there a good time to have it done?

What are your future plans?

‘Fibroblast treatments are good to have in the

‘I am taking more training in new treatments and

winter months so you’re better able to avoid the

I am thinking about going into training permanent

sun. You need to be out of the sun for 6 weeks

cosmetics. My daughter is training as a nurse and

before being treated and for 3 months after. This is

we are planning to work together to expand our

so your melanin is not in a stimulated state. The

salon and treatment services so it’s an exciting

skin is new and delicate and any sun exposure will

time’.

increase the risk of burning or post inflammatory hyper pigmentation.

Sun exposure is also one of the main contributory factors of aging so if you aren’t using a high SPF like a SPF50, then you’ll undo all the good work the fibroblast has done.

Jozette Sheppard Enhance by Jozette www.enhancebyjozette.co.uk

There’s less chance of sweating too as excessive

Julie would like to thank Jozette for her time in

sweating can slow the healing process and increase

creating this article and sincerely wishes her well

the risk of infection’.

with her future plans.

Lashes | 19

KEEPING YOUR BODY HEALTHY

As a professional lash artist and trainer, I know the importance of keeping your body healthy while at work say's Merlin Callaghan, International Lash Artist, Educator, Competition Judge, Founder of Merlin Lash and Beauty Brand and Feature writer for the new Lash~Ed magazine.

Alongside guiding and supporting my students to be great lash artists, I advise on overall health, safety and wellbeing within the industry. Like any other profession, lash artists must be able to identify all potential occupational hazards and the best ways to eliminate or reduce risks. These can be from inhaling toxic chemicals to bad seating positions. Ensuring you adopt the correct body positioning and posture is crucial. This is one area in which I provide detailed and specific guidance as part of my training course.

We often sit in the same position for many hours. This can place extreme stress and strain on our bodies, mostly in the neck and back area. If you feel a general soreness and stiffness in your neck (especially towards the end of the day), this can often be attributed to a neck strain caused by looking down for extended periods. Serious neck pain can limit your ability to move your head and can be severe enough to limit your ability to do your job.

Since starting as a Lash Artist, I have researched the health, safety and wellbeing of our industry in depth. Our workstation requirements evolve over time as we add new tools and change our working pattern. It is important to continually review your workstation to check if there are any risks that could be eliminated or improvements made to your work area. I constantly ask myself - is my table height right for me? Is my posture aligned to limit the stress placed on my back and neck?

What can I change about my workstation?

Currently, I use a saddle back chair that allows me to be comfortable and properly supported. This chair ensures I sit upright and don’t slouch forward. I make sure that the table is at the right height, so I'm not overextending while working with a client’s lashes. All my tools are within easy reach ensuring I don’t have to twist or reach every time I need an item.

20 | Lashes

Sometimes it's not easy to check your own posture. If you can, ask a friend or colleague to assess your seating and working area. Take some photos or videos of your working position and assess where you could improve or make adjustments.

Your workstation set is very important, but please don’t forget to take a break from work or do some stretches and exercises. I found stretch breaks help to avoid being stiff and sore at the end of the day.

I have collaborated with Hunter Rehabilitation, Australia (experts in rehabilitation) to put together the following tips and exercises. Hopefully you have found these tips helpful. You can follow them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/hunterrehab Thank you Julie Knight and Lash-Ed magazine for letting me share this with your readers.

Merlin x Merlin Lash And Beauty www.merlinlashandbeauty.com

A week in the life of

by

FRANKIE WIDDOWS Every week at Eyelash Excellence is so very different to the next. We are always so busy and working on many new projects that each week is actually really unique. However, let me give you a run-down of what is going on this week at Eyelash Excellence.

Monday I usually set my alarm for 7:45am and aim to get up around 800-8:15am. I tend to work very late most evenings because Eyelash Excellence is an international brand with distributors in the UK, USA and Canada, so it never really sleeps. I always quickly check my phone, go through my emails and Instagram/Facebook messages etc, so I know what needs to be dealt with first of all.

My morning starts with a de-caff coffee (at the moment I am caffeine free as it’s very easy to become dependent on it when working long hours), I also have my breakfast, usually high protein (eggs, chicken etc) as I am really focused these days on looking after my physical and mental health.

I then always take my dog out – Diesel my GSD, and I am so lucky to live out in the countryside, where I am surrounded by fields and amazing wildlife, so I love to start my morning with a walk and appreciate my surroundings. I’m a real country girl, so for me this is my calm before the storm of the day when I know it’s going

commercial unit.

to be another busy one, especially on a Monday.

I am currently half way through a new online course

I get back and then jump on the laptop ready to go through the

that I have been developing, so lots of filming and

emails. I am so lucky to have a great team around me, not only in

editing to be done. I lock myself away and set

UK, but USA and Canada as well. This means that they can deal

everything up and remain in there until about 6pm.

with the business-related enquiries, promotions etc and I only

When I am filming I like to be left alone, to plough on

get tasked with the jobs that require my personal attention.

through the content whilst I am in the zone.

This usually takes me up to around lunchtime, where I then take

6.30pm I usually grab some supper before heading off

a break for 30 minutes to eat and refresh.

to the gym at 7.30pm and return around 9pm. The gym

After lunch I head up to my lashing room, which is in my house. I

is my downtime and something I know I must do to

have always preferred to work clients from home, where I can

take me away from lashes 24/7.

have a small room that allows me to control my temperature and

9-10pm I have a post work out meal and take the dog

humidity to perfection - this for me is paramount and something

out quickly for some ball throwing and then get back

that I could not do when I worked out of a larger salon or

on the laptop to deal with the emails, and additional social media enquiries before heading to bed for around midnight.

22 | Lashes

Tuesday Wake up, check phone, breakfast, walk dog.

Tuesday is my client day, so a full day of lashing. I usually start around 10.30 and work through till about 6pm. I deal with any urgent enquiries prior to clients but the rest will have to wait until the evening. I still have a handful of clients, most are the more mature lady whom have difficult lashes and as such I keep these on, not only to keep my hand in but as I know others locally would struggle to lash them. We have a lot of lash techs locally

will assist with the shop side of the business.

but sadly very few seem to be of a standard that I would

From here I head off to meet my graphic team at

trust to be able to safely lash the clients I have retained,

1.30pm to go over some new manuals that we are

so I keep them on. I work back to back all day and wave

working on and update some of the content in the

the last one off at 6.15pm.

old ones.

Quickly check my phone, grab some food, get changed

Arrive home at 4.30pm and crack on with some more

and head to the gym. Back home at 9.30pm, eat again,

filming until 7pm. Eat, head to Pole dancing lessons,

walk dog, on the laptop and head to bed around

get home, eat, walk dog, laptop, bed.

midnight.

Wednesday Wake up, check phone, breakfast, walk dog.

Today I have a full day of VIP training, so I greet the student at 10am and we work through until 5/6pm. I offer not only set courses, but also for the student to develop their own day so that we can work on areas specific to them. Today was working on volume techniques, so we started with theory, then practical practice before moving onto her model for the afternoon session. We finished a 5.45pm, tidy up, check emails etc, eat and get ready for “date night”.

My days can be so busy that myself and my boyfriend don’t always get to see much of each other. As such, we make sure that on a Wednesday evening we do something, and tonight we headed off to the cinema and pigged out on popcorn. We both try to eat very clean during the week but we like to have a little cheat on a Wednesday night as well as some quality time with each other.

Head home, take the dog out quickly, on the laptop and then bed.

Thursday Wake up, check phone, breakfast, walk dog.

11am I have a meeting with my accountants to go over some new software that we are looking to introduce that

Friday Wake up, check phone, breakfast, walk dog.

Today I have stock that needs to go to the shop, namely tweezers. I spend most of the morning hand testing 300 tweezers before taking them over to my shop which is approximately 30 minutes away.

I meet with the team, who are just waving off one of our collections. I grab student kits, then have a quick meeting with my team before they need to get back to packing more orders and ordering stock etc.

From here I head to the supermarket to pick up food for the weekends courses that we have running

Lashes | 23

before heading back home to set up the training room.

I live opposite a beautiful old Manor House set in the heart

Sunday

of the Kent Countryside and they have a stunning function

Wake up early at 6.30am, check phone, breakfast,

room that has the most amazing views out of the back of it.

walk dog.

At the start of last year I had to sadly close my training academy as the humidity levels were just too high for us to be able to cope with. As such we had been on the search for a suitable venue, but this had proved impossible to find and after 10 months we still had no luck. We had been making do by using hotel rooms and although work well, the logistics of transporting all of our training kit was proving too much, and we had to come up with an alternative option.

9am meet my other trainers, Amy and Sarah over at the Manor. We finish the set-up, discuss the day and greet students for a 10am start.

Today it is a one day Russian volume course and as such we have no models. We cover the theory for the morning, then break for lunch. The first part of the afternoon we cover 4 volume pickup techniques and then students practice their

So, when I learnt that the manor house had a function room

preferred one. Last part of the afternoon we teach

that they hired out I knew this would be perfect. So now we

the application before finishing that day at 6pm.

use this, they have a room next door where I can store all my

We all dismantle the room, which we pack up and

equipment so the set up now is super easy. They have a

leave for tomorrow, where myself and my

cosy snug where students meet in the morning and can

boyfriend will pack it away fully.

break out into for a coffee break, as well as models to wait

We leave the manor at 7pm, I eat, have a

in, so it’s just perfect. It has such character and students

well-deserved glass of wine, quickly check my

love the idyllic setting that it provides for training.

emails (although my team know I am training all

Along with the help of my boyfriend (who is great at

weekend so leave me alone) before I snuggle on

carrying heavy things) we get everything set up ready for

the sofa with my boyfriend and enjoy Sunday

the next day.

night TV.

7.30pm I head to the gym, return home, eat, walk dog, catch up on work and making sure everything is ready for the morning and try to get to bed for 11pm as the next few days will be long ones

So where was my day off? Some weeks are just so busy with so much to do that I rarely get time for myself. But luckily, I love what I do and every day is so very different that I can when I want, pick and choose my days off. Because I had been

Saturday Wake up early at 6.30am, check phone, breakfast, walk dog.

9am meet my other trainers, Amy and Sarah over at the Manor. We finish the set-up, discuss the day and greet students for a 10am start.

Today we are running a skill building class, covering the theory, practice exercises and then real models in the afternoon. We have no more than 5 students in our classes

working all week, I would then take the Monday afternoon off (having packed the training equipment away).When you run a business it never stops, and although I have a super team around me, I am still responsible for them and as such must always be available and there to oversee the business. But if I do wish to step away and take the day off I know that it is in their

to ensure that everyone gets enough hands-on time. All 3 of

capable hands and that’s why I love being the

us trainers teach different sections of the course and work

owner of Eyelash Excellence.

closely with each student. Students finish up at 6pm and we prep the room ready for tomorrow’s volume course.

We leave the manor at 7pm, I eat, have a well-deserved glass of wine, quickly check my emails (although my team know I am training all weekend so leave me alone) before I snuggle on the sofa with my boyfriend and enjoy Saturday night TV.

24 | Lashes

Frankie Widdows Master Lash Artist International Trainer Lash Judge and Guest speaker Shop Owner Working Lash Technician

AUGUST 2020

Short on lashes?

BY JULIE KNIGHT EDITOR

Don't panic!

Run out of a particular strip of lashes or need much shorter ones like a 5mm and you don't want to buy a tray full that'll just sit in your lash stash for years?

Keep calm! With a bit of creativity, you can usually 'carry on lashing!'

You won't be the first or last lash tech to run out of the lash size you need at the critical moment. It's one way to remind you to employ a more robust stock control system but you need to solve the problem you have right now! If, for example, you have run out of a 10mm C curl, you could: - Try a 9mm B instead as shorter and slightly less curly ones are similar, depending on the brand.

- Place a very short / fine lash close to the base and then place a 9mm C curl 1mm further out from your usual position so it extends like it's a 10mm extension. The first lash will darken the area at the lash line for you.

- Simply trim a little from another strip of extensions! Here's how.

You can use a strip of extensions that are in the same curl and thickness, but 1mm longer. So if you run out of a 10mm C curl then use a 11mm C curl instead. When you trim a millimetre from it, you may not get an exact match to the 10C but it will be close enough.

Trimming with scissors can be less precise and a little awkward. As you try to hold the thin strip in your fingers, it twists in all directions as the dual blades of your scissors try to cut through all the PBT extensions that are lined up on their sticky mount.

An easier, cleaner and more precise way is to find a sharp bladed craft knife, cutting board and straight edge, preferably a transparent ruler. You don't want to be trimming them on your lash pallets otherwise you'll leave 'score' or 'scratch' marks on them.

1. Sanitise your knife, board and ruler. You could use some Saloncide or Barbicide spray for this.

2. Place your strip of extensions on the chopping board 3. Rest a 'see through' straight edged ruler on their bases, a millimetre away from the edge. Being transparent or 'see through' means that you can see the amount you need to trim and keep it in line.

4. Hold the straight edge firmly in place with your fingers, keeping them well away from the edge to avoid being cut by the blade!

5. Hold the blade at a 45 degree angle to the board. Then firmly slice through the bases of the extensions. Aim to do this just once so you get a clean edge along the bases.

The golden rule is never trim too much off as: - It can make the extension curlier as well as much shorter - It may dislodge them as you are removing more of their sticky mount that holds them in place. Whilst this isn't a deal breaker for Classic lashing, it is for volume!

The simplest solution is to ensure that you don't run out so don’t wait until you start using your last lash strip before ordering again. If your supplier is out of stock, you don't know how long they will have to wait for new stock to arrive. Some lash factories take 2-3 months to process, make and dispatch their goods so if there's been a run on your favourite length, thickness and curl, you're in for a wait.

Remember, curls can differ between brands so it's often wise sticking to the same brand if you're happy with their quality and service.

So if you're short on lashes, keep calm and lash on!

Lashes | 25

Share your tips for the next edition at www.lash-ed.com

Share your tips for the next edition at www.lash-ed.com

STARTING YOUR JOURNEY FROM CLASSIC TO VOLUME? Give yourself a head start.... by Julie Knight Editor If you are using some of the older tools of the trade for your Classic lash sets, you may find it harder to master the skills needed to create and attach Volume fans when you start out.

I’ve taught many students to create and attach Volume fans over the years. Many of them did their Classic training a long time ago with other course providers but didn’t keep their professional knowledge or skills up to date. They’ve now learned that this is an industry where you need to sprint to keep up with the pace of change!

I’m always surprised by the number of lash techs who are still using loose lashes and X type cross over tweezers. Whilst they were trained that way some time ago and it’s been working for them so far, it may not be giving them the best opportunity to master Volume so easily. Volume can be very difficult to perfect as it is!

Anything that gives you a head start will really help.

Change your push to open X type tweezers for a

pair of push to close ones. You'll get used to Volume tweezers more easily to control the tension you need in their tips

Tips

Use strips instead of loose lashes to get used to them

If your Classic training was some time ago, take a Skill Building course to catch up with current thinking. This is a fast changing industry so you'll be better prepared to advance into Volume!

The X type tweezers have a distinctive push to open function that needs firm pressure to open them. You are also holding them at some distance from their tips so the position that you rest your hand on your clients head to steady yourself as you attach your lashes will be different 28 | Lashes

It's wise to wait until your Volume training and not be tempted to practice fan making on your own or with YouTube for company. Your tutor will show you how to use the tweezers correctly so you apply the right amount of tension at the right angles. Pre-learned habits become hard to break!

too. I often hear my new Volume students say that they love them for classic lashing as there’s no need to keep squeezing them to hold on to a single extension so they drop fewer lashes. They are now used to these tweezers holding the extension effortlessly. That love soon fades when they try mastering a pair of ‘push to close’ Volume tweezers with different shaped tips! They now have to learn to hold them closer to their tips and control the tension there to make and hold each fan. On top of that, there’s the various XD lash(numbers) and thicknesses from 0.03 to 0.10mm to learn how to control too. This is where the quality of the tweezers and the lashes will make or break you!

Mastering Volume can be frustrating at the best of times.

Many of us have come close to throwing our tweezers across the room in frustration so you won’t be alone!

Investing in your skills and developing your knowledge is time and money well invested as it not only boosts your income, but gives you more creative opportunities with your clients that’s truly game changing. Volume is great for those with weak or sparse lashes or those wanting something rather glamourous that’s safer for them to wear.

It’s a case of practicing as much as you can once you’ve trained. That's not just fan making as this is only part of the treatment. You’ll also need to practice attaching them on a natural lash correctly rather than on training lashes or a sponge as they behave differently.

A day like any other, apart from the weather!

On a warm and sunny Sunday in March (yes, there was such a day!), I trained the lovely Lizzy in Volume. It was a revelation for her as a loose lash user who picks them up and places them with a pair of X type tweezers.

She’d never worked with lash strips before so we had a quick lesson in modern Classic techniques before her

Volume training. Lash strip users will remember the first time they tried picking just one lash extension from a lash strip, let alone 2, 3 or 4 much finer ones and then making a fan with them! It was a bit of a daunting experience for her. This is why I usually advise students to enrol in a skill building course so they are proficient with the basics first, and this includes styling!

Remarkably, Lizzy did very well with her new Volume tweezers and promised to use them for her Classic sets and she'll be divorcing her ‘X’. This delights me. I started my lash career using two push to close tweezers and took another course 6 months later where I was handed the X type. Panic took over. I was used to what I was used to.

Trying to do one thing with one hand and something else with the other - at the same time - was just beyond me so I salute those who have mastered this skill, I sincerely do!

However, if you want to progress a little more easily into the wonderful world of Volume, then I strongly recommend swapping your X type pickup tweezers for push to close pair as soon as you can.

You can then get used to closing them with the right amount of tension to create the grip you need to hold a single extension in its tips, let alone many! If you’re still using loose lashes, give the strips a chance. You’ll get a head start with your tools this way. All my former X tweezer and loose lash using using students wished that they had done so before trying Volume for the 1st time!

Lashes | 29

Lash gallery Zoe Mizon Classic Lashes using 0.15 Lashes from High Lash Couture in 6C, 7C, 8C, 9CC, 10CC, 11D, 10D, 9D with top layers all D curl.

To create full classics can be difficult especially if clients don’t have full naturals.

To make sure Classic lashes are perfect, you must target all the layers, starting with the least curly on the under layer and then working up with curlier/shorter lashes. Placement must be perfect, minimal glue needs to be used just to connect the base and then I try and concentrate on the tips of the lashes to make sure their placement is all aligned. This is the secret to perfecting classics in my eyes.

Meri Antonic Ewa Jankowska

Instructor Star Lash Academy Star Lash Academy lashes, L Curl volume in 6-8D lengths ranging from 7-13-8mm

Brown Volume lashes, C Curl in lengths from 8-13mm

Share your masterpieces and tell others how you created it.

We would love to see them for the next edition!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and join our Lash-Ed Facebook group to find out when we're talent scouting x

Sharing the lash love

Bryony Barclay I started this set with C curl, 7, 8 into CC 9, 10, 11, 12, 11, 10, back to C curl 9, 8. Using 0.07 with a mixed 4-8D over the whole eye. The CC in the middle section of the eye created lift on a client with a large lid space, the curl also helped to soften her slight rounded eye. C curl on the very outer allowed me to continue the length, again softening the eye shape by drawing outwards. Positioning of lengths used allows me to follow the natural curve of the client’s eye which is always my aim!

Patrycja Plaszczymaka

Sada Cole

Venus Beauty Lashes Lux Line, Volume 4D using 0.05mm in CC, D DD in 6-12mm lengths

Danielle Lunn

Mayfair Lashes from London Lash Pro, Volume in C Curl, 0.07mm in 711mm lengths

Peachyrathbone Lashes that are amazing to fan.

Natural lash map as her lashes are long. 3-6D Volume in 8 -12mm lengths. Make up by @katielouisemua

Sharing the lash love

Jessika Aude Gautier Loved creating this look mixing different lengths, thickness, Curls and textures.

5D to 8D fans in 0.05 mink. 3D fans in 0.07 silk. Scattered a few 0.15 across Used lengths 7 to 15mm in C and J Curl.

Jess Martin Aljona

Universal effect by Sofja Shamtko, 3-4D volume, curl CC, 0.07 and 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ,11 ,10, 9, 8 lengths, colour black

Sofja Shamtko Universal effect by Sofja Shamtko.

5D volume, curl CC, 0.07 and 0.06, 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,10,9,8 lengths. Colours brown, green and black

0.05 in CC curl 7, 8, 9, 10, 9 lengths mixing 1-4D fans depending on the natural lashes.

I made wider fans next to any gaps to help hide them along with angling the fan more to that side.

MAKING LASH EXTENSIONS

SECRET FORUMLA FOR EXCELLENCE

3 KEY STEPS

by Trai Hai Owner and CEO Lux Beauty - The Premium Lash

1. High quality raw materials, like Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT), a form of plastic from Japan

There are many clients who have asked me the same question, ‘why my lashes are high quality and what the lash made from’. Here is why my lash quality is high.

It depends on many things such as raw material to produce eyelashes, techniques in manufacturing, workers’ skill and temperature.

Firstly, in my factories, I must have good raw materials. This includes PBT, adhesive, glue tape, paper and moulds. We must ensure that they are all good quality and they are always carefully tested many times before mass production to ensure this. In the manufacturing processing, we still control and check each step of when making the eyelashes from the first to the final step to remove wrong ones if they have happened.

Our raw material is imported Japan not Korea like others. The reason why is because it's quality better. It is grade AAA and I want my lash products to be the best. Our lashes are accepted by the Japanese market and they love our quality. This means that our lashes will go to others countries easily because the Japanese market is stricter than the EU or USA.

3. Skilled and experienced team to make them as they are 100% handmade 4. Quality control and quality checks from start to finish Lashes | 33

Secondly, we must have a good team who are skilled and have lots of experience in manufacturing eyelashes for 12 - 15 years. This is important.

Even if your raw material is high quality, if your workers are weak then it’s impossible to make high quality eyelashes. The key is the human element. If this is not good, everything will not be good because lashes are 100% handmade.

Thirdly, our products must pass many tests, many times for each tray by our team before they are shipped to ensure that everything is perfect.

Trai Hai Owner and a CEO Lux Beauty - The Premium Lash www.luxbeautylashes.com

SEE FOR YOURSELF

Lash-Ed is grateful to Trai Hai at Lux Beauty who has kindly allowed us to use their informative video that shows how their lashes are made. It’s really worth watching as you see each stage being skilfully crafted by hand! www.facebook.com/luxbeautylashes/videos/1537972479573670/

See how they: - Select the material for the eyelashes - Arrange the lashes on the strips by hand - Cut them to length - Curl them by rolling them around steel pipes and heat to fix the curl - Unravel from the pipes - Stick them on the lines ready for their lash trays - Final tests for quality before shipping - Julie Knight Editor

34 | Lashes

Business

HAIR AND BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS AGAINST DOMESTIC ABUSE COULD WE BE TRAINED TO RECOGNISE THE SIGNS THAT CLIENTS OR COLLEAGUES ARE EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC ABUSE AND OFFER CONFIDENTIAL SIGNPOSTING TO SUPPORT THAT COULD SAVE LIVES?

BY JULIE KNIGHT EDITOR Salon professionals are renowned for being skilled and experienced listeners who have a special interest in their clients. It’s no surprise that many women feel comfortable talking and even confiding in us about things that they would never tell anyone else. A new law in the US state of Illinois was introduced in January last year to take advantage of this. It requires salon professionals to receive an hour long training session in domestic

abuse prevention every two years as part of the renewal process for their licence. They are not required to report violence and are protected from any liability. It was supported by a state senator whose wife was a former hairstylist whose clients would open up about abuse. In 2003, a programme called CUT IT OUT® was rolled out across North America aiming to mobilise salon professionals and others to fight the epidemic of domestic abuse. It

raises awareness and trains salon professionals to recognise the warning signs and how to safely refer clients, colleagues, friends or family to local resources.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales monitors the extent of crime in those conutries. Between March 2016 and March 2017, they estimated that 1.2 million female victims experienced domestic

Lash~Ed Magazine is leading a campaign that invites UK hair and beauty professionals to work together to recognise the

abuse. Reports and studies advise that:

warning signs of abuse.

Women's Aid work to provide life-saving services in

We know that an hour long training session will not

the UK and strive for a future where domestic

make anyone an expert. It’s not about hair and

violence is not tolerated. They define domestic

beauty professionals intervening, but having the

abuse as an incident or pattern of incidents of

tools to respond in the best way. When clients

controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and

reveal disturbing things, there can be an emotional

violent behaviour, including sexual violence. Most

impact on both parties. Sadly, we’ve often heard

cases are by a partner or ex-partner, but it can also

them but at least a degree of awareness training

by a family member or carer. It’s very common with

will give our colleagues an opportunity to help. This

a vast majority of cases being experienced by

will be an informed, well-intentioned and

women, committed by men.

meaningful way to be able to signpost to professionals who are specially trained to help.

Hair and beauty professionals are well placed to sensitively and safely refer clients or colleagues even friends or family - to resources that are best

Why get involved?

placed to help them like Women’s Aid. It’s as simple as that and it could save someone’s life.

Most women see a hairdresser and many use the services of a beautician. Clients often return to the

Reports and studies advise that: - 1 in 3 women will suffer domestic abuse

same hairdresser or therapist because of their great service and treatments and often a loyal and professional relationship is built. This puts us in a

in their lifetime

unique position to be able to spot the signs of

- Half of all murders of women are

opportunity they have to be on their own in our

committed by their partner or ex-partner

abuse and offer help. It may be the only safe space and reach out for help or be open to it.

I see my - hairdresser every 6 weeks so 8 - 9 times a year - beautician every 4 weeks so 13 times a year - lash stylist every 3 weeks so 17 times a year I see the same person time and time again as they know what I want, they provide what I like along with a great service. I have grown to trust them and we chat away. As my beauty treatments are more privately done, we chat about all sorts and as my hair is being treated, I’m in an open plan salon with other clients being rather free with their personal conversations.

Business | 37

Specialising solely in eyelash extensions, I’ve

We want to make it really easy to set up and run

performed more than 12,000 treatments over the

when you’re already busy running your business.

years with most being repeat custom. That’s the

This is why we welcome your views about what

same person seeing me 17 times or more each year.

would encourage you to be part of it.

You certainly get to know people and I can tell if things are playing on their mind. My treatment room

Please spare up to 5 minutes completing a short

is in a private setting so it’s a one to one experience.

survey in SurveyMonkey that’s open until the 18th

I listen intently to things I get told, and told that no

May 2018.

one else knows, not even their best friend. I’m not a trained counsellor but many of us will say that we often feel like one with some clients actually

Accessing the survey

thanking us for the ‘therapy’ session!

You can access it from www.lash-ed.com website I’m privileged to have served as a police officer in

and visit our Campaign page

the UK for 28 years. Whilst many of my clients are blissfully unaware of my past experience, some have

You can scan this QR code using your smartphone

certainly benefited from it. I’ve been able to signpost several of them to relevant services as I happen to know what’s out there and how they can help. As they knew me and had ‘offloaded’ somewhat, they were receptive to it and were thankful that someone seemed to care. I didn’t think for a minute that this was above and beyond my role as their lash stylist. I thought that I was privileged to have been the person they confided in and I was happy to listen and capable of helping as I knew how. I’d have done it for anyone in need, whether or not they were paying for my lash service. I’ve also been the nosy woman who’s gate-crashes other people’s conversations taking place in the chair next to me in the salon who says, “forgive me, I couldn’t help but hear… have you thought about….” and off I go….

We know that there are hair and beauty salons already looking out for those in need in the UK. This is fantastic, but it’s somewhat isolated.

We would like to know if hair and beauty professionals are interested in joining a simple UK wide programme that has the chance to save lives.

38 | Business

If you have any queries or want to get more involved, contact Julie Knight at www.lash-ed.com I sincerely thank you for reading. We hope that you feel that you can get involved and help to make that all important difference.

- Julie Knight Editor

My Journey

BY RIA-JAINE LINCOLN

“As a child I was so brave, I would stand in front of a man to defend my own but how ironic that the bravery I had in defending the woman I love so much disappeared when I was the adult.”

I entered a refuge via Women’s Aid at 20 years old, with my son who was 18 months, after spending some time in a bedsit. I am one of the ‘1 in 10’. At the time I knew it wasn’t right, but I kept going back. I would turn up at my mums wearing sunglasses to cover the latest bruise.

Without going into detail, as I will only write as much as I am comfortable with my children reading, but domestic violence happened and still happens every day. The turning point for me was after a blow to the head resulted in me having a brain scan as my speech was affected. I couldn’t read my son a simple bedtime story. I finally spoke to the police this time after several times of giving the old ‘it’s okay, I fell over’ or ‘sorry you have had a wasted trip’ when they were called to my home in the past.

Photograph courtesy of SJLEO

I made a choice to remove myself from the area. I

At the time I dropped the charges, I would be lying if

owed it to my son to remove him from this toxic

I said I wasn’t worried about any repercussions of

environment where he was exposed to this type

proceeding to court. Although this sounds bizarre, I

of abuse and not just in the home with me. It

just didn’t hate him. In fact I cared for him very

seems everyone was getting abused around me in

much so. That’s something I will never quite be able

someway or another and I had to get out because

to understand and I know better than to judge

this was not right.

people who experience these conflicting emotions.

Without Women’s Aid, who knows what direction I

I am also one of the women who were not strong

would have gone in.

enough to proceed to conviction. Whilst I had moved away, my family remained in my hometown and I just wanted everything to stop. I

There was a quote I saw by Ebony Davis,

called the detective and explained that whilst

“The habits you created to survive will no

what happened to me was truly awful, I just

longer serve you when it’s time to thrive. Get

wanted to move on with my life and completely

out of survival mode. New habits, new life

shut all that in the past for good.

forget the skills that you needed to survive”.

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This speaks volumes to me when I think of my

The support from my husband has literally helped

journey into the Beauty Industry and my journey to

to re-build me and I am glad that I let my guard

becoming a wife and business owner. During the

down and accepted real love and happiness as I

process of recovery, I needed to find myself again

know that this can be difficult.

and do the things that I enjoyed for me. Not for my career, or for the children or for anything else but I

Once I started to offer treatments to clients, I

needed to do the things that I enjoyed for myself. I

realised the important role of a beauty therapist,

signed up for a gel polish course with Biosculpture

technician or artist in being able to signpost and

Gel which was the start of my path to happiness

support women like my past self, whilst helping

within the beauty industry.

them to feel good about themselves during the treatment.

With the support of my husband, I then went on to learn the classic lash technique and then I went on

When I came across Julie’s campaign, I was

to waxing treatments. I had found something for

extremely moved and contacted her straight away.

me, something where I could forget all those skills I

I hope by sharing my story it encourages people to

needed to survive and work on the skills in order to

talk about Domestic Violence and more so I hope

thrive just like the quote says. I began socialising

that if any one reading this story is suffering

more, creating networks with some amazing strong

themselves, please know that you are not alone

women. I am so passionate about the industry that I

and there really is help out there, any time, day or

have recently resigned from my former tax role to

night.

embark on a new venture offering accounting and tax advice to the beauty industry!

Ria-Jaine

Editors Note I was busy doing the final edits to this Lash~Ed magazine on a

I would like to sincerely thank Ria for sharing her story

Sunday morning with an eye on my emails - like you do. One of

and offering to help in any way she can. I am

many caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks and I didn't

exceptionally grateful.

think that would have been possible as I was working to a tight

If you want to help too, please encourage our hair and

timescale. It was from Ria, describing herself as a domestic abuse

beauty colleagues to consider how the programme could

survivor who had moved on with the help of Women's Aid. She is

work best for them and let us know by completing an

now enjoying an amazing career in accounting and beauty. It

online survey that will take no more than 5 minutes. If

made me feel a range of emotions in the few seconds that it took

this programme is designed with their views in mind so it

to read her message.

is simple to set up and run, it has a better chance of

She had seen an article about the Hair and Beauty Professionals

succeeding and making a big difference to someone.

against Domestic Abuse programme on Professional Beauty's news feed and was offering to help - even if it was 'just sharing her story' as she put it.

I don't think there's such a thing as 'just sharing a story', not with those experiences. I felt very privileged to have been offered her story in support of this programme. Real stories or testimonies add meaning and purpose and a chance to see things from another perspective.

If you have been affected by Ria's story and you live in the UK, there is a Freephone 24 hr National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000247. It is run in partnership between Women’s Aid & Refuge.

40 | Business

We would like to know if hair and beauty professionals are interested in joining a simple UK wide programme that has the chance to save lives.

You can click on the link here if you are reading the digital version of Lash-Ed or go to www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/V893Q3M You can also access it from www.lash-ed.com website and visit our Campaign page.

If you have any queries or want to get more involved, please contact me at lash-ed.com -Julie Knight Editor

o t e m i T e s i R

PHOENIX LIFE AND WELLBEING COACHING

WWW.PHOENIXLIFECOACH.CO.UK/LIVE-EVENTS

Wellbeing & Self Development Webinars ~ Looking after you ~ Identify and remove what holds you back ~ Assertive behaviour ~ Find your purpose ~ Managing your mindset ZOE THOMPSON PHOENIX LIFE AND WELLBEING COACH

SADA COLE

Story of the owner of Sada & Cole - Lash London

Multi-award winning Lash Artist Sada Cole tells Lash~Ed her inspirational story about her lash journey and her future plans Tell us a bit about yourself Sada I am a multiple award winning lash artist based in London and owner of Sada & Cole - Lash London, formally known as Hackney Lash Artistry.

Before entering the world of lashes, I graduated with a degree in Psychology and started working in a Bank.

After about a year, my department was made redundant and I was luckily awarded compensation which I used to start up my lash business. I am a divorced single mother to my 4 year old son. Lashing

comfortable and gave me excellent results. The first

gave me the opportunity to exercise flexibility so I

thing I noticed was how light weight they were and

was able to work from home and manage my time

then looking in the mirror, how natural it looked. I

effectively around my son which is paramount to me.

was flawed! I absolutely fell in love with the

We’d love to hear about your lash journey!

treatment so much so I was inspired to start

My lash Journey began in December 2014 when I

offering it myself.

What do you love about lashing?

decided I had enough of cluster lashes having poor

I sincerely love the moment your client open their

retention and being extremely uncomfortable to wear.

eyes and their confidence has been either restored

I needed a solution as I was heading to Florida with

or heightened because now they not only look

my son who was 8 month old at the time and wanted

beautiful, they feel beautiful. It is such a fulfilling

something with little to no hassle. Out of convenience,

experience. Also, most of my clients I have known

I searched for 'lashes that last longer than a week' on

for over a year and you do begin to grow a bond with

google and what popped up was of a lady based in

these individually amazing women who I have shared

Central London by Soho, Oxford Circus. I have to take

many laughs with. My client’s don’t know it but they

this moment for thanking this women for being such a

really helped me through difficult times. I absolutely

professional and amazing lash artist who made me feel

adore each and every one of them.

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Tell us a bit about what you’ve achieved In my very short time lashing, I have won awards from the London Lash Battle, coming 2nd place in both Double Volume and 3-4D Russian Volume in the Master Category.

I also received an additional award from Freja Sophia Holtz, founder of SOPH Professional, who was one of the Lash Battle judges who awarded me for producing the best volume fans in the entire competition.

Tell us about your lash set up I currently offer eyelash extension treatments only. My most popular is 3-4D Russian Volume but I offer classics up to 6D volume. I started working from my corridor in my home in London (no joke). It posed a lot of challenges and limitations.

Working from home gave for little space and the decor was not that of a professional looking studio/salon. I had to lower my prices which is understandable as I had little to no overheads but if I wanted to teach or mentor any prospective students, I wasn't able to. Also, I couldn't conduct any microblading treatments from home. I have recently moved to my very own commercial studio space and very soon I will be introducing microblading to my services.

What made you decide to change and what’s helped you?

Due to limited space, I had no choice but to leave my corridor lash setup and swap it for a much larger commercial studio space that actually once belonged to one of my clients. I typically talk to my clients while lashing and luckily through casual chit chat, I found a new studio space 20 minutes away from my home.

What did you take into account when choosing where to set yourself up?

When choosing my studio space, I considered

My corridor where I used to work from home

the price of the studio including contract fixed terms and conditions. I took into account the space and location. The gem was that it had a functioning air conditioning unit which meant that I can finally control the room temperature which is great for the glue and thus great for retention. The studio is also a few minutes’ drive from Canary Wharf which gave me the confidence to double my prices to new clients.

How are you making it happen?

I had to generally increase my prices for my regulars but they were on a different price structure to new clients. This way, I could still keep most of my clients and focus on getting new clients but without the pressure.

Business | 43

My new studio Before & After

What challenges are you facing and how are you overcoming them?

clients are more likely to return at the latest

Honestly, my only challenge is that I am working longer

days/time then it is fair as those who choose

hours which means that I am spending less time with my

to come more frequently will ultimately pay

son. My aim is to throw myself into microblading and hire

less and they don't need as much time. In

someone else to take on my lash clients, especially those

comparison, you make more money with those

who prefer the evening appointments.

who come once a month as you spend more

Where do you see the business in a years’ time?

time as it is a higher fee. It is simply fair for

time they can, demanding an infill which in reality is a full set. If you charge according to

both you and the client.

I hope to have expanded my services, also offering brow treatments and hopefully other semi-permanent makeup treatments and to start training internationally.

Could you share some tips on what really works for you in terms of your personal development, business and lash tips that may help others?

With training and development, focus more on one to one mentoring after you have obtained qualifications for both classic and volume lashes. Your mentor could assist you on identifying your weak points and/or highlighting bad habits like posture or incorrect techniques that you may unknowingly have developed along the way. So essentially with one-to-one mentoring, it is a more tailored learning experience that targets your issue points that you then can learn and grow from as an artist.

As for business tips, I do think it is important to have a website, an Instagram and Facebook page. This helps prospective clients to have more faith in buying into your product, somewhat confirming the validity of your business.

When it comes to refills, I think it is best to charge by days/time as opposed to one infill price. For Instance 0-14 days at £xx, 15-21 days at £xx or alternatively, a 45 min infill for £xx or 1 hour infill at £xx etc. From my experience, you lose by having one default infill price as

44 | Business

Sada Cole Owner of Sada & Cole - Lash London

GOING IT ALONE! Taking the journey from a stable career earned from years of study to the uncertainties of self-employment.

by Jessica Balsam

Lash Stylist Jessica Balsam shares her story and how she will never regret going it alone in the lash industry.

Before starting my career in the lash industry, I was working full time as a barrister’s clerk for around 6 years. As much as I enjoyed the job, I knew that I didn’t have a passion for the work. It offered many perks such as a stable income, private medical and holiday pay but my heart wasn’t in it. I had already started to train to do individual lash extensions and was doing this alongside the clerking. I was mainly doing friends and family in the evening.

Before I knew it, I had built up a client base and was lashing over 10 clients a week on top of my 40 hour week!

My complete love of lashing then grew greater after taking a one to one training course in Volume lashes a little over 2 years ago with Julie Knight. The difference was incredible. I built up the courage to leave my full time job after months of feeling unappreciated. I was working long hours and the hours

I am working to grow the business and I have recently

were completely inflexible. Many of my colleagues and

trained in semi-permanent make up, specialising in

family members were completely shocked when I gave it

microblading. I think these two treatments work really

up. They were concerned as I was leaving a professional

well together so my next focus will be trying to create a

career that I had worked so hard to get into. They worried

balance between the two.

that I was throwing my university degree away and they couldn’t see how I could make my new career work. Now

Being self-employed definitely has its setbacks. I do

they are extremely proud, yet quite surprised that I have

sometimes feel really isolated. I’m no longer part of a

managed to make such a good profession out of something

team or have a team around me. I took a large pay cut to

so niche. My former colleagues are jealous that I now have

set the business up in the first year. I am just coming to

no one to answer to!

the end of my second year and I have now earned more than I did in my previous job. Having said that, I have

I was lucky. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my

probably worked a lot more hours! There’s the issue of

partner at the time. He supported me and my decision

not having an income if I need to take time off sick or for

100% and took the pressure off of me needing to fund any

a holiday.

bills etc. He gave up his study so we could create a beauty room where I could start to build my business in our home.

I don’t regret my decision to leave what was a stable job

I also rented a room for 2 days a week in my best friend’s

and income and I never will. I know that the harder and

Salon that was local. That was all it was available for but I

smarter I work and train then the more I will benefit. This

quickly grew my empire! I already had a small client base

really drives me to do more. I think you really have to

when I was part time and I continued to see them at home

love it to make it work. If you have the passion to make

and I advertised for new clients from the salon.

something work and you’re willing to take the setbacks and graft for a good few years, together with the support

I now work solely from home and my books are completely full with clients. I wake up each day so thankful that I can spend my time in a job that I enjoy and one that I have created. My clients have become my friends and family!

of someone behind you, what’s stopping you?

Jessica Balsam Founder of Eyela www.instagram.com/eyelalashes/

Your working environment The options open to us and my choice to work from home

by Genevieve Hickin As lash artists, there are many different options available to us when it comes to our working space and our treatment room. Depending on our own personal financial positions, working hours and business plans depends on where we base ourselves on a daily basis to work.

Some of us opt for the mobile option of travelling around to visit each individual client in the comfort of their own home.

This service is amazing to clientele that are unable to venture out for treatments or who are parents that do not have childcare for example. The over heads are low for mobile therapists however there are pros and cons to this working way – Travel time takes away massively from potential income as we loose valuable lashing time in the travel to and from each client. The set up / pack up time at each destination means we are unable to see as many clients in a day as that of a based therapist. If planning to or already working mobile, be sure to price accordingly to cover your loss of earnings through travel and to cover the cost of your fuel.

Others choose to work from home or in a salon. I myself am a home based therapist and lash technician and have been based from home for the past 4 years having previously worked in salons. Working from home as a mother of two can have its ups and downs but as a whole I feel the pros outweigh the cons.

When I first went self-employed, I turned my 3rd bedroom into my treatment room in my home. This was amazing at the time. No overheads, no boss, no extra bills - just a steady income and I could work hours to suit me. At this time I only had the one daughter and as she got a little older, working from home became more of a struggle. I was getting busier and busier with more clients coming through the door. The house had to be immaculate at ALL times (this was a fight in

46 | Business

itself with an 18month old running around). My husband started to get annoyed for many reasons…. Clients not taking their shoes off on entry so we very promptly had a walk way line on our new living room carpet. He couldn’t come home from work, have a shower and just chill out in his comfy clothes as I said it looked unprofessional having him lounging around. Lastly, when I worked evenings, my daughter was becoming trickier and trickier to get to bed at night, thus causing a problem as I was working in the room directly next door to hers… screaming child and relaxing lash appointments do not go hand in hand.

As a professional, I highly recommend that you think carefully about the logistics if working from home or planning to and you are a parent.

Ideally, I would say to convert a garage so you are downstairs rather than upstairs or alternatively look at building something outside…. This was my next move.

My business swiftly out grew my tiny box room so it was decision time. Did I go down the shop route and take on a premises? Or did I build a purpose built salon in my garden?

I worked out the pros and cons of either having a salon in a shop or building my own.

Although the thought of having my own shop and frontage was amazing, reality soon hit when I started working out the finances. My husband and I already have a mortgage on our own home so taking on a shop would have added another high expenditure and new stress level to our lives. A shop in my area (Hertfordshire, UK) is on average £650 - £1500 a month not including business rates, bills and insurances. We quickly worked out that if I took on a shop, I would have to increase my working hours to full time and I would have to employ another member of staff and a receptionist. The stress levels would have increased and my family time would be highly reduced. We then looked into our options for building something at home.

A wooden cabin was our first choice.

This would have been in the range of £5000-£10000 to build a half decent one with power, water and under floor heating. If you are looking to place a temporary structure, it is not necessarily essential to get planning permission however it is always recommended to speak to the local planning officer to make sure.

Our next choice was to convert our garage. This would have been around £5000 to have done but wouldn’t have got me out of the house. My husband is a mechanic so converting his garage was not an option…

We decided to obtain full planning permission and go all out.

a standard log cabin would not as it is classed as a temporary structure. Our building has two treatment rooms and a small waiting area, full under floor heating, two sinks with hot and cold water and double glazed windows and door. It’s perfect for what I need. Having something like this built can cost between £20000 and £25000 depending on size and finish. My building is roughly 6 meters by 4 meters. We have a separate side entrance for clients to come down to the treatment room so they do not need to come through or into the house, unless it is to use the toilet. Having a salon in my home means no monthly overheads, just the minimal increase in my electric bill. I don’t have to worry about working obscene hours and I still have my family time. I am also able to claim back part of my household bills and overheads on my expenses such as running costs for WIFI, electric, phone bills, gas, water, cleaning materials and so on.

If you are a home owner, I would advise to check what effect it will have on your home insurance before starting a business from home. From my personal experience, my home insurance was effected with regard to how many clients I can treat, cash being left on the premises and theft.

You will also need to make your local council aware that you are working from home should business rates are needed to be paid.

Working from home shouldn’t be a problem as long

We ended up building a purpose built blocked building finished with wooden cladding to give the effect of a log cabin.

has it has no effect on the parking in your road and

In order to build this sort of building, you need to get the full

my work out of my home and makes me feel like

the noise levels.

Overall, my home based salon enables me to keep

planning consent as it is a fixed structure. The benefits of doing it this way is that this now adds value to our property where as I’m going to work rather than being in the house all day. It allows me to still have my family time and my monthly overheads and minimal. A no brainer for a working mum of two.

by Genevieve Hickin MD & Organiser of The Lash Social UK LTD Owner | Therapist | Educator at Beauty by Genevieve Business | 47

Hey ladies How exciting is it that a new lash magazine has launched? I am super excited because all of the knowledge that we gain makes us better lash artists and my key saying at the moment is ‘all great leaders are readers’.

Whether it’s an industry magazine or a business book, even if you only pick up a few tips in that read, you can put those into your work and it will have a positive impact on your business.

Who am I? My name is Katie Godfrey and I have been a salon owner for nine years and my business has now turned into a franchise. My salon, KG Salon is all things beauty but we specialise in eyelash extensions, which has grown my little empire into my second business. Some of you lash technicians may of heard of it, it’s called KG Professional. We are an eyelash supplier & training academy and cater for all things lashes. Plus we specialise in business advice and hold business workshops and mentoring conferences to assist people in the industry to grow and expand to the best of their ability!

Starting an eyelash business is tough. Maybe you currently rent a room, work from home or have your own salon. Whatever way you are doing your business it’s not easy.

My top tips are to:

Train,, train,, train!

Train, train, train!

Education is the key! Even if you have already done your ‘Semi permanent’ eyelash course and your ‘Russian volume’ course, why have you stopped there? Keep attending regular training courses. I would recommend to do at least one course a year and always choose a lash artist or company that inspires you.

I flew all the way to New York to first learn Russian volume I am based in the UK and although it sounds a little crazy I flew all the way to New York to first learn Russian volume lashes. At the time in 2014, there was only one company I could find that was doing Volume in the UK and I didn’t want to just train to a standard level. I wanted to train with who I thought was the best, so I could offer the best in my salon and to my students, so I trained with Nadia Afanaseva. I know what you are thinking, it was a little bit crazy to fly across the world and I am very lucky I was able to. It was worth every penny and made a HUGE difference to my company.

48 | Business

I’m not promoting you to go all the way to New York, I’m just advising you to make sure that you train with someone who you look up to, that inspires you and has great reviews. They may not be on your doorstep and you may need to travel, even if it’s a thirty-mile trip, it will benefit you greatly. You may only pick up 2 to 4 tips in each training session that were different to your last course but it keeps you up to date, fresh and on top of the game.

Read!

Like I said ‘all great leaders are readers’. Stay knowledgeable. The industry is forever changing, new products, new techniques of lashing, learning how to run a business and how to gain more clients. All of these can be done through reading. It doesn’t have to be a book. It could be research on the internet, Facebook eyelash groups and forums. There are tons of ways. This will always keep you up to date with what is happening in the industry.

Charge what you're worth!

Read!

Charge what you're worth!

Don’t be cheap. Eyelashes are a very specialised treatment. When I teach our students at KG Professional I even say ‘Are you ready to learn the hardest beauty treatment out there?’ and I strongly believe in this statement.

Everyone might be able to ‘bung’ on some lashes BUT, are they fully isolated? Have you got 100% coverage? Can you style your clients eyes to suit their specific eye shape? Can you give your client a really natural look or a mega thick look? All this comes with good training, regular practice and dedication. Not something you should be charging cheaply for, so always charge your worth!

Be sociable!

On social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook, always ensure that your posts are not too sales like! Yes, do put your portfolio up as clients will want to see your work. But, they don’t always want to know you have a free space or a special offer on. Social media is called ‘social’ for a reason and not a selling site. Share your tips on how to make their lashes last longer. Throw in a competition, share images of retention and how they should look after their lashes. Add some inspirational quotes as everyone likes a good quote! Engage in your posts and be interactive with your followers posts too. I teach a social media and marketing workshop as this is such a big topic and you can gain so much from it given how huge social media is nowadays.

Be sociable!

That should get you started!

Happy lashing!

Katie Godfrey www.kgprofessional.com Facebook: KG Professional / KG Salon Instagram: KG Professional / KG Salon Twitter: @kgsalon Business | 49

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY Introducing the one and only Clare Creed. An awesome photographer and trainer.

She’s a fire breathing, pole dancing, kettle bell wielding lash addict who’s a magical unicorn with a sparkly personality.

What more could you want from our Lash~Ed photography expert? Perhaps some tips to help you take great pictures?

So, your lashes are luscious, your clients sing your praises and you are proud of your masterpieces. However, when you try to capture these lovely lashes in a photograph the results can be disappointing and you don't know why! In reality, the beautiful and perfect lashes that you have spent so much time on make your client’s eyes pop. Yet in a photograph, it comes out blurry, yellow and unflattering.

Your smart phone has an awesome camera, and works

by Clare Creed

perfectly for selfies, so why will it not play ball with your lashes? Never fear, I am here to help you.

Great photographs of your work are the key to promoting your business and helping you to increase your client base. A wonderful portfolio of your work builds your reputation as a master of your trade, and this will be the key to your success.

I’ve been a photographer for over 25. Whilst I have seen technology change dramatically, the key points always remain the same. My aim is to impart a little of my knowledge in a user-friendly way to help you understand how to get the best out of your photographs.

I’ll assume that you are using a camera phone, or a very basic point-and-click camera so I won’t cover any advanced settings or lens options. However, this advice can be applied to any photography, in any situation.

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Let there be light!

The most important thing you need to consider is light. This is the first element that I am going to cover because it determines everything in your photo. How much light, what type of light is available, the direction of light and where it is are all important factors that you need to understand.

Natural Wherever possible, try to make the most of as much natural light as you can. This will minimise any yellow, or unnatural tones in your image.

Artificial lighting is never a true white so it will always generate a tone, usually a yellow one. Of course, you can always tone this down with filters afterwards, but it helps to use natural light wherever possible for a more realistic and honest shot.

Direction So, you have a nice, bright sunny window, or you’ve found a lovely spot out in the garden. The next thing you need to consider is the direction of light on your subject. Think of your window in the same way as you would the position of the sun outside. This is your main light source. Ideally, you want this to be above your client and you need to position yourself in between your main light and your subject.

This is a general rule. You can experiment with your light source to produce results that are more creative when you become more confident. For example, as long as you have plenty of natural ambient light, you could position your main light source slightly behind your subject and position yourself with your camera in front. This will give you a nice sunburst or aura effect, beautifully illuminating your model.

You could also create this same effect indoors with your subject in front of a window and a lamp just behind them, shining onto their hair.

You will need to find a nice balance of light. Too much will overexpose your image with bleached out features and the detail will be lost. Think about moving your subject a little further away from your light, move yourself away from your subject, or place your subject under a shade to reflect the light away.

Reflection If you find that you are struggling to get enough light, a great tip is to use a reflector to bounce the light you do have on to your subject and concentrate it towards the lashes. You can buy these online, however, a very inexpensive way to achieve the same effect is to use tin foil. Wrap a hardback book, hard cardboard or a similar flat surface with a sheet of foil to make your own reflector. Hold it just underneath your models chin, angled upwards and with the light in front of your model. Experiment with your reflectors angle and its distance to find the best position.

You will be able to see the effect it gives by looking at the model’s face as you move the reflector. It can make a big difference.

On reflection Your images are a reflection of you and your talent. Others will judge your work on how good your photographs are so practice and take some time to understand what is going on in each shot. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Learn from

Amount Whatever effect you decide on, the most important question you need to ask is do you have enough light? Not having enough light will be the reason for your image being out of focus. Your camera will be trying it’s best to soak up the light and if there isn’t enough there, the detail will be lost. It’s also why you might have grainy images.

This is called noise and you’ll have an unprofessional look.

Of course, you need to utilise as much natural light as you can. If this isn’t enough then use anything you have to hand to provide additional light. A lamp positioned on the opposite side to your main light source gives a nice boost, and if you want to get, try draping a thin scarf or material over it to create a coloured glow. Remember, your lighting needs to be pointing down on to your subject as pointing upwards creates very unflattering shadows.

the shots that don’t work and build on what does work. See your images from a customer’s perspective. Do they stand out and grab your attention?

This is just an introduction to help you gain a better understanding of creating great photography with minimal equipment to hand. I will be covering other aspects in future publications such as image framing, perspective and camera angles to give you the all-round knowledge that you really need to wow your audience.

I’ll be working with the Lash~Ed team to offer an online photography course to help you take great pictures of your masterpieces Available soon at www.lash-ed.com

Cyber Hygiene

By Antony Knight from Ant and Tech

Good standards of hygiene are not just for your salon, your virtual world needs it too says our very own Technical Director who’s extensive IT background spans 30 years.

In the past year, almost half of the small businesses in the UK have been the victims of cyber-crime with most cases being preventable.

Now may be a good time to assess your online security to protect your business from cyber criminals.

Here are my 6 top tips that are shared by experts from the National Cyber Security Centre and London Digital Security Centre.

Top tips Use a firewall to secure your internet connection Choose the most secure settings Control who has access to your data and services

1 Use a firewall to secure your Internet connection Protect your Internet connection with a firewall as it acts as a buffer zone with external networks. Incoming traffic can be analysed in that zone to find out whether it should be allowed onto your network. If you click a link on a website or an email, the response could be malicious and you may not be protected by the firewall as you’ve asked for the content from the link.

Don’t click on links unless you know where they have come from, especially if they're in emails from seemingly legitimate companies.

2 Choose the most secure settings for your devices and software Manufacturers of new software and devices often set the default configurations to be as open and multi-functional as possible. They come with ‘everything on’ to make them easily connectable and usable. This offers easy opportunities for attackers to gain access to your data. Check the settings and raise your level of security. If you are not sure how to do this, speak to an IT professional or look for advice on trusted websites.

Your devices contain valuable data and should always be password-protected along with any accounts on them. Use strong passwords and different ones for each application. Never disclose them.

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Protect against viruses and malware Keep your devices and software up to date

Regularly back up your important data

You could use three random words and use symbols to make it strong and memorable. So ‘three random words’ becomes ‘3Rand0mw0rds’.

Tip

You could use the first and last letters in a sentence. So ‘I love lashes and I cannot lie’ becomes ‘Ilelsadictle’.

You could swap the letter ‘L’ for the figure 1 and swap the letter ‘i’ for an ‘!’. Your password would then become ‘!1e1sad!ct1e’.

3 Control who has access to your data and services You can minimise harm caused by cyber-attacks by ensuring that your staff have just enough access to the online functions that they need for their role. Extra permissions should only be given to those who need them. Provide staff with access to simple, freely-available cyber security training and check their understanding.

Accounts with admin privileges should only be used to perform admin tasks. This will reduce the risk of it being compromised. An attacker with unauthorised access to an admin account can be far more damaging than one accessing a general user account.

4 Protect against viruses and malware Malware is software or web content that's designed to cause harm. There have been attacks that have made systems unusable unless ransom demands are met.

Viruses are the most well-known form of malware.

They can infect software, make copies of themselves and send these duplicates to any computers that connect to their victim.

Malware can easily find its way onto your computer.

Users may open an infected email, browse a compromised website or open an unknown file from removable storage media like a USB memory stick.

You can defend against it in many ways.

- Use antivirus software - Only download phone or tablet Apps from approved stores as they are checked to provide a level of protection (e.g. Google Play or Apple App Store).

- Don’t leave devices or computers open and unattended as they give someone the opportunity to compromise it with a memory stick (it happens!).

- Never assume an email, text or call is authentic, even if they know some details about you.

According to a report, attackers are becoming thoughtful ‘actors’, creating authentic looking emails with logos to catch and distract their victim’s.

5 Keep your devices and software up to date All phones, tablets, laptops and computers should always be kept up to date. Manufacturers and developers release regular updates that may add new features or fix any security vulnerabilities that have been discovered. Applying them is a process known as patching.

Operating systems, software, devices and apps should all be set to ‘automatically update’ where this is an option as you are protected as soon as the update is released.

Remember, technology moves at pace and your device has a limited lifespan. It is wise to replace it when updates are no longer available for it.

6 Regularly back up your important data Back up your essential data by copying your most important files to a different device like an external hard disc. If you are handling lots of data, it’s wise to do this daily and at the end of the day when you’ve finished with your files. If the original file is then lost, damaged or infected, you can restore your service more quickly.

If lost files contain information about a living person who can be identified from it (personal data), you may have to take action. The new General Data Protection Regulation known as GDPR places a duty to report certain data breaches within 72 hours of you becoming aware of it. It’s better to be safe and protect your business and its reputation.

For more information, visit the National Cyber Security Centre at ncsc.gov.uk or London Digital Security Centre at londondsc.co.uk

25th May 2018 It's coming... It affects you ... Are you ready?

GDPR According to the Economist, data has replaced oil as the world’s biggest asset. It’s no surprise that increased protection is essential.

The General Data Protection Regulation or GDRP, is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. It takes effect on the 25th May 2018. If you are in the UK, forget about Brexit for now as this is mandatory.

GDPRs main aim is to give control back to individuals over their personal data and establishes a single set of rules across Europe. This intends to make it simpler and cheaper for organisations to do business across the EU and it’s not about making your life harder, though you may have other views!

Think about the data that other organisations hold about you and how you want that to be protected and treated in the right way. It applies to all businesses who control and process personal data of any EU residents, no matter how small. It also applies to businesses operating outside of the EU if they offer goods or services or monitor the behaviours of EU residents.

There’s no excuse about not knowing about the changes.

It’s mandatory and you can’t opt out. There may be penalties if you are not compliant. The worst case is being fined up to €20 million or 4% of your worldwide turnover for the last 12 months, whichever is higher. So where your annual turnover is €100,000 a year, the fine can be €4,000.

Think about the data that other organisations hold about you and how you want that to be protected

By Julie Knight, Editor

Elizabeth Denham is the UK Information Commissioner and she's blogged about GDRP misinformation saying that it won’t stop us messaging clients to remind them about appointments and that big fines are not about funding their work. She’s concerned about the risk losing sight of what this new law is about – greater transparency, enhanced rights for citizens and increased accountability.

As with the existing Act, individuals and organisations need to register with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if they process personal information (unless they are exempt). The ICO are the supervising authority in the UK. You should also re-register every year. It’s £35 for small businesses before the 25th May and that will increase a little afterwards.

If you are not sure if this applies to you, there’s a 5 minute self-assessment tool on the Information Commissioner’s Office website at www.ico.org.uk/fororganisations/register/self-assessment/ If you’re in doubt, contact them. You’ll need to be registered if you hold personal and even sensitive information about your client’s like their name and address for your records. Think about your suitability and consent forms and their treatment records. When we check for contraindications, we may receive information about medical conditions that inform whether our client is suitable for treatment at this time.

This personal information is deemed to be sensitive.

This is a special category that the GDPR says is more sensitive and needs even more protection.

Suzanne Dibble (LLB) is an award winning data protection lawyer who has been practicing for over 20 years. She thinks that the ICO will take a proportionate approach to compliance, especially if you are taking reasonable steps in reasonable time. There’s no additional budget for data inspectors to ensure that we are all strictly compliant but your biggest risk is your clients or contacts.

As they become clued up and perceive that you’re misusing their data, they can complain to the ICO and this could trigger an investigation. They can claim for compensation on top of a potential fine. This is not good for your brand given the potential for reputational damage. It’s wise to think about how to make clients trust you with their data.

In the UK, the ICO recommends 12 steps to prepare for the GDPR ahead of the 25th May 2018 deadline. They are summarised here.

1. Awareness That GDPR is coming and identify compliance problems.

This is where their checklists are invaluable. There is a page on their website that’s a hub of useful information for small organisations www.ico.org.uk/fororganisations/business/

2. Information you hold You may need to organise an information audit and document what ~ personal data that you hold about a living person whocan be identified from it ~ where it came from and ~ who you share it with

3. Communicating privacy information Review your current privacy notices and put a plan in place to make any changes in time for the 25th May. When collecting personal data, you currently have to give people information about your identity and how you will use their information. This is usually done through a privacy notice. There’s some additional things that you will have to tell people in concise, easy to understand and clear language, such as ~ your lawful basis for processing the data, ~ your data retention periods and ~ individuals have a right to complain to the ICO if they think there's a problem with how you handle their data.

4. Individuals’ rights Check your procedures to ensure they cover all the rights individuals have. They include the right ~ to be informed – before you gather their data ~ of access – to data you hold and how it’s used and gathered ~ to rectification – inaccuracies need to be amended ~ to erasure - to be forgotten so their data is deleted (more on this later) ~ to restrict processing – e.g. can be held but not used for marketing ~ to data portability – when processing is carried out by automated means ~ to object ~ not to be subject to automated decision-making, including profiling Overall, individuals will enjoy enhanced rights under the GDPR.

5. Subject access requests Plan how you'll handle requests from people wanting to see the data you hold about them within a month.

You can't charge for responding in most cases .

6. Lawful basis for processing personal data You should identify and document the lawful basis for your data processing activity. You should explain it in your privacy notice to comply with the GDPR’s accountability requirements. People will have a stronger right to have their data deleted where you use consent as your lawful basis for processing.

7. Consent Review how you seek, record and manage consent and whether you need to make any changes. The ICO has detailed guidance and a checklist on consent. It must be freely given and decidedly. It cannot be inferred from silence, inaction or pre-ticked boxes so there must be a positive opt-in and you need simple ways for people to withdraw their consent. This is especially relevant if people opt in to your mailing lists or newsletters.

8. Children GDPR is bringing in special protection for children’s personal data. Think about whether you need to verify people’s ages and to obtain parental or guardian consent for those under 13. If you do treat young people, it may be wise to seek further advice from the ICO or a lawyer to ensure that you are protected.

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9. Data breaches You need procedures in place to detect, report and investigate a personal data breach. All organisations must report certain types of data breaches to the ICO where it is likely to result in a risk to any individuals’ rights and freedoms such as discrimination, reputational damage, financial loss, loss of confidentiality or any other significant economic or social disadvantage. In some cases, those individuals should be directly notified where a breach is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms. Failure to report a breach when required could result in a fine, as well as a fine for the breach itself.

10. Data Protection by Design and Data Protection Impact Assessments GDPR makes a privacy by design approach a legal requirement so it’s about designing how you work to protect privacy. Privacy Impact Assessments will be mandatory in some cases where data processing is likely to result in high risk to individuals.

11. Data Protection Officers Give someone responsibility for data protection compliance who has the knowledge, support and authority to carry out their role effectively.

12. International If you operate in more than one EU member state, you need to consider where your organisation makes its most significant decisions about its processing activities and document who your lead data protection supervisory authority is. If it’s in the UK then it’s the ICO. If you haven’t considered these steps and taken any action, then you need to. There’s help out there through the ICO or lawyers offering their services like Suzanne Dibble (LLB) who has kindly checked this article for accuracy! She is an award winning data protection lawyer who has worked closely with Richard Branson and is a small business law expert. She has been nominated twice for solicitor of year award runner up. You can join her Facebook group called GDRP for online entrepreneurs for free and work through her tips and videos. For a small fee, her resources can help you with your GDRP compliance, such as privacy notices for your website, wording to ensure your mailing list is compliant as well as checklists. I invested and I think it has saved me many hours of work!.

So, time to review and revise your online privacy notices and your suitability /consent forms. I have done mine and I am going through them again with my existing clients.

I have included my lawful basis for processing their data so it’s clear (step 3). I have added that I need their personal data so I can offer and perform my treatments safely. I need to be aware of relevant medical information that may be sensitive data that informs my decision to treat or affects how I treat them – what products I use or don’t, as the case may be. It is necessary to maintain their treatment plan should they have any concerns or experience any adverse effects. I also need it so I can contact them about their appointments so I ask about their preferred method of contact.

I advise that I need to retain relevant personal data for a period of no more than 7 years (step 3). This is required by my insurance provider. (This is essential should they lay a claim against me and I need evidence to defend it!) I undertake to review their information annually and they can decide at ANY TIME that they wish to exercise their right to be forgotten. If they do, I must retain any relevant information that is less than 7 years old for the same reason.

I will also be unable to continue treating them as they no longer consent to me keeping the necessary records in order to do so.

I have also added about their right to complain to the ICO if they think there’s a problem with the way I have handled their data (step 3).

I have also advised them on right to request access their personal data and how I use it (step 5) I can no longer charge for this (I called it an admin fee for checking, processing and copying) and we have less time to comply now it’s only a month rather than 40 days. I advise that they have the right to ask for any inaccuracies to be amended.

I am covering step 7 by reviewing how I seek, record and manage consent by revising my suitability/consent forms and my privacy notices. On my forms, I have explicitly stated that I need their consent to hold their data for up to 7 years in order to able to provide treatments. There’s an ‘opt in’ and ‘opt out’ tick box as options for them along with their ‘wet’ signature.

I have also added what I do to protect their data and the action I will take in the (unlikely) event of a data breach (step 9). A lot of breaches are caused by human error and they're preventable. Mislaying paper records or losing data on laptops or memory sticks that are not encrypted.

These changes sound scary but we need to remember the Information Commissioner’s vision of what it’s all about: greater transparency, enhanced rights and increased accountability and then think about what information other organisations hold about us and how we want that protecting.

Good luck.

- Julie Knight Editor

DEAL OF THE DAY MARKETING SERVICES

BY JULIE KNIGHT EDITOR Online sites like Groupon offer heavily discounted products and services. It’s a marketing tool and one that many have used to get clients through their doors, or you through theirs if you’re mobile.

Using it to promote lashes is probably one of the better treatments to market so long as you intend to build your client base from it. In comparison with other beauty treatments like spray tans, massages and facials, these are not something that most people have frequently, unlike their nails and lashes that are more often maintained.

Many ‘deal of the day’ shoppers are deal hoppers and only intend to use you once.

However, you can wow them by providing a great service to hook them in again and again for their infills. Then you make your money…..

Consider the price they advise and what your return will be They may set the price at £19, depending on your advertised full set price. Once their fees and VAT is deducted, you’re lucky to see £8. With this treatment, you will just about cover the products though this will be a challenge if you are mobile.

If you are mobile, consider the range A 10-15 mile radius doesn’t seem like much and you may be able to group clients in a certain area but this takes planning.

You have to patch test so you're making 2 trips. Think about the time and costs when setting the radius. The bigger the radius, the more vouchers you’ll sell as there’ll be more people eligible. You could negotiate going an extra 5 miles if the client pays a fee for your travel perhaps…

Consider the life of the voucher Once you have built up your client base, do you want someone trying to use their voucher just before it expires a year later? Your books may be busier then.

Consider how many treatments they can sell and if it can be capped You have to be able to service the vouchers along with those returning clients as that’s your goal (I hope!) and your existing client base. You may have a sudden rush to start with so don’t launch a deal and head off on holiday anytime soon!

Ensure they can only buy one voucher for themselves!

You want them to come back for infills, not another deal! Some will buy a couple and try it on so be firm with them! Make sure that you acknowledge the redemption of a voucher by its code so it can’t be passed on….

Treat every client like they have paid in full You need them to come back for infills to make money on the deal so treat them like a client who has paid in full. You can upsell on aftercare products too. If they don’t come back, you still have models wearing your work and people talk so you can get business from that.

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became my regulars as they grew to know, like and trust me. The 38% I lost were clients moving away or finding money a little tight, but they had been loyal.

Expected return 8%

A CASE STUDIES EXPERIENCE deal of the day marketing service in 2012 and used it for what it was, a marketing tool. I was treating a mum and her daughter to their lashes in their home and a relative of theirs asked me if I needed more clients. They worked for a deal of the day site and were trying to make a deal. I had the luxury of being able to ask loads of questions as I was working, so I was warming to the idea.

Missed chances 92%

PIHdid OTO B Y M A R T I Nwith R . San M I online TH a promotion

.

I bucked the trend and had an 88% return rate so none of this 8% nonsense!

I didn’t really make anything from the deal itself as it just about covered my products and travel, but not my time. I was mobile and had to see them twice - once for their patch test and then again for their treatment.

I already had a growing client base and my business goal was to grow it a little and get my website ranking in the search engines. I knew little about Search Engine Optimisation and had emails from people offering to do it for vast sums of money. The moment that my deal was launched, my website was at the top of the search rankings for lashes in my area so it worked for me. Whilst I'd achieved that goal, delivering the deal was exhausting.

Statistics say that you're lucky to get 8% of those clients returning to you. I bucked the trend and had an 88% return rate so none of this 8% nonsense! Six years later, I still see over 50% of them. They loved my work and

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I sold 86 vouchers that were valid for a year. I was focused on my strategy and I refused to cut corners as it was my reputation at stake and I wanted returning custom. I used it as a way to attract returning clients, their friends and families and to upsell aftercare products so it was worth it. It did wonders for my website at the time and I had loads of enquiries from that too.

I refused to cut corners as it was my reputation at stake and I wanted returning custom

...given how some merchants manage their deals, many will not be able to compete with you...

Some hair and beauty professionals may feel vulnerable about these deals but it's a free market P Hand O T Ocompetition B Y M A R T I N is R . healthy.

S M I T H In any case, given how some merchants manage their deals, many will not be able to compete with you but conversely, some will undoubtedly harm our industry.

Sadly, I’ve seen some hair and beauty salons helping to give this marketing service a bad name by offering a cheap and poor service.

I was looking for a new hair stylist as mine was on maternity and became pregnant again so I thought I’d try one of the deals. I turned up 10 minutes before my appointment time to find 3 stressed stylists with 7 full chairs of people being ‘worked on’. There was now a group of 10 of us waiting and all complaining. We were all told to get there at 2pm Iso they seriously overpromised and under delivered.

The salon was unkempt, had electrical cables trailing across the floor, weeks’ worth of cut hair swept into a corner and bales of towels that looked far from clean. I walked out and never went back.

Over the course of that year, I saw that the salon had these deals running every month.

Some may feel vulnerable about these deals but it is a free market and competition is healthy ...

.

They were with the same provider that I was using so I knew that they received payment for 70% of the vouchers within a week of the deal closing and the rest after 3 months. It was appeared to me that they were trying to make a fast buck rather than using the service as a marketing tool to win returning custom. On the other hand, I’ve used the deal sites for spa nights away and have had an impeccable service. Given that, they successfully upsold extra treatments and extras to our evening meal allowance. It was all worth it and they had used the service wisely.

My advice to anyone is to do your sums. If I didn’t need help with my SEO, I would have made more use of Social Media to attract more clients. The fact that they kept coming back and bringing their family and friends too meant that I had to start learning to say no! In year of the deal, I remember coming back from holiday in early August and I did not have a day off until Christmas day when I was forced to put my tweezers down (no joke!) . I was averaging 12-15 hour days, even at weekends. My New Year’s resolution was to be a bit kinder to myself and my family I needed to work to live rather than living to work!

Whatever your goal, think it through x

MY ADVICE TO ANYONE IS TO DO YOUR SUMS Business | 61

A week in the life of

by

JULIE KNIGHT Week in the life of a new magazine creator and editor, working lash stylist, trainer and guest speaker - who's about to launch a UK wide campaign inviting the hair and beauty industry to train to recognise signs of domestic abuse so they can discreetly signpost victims to professional support that may change and save lives. No one said it would be easy!

'Do one thing every day that scares you' -Eleanor Roosevelt

Monday I’ve been working long hours with our Technical Director Antony to create the lash-ed.com magazine website. We’re doing the final checks for any missing links, spelling or grammar errors so please let me know if you find any! We’re testing it on different laptops, tablets and phones to make sure that it renders correctly. All tech stuff that I didn’t think about when I built my first website using Yola templates many years ago!

An Optician has just happily answered all my questions about eye health for a feature. I’m delighted! It’s taken a long time to find practicing professionals with the right qualifications to get expert advice from. Especially

Tuesday

those who are willing to be featured!

All my favourite clients today. A joy and doubly so as I've had a call from a large beauty magazine who were excited

I’m now ready for my 6 clients for the evening! My mood

about the Hair and Beauty Professionals against Domestic

used to be influenced by who I was due to see each

Abuse campaign. They’ve offered to feature it and

day. You just knew who'd be late and plastered in

sounded me out about speaking at their events, if I'm

makeup. This is now rare since I tightened up my terms

okay public speaking! I think we all get a bit or very

and conditions. I still laugh at myself for not being

nervous when speaking publically but I’ve had to do

crystal clear at the outset nearly 8 years ago and it

quite a bit over the years so experience helps. I've

would have been easier to set and enforce. I learned,

thankfully learned a few techniques from training and

eventually! It’s never too late…..

watching many others. The most nerve wracking was presenting to 1000+ people last year in a conference hall

Just checking my emails before bedtime. Yes! I’ve now

so big that I couldn't see to the back of it from the stage!

got my last 10 illustrations through to update my

i always think of Eleanor Roosevelt's great quote, 'Do one

Volume course manual. They’re awesome. My illustrator

thing every day that scares you'. I've had a few of those

makes sense of my terrible drawings. He must think I’m

days! Think it’ll be a while before anything tops that one

bonkers as I ask for some odd things! My old course

though motivational speaking can take it out of you when

manual showed 10 pickup techniques and the new one

it’s personal and you share some of yourself. People seem

is 16. Booked time to update the course video with our

to listen intently (hopefully not judging!) to my life and

Creative Director Shan-B who'll help with the editing.

career story and what I’ve learned along the way. I only hope that really help others who are where I was 20 years

62 | Business

ears ago. I’ve had several hugs and thank you’s. Make's it all

My Classic course manual is back from my Graphic

worthwhile. Now offering to help with a ‘managing your

Designer who’s made some illustrations bigger. 120

time’ event. Think I’ll have a few insights to share there!

pages crammed with essential ‘need to know’ stuff for new starters and skill builders. The hours of

Meeting with my business coach. Yay, pat on the back for

proofreading was worth the amazing 103 CPD points

being productive. He really likes the website so I’m rather

that the course is accredited with. I’m now working

relieved! Perhaps it’s the rather attractive models that

with Shan-B to embed all the training videos into the

caught his eye? Now I need to diary time for my new

digital version of the book so students can access

actions. I’ve had business plans that were far too light on

them easily near their chapters. Still need to update

detail with my name against every action! My coach has

the 3rd book in this trilogy given the data protection

encouraged (ordered!) me to focus on fewer things at the

changes that are due…. It never ends! Now to email

same time and trust other people to do things for me.

Sunday’s student to see if they’re all set and then

Outsourcing is a fab form of delegating and whilst it was

proofread the Volume manual! This won’t be done in

second nature when I was employed as a manager for 25+

a day, it's crammed!

years, it's altogether different for my own business. I was getting a bit too precious about releasing control and trusting other people to do things just as I needed them.

Thursday

I’ve learned to relax – a little! I used to do my own

….. still at it. Nearly 8 hours so far but necessary. Now to

illustrations for my course manuals when I started training

make changes so I'll be busy doing that and answering

in 2012. I wasted hours as illustrating is not one of my

messages from some great people who have agreed to

talents. It would have been far cheaper to employ a

contribute to the magazine. I'm so heartened by their

professional and the results would have been 1000% better

support. There's one from my lash makers about

than my awful efforts! I’ve just slotted the new illustrations

something I asked for that’s perplexed them ! I spent 18

created by a professional (!!) into the Volume book and hit

months testing samples from loads of factories before

the print key so I can proofread it. It’s 160 pages so I’ve just finding THE ones. My lash stash has been on order for 3 ordered more ink . . . and paper!

months so I’m excited at the thought of receiving several thousand trays near my birthday in April. Best

Now to call Natalie Fella for a chat about how she created

birthday gift ever!

her winning entry for the 2017 Christmas Fantasy Lash Art Competition. When I look at all the stunning pictures of

Creating voiceovers for some training materials that are

lashes and artistry, I am in awe at the depth of talent out

illustrated in presentation slides. They cover the points

there! I study the pictures and wished I could have 5

better than a camera in my face. Cringing at the sound

minutes with the creator to ask just how they did it! I was

of my voice on the playbacks as I sound so serious!

delighted when Natalie agreed to tell us all. We hope you enjoy her article as it was a joy to do!

Lovely clients this evening and lashing better as my tweezers are starting to like me!

Wednesday

Friday

Only 5 clients today and they’re all volume. I’m just

I meet Jozette about a feature on Fibroblasting. A client

getting used to my new Volume tweezers after the

wants it for her hooded lids and I wondered about its

bite started to fail on my favourite pair last week.

compatibility with extensions. I ask if it would cure

They’ve served me faithfully for about 3000 sets so I

mine, especially after seeing the before and after

shouldn’t complain. Same brand, but no two pairs are

photos of her sister who looked like a new woman. I'm

the same! I’ve added an extra 10 minutes to each

told to stop sun worshipping first! So back to the office

appointment to give me more time to become at one

(via the solarium) to type it up and check emails. My

with something that needs to become my new best

Lash supplier has just sent an image of exactly what I

friend. Thankfully, I have loads of tweezers in stock

need designing - I'm so pleased. It’s always a challenge

for students as it's wise to have spares!

when different languages are in play but this is perfect!

Business | 63

Off out to have a look at 4 vacant office units to see if any

Today’s session has inspired me to write an article

would be suitable as a salon with enough room for a stock

about readying yourself for Volume training. I have

room and training suite. One fits the bill but I’ll have to come

trained lots of techs who have been using X type

back with my hygrometer and check the suns position to

tweezers for their Classic sets with some still

ensure that the environment is just right. I’ve only been

working with loose lashes. Today was no different.

looking for 6 months!

Lizzy had never worked with lash strips and I’d forewarned her to say farewell to her X types! I

No clients today. I try to take 2 out of 3 Fridays off so I can

needed to see how she worked to find that she’s

focus on the business rather than get lost in it! I’m in need of

also a glue swiper. A fast lesson in classics is

some family and friends time too and consequently, we’ve

necessary before mastering volume so I invite her

just booked our long talked about holiday to New York! A

to film me so she remembers it better. I get her

week this time in a hotel overlooking Central Park with a roof

practicing and reconsidering how she’s holding

top pool. I couldn’t be more excited! We’re celebrating with a

her tweezers for safety, comfort and agility. Now,

bottle of Prosecco…..just the one as I can’t have eyes that

styling. A whole new world for her. I play my video

flicker tomorrow!

showing how to create 8 different styles and the factors we need to consider when choosing one.

Saturday My turn! Anna’s coming over to do my lashes and I do hers.

I’m usually high maintenance but she’ll love me today! I love our catch ups as we swap stories about our husbands and laugh at how similar they are. They’re so laid back which is a kind way to say that they enjoy resting on the sofa in front of the television - every chance they get! Before I know it, all’s done for another 3 weeks! Now time for clients and to finish the Volume course book edits and do a final proofread….. several hours needed so it’ll be a late night.

I contact Zoe to thank her for her article as it’s pitched perfectly. She’s a Lifestyle Coach who I invited to be a regular feature writer in Lash~Ed. Her advice about getting motivated, confident and achieving your goals is tried and tested having been placed 2nd in Britain’s Strongest Woman and 9th in Europe in 2016 with her own Red Bull video feature! I happened to watch it for the first time at midnight

Cringing at the sound of my voice again! Then it’s time to assess models from pictures and it starts to make sense. I show her my preferred volume technique and wow, I’m blown away as she’s a quick learner. I don’t often see this with x tweezer loose lash using new volume students. She has 3.5 hours practice on her model before I invite her to rest her eyes as she’s having a bit of blurred vision from concentrating so hard!

It’s now 6pm and we’re both exhausted! She’s off for a well-earned meal before cracking on with her case studies and I’m grabbing a cuppa and retiring to the office to send the volume book to my accrediting bodies. Lots ticked off the ‘to do’ list this week. Still lots more to do as I set my plan for the week ahead. Think I need a holiday. Note to self to diary some time in to plan it, sometime!

and I couldn’t sleep (sorry Zoe, not good for the body!). I laid awake all night feeling very inspired and even more eager to achieve my goals. I was sending emails of new ideas to myself on my phone as it was too dark to write without waking everyone up! Does anyone else do this?

Sunday I have the lovely Lizzy coming for Volume training today.

She’s had her course manual to read and her videos to study.

She’s a little nervous but soon relaxes as we get to know each other for our 1:1 VIP session. It’s a small world as her lash stylist recommended me as I re-trained her 2 years ago in volume. She caught up with a school friend yesterday to find that she’d also trained with me too! Small world!

Julie Knight Master Lash Stylist and Trainer www.eliteeyelashextensions.co.uk Guest speaker New, magazine Editor and Writer www.lash-ed.com

ZOE MIZON

Recent winner of The Hair and Beauty Awards title for The Lash Specialists of the Year 2018

Hi, I’m Zoe Mizon, owner of the Zoe Mizon Lash Academy in Swinton South Yorkshire and I am also the Director of High Lash Couture.

We recently won The Hair and beauty awards title

for The Lash Specialists of the Year 2018. We were We were all so emotional and proud to have won it! When the presenter asked me to say a few words the first and nominated for this award by students and clients several months ago and we didn’t hear anything

only thing that came out was “I’m Zoe Mizon, and I’m and

finalist for our region.

was slightly embarrassed the next day but anyone who

We were really excited to be a finalist and to be

to a tee!

until one afternoon when we received a phone call alcoholic!” The place was in uproar and we had the biggest cheer. At least it was original, you might say! I telling us we had been chosen as the top 10

knows me knows I’m a practical joker and knows it’s me

able to attend the awards ceremony. I saw picture from last year and it was such a glamorous event!

I attended with 4 members of my team. There are 9 of us at the salon but some of the girls were unable to attend due to holidays and prior arrangements.

When we arrived at the Mercure Hotel in Manchester, we were sat with another 2 salons on our table. They said that prior to the event, you had to ask the public to vote for you which we had no idea about. So we had in our minds that we had not won. That meant we could make the most of the bottles of fizz on our table. I had a little too much and ended up totally intoxicated, never dreaming I would have to make it onto the stage, so you can imagine my disbelief when we were announced as the winners!

Business | 65

My lash career started way back over 10 years ago. I used to rent a small room in a friends salon where I built my business and continued to progress myself. I began teaching 3 years ago and I have trained and mentored over 150 students in the industry. I opened my Salon/Academy nearly 2 years ago and it is going from strength to strength.

I always get asked if I am scared of over saturating the market with training and my answer is always ‘no’. I just want everyone to be doing the same standard of work and for the lash industry to have a great name. So many times you hear people say ‘not to get lashes done as they ruin your lashes’, when it’s usually that the poor student hasn’t been trained correctly. I want to help these people and teach them the right way. I love helping students and fellow lash techs and will offer support and advice to anyone.

Since winning the award, our salon has gone crazy, so much that we are even contemplating the need for more staff.

Our salon has always been really busy but we have had so much press with the award that everyone knows who we are locally and we are well known to have a long waiting time for appointments.

Anyone thinking of going into competitions or awards, my advice would be to go for it. What is there to lose? I have entered competitions and not placed and I use it as a learning experience as to how I can improve next time. Everything is a lesson we are learning each day and if you believe in yourself and think positive, you will attract it back to you.

Zoe Mizon Founder and CEO of High Lash Couture Award Winning Lash Trainer/Master

Editors Note - Congratulations to Zoe and her team on an amazing win and an epic acceptance speech that will go down in history! x

Wellbeing

FROM CHALLENGE TO OPPORTUNITY

by Zoe Thompson Phoenix Lifestyle and Wellbeing Coach Life is going to hit us with challenges, some small, some big, but we can be sure of one thing; Each and every day, life will throw us a challenge to deal with.

How you choose to respond to these challenges is up to you.

How you respond is in your control.

Here are my top 10 tips on how to take life’s challenges and use them as an opportunity to learn, grow and thrive!

1. You are your only competition Social media can be incredibly powerful from a positive and negative point of view. Don’t get caught up in stories and images that people have chosen to share. You only have control over your own progress and achievements so don’t waste time worrying about what everyone else is doing. Keep your focus on you, your goals and your progress. Anything else is a distraction.

68 | Wellbeing

2. Choose your response, let the chimp settle Emotional responses are what makes us human. We all have a fight, flight or freeze element. It is what helps us survive. Reacting on an emotional response is often where things can go wrong. When something happens, take a moment to understand what your emotional response is. Allow time for your chimp to settle (Chimp Paradox, Dr Steve Peters) and give yourself time to allow the human side of your brain to add rationale, reason and logic to the situation before you respond.

3. There is no such thing as failure, only learning Fear of failure can hold us back from achieving success.

What if there was no such thing as failure but an opportunity to learn?

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” ― Thomas A. Edison

4. Big dreams and goals – just more small steps It is often said that if the size of your goal doesn’t scare you, then you need to set a bigger goal! The process is still the same. Set the goal, chunk it down into manageable activities and tasks and take one step at a time. Bigger goals just take more steps!

5. Does this take you closer to your goal?

If you are stuck making a decision then ask yourself if it takes you closer to your goal. This is why it is important to set your goals, write them down and make sure that you show up every day in a way that takes you closer to achieving your goals.

6. Know your values, keep them in alignment When was the last time you spent some time thinking about what your values are? Spend some time reflecting on what is important to you. Write them down and put them up with your goals. When making decisions, check that what you choose to do is in alignment with your values.

7. Look after You. Prioritise finding balance Looking after yourself is not a luxury, it is a priority. If you don’t look after you then you cannot look after other people or run your business. Take time out daily to empty the stress bucket, even if it is just 10-30 minutes.

If you start to question this, remember on an airplane, the oxygen mask goes on us first.

Editors note

8. Consistency is Key Consistency can be the difference between success and failure. Set your goals, determine what you want to achieve, set a date of when you want to achieve it by, and then work on being consistent.

9. Manage those difficult conversations Assertive behaviour and managing those difficult conversations can make a huge difference to how we live our lives. Don’t wait for situations to get out of control. Have that conversation early on, in person if you can.

Show that you have understood what the person has said. Tell them what you think and feel, be open to talking through potential solutions. The aim is that at the end of the conversation, you are both left feeling ok, even if you are unable to reach a mutually agreed solution.

10. Life is how you choose to see it Look for the positive in every situation. Start your day with reflecting on what you are grateful for.

End the day reflecting on your successes and wins for the day. Spend the time in the middle looking for the good things in life. You can look for the negatives or you can look for the positives. It's your choice but it will make the difference in how you see the world.

Zoe Thompson Phoenix Life and Wellbeing Coach www.phoenixlifecoach.co.uk

I was delighted when Zoe agreed to be a regular feature writer in Lash~Ed. As you’ve just learned from reading her article, her motivational advice is why she’s so awesome as a Life and Wellbeing Coach! Zoe offers regular webinars on a range of things that that you may want or need to work on. What’s more, her rates are really competitive. You can sign up for 3 different webinars for only £30. Visit her Website for the latest listings at www.phoenixlifecoach.co.uk/live-events Zoe was a competitive strongwoman for 2 years where she placed 2nd in Britain’s Strongest Woman contest and 9th in Europe in 2016. She was featured by Redbull TV who followed her inspiring journey. Their 8mins and 25 second video shares her inspiring story that will leave you eager to take action to achieve your goals right now! A word of warning, don’t watch it before bedtime like I did as I was too inspired to sleep! - Julie Knight

Redbull video here

Wellbeing | 69

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SIGHT FOR SORE EYES

PROTECT YOUR EYES & SIGHT HOW REGULARLY SHOULD WE HAVE OUR EYES TESTED?

HAVING ISSUES WITH BLURRED VISION AND ABILITY TO FOCUS?

IS IT WISE TO USE NONPRESCRIPTION MAGNIFYING GLASSES?

Optometrist Tim Harwood kindly answers the questions that many of us ask…..

By Julie Knight Editor Providing eyelash extension treatments involves very detailed and close up work. We can be working on someone for 1-3 hours non-stop. Is it wise to have our eyes checked more regularly? If so, how often?

Tim said, ‘It is generally recommended to have your eyes tested every 2 years regardless of your job and visual requirements. However, with a profession such as an eyelash extension technician, it may be worthwhile having your eyes tested a bit more regularly, especially if you are having any symptoms or problems with such as frontal headaches, eye strain, blurred vision etc’.

Wellbeing | 71

It’s quite common to get blurred vision or struggle to focus at times. I noticed it when I first learned to make volume fans as I was concentrating so hard. Are there any exercises that could help to prevent fatigue or to keep our vision healthy?

Tim said, 'There are no exercises that can help the health of your eyes per say but some people do have problems converging their eyes for long periods which can result in eye strain and headaches. You will only know if this is the case if you have an eye test and the Optician could, in some circumstances, recommend some eye exercises which may help. These exercises do not improve your vision, rather they help strengthen the muscles in your eyes which are needed for convergence (looking in) when concentrating on close tasks.

As for the health of your eyes, there are no risks associated with doing close vision tasks such as lashing.

When you are looking at things up close for long periods of time, you require certain muscles in yours eyes to work extra hard.

For some people, this can cause eye strain so having regular breaks is important. Just a short 10 or 20 second break will help but to get the maximum benefit you need to look at something in the distance for this time. This will allow all the muscles that you have being using to concentrate up close to relax. The worst thing you can do when having a break is check your emails on your phone!

'...no risks associated with doing close vision tasks such as lashing'

The best way to ensure your eyes remain healthy is to get regular eye tests and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Smoking is known to increase the risk of certain eye diseases as is drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

There are also known health benefits to the eye of eating plenty of green leafy vegetables such as Kale and Spinach.

These vegetables contain high levels of the anti-oxidants Lutein and Zeaxanthin which are beneficial to the eyes'.

72 | Wellbeing

'A short 10 or 20 second break will help ... you need to look at something in the distance ... to allow all the muscles to relax'

'...exercises do not improve your vision, rather they help strengthen the muscles in your eyes which are needed for convergence (looking in) when concentrating on close tasks' I know that some lash technicians have had their eyes tested and their sight is either okay or corrected for reading. They're then advised that they are okay for lashing but they’ve still struggled. Should we be explaining or showing our optician what we do to help inform the sight test?

Tim said, 'You could have perfect eye sight but still have problems lashing. The reason for this is because spending such long periods of time looking so close requires a lot of effort from the muscles in your eyes. Opticians will take in to account your profession and would consider prescribing a much lower prescription than for people with different occupations'.

Many lash technician’s use aids like frames where lenses in various strengths can be attached to them so they’re about 6cm away from the eyes. Is it advisable to get a pair of glasses for close up work from our opticians rather than self-serving with no knowledge?

Tim says, 'Whilst this in theory could work and you are unlikely to do yourself any harm using them. It is always advisable to have your eyes tested by an Optician to ensure you get the very best possible visual correction'.

Tim Harwood BCS Hons Optometrist OP & TOM Newcastle, UK opandtom.co.uk Lash~Ed sincerely thanks Tim Harwood for his time and his professional advice that helpfully informed this article.

According to the College of Optometrists in London, Optometrists were previously known as Opticians. They are trained to examine the eyes to detect defects in vision, signs of injury, ocular diseases or abnormality and problems with general health, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

They make a health assessment, offer clinical advice, prescribe spectacles or contact lenses and refer patients for further treatment, when necessary.

Source college-optometrists.org

Wellbeing | 73

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Safety

MEET YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

by Julie Knight Editor

The Hollie Guard app innovatively uses technology to transform your smartphone into a personal safety device.

Hollie Guard is an award winning, police approved personal safety app that is FREE, quick and simple to download, set up and use on your smartphone.

Hollie Guard was developed by the Hollie Gazzard Trust, a registered charity set up to help people stay safe. One of its commitments is to support talented young hairdressers and beauticians to be and feel safe.

The Trust was set up following the murder of Hollie Gazzard. Hollie was a beautiful, vibrant and talented 20-year old with her whole life ahead of her. Her true passion was hairdressing where she started her apprenticeship in 2010. She attended Reflections Training Academy in Bristol and won the first year learner silver award. Her career took her to London and the Bahamas before returning home to her family in 2013.

She began working in a salon in Gloucester where her flair and creativity made her popular.

She began a relationship with a man in 2013 who dominated her young life before brutally ending it. She was threatened, hit, kicked and grabbed around her throat. She suffered in silence despite being close to her family as is common in controlling and coercive relationships. She ended the relationship in January 2014 and was stalked by her abusive

76 | Safety

ex-partner. She finally reported it to the police and 2 days later, on the 18th February 2014, Hollie was stabbed 14 times in the salon.

She died 2 hours later from her injuries.

The Hollie Guard app was created in her honour.

Hollie Guard encourages you to use the app before you may need it, like when you make your way out or back home again. It then tracks you in real time. If you feel threatened, you can shake your phone or tap the screen to send an alert. Your phone then secretly video records so there’s both audio and visual footage. Your current location and your route is automatically sent to your emergency contacts by text and email. They can also see your video in real-time so they can take action to help you. Shaking the phone again activates a high-pitched alarm where the flash starts to strobe too.

Hollie Guard offers flexible options so you can create different groups of emergency contacts whether it’s family, friends or co-workers. You can choose which groups will receive any alerts so it’s a great tool for both work and leisure.

The video is held in a secure cloud so it’s not lost if your phone is stolen or damaged and it does not use precious space.

The Trust was created by Hollie’s parents Nick and Mandy and her sister Chloe. They are determined that Hollie’s life and tragic death makes a difference to others. They hope that the funds raised through the Trust will help others to find a better future and reach their potential. The Trust relies on the generosity of those who support it.

There’s even more awesome functionality like the Meeting and Journey features that’s great for lone workers or mobile therapists. Simply set the meeting timer with the duration of your appointment. If the time expires without it being cancelled, an alert is sent to your emergency contacts who can take action to help you.

To find out more about fundraising, please visit www.holliegazzard.org

The Journey feature lets you enter your start and end points and sends a text and email to your emergency contacts when you start and safely complete your journey. This is also a great way to monitor your children while they’re travelling to and from school or while they’re out with friends.

To find out more about Hollie Guard and to register for an account, visit www.hollieguard.com

To find out more about how Hollie Guard works in practice, watch this short video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/B7Y4HDzCd4w

Hollie Guard has even more protective features.

If you are out for a run, it can detect if you’ve fallen or stopped. If you are a victim of stalking and domestic abuse, you can use the stealth alarm as it discreetly raises an alert.

This next generation personal safety smartphone app works on all major operating systems of a certain age, including Apple, Android, BB10, Windows Mobile and Blackberry’s. It has official certifications that includes:

Editors commendation I am grateful to Nick Gazzard and the Hollie Guard Trust who kindly supported and informed this important article.

My 20 year old daughter and I both have this

- The British Standard for Lone Working

app on our phones as we won't leave home

compliant BS8484

without it. I highly commend it as

- Secured by Design Accreditation that’s

- Hollie Guard is free to download and use.

awarded to security products that pass

- Hollie Guard offers advanced features.

standards and tests chosen by the Police so

- Hollie Guard is a smart tool for a smart

they can promote the product with

phone that can help to keep you, your family,

confidence - ISO (270002 and DIACAP) for Cloud Infrastructure - 100% compliant with the Data Protection Act

friends and colleagues safe Take the smart step to staying safe today by downloading and setting it up straight away.

Thank you for reading.

- Julie Knight

Safety | 77

Staying safe LONE WORKING

by Clare Hawkins

WHY IS THIS FEATURED?

Hello, I’m Clare and I’m a CPDA. That’s easier to say than Crime

According to a survey

Prevention Design Advisor. It’s okay, no one knows what this is and

conducted for the Suzy

why would you?! Let me explain…

Lamplugh Trust, 81% of lone

I work for Avon and Somerset Police in the UK and I wear two hats

violence and aggression.

(both play absolute havoc with my hair!)

One in ten of those surveyed

workers are concerned about

had been punched, kicked or - The first is crime prevention through environmental design. Sounds

suffered some other form of

fancy, but it’s about working with Town and City Planners, Architects

violent attack.

and Developers. This is to ensure that when they are planning, designing and building a development of any kind, every opportunity is taken to ‘design out ‘areas that could promote crime and disorder.

It can range from large housing estates to converting an old building into office space. It may be about street lighting or the locks and bolts used on the doors and windows.

- The second is crime reduction by advising businesses, organisations, voluntary groups and the public on how to mitigate against the risk of becoming a victim of crime. This can be proactive, so where a business would like guidance on CCTV. It can be reactive where

Many of us work alone and we know that some of you have experienced aggressive or violent behaviour from clients during your working day, especially if you work alone in a salon or at home or offer a mobile treatment service.

We asked an expert for their

someone is the victim of crime and we want to work to prevent it

advice and we're grateful to

happing again.

Clare Hawkins whose expertise are second to none!

I have been trained for my specialist role by The College of Policing.

This is the UK's policing’s professional body and I maintain my certification each year through continual professional development.

What’s the point - you might ask?

78 | Safety

JULIE KNIGHT EDITOR

Crime is expensive, both emotionally and financially. As a victim of crime, the impact can be huge and not necessarily proportionate to what happened.

It’s in all our interests to do everything we can to stop crime from happening in the first place.

So, that’s me and my angle. Now, for the important stuff - you and your safety!

In 1986, Estate Agent Suzy Lamplugh left her office in Fulham to meet a client and never returned. That same year, her parents Diana and Paul set up the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to spread the message around personal safety. The Trust are now considered to be the foremost experts around personal safety and lone worker training in the UK. I must credit the majority of the advice I am about to share to this incredible organisation. I urge anyone who would like more in-depth, personal or even bespoke advice, to contact the Trust. You can visit their website at suzylamplugh.org

So, here we go…buckle up, it’s important!

Lone working in general - Do you have a friend or someone you know living or working locally that you can form a ‘Buddy system’ with and share your plans?

Your buddy could ring you 10 minutes into an appointment with a NEW client to check that you are okay and comfortable. You can use a code word with them to make it clear if you’re not okay.

- Download and use the Hollie Guard app.

Hollie Gazzard was a hairdresser who was killed by her violent ex-boyfriend. Her parents developed a reliable, free and police approved App so those you want can ‘track’ your whereabouts. You can summon help by simply shaking your phone. There’s a great article in this edition about Hollie Guard or you can visit their website at www.hollieguard.com

Lash~Ed are grateful for Clare’s expertise in creating this article.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust have a great booklet that you can download from their website called Personal Safety at Work Lone Working. I highly commend it. Julie x

Lone working at home - Keep the room you use as professional looking as possible as it sends a clear message about being a serious business.

- Give some thought as to how you are going to get out of that room quickly if you feel uncomfortable or threatened.

- It’s YOUR home. If a client arrives and you feel uncomfortable then it’s okay to make an excuse and not let them in!

- Keep cash out of sight and never keep more money in the house than you absolutely need.

Lone working out and about - When visiting a client’s home, park in a well-lit area.

- NEVER leave valuables in the car. Sat Navs, loose change and coats are a magnet to opportunistic thieves.

- When you at on your client’s doorstep, risk assess your situation and trust your instincts. If something feels ‘off’, give an excuse or reason to leave and do so. If you feel threatened, call the Police straight away.

- Always have your mobile phone with you and make sure that it is fully charged.

- Keep your kit out of sight when it’s in your vehicle.

- NEVER carry large amounts of cash on you.

- If you need to leave a threatening situation quickly then LEAVE YOUR KIT. It is replaceable, you are not. Remember to give some thought as to how you are going to get out of that room and the house quickly if you need to.

Remember, the world is full of lovely, kind and amazing people, but you will come across those who are none of the above!!

Trust your instincts, take simple steps to protect yourself and reduce the risk of becoming a victim.

Be careful out there!

Clare Hawkins Certified Crime Prevention Design Advisor

Safety | 79

WANTED!

s t c u d o r P d n a

s r e t s e T SEE WWW.LASH-ED.COM FOR DETAILS

The next generation lash cleanser or for generations of head hair only?

For many years, lash techs have been using diluted Johnson’s Baby shampoo to cleanse their client’s lashes with some retailing it in their own branded foamer bottles. Lash~Ed decided to ask Johnson & Johnson for their views.

We emailed their Consumer Support Team and received a very timely email that said: “According to the European legislation governing the products we manufacture and sell, Johnson & Johnson are committed to collecting and providing data related to the use of our products, as well as thoroughly investigating all reports. For this reason, we would be very grateful if you would take the time to call us to complete a questionnaire with some questions on the application of the product”.

I duly called the Johnson & Johnson Consumer

We asked Insurance companies for their views

Support Team and described that I am aware of it is

and the Guild of Beauty Therapists were quick to

being diluted with water and used to cleanse lashes.

advise that, ‘If they are making cosmetic products

They said:

for retailing to clients, the products need to

“Our Baby shampoo is intended for cleaning babies

comply with EU Cosmetic Products Regulation

and children’s head hair. It was not tested on

1223/2009. The insurance will not cover

eyelashes as it was not intended to be used to

unregulated products’.

cleanse them. I definitely would not recommend its use to clean eyelashes as it was never intended

Having said that, the Guild said that they ‘should

to do so. The product is being misused as it is not

use the products that they have been taught to

being used for what it was intended for so we have to

use in their training’.

report it as a breach”.

Ultimately, Johnson’s don’t want us using it to We asked why it would be reported as a breach. They

cleanse lashes so I’ll only use it to clean babies

advised that there is a European Union (EU)

and children’s head hair as it was intended and

regulation designed to monitor product labelling,

tested. Think I'll stick to products that were

composition, testing and traceability. It places a duty

intended for cleaning our lashes.

on cosmetic suppliers to protect the public. Notably, it’s this regulation that prevents us from making a

Happy Lash Cleansing, Julie Knight - Editor

home brew shampoo and retailing it to clients.

Safety | 81

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Eyes | Lashes | Consultations | Contra-indications | Contra-actions | Products| Adhesive | Intro to Styling | Mapping | Detailed Application Guide | Aftercare | Infills | Removal | +More Comprehensive beginners and intermediate guide by Julie Knight

2018 e-version with free videos eliteeyelashextensions.co.uk