Lash-Ed Magazine Issue 3 October 2018

www.lash-ed.com

Issue 3 Oct 2018

WORLD LASH UNIVERSITY Class of 2019 In competition!

At the Oscars Glasgow's Battle Strictly does it . .and the winners are

Adhesives with Doug Schoon Frankie says . .

Go paperless Patch test? + so much more!

Lash Extensions | Business | Wellbeing | Safety Magazine for Lash Stylists, Trainers, Suppliers and Enthusiasts

Behind the Mask U.K. Hair and Beauty Professionals Against Domestic Abuse Behind the Mask offers hair and beauty professionals’ free access to online learning resources to enable them to spot the signs that someone is experiencing domestic abuse.

It offers expert advice on how to respond in the best way.

Coming soon

www.behindthemask.online

Front and inside cover credits Meri Antonic 1st place Master in the Oscars Fantasy Lash Art competition 2018

Inside Lash- Ed Magazine Lashes 9 Become an excellent Lash Queen by Dominique Graupner 10 5 mistakes you make on Instagram by Hanna Putjato 12 Sylvia Liu's heavenly lash journey 14 Advanced Classic lashing by Frankie Widdows 16 Meet Manami Edwards 18 Patch testing by Jamie Butler 20 Looking after our client's eyes by Angelina Salacinski 22 Meet Artistic Fur 23 Glasgow Lash Battle winners 24 Behind the scenes at Lash Battle by Julie Knight, Editor 26 Oscar winning performances by Marta Wiatr 30 Strictly Eliza Tyminska-Holmes 32 Meet the very talented Meri Antonic 34 Lash Technician verses Lash Artist by Shareen Nesbeth 35 Prepare for amazing retention by Kim Helgesen-Fuentes 37 Winter's coming by Jamie Butler 38 Are there rules about makeup and extensions by Julie Knight 40 Stand out with colour by Hannah Georgina 41 Converting your Classic clients to Volume by Julie Knight 42 World Lash University Awards

Business

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12

16

30

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44 The hidden psychology of consultations by Kristina Shepherd 46 How we went paperless by Julija Baltulioniene

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Business 42

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48 Lash Apprentice of the Year Kelsey Chester 50 Behind the Mask - update on the domestic abuse campaign 51 Commuting for the love of lashes by Jessika Aude Gautier 52 Hate, Hate, Hate away by Katie Godfrey 54 Taking the plunge to a better life by Karen Baguley 55 7 secrets to successfully hire employees by Marina Larskaya 56 The importance of good bonding by Karen Grehan 57 Learning how to work to live - not live to work by Zoe Mizon 58 Why you need a website by Antony Knight 60 Do you really need an accountant by Ria-Jaine Lincoln 62 Client's data . . . delete or right to keep by Julie Knight

Wellbeing 64 What can we learn from Winnie the Pooh by Zoe Thompson 65 The advise that we need to take ourselves by Zoe Thompson

68

Safety 68 Adhesive matters with Doug Schoon If you have longed to be featured as a writer or contributor to a magazine, now's your chance. It's free to be featured (other than direct advertising) and you'll be accredited for your work. You'll receive your 'As featured in Lash~Ed' digital 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 on getting featured. www.lash-ed.com

Disclaimer notice: Lash~Ed magazine 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

Welcome

from the Lash~Ed team!

Hey there! Welcome to the 3rd edition of Lash~Ed - the magazine for lash stylists, trainers, suppliers and enthusiasts!

Issue 3 is a little later than planned as like most of you, it's been a busy time but very exciting as I have been traveling a lot! I trained with two idols (Sonja Smatko and Trina Dial Horne), peaked behind the scenes at Glasgow's Lash Battle thanks to Ksenia Karnejenko and Elmars Tiltins though I got more than I bargained for as you'll see! Between a couple of not so well timed holidays, I caught up with friends and colleagues at the Lash Social before being hit with a badly timed bout of sickness that wiped me out for 6 weeks!

On top of all this, I am super excited to announce that for several months, I have been working with Katie Godfrey and Zoe Mizon - two incredibly talented and awesome lash mates. There have been late night messages, dawn phone calls, meetings and many planning sessions - all to bring you the most amazing event and opportunity that is will to be too good to miss!

Welcome to World Lash University! We invite you to enrol and join the Class of 2019! With payment plans available, they're selling fast as they are the most amazing value for money! A full days conference with 12 awesome speakers, 2 course lunch, amazing goodie bags from our generous sponsors, fantastic networking - and it doesn't

end there! As darkness falls, the evening awards event comes with a 3 course dinner and gala! Breaking with tradition, ticket holders are offered a free entry to one of 6 nominations with 4 experience levels - so there's a great chance of placing! In addition, ticket holders get a free entry to one of our lash business awards. This has created so much excitement! Will you be our Ms. or Mr Congeniality? See our website at www.worldlashuniversity.com I'm delighted to welcome Ria-Jaine to the Lash-Ed team. Her expert advice as an accountant is relevant, insightful and refreshing especially given her beauty background too! She's a true champion of our Domestic Abuse campaign, Behind the Mask and I am so grateful for her support and counsel. I got to speak on the Live Stage at the Professional Beauty show in Manchester this month as it is soon to launch! Read the update and get involved. You can change or save a life and it's simple when you know how.

Don't forget, this is your magazine and you have every chance of getting published and acknowledged as a writer. It can help build to raise your profile and build your confidence. If you need some inspiration on what you could write about, I'll help you find it!

Email me at julie@lash-ed.com Thanks for reading, Best wishes, Julie Knight – Editor

Antony Knight Lash~Ed Technical

Shan-Bethan Lash~Ed Artistic and Creative Director

Clare Creed Professional Photographer and Trainer

Katie Godfrey Founder of KG Salon / KG Professional Award Winning Lash Sylist & Trainer

Zoe Mizon Founder & CEO High Lash Couture Award Winning Lash Stylist & Trainer

Jamie Butler Chief Marketing Officer LASHBASE

Zoe Thompson Lifestyle and Wellbeing Coach

Karen Baguley Founder of Arch Angels Beauty

Read all about them at www.lash-ed.com

Merlin Callaghan Lash artist, Trainer, Judge, founder of MLAB, UK

Ria-Jaine Lincoln Licensed Accountant, Nail Technician, Lash Artist and Champion For Behind the Mask

Lashes

How to become an excellent

Lash Queen

By Dominique Graupner I have a lot of students. Some are real natural talents from the beginning whilst others are not but they are not too lazy to practice! I sometimes find that the talented ones are too lazy to practice so those who are less talented but more motivated go on to become better Lash Queens than the lazier talented Artists.

From the beginning, I recommend for every Lash artist to: Search for really good training. Don’t try and save money by doing cheap training. Good coaches do not sell below their worth unless you want to offer €35 eyelashes after your training but this is usually not the goal of a real Lash Queen. Really good training works out to be cheaper in the end.

Make sure that the training is structured and see how other students rate it.

- Does the trainer also post her own work?

- Has she achieved anything, such as competitions or a judge?

- What does she do for her students?

- Does she do her job from her heart? What does she radiate?

- Is she constantly training herself?

It's really important to stay up-todate as a trainer and to always pass on the best to your students!

It is so so important, that you have support from your trainer after your training. The main practice starts after your training.

Ask about support after your training before booking it. The trainer should answer you in one to two days and not after a week. You can see whether the trainer’s heart is in her job or not.

The most important of all is to listen to the feeling in your belly.

If you have a good feeling with the trainer, it may be the right training. I had 7 training courses and I learned a bit from them all.

What I always missed though is the ‘HOW should I practice?’. I just heard ‘practice’ - but not the HOW!! This is what we are searching for. Often I felt alone and this is a feeling what I don’t wish any student.

If you have any more questions, please be not hesitate to contact me via Instagram, Facebook or my website.

With love, your

Dominique www.instagram.com/lashesbydominique_official Facebook: Lashes by Dominique www.lashesbydominique.com (available in English)

Lashes | 9

5 mistakes you make on Instagram

by Hanna Putjato Instagram is huge nowadays. It’s a massive social 2. Good lighting media platform which is overtaking all other media Remember, it’s impossible to take platforms. And it’s amazing. Because if you are selling any good photograph without good product or any service - wise usage of Instagram can lead to great sale increase. So do you make much money out of your Instagram? I do. And I really hope that you do too. But if not, then read carefully. Today, I'll tell you about 5 biggest mistakes you make on your Instagram which stop you from selling your eyelash services there.

Mistake number 1 Not having clear information about yourself Look at your BIO - does your audience understand who you are and what are you doing? Do they understand where are you located? Do they understand why you are better than other people who are selling the same service? Check if your email address is correct, check if your phone have an international code included - your clients might be travelling from abroad and they need to be able to call you without googling your country code to paste in front of your phone number.

Mistake number 2 Bad quality pictures I’m always telling my students - if you want to be come across as a professional business - then you need to look professional.

When you make a photograph of eyelashes with no lighting, shaky hands, dirty phone lens and not even bothered to do a slight skin retouch afterwards - will you look as professional as big cosmetic brand - L'oreal or Chanel? I’m really sorry guys, but you won’t.

Good news is - in order to make good quality photos, being able to stand out of the crowd and sell your services successfully, you don’t need to be a photographer or hire a photographer. All you need to do is to follow these few simple rules: 1. Clean the lens Whether you use a professional camera or just your phone - make sure your lens is clean. It must be absolutely spotless, otherwise your picture will look blurry. If you take pictures with your phone - please note that newer versions of phones give you way better quality than the old ones. So maybe it’s time to upgrade your phone.

light. Photographers are investing thousands of pounds into their lighting equipment. You don’t need to invest that much - all you need is a Glamcor lamp or ring light. They will give you bright cold light. I personally prefer Glamcor lamp as it’s very easily adjustable, so if you want to take a picture of the eye when client is laying down on the beauty bed - it’s much easier to move glamcor lamp around rather than ring light - it’s a bit bulky and heavy.

3. Pay attention to details It’s so much easier to correct some little things on the go rather than retouch them after. For example: if one lash is popping out of the lash line - brush it in or if it doesn’t get brushed in, just ask your client to go lay down and close her eyes again and remove it gently with your tweezers. When you are taking a picture - always check your client’s inner corners - nothing could spoil picture more than sleepy bits there. Check your client’s eyebrows - if there are any extra hairs, maybe you can take a pair of tweezers and remove them. Check if any makeup or foundation got into fine lines around the eyes and doesn’t look neat. Please pay attention to all these details.

4. Do a slight skin retouch if needed When you are doing close up photo of the client eye, her skin will not always look great. Even the youngest and freshest skin. So before you are uploading this picture on Instagram - ask yourself, if this photo is ready to go online or if it needs any further retouch?

In order to retouch it, there are plenty apps you can use. My favourite are Snapseed and Facetune. If you are not very technical and you don’t want to retouch photos yourself - you can use services of professional retoucher. There are websites like peopleperhour.com where you can find a retoucher for as cheap as £15-20 an hour. For one hour this retoucher can edit skin on at least 4-6 lash photographs, which will come up to £2-3 pounds per photograph. Is it expensive? Not really. But it will make a massive impact to the look of your photos.

Mistake number 3 This stops you from selling on Instagram - it’s lack of expertise Golden rule of sales - to build trust in your clients first show them that you are an expert in your field and only after, when they believe that you are an expert - offer them something to buy.

What kind of posts you can do to prove your client that you are an expert: 1. Beautiful photographs of your work What can better tell them how good you are, apart from results of your work displayed.

2. Awards and trophies you win If you participate in the competitions - and win the prize, make sure you display this information clearly and let your clients know about it. By looking at the lash picture of 2 salons, your clients might be struggling to indicate whose services are better, but if they can see information on your profile about trophies and awards you won - they will identify you as a professional.

3. Informative and advisory posts Again, let’s look at the 2 different lash salons’ with similar amount of Instagram followers - one of them is just posting pictures of their work and another one, apart from lash pictures, posts educational information for their clients: difference between Classic and Volume lashes, How to look after the lashes, Why does allergic reaction can happen, How to make lashes last longer etc.

Which of these 2 salons will look more knowledgeable? Of course the one showing their expertise in these informational posts.

4. Review posts Did you get this wonderful thank you message from your client yesterday? Did you get a nice google review? Did your client post a happy selfie with your lashes? So why do you hide it? Post it! Let you other clients (including your potential clients) know that other people love your treatment. We live in “review” world. It’ a new version of word of mouth. So always collect good feedback from all the platforms and share it on Instagram - at least in stories.

Then you can collect these stories in the reviews highlight and keep it as the first and the most important highlight on your Instagram page.

Mistake number 4 Lack of entertainment A lot of expert posts is great, but lack of entertaining posts makes your profile very boring and doesn’t attract people to follow you.

So what can you post to make clients interested in persona?

1. Photos of yourself Before booking the treatment with you, your potential clients might want to know who you are. So post pictures of yourself and your life. It will be great if you are not just posting your selfies with no description or description “good morning”, but also put some effort into creation of an interesting post. For example: post introduction - what’s your name, where are you from, how old are you, little bit of of history - where did you work before and why did you decide to become a lash technician. Another idea of good post - interesting fact about you. Another idea - your journey and achievements. We all have something to tell, sometimes we just need to pull it out our heads and post it.

2. Photos of your salon interior Your potential clients would love to see it before booking an appointment.

3. Photos of salon team It’s always nice to see that you are going for a treatment into a nice and friendly environment.

4. Giveaway posts Let your clients to feel competitive and win something.

5. Celebrity lashes review Show your expertise and entertain your clients at the same time.

Mistake number 5 Not enough followers/not enough media coverage Unfortunately Instagram customers will not consider you as a reputable business, if you have a small follow up. So along with doing everything I’ve told you above - you really need to start working on gaining your followers. How to get followers: 1. Engage with other people If you like other people's photos, leave comments and follow it your profile will not be left unnoticed. Other people will follow you back. I call it – ‘stop being a bitch, go and start being nice to people’. If you leave one hour a day for approaching new people and liking/commenting/following their profiles - I can guarantee you at least 20-30 new followers a day, which will result in 600-700 followers a month and about 8000 followers a year. I wouldn’t recommend you using bots for it - as your Instagram profile can get banned and then you need to start building it all over again.

2. Hashtags If you’ve made a great post which gets lots of likes, Instagram can pick it and start promoting to a bigger audience with the similar interests.

Help Instagram to indicate this audience by leaving relevant hashtags on the picture. If you’ve posted a picture of lashes - put 6-8 hashtags which are describing the picture - russianvolume, russianlashes, eyelashextensions, lashextensionsLondon, lashartist, 4Dfan etc.

Without hashtags Instagram simply can’t indicate what have been posted and which audience it should show this post to.

3. Cross-advertisement Do you have friend who is doing nails? Or hair? Or anything else beauty related? Well, then why wouldn’t you do cross promotion?

She’ll make post about how amazing you are and you’ll make a post of how amazing she is? As a result - both of you will gain new followers. Add cross promotion campaigns into your monthly marketing calendar and start looking for people you do it with.

4. Follow games When you do giveaways on your business page - always include ‘tag your friend’ and ”follow our profile” into the rules of the game. Your followers will tag their friends and they will follow your page in order to get a chance to win a prize.

I really hope my tips helped you today!

For more tips and tricks, follow my Instagram pages @london_lash_pro @hanna_londonlash

Hanna Putjato Director of London Lash Pro

Lashes | 11

Sylvia Liu's heavenly lash journey . . .

To all the lovely Lash-Ed readers!

I was so excited to be asked to share my story with you all.

I am Sylvia Liu, owner of Lash Heaven, supplier of luxurious lashes and products. I am originally from Stockholm (Sweden) but live in London with my partner and 3 children aged between 10 and 2.

My background is in Business Consulting and Advisory and I have a Bachelor Degree in Business Management and IT and a Master Degree in International Business. However, just before going back to work from my maternity leave with my second daughter, I was not sure whether my SAP Sourcing job was for me anymore. I wanted a less stressful job, work nearer my home and be part of my children’s lives. That’s when I decided I really wanted to learn something new, different, creative, something I could be passionate about, which did not require travelling and working around tight deadlines. So, after some research I was so surprised that I could learn something new in 1 day, I expected you needed to study at least 1 year in a trade before qualification considering I have studied 4 years in university.

Since joining the lash world at the end of 2013, I started “Little Beauty Boutique”, my little lash salon in my house. I worked parttime at first. I entered my first competition and I was awarded “International Lash Artist of the Year 2014” by Sugarlash Pro in 2014. I was on holiday when the winners were announced and it was wonderful receiving so many messages saying “congratulations” in the morning from my lash friends. This really gave me confidence and a boost that I was doing something right.

Quite early on as a lash artist, I noticed there was definitely a gap in the market for a great lash company offering a wide range of high-quality products in the UK. Soon after launching Lash Heaven in April 2015, I was invited to speak at the Lash Convention by Frankie Widdows. I was so grateful for this opportunity, to meet so many lash artists all under one roof. This is where I met the lovely Hanna Putjato, owner of London Lash Pro, whom I instantly connected with, we’re still very good friends and I truly admire her in everything she does. Hanna invited me to judge at Lash Battle Competition, which is such an honour. Since the launch of Lash Heaven, it really has opened so many doors for me especially internationally. I have spoken at conferences and judged many lash competitions all over the world.

At Lash Heaven, we have our own branded products including best-selling products like FIERCE Adhesives, Divine Silk Lashes, Noir and Pro Lashes. We were one of the first companies to promote and ultimately make the CLEAR Glue popular in the UK! I

am so thankful to the talented group of girls in my team, we are friendly, strong, independent and of course for their amazing lash skills.

This year, I have taken a step back from social media and travelling this year. It has been a very busy year in multiple areas of my life, for good reasons! Over the summer, we acquired a new premise which required a lot of building work, we have moved our warehouse and we are in the midst of opening our very first Lash Heaven salon. On top, we have recently moved family home and so the children have had to change schools. I like to be fully involved and know what is happening at all times, but as you can imagine, these changes can take up a lot of time.

We are over the moon to have now opened our first salon in Ruislip, North West London. There are currently 3 lash artists, including myself. The build and decorations have taken many months of hard work but definitely has been worth every minute.

So, what’s new with Lash Heaven?

We recently launched our newest glue addition, PEARL Black adhesive. We have been testing this glue thoroughly since April, myself and a number of brand ambassadors absolutely love it.

It’s super easy to work with in a range of temperatures, it’s quick drying and the retention has blown our minds. We’re so happy and for those who know Lash Heaven, know that we don’t stock many glue brands, we make sure to thoroughly test the adhesive before it is launched. We’re offering all readers a special 15% discount on PEARL Black – so try it for yourselves!

Please do share your experiences with us on social media!

In other Lash Heaven news, we’re so excited to now be the exclusive distributor of Beautier in UK. The brand is led by Kei Kim, a wonderful woman.

Beautier has quite a few exclusive lash suppliers all over the world and are famously known for their quality, consistency in curl, colour lashes and the Prime Impact lashes. We hope to share with you the features and benefits of these lashes on our website, so keep your eyes peeled.

Since starting Lash Heaven in my front room in 2015, we have grown rapidly and become a well-respected brand in the UK with 6 Brand Ambassadors, 3 Distributors, 5 Trainers using our products in their Student kits and 2 Salon Lash Artists and it is still growing.

I absolutely love this industry and consider myself so lucky for the friends I have met, that I’m able to travel the world when I want to and be my own boss. I am now able to be hands on mother, work locally with something I am very passionate about and be close to my children’s lives.

I have never thought of myself as an entrepreneur when I was younger, this is one reason I love the UK, dreams really do come true here!

Thank you for letting me share my story with you. I hope our lashes cross paths one day!

Love

Sylvia Sylvia Liu Founder of Lash Heaven www.lashheaven.uk

Lashes | 13

Advanced Classic lashing

By Frankie Widdows

Anyone in the lash industry who knows me will know how passionate I am about lash technicians taking the appropriate courses to enhance their skills, knowledge and techniques to give their clients the absolutely best lashes they can.

I see so often lash technicians who have completed basic lash training (and often poor initial training at that) who are so eager to go on to learn volume. I do understand the pressure technicians might feel to train in volume as let’s be honest this is what we see bombarded on social media and we think classics can never compete with this, which in some ways they can’t as they are very different looks but a great set of classics can still absolutely rock which I am going to prove to you.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think any technician who wants to be the best should be volume trained BUT this needs to be taken at the right time and when you have mastered classic lashing. Think of it this way it would be like someone wanting to be a racing car driver who has just got their basic driving license, they are likely to crash and burn unless they develop and learn the correct skills to be a good skilled racing driver which means practicing, taking intermediate and advanced lessons and tests, which is similar to lashing.

direction, assessing the natural lashes then it’s the time to do another classic course but an advanced one and not to jump straight into volume.

However, people are reluctant to do this as they can’t see the point and they don’t realise how much you can do with classic lashing and how creative you can be. You are able to learn the skill of stacking and capping which is the use of thinner extensions used in multiples to add volume and density, so why not just do volume then you might be thinking?

The skill of stacking and capping prepares you for volume in the excellent tweezer and hand control you must have for creating fans. Getting this foundation before doing volume will be invaluable in assisting you with your volume in the future. You can also cap and stack with volume fans, so you must learn this skill at classic level first because if you can’t do it with single lash extensions you will not be able to do it with volume fans.

So with stacking and capping you will learn a skill that will mean you can give your clients double the effects with stacking a whole set, or fill in gaps in the lash line with capping at the end of your set.

This is a set I did with some stacking and capping which as you can see adds texture and fullness to the set.

To

be a great volume lash artist you need to possess all the skills of classic lashing and be highly proficient at them When clients are having volume lashes done they are paying top dollar for this and as such they will expect you to do a fab job on them including styling their eyes correctly to enhance their best features, creating superb direction and uniformity.

Now if you can’t do this in classic lashing then volume is not going to teach you this and therefore you will still have this gap in your knowledge and won’t create the desired effects that you long to, meaning you and your clients leaving feeling disappointed.

Unfortunately, there is only so much you can teach students in a beginner’s course for a number of reasons. This course is the foundation to lashing and then once technicians are feeling confident with the basics i.e. isolation, placement, retention,

14| Lashes

One of my most creative sets and the picture that gets a lot of interest is actually of a classic colour set I did using advanced classic techniques of layering in colours and curls.

The next photo shows how I used different curls and colours depending on the layer the natural lash was in, this is just one on one application and I think this set is just stunning. This

actually took a lot of brain power which I love as it challenged me from the normal lashes I do (which I can probably do in my sleep!) and really allowed me to get creative. It was vital that I knew about lashing in layers for me to create this set, again something which you should learn before going onto volume as your basic volume training will not teach you this. You can also achieve a similar effect by capping different curls and colours of one extension, so there are lots of options, just let the creativity flow.

Your basic initial volume training teaches you how calculate what volume a natural lash can support and to pick up multiple lash extensions to create a perfect bouquet and placement of your fan, you might get some basic styling also but this is likely to be it.

Learning the art of creating a symmetrical fan and picking it up is so very difficult that you can’t teach other things in this day. This is why it is vital that you obtain all the valuable lashing skills prior to going on to volume so being able to: Style correctly - this is a huge subject in itself as it is not just about the eyes i.e close set/wide set, droopy outers, hooded lids, monolids, round eyes/almond eye, deep set eyes etc but also the face shape, brow shape, strength and length of the natural lash, curl of the natural lash, and clients will have multiple things going on to correct and balance. You could do the best set of volume fans but get the styling in correct and it can look awful and just draw your attention to the bad styling rather than the beautiful fan work.

Mixing curls - the wrong curl on somebody can look dreadful, also the art of mixing curls to get a seamless transition can be difficult, so master this at classics to make it easier when you go on to volume.

Stacking and capping - if you can’t do this with one extension you will not be able to do it with a volume fan!

Use of colour - knowing what colours to use and where to place colour to enhance the clients beautiful eye colour.

Impeccable placement, direction and uniformity - if you can’t do this at classic you will find it even more difficult with volume. With classic lashing you do have the ability to move the extension in place if it isn’t quite right by releasing your tweezer just before the adhesive has cured and push him in place you absolutely cannot do this with volume. You have to hold that volume fan in place for several seconds until the adhesive has cured and so if you haven’t quite placed him right you can not rectify this because if you let go of your fan before he is cured then he will close and be ruined!

This picture is another set of mine using the classic skill of capping.

Lashing in layers - being able to distinguish layers within the natural lashes and lash them with correct length and curl to create that perfect top line effect.

I created my classic set in D curl black lashes and then capped off the tips with 7-8mm in 0.07 in green lashes.

Lash mapping - you should be able to map out your styling on your pads before learning the art of volume.

Lash styles - be confident in creating different styles i.e, kitten, dolly, rounding, Kim K etc.

Again I think this is a beautiful set which was really fun to do and enhances her naturally stunning green eyes!

So if you are classic trained and thinking what is the next step then I would strongly suggest taking an advanced classic skill course whether this is in eye styling, skill building, advanced classic, workshops in advanced skills/styling.

Another great classic skill for adding texture, density and darkness is feathering.

This is where you use 3 different lengths per zone.

This photo is a feathered set I created which shows the density and fullness this technique creates.

Master all the classic skills first so you build those foundations to be the best technician possible. Think of it this way in order to build a long lasting durable house you need strong, solid and stable foundations, each layer is built on top of one another, your lashing career and skills have the same ethos, build those solid foundations and layers of knowledge and skills and you will succeed and develop to be an awesome lash technician.

Frankie Widdows www.eyelashexcellence.com Lashes | 15

Meet . . .

Manami Edwards The very talented Manami Edwards talks to Julie Knight from Lash-Ed magazine about her lash journey!

Tell me a bit about yourself I’m 32 and I was born in Japan. I met my husband through friends and we have now been married for 6 years. We live in London where I am based and I love it.

I studied English Literature in Japan but I could only speak a little English. I wanted to learn so I moved to England and enrolled in a Language school. I started working in a Sushi shop where I had to take telephone orders in English. I was terrified but this really helped me to learn and to become a lot more confident.

I took a Nail course and that was my first job in beauty. I started working as a nail tech in Selfridges in London in 2012. I worked at both of their branches but it was mainly in Bond Street. I was under pressure to talk to customers and I was a little nervous about my English. I asked my manager if I could do lashes as I had already learned to do them in Japan but hadn’t taken it any further. The thought of not having to talk as much to lash clients meant that I wouldn’t feel so pressured!

They sent me on one day course but it wasn’t great. The senior stylist I worked with coached me in Classic lashes and I learned and developed a lot more practical skills that way. I started looking for other courses where I could learn more.

I started offering a mobile service in 2014. I was seeing clients in the evenings and weekends on my days off. Even though I have a salon and a team, I still have mobile clients but I have told them that I’ll be stopping that next year! Building up my own client base was very tiring and I went part time at Selfridges before leaving altogether in 2015.

What made you start taking part in competitions?

My first competition was the Lash Battle in 2015. Hanna Putjato from London Lash Pro was the organisor. I did my first volume course with her and I may have been one of her 1st or early students! She saw the model I had been working on and she said

that I should compete in competitions. She messaged me when Lash Battle was launched and encouraged me to join up. I didn’t think I was ready. I didn’t know what it was or what to expect as there were no competitions in the UK then. I would not have competed if she hadn’t encouraged me!

I competed in both classic and volume nominations. It was so difficult, crazy. I was nervous. I won 1st place in the Classic nomination! I thought that I had won another as I was presented with another trophy but I was placed in the wrong category so it had to be returned. That’s why I decided to join the next competition - to get it back!

I travelled to Poland and competed in their 3-4D nomination where I was awarded 1st place and I placed 3rd in the 5-6D Volume nomination. I went back to the London Lash Battle in 2016 and took 1st place in the Nude Look and 3rd place in 3-4D Volume. I went on to compete in the Lash Games in 2016 at London’s Olympia and won 1st place in the 2-3D Volume. It was great to go back there this year and see 2 of my team win, especially as I had trained and coached them through their lash careers!

Chieko won 1st place in the Classic in the Novice category and 3rd place in 2D volume. Yuri won 3rd in the 2D volume Master category.

I’m so proud of them both!

What got you into training?

I never thought that I would be a trainer when I was doing the competitions. I was getting messages from loads of people asking me about training, especially from Japan. They wanted to know how to compete in Lash Competitions in Europe and whether I offered training. So that got me thinking that maybe I should become a trainer. I didn’t want to do it at first. I worry so much and have no confidence. I didn’t want to compete anymore and wanted to move on and to help others to grow and succeed like me and I just wanted to share my passion.

I met Loreta quite a few times when I was competing in international competitions. She was one of the Judges (naturally!) and I had chances to talk to her. She later invited me to train her Flawless brand in London and I was proud to accept the offer. I arranged to take the teacher training qualification and became a trainer in 2017 and when I train students, they earn Loreta’s Flawless certificate. I adore Loreta’s lashes as they make volume fans easily for me and Loreta seriously helps me anytime I need and she answers my questions quickly.

I train lots of Asian students who find me through Instagram and my website and I also have opportunities to see how other Flawless trainers work. The Flawless team went away to Somerset with Loreta and I was so pleased to have been awarded her ‘Flawless lashes by Loreta UK mentor of the year 2018’. Wow!

Congratulations Manami, you really have had an amazing journey. You have travelled around the world to Judge and that sounds rather glamourous! Tell us about it.

I met so many people from all around the world at the competitions I went to. There was one male lash tech in Lash Battle in 2016 who recommended me to the organiser of the International Eyelash Competition in Taipei, Taiwan in 2017. I was then invited to judge so there was someone there from Europe. I was so excited!

If I get and offer, I will go as every moment is a great new experience. I have to pay for all my travel costs and expenses but I make it a holiday and my mum came too. Sometimes the organisers pay for some of the hotel and that helps.

I was a Floor Judge at the Lash Battle this year in Glasgow and again for the UK Lash Social’s online competition.

I’m currently judging in Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam as I’m being interviewed!

It just started for me. Everything is new for me, even the speaking at the Lash Social.

Tell us about that Manami It was my first time speaking at a conference. Genevieve messaged me to ask if I would speak at her UK Lash Social. She wanted me to cover styling Asian eyes as she wanted it at her conference. She was asking me to talk about styling with L curls but I don’t use the L Curl as they have a strong impact on the eyes. I wasn’t sure I should do it in case it wasn’t something they wanted to hear. I just pushed myself though! Around 80% of my clients are Asian so I’m becoming better known for my particular way of styling. I’ll share more about why I don’t use L curls for Asian styling along with tips on how to style them in an article for the next edition of Lash-Ed! I felt so much pressure. Whilst I have judged, this was my first

time speaking in front of lots of people and I was very nervous and uncomfortable. I prepared by practicing in front of the mirror and in front of my husband using the remote control as a microphone!

I have been to many conferences and some of the greatest lash artists are not necessarily the best at speaking. From my experiences at them, I wanted to be engaging and make it fun for everyone so I needed to keep it simple. I prepared a PowerPoint presentation for it. I could have given so much more technical detail but as I was speaking for such a short period of time so I had to be careful to keep it simple. I have been invited to speak at a conference in Tokyo, Japan next year too and I am so excited by this. When I am in in the UK, I get asked a lot about Asian eye styling. In Japan, they want to know about styling European eyes and how to compete in competitions!

When did you set up your business Manami Lash?

I was renting space in a salon and I was just know by my name, Manani Edwards. I set up Manami Lash in 2016. It was just me and my salon is still in the same building but I have moved rooms maybe 6 times - each time for something bigger!

I grew Manami Lash by inviting students who I had trained to join me. I hand-picked people who were not only talented, but also shared my passion for great customer service. I now have a fantastic team of 5 Lash Stylists and I continue to coach and support them to develop their skills and knowledge.

Two have just entered their first competition. They both placed with one wining 1st place and the other winning 3rd place. Now the other members of my team are keen to take part too!

What top tips do you have to those entering competitions?

Join! Just sign up! Pay for it! Do it! A lot of people believe that they are not ready – even my team. I was like that too! But they really are ready. You just need to know what judges are looking for and focus on the category that you want to win. I told my junior Lash Stylist to just do it before her level of experience moves her into a harder category. She has just competed at Olympia and she placed! I feel so successful but they did practice and prepare very well and their knowledge and skills really improved. So I pushed them, a bit like Hanna pushing me! They took their own models that they liked to work with so it made them as comfortable as possible. If a junior’s work is clean and beautiful, she’ll get good points! I went along for the Award presentation and I was so proud of their success!

My next tip would be to do the work so the judges can’t take points off. Sometimes the work doesn’t look like ‘wow’ but if it’s clean, you can’t lose points!

You need a good model! I sometimes took my own models who I had practiced on as they were easier but I didn’t necessarily win all the time that way! My 1st Place in Poland was with a model that they had supplied for me.

Thanks for sharing your amazing lash journey Manami!

Read Manami’s tips on styling Asian eyes in the next edition of Lash-Ed! It's unmissable!

Patch Testing

By Jamie Butler, LASHBASE BIG CHANGE IS HERE.

Why do you patch test:

This article is a big deal for us here at LashBase. This is the biggest change in our guidelines since we started 10 years ago and it’s not a decision we have taken lightly.

- To test for allergies – 56% - Insurance purposes – 33% - It’s what I was taught – 8% - I don’t know – 3%

We need to start with a disclaimer. A note that explains a few things in boring but straightforward terms.

Disclaimer: This article is specifically about Lash Extension Patch Testing in the UK with LashBase products.

For Lash Lifting and Tinting, the process stays the same.

For Patch Testing requirements outside of the UK, please check with your governing body/insurers.

Safe and professional practice is of paramount importance. If in doubt, stick with what you were taught during your training courses. Always check with your insurance provider for requirements.

As you can see, it appears as though lash artists are not being taught ONE way to patch test or ONE reason why it’s important.

It changes from trainer to trainer, lash artist to lash artist.

Because of this, it’s got us all here at LashBase thinking. So we decided to look further into it. And once again, the results aren’t straightforward.

Now that’s out of the way. Let’s dive straight in…

I recently asked the question on my Instagram page (@LashBase_Jamie) “How do you patch test and why do you do it?”

I must admit, it was a bit of a loaded question, as I knew what the outcome would be. Here are the results:

How do you patch test: - Apply lashes to each eye – 35% - Apply lashes to one eye – 29% - Put a dab of lash adhesive behind ear or on arm – 18% - Do a mini set and use all products related to lashes – 14% - I don’t patch test – 4%

18 | Lashes

Applying a few lashes Vs Testing on the skin

. . lash adhesive should not touch the skin, ever I will start by saying that Cyanoacrylate is the main ingredient in lash adhesive and also the reason for most reactions. It is an irritant for your skin, eyeballs and respiratory functions. If you are using an EU regulated adhesive, it will state this fact, alongside a big diamond with an exclamation mark inside it, on the bottle or packaging. For this reason, lash adhesive should not touch the skin, ever. Testing on the skin is the old school method for patch testing and is not a clear indicator for showing if a reaction will occur or not. That being said, applying a few lashes also DOES NOT give a clear indication of whether or not a reaction will occur.

This is because of 2 reasons: 1. A patch test does not give full exposure in the same way a full set will.

2. Lash adhesive allergies are cumulative (they build up over time).

Here’s an interesting bit of information for you: It’s more likely for allergies, sensitivities and reactions to occur in clients that have been having lashes for 6 months or more than in first timers!

Now that you have read the patch test method comparison and it’s even more unclear, let’s go through why we do patch tests anyway…

Testing for allergies Vs Insurance requirements As stated, either method of patch testing will not give enough exposure to the eyes, lashes and respiratory functions in the same way that doing a full set would. This means that a small patch test will not accurately test for allergies and a reaction could still occur even if the patch test results are fine.

As I also mentioned, most of the time, reactions happen in clients that have been having lashes applied for a longer period of time.

This is because the sensitivity will build up each time the client is exposed to lash adhesive. It is unlikely (although it is possible) that a client will already have an allergy to Cyanoacrylate if they have not been exposed to it before.

NOTE: Nail Glue and Super Glue are Cyanoacrylate based.

What about the Insurance Companies? In short, the lash industry is relatively new. This means that insurers are learning and adjusting their policy wording on the go, much like us. Here’s what our research brought up through talking to lash artists regarding their experiences with different insurers: One insurer told the lash artist that they should “follow supplier guidelines”, so they contacted a lash supplier and asked for their guidelines and the supplier said: “follow your insurers’ guidelines”. It’s one big circle that doesn’t give us an answer either way.

Another insurer said that the lash artist had to patch test, but upon reading the terms and conditions, the only patch testing reference was in regards to tinting products and didn’t mention lash adhesive at all. Again, no clear answer.

A few other insurers allegedly stated to the lash artists that they do not need to patch test.

So, who’s right??

When it comes to insurance, unfortunately, you are at their mercy.

In other words, you must adhere to what they say/require as these are the guys you’ll need if a reaction does occur!

[For the purpose of this article, our information has been gathered via Facebook groups, messages and emails with various professionals within the industry including adhesive manufacturers].

A true patch test Let’s say that you are a fan of patch testing. Do you want to know what a true patch test really entails? A true patch test is testing every product that you plan to use on that specific client. Lashes, adhesive, eye pads, cleanser, primer, tape etc etc. And do you know the problem with a “true patch test”? It still wouldn’t give full exposure and even IF a reaction did occur, you’d then have to figure out which product it was that is causing the problem!

Patch test waiver forms How about if you don’t want to patch test? Do you get them to sign a form to say that they haven’t had a patch test but understand the risks involved? And if you do, have you ever heard someone say the line, “That isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”?

This common response to a patch test waiver form is completely unfounded. Of course, if you are unlucky enough to end up in court, it’s the lawyers’ job to fight for their client and pick holes in any documents or statements. But, answer this, what do you think is better:

1. Going to court with a letter that has your client's signature on, to confirm they knew about the dangers of lash extension reactions and openly turned down a patch test.

2. Going to court with nothing and fighting with your word against theirs?

I know which answer I’d pick.

So, why exactly am I telling you all this?

LASHBASE have changed their patch test guidelines OLD GUIDELINES: 1. You must patch test every client 24-48 hours prior to lash appointment by applying a few lashes to each eye.

NEW GUIDELINES: 1. You are not required to patch test lash extension clients.

2. The client must be fully informed of the potential risks involved with lash adhesive reactions. This must be documented and signed by the client and lash artist to confirm that they understand and are happy to go ahead. The client should also be offered the option for a patch test if they have any concerns.

3. You must follow your insurers’ guidelines.

Important: If your insurer says that you must follow the suppliers’ guidelines, revert to point 1.

If your insurer requires that a patch test take place, we recommend patch testing every client 24-48 hours prior to lash appointment by applying a few lashes to each eye.

So there you have it. Big changes here at LashBase. Please share this with any LashBase users and let us know your thoughts.

Please remember, if you are in any doubt, continue as you have been trained.

Which side are you on? #TeamPatchTest #TeamNoPatchTest

Want more? Here’s a little extra advice If someone is allergic to Cyanoacrylate, unfortunately, they won’t be able to have lash extensions done. That said most reactions/ sensitisations are due to the vapours/odours coming off the Cyanoacrylate adhesive. The moisture in the eye naturally attracts the vapours and can cause sensitisation. This is why it is very important to have air movement at the point of application.

Moving the vapours away from the client. Otherwise, vapours will fall back onto the face if not moved. They will fall particularly to the eye area due to the moisture. Also, less is more. Use the smallest amount of adhesive to create a bond. Any excess adhesive can cause sensitisation if it is not cured. As soon as the client opens their eyes if there is too much adhesive on the lash the vapours will be attracted to the moisture in the eyes and they can become sensitive. Always keep good air movement/ ventilation around the client and lash technician. Always ensure the client sits up before opening their eyes. Always ensure the least amount of adhesive is used. Excess adhesive can cause sensitisation. Select the correct adhesive.

To keep up to date with our patch test guidelines, please feel free to download our new Patch Test Consultation Forms from our website.

Jamie Butler Chief Marketing Officer, LASHBASE

www.lashbase.co.uk

Looking after our client's eyes

By Angelina Salacinski Looking after our client’s eyes and lashes is a Sanitising Your Tools priority. We see so much misinformation out there that sanitise the lash extensions . . we don’t really know

I think it’s important to teach students the correct way to clean lashes, protect the eyes and use the correct where they have been products.

One thing I always do is sanitise the lash extensions. We open our Prepping the Lashes For lash clients we should be cleaning their lashes before every full set and infill. It’s important to use a cleanser that has been especially designed for lashes.

I personally have sensitive skin so I always use LC Lash and Brow Cleanser which leaves my lashes clean without skin irritation, thanks to its SLS free formula. This ingredient, often listed as sodium lauryl sulphate, can be quite drying on the skin – something I have experienced with other lash cleansers and that’s why I use and recommend LC Lash and Brow Cleanser.

To work the cleanser thoroughly and gently into the lashes, a soft-bristled cleansing brush or a disposable lip wand is the best tool for the job.

If you are using a brush then it is good hygiene practice to keep one brush for each client – storing it in a bag labelled with the clients name once you have cleaned and sanitised it.

The next step, once the lashes are cleaned and dried, is to apply a barrier cream on the eyelids.

The skin on our eyelids is so delicate and thin that it needs protecting. Ellie Malmin has an amazing product that has been designed to protect the skin and to help prevent reactions from occurring. Lashologist Choice Barrier Cream should be applied before every single eye treatment to protect the area from irritating vapour molecules and inflammation. Apply the cream on the lids from the brows to the lash line and this will protect that delicate eye area.

Now you are ready to start lashing…

20 | Lashes

tray of lashes and we don’t really know where they have been or if they have been handled with gloved hands or not whilst they were being manufactured.

There are 2 products you can use to sanitise the lashes - Saloncide or a sanitising wand.

Saloncide is a liquid sanitiser that can be sprayed directly on the lashes and left to dry. It can also be sprayed directly on to the hands and used as a hand sanitiser. It has the same hazard rating as water so is perfectly safe.

I personally prefer to use my sanitising wand to sanitise the lashes which uses UV light to kill up to 99.99% of germs. You just turn the wand on and move it up and down the lashes a few times and then they are ready to use.

Our tweezers will have been sanitised already and I always like to wipe over them with an alcohol wipe just before starting to lash.

Now you are all ready to do your clients lashes…

Post-Treatment Hygiene Once you have finished doing your clients lashes, pat the area where you applied the barrier cream and do a post wash. Wait 5 minutes after applying the last lash and then clean the lashes again with cleanser. This will remove any vapour molecules that have gotten on the lashes and further reduce the risk of a possible reaction.

educate your clients on the importance of cleaning their lashes every day You need to educate your clients on the importance of cleaning their lashes every day at home. Lashes can get a build up of

Image courtesy of instagram.com/ glambycarly

make-up, oils, sweat and dead skin cells and these can sit between your lash extensions. This is why it’s so important that your clients clean their lashes every day. It will help prevent any infections and inflammations such as blepharitis.

Cleaning your lashes will actually improve the retention of your lashes so this is always a good bit of information to give to your clients!

include an aftercare kit in with your full sets . . . best to include the kit in the price of a full set You can include an aftercare kit in with your full sets and that way it will get your clients into the habit of cleaning their lashes from the beginning. It’s best to include the kit in the price of a full set.

If clients have to pay extra for a kit then they may not buy it. So even if you have to add an extra £3 or £4 on to a set or absorb the cost yourself then it’s going to be better for you in the long run if your clients are cleaning their lashes from the start.

Only sell products that have been especially designed for the job It’s important to stay professional and only sell products that have been especially designed for the job. I see a few techs that use baby shampoo or are advising their clients to use it.

Baby shampoo is not suited for safe use on the eye area. It is not designed for the lash cleaning process and can contain fragrances and other ingredients that can actually promote skin irritation.

You have a duty of care to your clients and should anything happen to your client’s eyes then your insurance may very well not cover you because you are not using the correct products.

Buying products designed specifically for the lash and eye area is the best way to ensure safety and results. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions of usage.

People in our industry have spent years researching, developing and testing so that we have the best products available.

By purchasing products that have the lash industry in mind, you are helping to support the brands who manufacture the products and the companies who sell them. Our industry thrives when we all support each other!

So educate your clients, support our industry and stay professional.

Happy lashing!

All products mentioned in the article are available from Lash Factor

Angelina Salacinski

Sourcing Products Always have retail products available for your clients to buy, encouraging them to look after their lashes at home and keep them in good condition. You can retail lash cleansers, cleaning brushes, foaming bottles, mascara brushes etc.

Lash Factor www.lashfactor.co.uk www.instagram.com/lashfactor

We also sell Sister Cloths. This is a pack of 2 cloths, one for the face and one for the eyes. They just require water and they will not snag on your lashes. Your clients will have no excuse for poor lash hygiene.

World Lash University 12th May 2019 Day conference Evening Awards, Dinner, Gala Amazing speakers, judges, sponsors & opportunity

www.worldlashuniversity.com

Meet . . .

Artistic Fur Ksenia, Elmars and Tatjana Artistic Fur Lash & Brow is a company based in in the Our future plans are huge. We want to continue to grow and heart of Scotland - Glasgow.

We work towards quality over the quantity. Currently we have a studio where we provide treatments, courses in lash artistry and a line of amazing hand sharpened tweezers.

Why did you organise the lash battle?

develop lash and brow industry in Scotland. Our goal is bring knowledge to local artists, inspire them to dream big and earn more. To be more focused on what's to come we would like to let you all know that we are preparing a lash conference in November 2019. For more info contact us at info@artisticfur.com

Ksenia Karnejenko (the CEO of Artistic Fur) decided to host Lash Battle in Scotland because she wanted to boost the lash industry and show local artists that it is not only about providing a client with a decent treatment but there is so much more to the industry.

There is definitely a room to grow and also a whole society of like minded people.

We are extremely thankful for the trust and opportunity that London Lash Pro has provided us with. Also a massive thank you to Hanna Pujato (the CEO of London lash Pro). Lash Battle is her creation and what she has done for the industry is awesome!

Ksenia said, '"As a participant and winner of many lash competitions myself, I know how scary it is to enter, but I am grateful that we had participants from all over the world who came to Glasgow to show off their talents.

1st Place Kim Grisson

If you're reading the paper copy of Lash-Ed, see ArtisticFur's YouTube video showing some of the highlights from the battle.

Lash Art - Galaxy Look winning entries 2nd Place Lesley Ann Altree

3rd Place Charlotte Deloch

Glasgow Lash Battle 2018 14th - 16th August 2018 Winners . . .

Classic Look

Dramatic Volume

Kim K Whispy look

Masters

Masters

1st - Simona Yordanova

1st - Velvet Tran

1st - Paulina Kozyra

2nd - Angelica Hermanson

2nd - Erika Balta

2nd - Anastasija Nikulina

3rd - Ludmila Lukasevica

3rd - Daniek Bosman

3rd - Santa Mysejkyte pictured below

Experts

Experts

1st - Arune Mooney 2nd - Angelica Hermansson

1st - Kristel Sammalkivi & Marina Litvinova

3rd pace - Pamela Chisholm

2nd - Josefina Foxman 3rd - Rozsa Balogh

2D Volume

Nude Look

Masters

Masters

1st - Paulina Zielinska

1st - Daniek Bosman

2nd - Anastasija Nikulina 3rd - Paulina Kozyra

Experts 1st - Airi Izumi

Experts

2nd - Edyta Nabit

1st - Arune Mooney

3rd - Angelica Hermansson & Frida Berndtsson

2nd - Airi Izumi 3rd - Szabina Sagi

Lash Art Galaxy look 1st - Kim Grisson 2nd - Lesley Ann Altree

3D-4D Volume

Lash Lift

Masters

Masters

1st - Anastasija Nikulina

1st - Agota Pasztor

2nd - Paulina Kozyra

2nd - Gintare Jackunaite

3rd - Chihiro Sahara

3rd - Daniek Bosman

Experts

Experts

1st - Arune Mooney

1st - Hilde de Haan

2nd - Airi Izumi

2nd - Rozsa Balogh

3rd - Szabina Sagi

3rd - Kristina Bagrova

3rd - Deloch Charlotte

Lash Artist of the year Overall Winner - Szabina Sagi

Behind the scenes at Lash Battle

By Julie Knight, Editor Glasgow set the scene for the infamous Lash Battle - the biggest lash extensions competition in the UK that took place over 3 days in August.

Since this annual event started, it’s been held in London and brought to us by the amazing Hanna Putjato from London Lash Pro. This year’s event was hosted by Ksenia Karnejenko and Elmars Tiltins from Artistic Fur. I got in touch and asked if they’d allow me to sneak behind the scenes to see what goes on.

I got more than I bargained for…..

It’s day 2 of the event and I arrived at the Hotel and presented myself at Lash Battle’s reception desk. A very helpful lady went to find Ksenia or Elmars. Considering that they’re running the show and very busy, I’m warmly welcomed by Elmars and shown around. First the Judges room that’s lying in wait for the outcome of the 4 hour long dramatic volume category that’s underway! Not a judge in sight as there’s another 3 hours until they’re needed. That was a missed opportunity to stalk an idol for sure. I’m shown the competition room and invited to sit in. I see 2 familiar faces who are floor judges and move in for a hug with Manami Edwards and Bryony Archer. I then get to meet and say hi to Daisy Wolf who’s oh so super friendly too!

So the dramatic volume nomination has been underway for an hour.

With 3 to go, I’m secretly praising the patience of the models. Yes, they’ll be wearing competition standard lashes that are awesome, but those 4 hours is only one part of their task. The second is the judging process. With a queue to see each of the judges, it’s not a quick procedure - as you can imagine.

I scan the room and count 23 participants, all looking seriously focused! I recognised last year’s Lash Artist of the Year, Marina Litvinova and several others - not because I’ve met them before but feel I know them through Social Media!

I’m always fascinated by how others work as I’m always up for giving new things a go or trying to tweak how I work. There were lots of different ways of working on show! Given that they were not their own treatment rooms, they were making the best of what was offered and some of their ingenuity was marvellous. I smiled at the home made lash holder – a piece of paper arched over a lash case that was stuffed inside to pack it out! I saw a peanut brittle box giving height to a lash pallet so much closer to the lasher. It took me right back to Amsterdam in 2016! My one and only attempt at participating in a live competition where I used my daughters perfectly sized owl lunchbox to rest my lash tile on at the side of my models head!

Shame that both of my isolating tweezers were damaged during the plane journey as they had to be checked into the hold rather than ‘carry on’. Understandable as they are pointy and could cause injury!

Despite being capped and wrapped in plastic tubes packed with foam buffers, I couldn’t work out how the tips had been totally trashed!

I dread to think what the baggage handlers did to my case! How I placed in the top 10 will forever be a mystery - anyway . . .

I really expected to see a lot of different fan making techniques! I offer my students 16 different ways to make their fans. I saw far more artists using technique #16 (the base pinching technique) followed by #6 - fanning on the strip by rolling the bases with the tweezer tips.

Many seemed to be working systematically from position to position on each eye and a few others were doing the lash to (neighbouring) lash technique. It was great to see. I was surprised to see that about 30% had not mapped their work on their pads (or lids) and they were not working lash to lash to be sure of their transition points either. I really wanted to see the difference between the mapped and unmapped models – oh, my curiosity!

After an hour, I step out for a wander round. I bumped into Judges Helga Halapi and Dominique Graupner who were chatting away and were incredibly friendly. I invited them to write for the magazine was had to contain my joy when they said they were happy to do so!

I was approached by Elmars who explained that they needed another model for the Classic nomination and asked if I could help out. I have to admit that I wasn’t keen! Whilst I love wearing lashes, I don’t like having them done as I’m so impatient! I had offered to help if in return for being allowed behind the scenes so I duly stepped up.

Darja removed my volume lashes that were 3 days away from being infilled in what had to be the gentlest experience ever (Thanks Darja).

I then waited with two other models whose average age I guessed around 18-19. They were makeup free and stunning! They had even features and neat looking lashes. If I was competing, I’d have been overjoyed with one of them as a model rather than someone like me!

I was more than twice their age with the onset of hooded lids - still wearing my lower lash line makeup that looked decidedly odd without my extensions!

On meeting my lasher contestant, she did not seem happy to see me at all! I wasn’t sure if it was her nerves or the sight of me!

Probably the latter! Personally, I’d have preferred one of the younger models if I was her. Having a model provided for you is always a risk.

Those who can afford it tend to bring their own but it’s expensive if you have to travel some distance. A savvy competitor can opt to bring their own model who is attractive, has even features, almond shaped eyes, neat but more sparse lashes and of course, having had the experience of working with them before and having tested different styles and the lengths, thickness and curls and perhaps colour to create them.

My lasher and I couldn’t communicate well as her English wasn’t great and I could only wish to say ‘sorry you got me’, ‘sorry about the

the makeup - I didn’t expect to model today’ and ‘thanks in advance for the lashes’ in her language. She handed me some lash shampoo and I was invited to remove my makeup. The first test was how effective lash shampoo was at taking off (non-waterproof) mascara and eyeliner . Or perhaps the test was my ability to use it in the crowded ladies loo with toilet paper. It wasn’t very effective. My eyes became a little red from the rubbing and she had to spend her 15 minute preparation time ‘scrubbing’ them. I can honestly say that that was not a pleasant experience. . .

was congratulated and the fact that there were no stickies earned 3 hearts drawn on the marking sheet!

And so it begins. Anyone who knows me - knows that the only time I lay down for any length of time is when I’m asleep or on a Sun Longer whilst on holiday abroad! I had 2hrs and 45 minutes of enforced rest that I knew would be torture. I wished that I had downloaded music or an audio book on my new iPhone and had my headphones with me.

I willed the countdown announcements to speed up (probably the opposite of what competitors wish for!) – ‘2 hours left’, ‘1 hour left’, ‘30 minutes’ – heck, that was a long 30 minutes!

I soon found my lasher. She read the feedback and seemed rather disappointed. I wished that there was more I could have done to help.

Deprived of one of my five senses, I tried to visualize what she was doing. I could feel my fleshy lids being taped up (understandably!), and she started lashing. She worked eye to eye from position to position for what seemed like an eternity. I tried to count the placements and lost track as my mind wandered. I thought about the stress that she would be under and how I needed to stay perfectly still to be as helpful as possible. I was really aware that I was the exhibit of her artistry. I heard a professional camera shutter clicking and it got louder and I assumed closer. I wondered if that was as noticeable to the contestant as it was for me. I heard footsteps passing and assumed the Floor Judges were hard at work – Manami, Bryony or Daisy.

I slipped back into the competition room and found the 2 hour Lash Lift competition well underway. It was interesting to watch don’t do them though I’m now thinking of booking in for some training! I thought it would just be lash lifting but there was some tinting going on too.

Manami was still Floor Judging and I felt for her as it seemed such a long day for them! We arranged to have dinner later and I headed off to beg the organisers to find a way for me to model the following day in the 3-4D Volume nomination! I was feeling rather conscious of my nakedness to say the least!

An hour in and my back started screaming at me. I longed to be on my own couch with its super soft memory foam topper! As the time counted down, I was relieved yet excited to have fresh lashes done by an expert whose work was competition standard. She indicated for me lay still a little longer for pictures though I couldn’t wait to get up but wasn’t sure that I could! I was so excited to see the result!

Competitors were asked to complete a section on the front of their judging sheet to advise the judges about the lengths, thickness and curls they used. These are then to be handed to their model to take into the judging room. I read what she had just completed. Until now, she didn’t know that I was a fellow lash stylist (or a trainer and magazine editor for that matter). I saw 0.05, 0.07, 0.10 thicknesses noted with the longest lengths being 9mm. I pictured the look as being ultra-natural – almost nude and very different to my 3-4D, 0.06mm with lengths up to 11mm to hide my developing hoods! Deprived of a mirror, I asked to see her photos. I found myself looking at someone I hadn’t seen for 8 years - it was quite a shock! She must have seen the look on my face as my poker one let me down. I felt very naked and instantly thought that my lash lady was going to throttle me as I’d be needing a new set rather than Infilling the classics and working from there – oops – more time and expense. . .

I was escorted to the judging room and the lashes were soon under scrutiny by 6 judges. Each focused on some specific criteria. These included the overall look, direction (open and closed), symmetry (open and closed), suitable lengths, thicknesses, curls, distance from the lid, inner and outer corner, overage, clean use of adhesive, attachment and stickies.

I have seen loads of behind the scenes videos in judging rooms on Social Media. Some say to be smiley and nice to the judges as they see one model after another, after another, after another - so a nice model may affect their mood (and perhaps the marks?!) So I duly ‘beamed’ up to them all and then examined their notes on the judging sheet with interest afterwards. In addition to the points, there were a few informative comments. They noted the chemical burn on my eyes, that perhaps their length could have been 2mm longer and to focus on placing at equal distances to the lash line. Their clean work

The judging rotation was really slick with models moving from couch to couch in an orderly fashion. Finally, I had my full face picture taken and I was handed a copy of the judging sheet to pass on to the contestant. That way, they had an early indication of how they had performed. I did wonder if the high scorers had a bit of a clue that they would probably be on the podium at that point!

By now, this modelling experience had taken around 4.5 hours. It’s no surprise that I’m giving competition models a big shout out to say that these competitions are only possible with your patience and support!

Organisers and competitors have a lot to thank you for! You’re unsung heroes for sure!

I was soon introduced to Velvet who had travelled from Canada to compete. She had already participated in other entries but wanted to enter the 3-4D Volume nomination and didn’t have a model. She was so delighted that I had offered to model (and yes - she was in front of me and could see what she had to work with!!). She repeatedly said how grateful she was. Our day was to start a little earlier as she had to remove my Classics! I was delighted at the prospect of having my volume back but dreaded the 3.5 hour treatment time on top of the removal, prep and time so another 1.5 hours then judging – another hour so 6 hours in all!

This time, the wait was a longer for judging as there was 7 to see. They certainly loved my right eye! My lasher was congratulated for clean work and direction. I shared her judging sheet with her and thanked her profusely for my lashes! Whilst they were a little shorter than I was used to, they were pristine and looked full and lovely for 4 weeks!

Amazing! She just missed the podium as she earned 4th place.

Congratulations Velvet - I wasn't easy to work on!

I went to see what was happening in the Nude nomination where several chaps were being lashed! I was looking forward to the finished results so I hung around for the judging! I have to say, some of those guys were wearing their lashes well!

Sadly, I was unable to stay for the award ceremony as I had a plane to catch. Given that it was delayed for more than 3 hours, I probably could have stayed for it! Having said that, I would like to say a big thank you to those who streamed the ceremony as I would have been rather bored in the departure lounge otherwise!

You never know, I might brave it next year . . . I do prefer to be in the lashing seat rather than the one being lashed!

I really enjoyed my behind the scenes snoop at the Lash Battle and would like to thank both Ksenia and Elmars for honouring my nosiness and congratulate them for creating and hosting a great event!

Happy lashing!

Julie Knight x Lashes | 25

Now for some sensational Oscar winning performances!

The 2nd Edition of the Oscars Online Lash Competition was brought to you by Marta Wiatr from Glam Lashes UK. Marta was awarded 'Best Online Lash Contest' as part of the Lash Industry Inspirational Person Awards from Lash Inc magazine. Congratulations Marta, An amazing achievement!

Classic Look Master

Mega Volume Master

Lash Lift Junior

1st place Klaudia Wazna

1st place Paulina Kozyra

1st place Malgorzata Hardek

2nd place Petra Schreiber

2nd place Maja Kiszka

2nd place Melissa Bruno

3rd place Maja Kiszka

3rd place Katarzyna Anderson

3rd place Klaudia Wazna

Classic Look Expert

Mega Volume Expert

Lash Lift Master

1st place Janni Frederiksen

1st place Danuta Bialek

1st place Olga Kloc

2nd place Joanna Piechaczyk

2nd place Hina Hsieh

2nd place Lucie Kadlecova

3rd place Emma Lund

3rd place Fejes Adrienn

3rd place Petra Schreiber

2D - 3D Volume Junior

Nude Look Master

Lash Lift Expert

1st place Ilse Koetsier

1st place Ilona Knap

1st place Sanne Gilbers

2nd place Yulia Korchahina

2nd place Sandra Yip

2nd place Sarah Johnson

3rd place Santa Ayub

3rd place Maja Kiszka

3rd place Sarah Johnson

2D - 3D Volume Master

Nude Look Expert

1st place Anastasija Nikulina

1st place Diana Prangli

2nd place Agota Pasztor

2nd place Jennifer Longstaf

3rd place Sárka Hunešová

3rd place Roberta Girdzeviciute

2D - 3D Volume Expert

Fantasy-Lash Art Master

Maja Kiszka

1st place Sanne Gilbers

1st place Meri Antonic

with 5124 points

2nd place Simona Bruno

2nd place Maja Kiszka

3rd place Janni Frederiksen

3rd place Ilona Knap

Mega Volume Junior

Fantasy-Lash Art Expert

3 entry levels depending on experience:

1st place Tran Phuong Anh

1st place Eenink Romanenkova

Junior (up to 1 year)

2nd place Malgorzata Hardek

2nd place Sonja Bogesch

Master (1-3 years)

3rd place Lissa Araujo

3rd place Tarryn Gill

Expert (over 3 years or trainer)

World Lash Artist Online 2018

We’ve finished the 2nd Edition of the Oscars Online Lash Competition with an amazing number of entries. There was 284 that topped last years 165. Wow! We had so many stunning, beautiful, colourful, creative work. Our amazing team of judges had loads of work to do this year and I’m so thankful to have best of best. Thank you to all our judges from all over the word and our sponsors. Without you, we won’t be able

to make this happen. Congratulations to all participants and of course all winners.

Looking forward to 3rd Edition of Oscars Online Lash Competition and hope to see as many entries in 2019!

All the best from Marta

Wiatr XX

Glam Lashes UK www.glam-lashesuk.com

2 - 3D Volume Expert

Nude Look Master

Mega Volume Expert

Lash Lift Junior

2nd - Simona Bruno

3rd - Maja Kiszka

3rd - Fejes Adrienn

2nd Melissa Bruno

Classic Look Expert

Classic Look Master

Lash Lift Expert

Mega Volume Master

3rd - Emma Lund

3rd - Maja Kiszka

2nd - Sarah Johnson

3rd - Katarzyna Anderson

Nude Look Expert

Mega Volume Master

Mega Volume Expert

Nude Look Expert

2nd - Jennifer Longstaff

2nd - Maja Kiszka

2nd - Hina Hsieh

3rd - Roberta Girdzeviciute

Fantasy - Expert

Fantasy - Master

Fantasy - Expert

Fantasy - Master

2nd place Sonja Bogesch

2nd - Maja Kiszka

3rd - Tarryn Gill

3rd - Ilona Knap

Classic Look Master

2D - 3D Volume Expert

1st place Klaudia Wazna

1st place Sanne Gilbers

Classic Look Expert

Mega Volume Junior

1st place Janni Frederiksen

1st place Tran Phuong Anh

2D - 3D Volume Junior

Mega Volume Master

1st place Ilse Koetsier

1st place Paulina Kozyra

2D - 3D Volume Master

Mega Volume Expert

1st place Anastasija Nikulina

1st place Danuta Bialek

Nude Look Master

Lash Lift Expert

1st place Ilona Knap

1st place Sanne Gilbers

Nude Look Expert

Fantasy-Lash Art Master

1st place Diana Prangli

1st place Meri Antonic

Lash Lift Junior

Fantasy-Lash Art Expert

1st place Malgorzata Hardek

1st place Eenink Romanenkova

Lash Lift Master 1st place Olga Kloc

1st place Oscars 2018 winners

Strictly . . .

Eliza Tyminska-Holmes Eliza Tyminska-Holmes is the organiser of two editions of Strictly Come Lashes, an Eyelash Extensions and Lash Lift Championship in the U.K.

She is the owner of a Salon and Training Centre in the U.K. called Prestige Lashes and hosts many international trainers. She has developed her high quality branded eyelash products and online shop called Lash Vault.

She’s a passionate Lash Master and Lash Artist, speaker and Judge on many top International Eyelash Championships and Conferences.

Of the competition, Eliza said,

An International Lash Educator, she has been in the eyelash industry since 2008, actively performing eyelash applications.

‘Compete your hardest.

Dream your biggest.

Be your greatest!’

Meet the very talented . . .

Meri Antonić

By Julie Knight, Editor

From Body Building Champion to Lash Champion!

Meri is Croatian born and raised. Born and living in Sisak, a city in central Croatia in 1976, she's looking truly fabulous in her 40's. Her partner is called Goran who's 15 years her junior and she lives with her Pug called Suki and 4 cats!

Before starting her lash career, Meri was an award winning professional body builder winning silver in the 2012 national championship in Croatia and bronze in the body fitness category in 2013.

Meri has been lashing for 3 years. She's also a Phibrows artist and has been doing microblading for 3 years too. She said, 'my skills are brushed by my lovely master and my best friend in the whole world - Melita Ljubičić who's also from Croatia'.

Meri has a huge passion for lash art and she has deservedly won a few lash art competitions! She said, 'I love working on fantasy lash pieces and recently won first prize in the Lash Oscars competition with my Phoenix creation and second place in the Mylash Emporium Championship with my Mystique from X-Men'. As you can see from the photos, she's a worthy winner for sure!

I asked what inspired her Phoenix creation. She said, 'because I love Harry Potter and fell in love with Dumbledore's bird the Phoenix'.

She's now a lash trainer for Leanne Harber's Ultimate Lash and she looks forward to teaching others the skill of lashing.

I'm excited that Meri has agreed to be a judge in the World Lash University online competition! Got a feeling that it'll be the Fantasy category somehow! Be inspired by her success and take part at www.worldlashuniversity.com

Theses lashes for Mystique took six hours to create.

They are double layered with black in C curl and blue in D curl.

The crystals and holographic gliitter used for decoration were bought from an art shop!

Photo above: 3rd place in 2013

Commercial Lash Technician verses Lash Artist

By Shareen Nesbeth Every artist was once an amateur . . .

- Client’s lashes are no longer theirs – they are the Lash Artists lashes.

What’s the difference?

- A Lash Artist will care for the health of your natural lashes and ensure that no damage or trauma will be caused.

A Lash Technician is more aimed at high street salons most probably skilled in other beauty treatments such as waxing and massage. They typical don’t focus on doing lashes day in and day out due to the other salon treatments they offer. A technician offers lash services such as express lashes, cluster lashes and more advanced treatments such as classic and volume, but this may not be something that they solely specialise in and the therapist may just focus on mere application.

In contrast, a Lash Artist focuses on the artistry of lashing. This is not only their love and passion it’s their life! An artist thinks creatively with design and the approach to lashing as an art. A Lash Artist will provide the best service and give their clients skill, creativity, experience, knowledge, time, great products and quality of work this all comes at a price.

Why should clients research and choose a good Lash Artist?

- Lash Artists are HIGHLY qualified, skilled and have an obsessive passion, so if their Lash Artist doesn't 'eat, breathe, sleep, dream’ lashes all day then they need to ditch them!

- A Lash Artist will expand their knowledge by ongoing training and educating their clients.

- A Lash Artist takes time to analyse their clients natural lashes and determine what and why the chosen length, thickness and desired look is suitable for them and their lashes.

- A Lash Artist will encourage the use of good aftercare and hygiene for their lashes.

- A Lash Artist will ensure you leave with beautiful lashes.

Why should you encourage clients to research and choose a good Lash Artist?

If you do all of these things, it’s you they’ll be going to anyway and they will have a greater awareness of all the effort and passion that goes into creating a beautiful set of lashes!

Shareen Nesbeth Award winning Master Lash Artist and Trainer London Lash Pro Trainer instagram.com/shareen_lashartist Editors note: Congratulations to Shareen on winning Strictly Come Lashes Championship 2018 Live Lash Art nomination with this amazing masterpiece!

A deserving winner for sure!

Julie Knight x

Prepare for Amazing Retention!

By Kim Helgesen-Fuentes Hello, I'm Kim Helgesen-Fuentes, founder, owner/operator of Estilo Lash Inc. I have worked in the beauty industry for half a decade now. Before starting my home business, I was working as a medic in the gas and oil industry up in Northern Canada. This work was okay but it kept me away from my family. I felt like I was missing something.

I’ve always enjoyed making people feel beautiful and special and have always appreciated creating beautiful things.

My first experience with eyelash extensions left me feeling so excited!

It wasn’t long before I turned my excitement into action and my passion for people and beauty became my home business in 2012. I fell in love with eyelash artistry. I was happy and busy running my own business and having my own space and clientele. I began to advertise more extensively and soon found that people were starting to ask for my advice and training. It was at this point I decided to become an accredited trainer and to start my own brand of products and line called Estilo Lash Inc. My goal is to help people improve their skills and become amazing lash technicians. I think it's of the utmost importance for one to love what you do.

I would like to talk about lash prep and what way I choose to do so and have nothing short but amazing retention with 90% of my clients.

You are going to want to have your client’s natural lashes completely clean and free from any oils or residue for there to be a good bond to form with the extension. The active ingredient in the eyelash extension adhesive is a substance that cures/polymerizes when it meets water or alcohol. When you prep the natural lash, you should make sure that the lash is not completely dry. The lash adhesive will work better if you have some moisture present to allow it to cure properly. Some of the ways you can prep your client’s lashes at the very 1st appointment and during fills is: Protein remover / Primer: Protein remover pads are useful and will come in boxes as a thin wet cloth for a one time disposable use. Primers will come in a spray, liquid and gel form They often contain a small amount of alcohol as well, which will help to rid of any bacteria that may be present. They are a great product for use before lash application. Depending on how oily your client is you may want to prime the natural lashes before application. Keep in mind this will strip the lash of moisture and saline maybe the better option for your adhesive to have a better bond with the natural lashes.

Saline: Saline has always been thought of as a relatively cheap and an effective way to prep and clean the lashes. It was said to help prevent and slow bacteria growth while leaving enough moisture for a good bond, keep in mind that some saline can cause a buildup of salts on the lashes if not properly rinsed and result in having poor retention due to a weaker bond. Saline is now being recognized in not having an effect at all on being a good candidate for lash prep.

Hot water: Distilled hot water was also thought of a great way to help to open the cuticle of the lash which in turn will help the adhesive to adhere to the natural lash. Be aware that your water is not too hot so you are not burning your client’s skin. Use an applicator or a microbrush to apply the hot water to the lash prior to application. It has also been found to not have as good of an effect as we all once thought so before.

Foaming cleanser: An oil free foaming cleanser can be used to remove any trace of makeup that is left on the lashes prior to application. You can apply a small amount of cleanser to the lashes and work it in with an applicator, micro-brush, or a soft makeup brush. It is important that the lashes are thoroughly cleaned afterwards with rinsing the foaming cleanser off before lash application.

What do you do at the end of the procedure? When I started my lash career I was trained to only have the clients wait up to 5 minutes with their eyes still closed and then have them open the eyes. Yes, I know now and I’m totally not down with this form of practice on how to end the session and have your clients feel the utmost discomfort when we want our clients to feel absolute comfort.

I then learned about the use of a Nanomister and how very fine particles of water vapors can help to cure the lashes at the end of the service.

It also provides an additional sense of soothing comfort by helping to reduce the fumes that can cause irritation and allergic reactions. It seemed to be a good choice and most clients enjoy it.

Now let’s fast forward a few years. What I have started to do for over just about 2 years is a lash wash at the beginning of the service prior to application and then wait about 5 mins after application and do a post cleansing wash at the end of the service with the same lash foaming cleanser. This will ensure that you are fully curing the adhesive before your clients have left your shop, spa or studio. It will cut back if not stop all remaining lingering fumes to prevent further irritation, while helping to remove the fume molecules that may have settled on your clients eyelids during application.

Also at this point it is a good way how to start training your clients and teaching them the importance of lash health and cleanliness (more so for now clients) and this by far has been the best process that I have used in my career as a lash artist. I have clients come back every 2-5 week with 40-60% of lashes still on.

I hope that this little tip can help you all in your lash careers and help you to continue to grow as artists.

Much love Kim x

Kim Helgesen-Fuentes Founder/lead training director of Estilo Lash Inc. www.estilolash.com

Lashes |35

Winter's Coming . . .

ByJamie Butler Hey everyone, Jamie here, head of marketing for one of the UK's largest lash brands, LashBase.

that your lashes may fall out faster than usual, resulting in lashes not lasting as long and also the need for a shorter time between infills.

My job is to educate and entertain as many lash artists as possible and help spread awareness for various issues facing the lash world.

explain this to your clients . . manage expectations

My article in this edition is all about the changes that are coming to the weather and what you can do to be prepared. I want to make sure that you don't get caught off guard by the sudden dips in temperature in a similar way to how hundreds of you got caught by the scorching temperatures of summer. Basically, I'm going to tell you how to keep control of your adhesive and maximise retention.

Firstly, I'd like to explain, in the most basic terms, how your lash adhesive works.

Lash Adhesive has one main ingredient.

It is the same main ingredient in ALL lash adhesives. Cyanoacrylate. To make Cyanoacrylate set/go off/cure, you need moisture. So when temperatures and humidities change, so does the behaviour of our adhesive.

Higher humidity means more moisture in the air and lower humidity means the air will be more dry.

Now that I have very briefly explained lash adhesive, here's a list of potential issues and what you can do to be prepared and make sure the colder seasons don't cause any problems for you or your clients:

The Autumn Lash Shed!

Yep. You heard me. The autumn lash shed.

Twice a year, Autumn and Spring, our bodies react to the changing seasons. Our bodies decide it’s time to shed our hair (including our lashes) faster than usual to adjust to the new temperatures and/or lack of sun. Unfortunately, this means

Don’t worry though, this will only last for one or two lash cycles and you and your clients will be back to normal before you know it! My advice is to explain this to your clients before each appointment. This will manage expectations and also provide a reason for infills to be booked sooner than they are used to.

Temperature I'm writing this in August, it's sunny and warm, but I am sure by the time you are reading this it's probably about 9°c and raining.

The fact that Summer has gone is bad enough but don't let the cold temperatures affect your work!

Adhesive cures at their best speed between 20-24°c (may vary between brands) so any lower and your adhesive will set slower than you'd expect.

The easiest work around is to turn up your heating. Make sure your room is up to temperature before the first client arrives so that your adhesive has time to settle.

Alternatively, you will need to use less adhesive and work slower than normal!

Humidity When we talk about Humidity in lash terms, we actually mean “Relative Humidity”.

Here is the definition of RH: In simple terms, how full the air is of moisture.

Did you know that hot air can hold more water vapour/moisture than cold air? This is why it’s likely that when your temperature lowers, the relative humidity % increases.

Now that I’ve briefly explained RH, here’s how it affects lash adhesive…

Too low in relative humidity will slow everything down and your adhesives will take longer to cure which can also lead to sensitisation Too low in relative humidity will slow everything down and your adhesives will take longer to cure which can also lead to sensitisation as the vapours are looking for moisture and are naturally attracted to the moisture around the eyes and nose.

Here’s a controversial one for you… no such thing as a lash adhesive that works in a wide range of humidities!

There is no such thing as a lash adhesive that works in a wide range of humidities! Don’t fall for any marketing that suggests otherwise!

Basically, you are more likely to have reaction like symptoms in low humidity. To increase humidity you can either get a humidifer or even boil a kettle. Anything that adds moisture to the air will help.

The other potential issue to consider is how you store your adhesive in the colder temperatures. As explained, lash adhesive is very fussy and loves to be in 20-24°c heat and 40-60% RH. This also goes for when you store it.

Before an adhesive is opened, it can actually be stored in a fridge Before an adhesive is opened, it can actually be stored in a fridge. It's worth noting that it must be brought up to room temperature before using though. Once it is opened, you need to keep your adhesive somewhere between those stated conditions. Avoid leaving it in your car over night, in a conservatory or in direct sunlight. Store your adhesive in an air tight container, away from sunlight and at room temperature.

And that's it! It's as straightforward as that!

If you want to sail through the Autumn and Winter seasons with little to no retention issues then you must do the following 3 things:

1. Control your environment If humidity is too high it can cause shock polymerisation of the adhesive. This ‘shock’ polymerisation can lead to a shrinking process of the adhesive layer and weaker bonds. basically, poor retention. To lower humidity you can either use a dehumidifer, air conditioning or increase ventilation in your room.

The ideal RH for life, in general, is 40-60%. Any higher or lower means better conditions for bacteria and nasty stuff to grow.

This goes the same for lashing and your own comfort.

Adhesive Adhesive is the reason for poor retention eight times out of ten. And out of those eight times, all eight are usually down to user error and nothing to do with the adhesive itself.

If you can get your environmental conditions correct, then your adhesive will work as normal. If anything is off, your adhesive will work differently. So your 2 options are to either

2. Store your adhesive correctly 3. Educate your client Before I finish, I'd like to give a special shout out to @alwaysbonitabeauty (Instagram) for the topic recommendation. I asked for some help on my Instagram page and she came up with the idea.

Thank you!

If you found this interesting or want some help with your lash business. find me on Instagram.

I'd be happy to give some advice and guidance - @LashBase_Jamie Thanks for reading and I'll see you in Issue 4.

1. change your technique or

Jamie Butler LASHBASE

2. change your environmental conditions

Chief Marketing Officer

The latter is my preference. Oh and the golden rule;

www.lashbase.co.uk

Shake your adhesive

Tel: 02392 251425

Lashes | 37

Are there rules about applying makeup with lash extensions?

By Julie Knight, Editor

Many years ago, the do’s and don’ts around makeup application on or near the extensions was very varied and with good reason. We didn’t know what we didn’t know and we are brave enough to admit this now!

Thankfully, we now operate in a ‘knowledge thirsty’ industry, seeking out good practice based on evidence, rather than relying on well-intentioned guess work or myths because ‘it’s always been that way!’

When it comes to makeup and lashes, I do have some golden rules that are designed in the lashes best interests!

I often remind clients that I have reversed their makeup routine.

Most ‘dress’ their lashes last because it hides what we’ve dropped or got caught on them! Concealer, Foundation, Power and Eyeshadow! So everything - but lipstick (hopefully!)

Mascara Verses Extensions Complementary or archenemies?!

Way back when we all thought it was okay to apply mega thick extensions (having been taught that this was okay!), many lash techs were retailing ‘so-say’ extension friendly mascaras to their clients. I know, I was one of them! I thought that if my clients were going to do it, I’d rather that they were using a water soluble one that had a better chance of being removed with an oil free make up remover.

Having said that, I repeatedly saw the devastation on their lash lines as a consequence. Mascara wearers were returning for 3 weekly infills with very few extensions left and those still holding on, were far from pretty! All those beautiful tapered tips were lost - replaced with chunky sausage looking articles that were now the same width from root to the tip!

Despite advising clients to only coat the tips, we clearly had different opinions on where the tip actually was! I didn’t want them applying it from root to tip as it would clog the gap between the lash line and the base of the extension, therefore making it hard to clean. I remember tweezing out clumps of mascara from between the lash hair follicles along with a number of extensions that would just slide away with them! No need for debonder!

Fast forward to 2012. A breakthrough year for me. I studied and prepared to teach others how to ‘lash’. This was when I started to question everything I had been taught during several lash courses to that point. I immediately changed my advice to clients based on what I was repeatedly seeing and learning through experience.

Coupled with advice from friends or clients who were experts in the medical profession who were better qualified to advise about lash health and hygiene - my clients were strictly advised never to wear mascara on their extensions. So I sought to raise their awareness on many points and it wasn't easy! I covered it in these three points.

Firstly, if they’re having extensions, they shouldn’t need it. If they want something that’s far more glamorous than nature would allow me safely create, then I’d give them directions to the nearest shop that sold false strip lashes - my local Boots the Chemist. Perhaps I should have retailed them too as they did well out of me!

Secondly, mascara adds weight that could overload the lash line.

If we have considered what the natural lashes can safely wear without overloading, a coat or three of mascara can be the added weight that now stresses the follicles.

I had several clients who vowed that they had not used mascara on them yet their lash line was full of something suspiciously like it – but not the tips? By deduction, we worked out that they were wearing old mascara on their lower lash line that was flaky. Their repetitive blinking was getting those flakes caught up in the lash layers along the upper lid! I now advise clients that they need fresh bottles that haven’t aged as it’s not Whisky. The moment it starts clumping, it’s time for a new one – for the sake of their extensions as after all, they pay a lot more for those!

Thirdly, despite anyone’s best efforts, mascara can’t be removed easily from the extensions without traumatising them, especially those once fluffy and all delicate volume fans that are now clumpy chunks! More concerning is that some clients know this and won’t even try to clean it off. Many think it's the lash techs job and are advised accordingly! I certainly wouldn't go for intimate wax treatment without showering just before or visit my dentist having just enjoyed my favorite curry with out a good clean first!

Mascara that is not removed or removed effectively offers a rich breeding ground for bacteria that can lead to infections.

It’s been said many times that lash extension wearers are more prone to infections. Whilst this may be true, I disagree that lash extensions cause infections. It is poor cleanliness and / or poor advice on such.

Ultimately, if clients are reaching for their mascara, it’s a sign that they are either not happy with the style (be it density or length in certain places) or they simply need more regular infills!

If my lovelies insist or persist on ‘hitting the bottle’, I advise that I can no longer treat them as I am acting in the best interests of their lashes for these reasons.

There are lash artists offering a new service to clients where they style the lashes in a certain way to allow for a new specially formulated mascara to be applied. I'm really curious about how that goes and will watch and learn with an open mind and with genuine interest.

How about the ‘other’ false lashes?

I was innocently asked by one very glamourous client, ‘can you do the most glam look that you can do so as I know your strict rules about not overloading so I can then put my fake ones on top?’

Umnn! Perfectly reasonable question from someone who wouldn’t know any better. What she went on to learn s that a lash tech can easily spend 20 minutes picking stretchy and stringy fake strip lash adhesive out from between hair follicles with super pointy tweezers. Often it's more than that as a number of lash extensions slide away with it too.

Having had a couple of clients try this already, you can guess what my answer was! And you can guess how quickly I updated my after care guidance …..

Eyeliner along the top line?

Way back when….I noticed that all 10 of my upper eyelid eyeliner wearers had awful retention with barely anything left after 2-3 weeks. They faithfully promised that they were meticulously applying the eyeliner on the skin alone and not dragging their oily lines through their lashes. Some even demonstrated their application technique! (That was intriguing as I can't do it on me and I've repeatedly tried!)

A medical expert advised me that the eyelids work to protect the eyes. Though the skin is relatively thin, it has the highest number of sebaceous glands when compared to the rest of the body.

These glands secrete sebum that is oily as it acts to waterproof the skin. We then considered that the two would mix and travel ‘south’ into the lashes and do what oil can sometimes do – use its power to make the extensions part company from the lashes!

So my clients started to switch over to water soluble ones that were available at the time and complained that the line wasn’t dark enough! I then tailored my approach as a stylist. I created an eyeliner effect using the extensions and the most damage they went on to do was with their cat eye flick that I deliberately didn’t style for as it wouldn’t suit their wide set or down turned eyes. . .

Eyeliner on the waterline?

Many of us love to use eyeliner on the waterline of the lower lids.

I started whacking makeup on in the 80’s so it was the ‘done’ thing and old habits die hard! I noticed that as I blinked, my eyeliner was transferring to the waterline of my upper lids, often coating the underside of the lower lash layer too. Given its position, the usual lash cleansing routines with shampoo on a makeup brush just wasn't reach it - no matter the technique to work the lather

in! I often needed to use an oil free makeup remover on a lint free microbrush. I dabbed off the excess then lift my lid and clean away! It's not pleasant but it's necessary!

Foundation and Concealer Where foundation has been liberally applied over the lid, I often see brown (or orange) deposits caked over the adhesive bonds on some lash wearers. Not only is it unsightly, but it adds weight and its formula may not be the adhesives best friend!

Though rare, I sometimes saw the same clients who's extension tips had changed from black to a mid brown colour! Mnay years ago, this perplexed me and I worked with one client to find the answer! As they were sun worshipers, I left a strip of extensions in direct sunlight for 2 weeks to see if they were being bleached!

It wasn't that! After lots of probing about what they do and how they do it - we finally deduced that they had been sleeping with their face fully dressed so the makeup wasn't just all over their pillow the following morning. The tips of the lashes had been pushed down onto their cheeks and caked in face paint that just would not come off! Really bizarre! Perhaps today's lash cleansers would do better these days?!

I also advise my glamourous ladies not to wear full face makeup when they come in for treatments. I protect their forehead with a fresh headband so my hands aren’t resting on them, but my eye pads are not as considerate! Also, when I’m placing a lash or fan so I’m resting my little fingers on the top of their cheeks, my fingers can slide instead of resting steady in order to place the lashes. Then those fingers are coated and care is needed so it doesn’t transfer to my lash tile that’s holding fresh lashes!

Shadowing the eye For many very amateur makeup artists (like me), cream eyeshadow can be applied a bit more precisely than its flaky, dusty powder alternative. I advise clients to apply their powder as dryly as possible on a brush or applicator rather than their fingers as they’re not precise enough (mine are not the most slender fingers so definitely not!). I remind them that their lashes are dressed for the party first so work delicately around them!

Also, some like to apply dark shadows over their lids and I remind them that this hides the lashes so I wouldn't want them to be tempted to use mascara or lash strips!!

So back to the question about whether there’s rules about applying makeup with lash extensions. . . .

I have them and with good reason. It’s informed from expert advice and buckets of experience. I freely share these reasons with clients as many will follow their care advice if they know why the need to follow it to get the best from their treatments. If they don't, I let them know that they are not following the terms and conditions of my service offer and for the sake of their lash health and the reputation of my businesses, they are invited to make that trip to Boots the Chemist instead of me!

Happy lashing

Julie Knight x www.eliteeyelashextensions.co.uk

Lashes | 39

Stand out with colour

By Hannah Georgina My name is Hannah Georgina and I am a lash educator based in Nottingham, UK. I have been a lash artist for 9 years now and 4 years ago I set up my own lash training and distribution company, Vanity Lash.

As a salon owner myself, I have managed to incorporate lashes into my beauty menu and they make up almost 50% of my salons annual turnover.

For someone with blue eyes, I would suggest blue lashes with any secondary colour.

I am now about to launch my brand as a franchise into salons, hotels and spas across the UK. I believe that many lash technicians train in a day and are pretty much left to it meaning they make costly mistakes and knocking confidence – this is something that I want to extinguish.

Brown eyes would really suit yellow as a primary colour with red or bronze.

On this model, I decided to use purple and blue along with black.

Blonde haired ladies would look striking with blue or pink.

You also need to take into account your clients’ hair colour – a natural red head would look amazing with bronze and red lashes.

Obviously for competitions or photography work you can play around with white and possibly not use black lashes for more impact but not so natural for everyday wear.

Since we have marketed this new offering via social media platforms, we have had many clients asking to add some colour when having infills!

I chose these colours because of her natural colouring. I decided to use the primary colour of blue because her eyes are green and a secondary colour of purple to contrast.

By using black lashes too, this gives the lashes more definition.

The black lashes are 0.18mm C curl 12mm and the coloured lashes are 0.15 C curl 11mm.

I blended the lashes by applying black lashes first to both eyes ensuring they were equally spaced, then added blue, purple and black one by one until each natural lash had an extension applied. I am passionate about natural lash health so I have applied them 1:1 (one to one).

Applying colour takes more time to ensure that they are spaced out evenly therefore an extra charge must be added for your time. I have been charging an extra £5 for infill prices and £10 for full sets.

Business tip: Offering coloured is a perfect up sell to your clients.

Offering something slightly different from your competitors keeps your one step ahead in your local area.

Hannah Georgina www.vanitylash.co.uk info@vanitylash.co.uk

Converting your Classic Clients to Volume

By Julie Knight, Editor Once you’re volume trained, practiced and feeling a little more confident than you did during your training, you’ll be keen to convert many of your Classic wearing clients to Volume.

You know that Volume will be better for them, you’ll want and need the practice and you will earn a little more too.

Of course it’s more expensive for clients. Most lash stylists charge around 30-40% more than their classic prices but it's a choice for you. You are using more lashes and finer ones tend to be a little more expense than those that we use for Classic sets. There is also a greater skill at work and it will take more of your time, especially as you start out.

Here are some tried and tested techniques to convert them to a lighter and safer way to enjoy their lashes.

Tease them!

Let them know that you are taking a course so that you can perfect the art of applying the latest must have lashes. Many of your clients are as lash obsessed as you are and will want to be your first!

Show them!

Apply some volume fans to a sponge, demo stick or better still, a set of training lashes on training head. Make sure that they are your best and then place some individual lashes next to them. You can prominently display them in your treatment room with a notice about your new cutting edge lash treatment!

Clients will be able to see the difference as they can get up close and personal with them! This is great for those with sparse or weak natural lashes and those who want more than nature would allow with Classic lashes alone! They’ll begin to visualise it on themselves and so it goes. . .

You could choose a model or client with symmetrical features good lashes to work with. Take a photo of them wearing their Classic set and then with their Volume. You can use this on your website, social media platforms and on your marketing materials. I placed a 'Classic before' and Volume after' collage in my treatment room and it created some excitement for sure!

Don't forget to get their written permission to comply with the Data Protection Act (GDPR).

Support them!

For clients on a budget, you can offer volume as an infill to their existing Classics. Converting clients from an infill can make this more affordable for more people. This is fine and will still look

great if their extensions are no more than 0.15mm thick and are the cone type rather than flat lashes.

Flats are rather edgy looking and their appearance may not be quite so clean looking. If they are keen, you can start phasing out the flat lashes in favour of the cone/round shaped ones and they’ll be ready for a volume infill in no time. Several of my clients did this and welcomed the opportunity being offered.

Blending with classics works best when the remaining individual extensions are evenly spaced so even them out before infilling with your volume fans. Let them know that they’ll get fluffier and fuller at future infills as the remaining individual extensions shed.

Wow them!

You have so much more creative opportunity with volume! You can create light and natural looks with 2-3D volume or darker sets with 4-6D (or more!) that can still be lighter in weight than one individual extension!

Educate them!

Well applied volume lashes can make the lash line look fuller for longer so it can be better for those who stretch their infills to the end of that 3 week mark! They last longer as there is less weight resting on the natural lash so they are not tricking it into shedding sooner.

Meet them half way!

Clients still may be reluctant or unable to upgrade to volume, despite it being better for them as it’s lighter and you’d be able to achieve the density they want. You could meet them half way and offer a hybrid set with a mix of volume and individual extensions.

The percentage of each is up to you and you can charge accordingly. If it’s an even half and half then you could reasonably charge 15-20% more than your classics.

If you’re really new to volume and struggling for time, mixing in a few volume fans will give you the extra practice you need without the major pressure of trying to do a whole infill or full set in a given time when some clients can be a little impatient and subsequently restless!

Happy lashing,

Julie Knight x Lashes | 41

World Lash University Business Awards Recognising Excellence, Professionalism and Innovation The prestigious World Lash University Awards are dedicated to acknowledging those who make a real difference to the lash industry and those who work hard to be the best that they can be.

Best Salon

Best Corporate Responsibility

We are looking for the Best Salon. Best Salon’s know their clients’ needs and work as a highly motivated team to provide great treatments and customer service. A highly trained salon team who are forward thinking and know what they are still striving to achieve and how that will be accomplished.

We are looking for a Lash Stylist or Salon who selflessly supports good causes that directly affect their local community. They nobly go above and beyond in their commitment and effort to furthering good causes be it social, environmental or cultural and it makes a difference. What they do is a conscious and routine part of their business that is undertaken on a voluntary basis rather than a legal duty to do so.

Best Newcomer We are looking for the Best Newcomer. Someone who has recognised the need to keep learning and honing their skills despite having only having started their lash extension career recently. They have thought about where their career is heading, what challenges lay ahead, what success looks like and how to achieve it. Note: 1st lash extensions qualification from 1st January 2018

Best Lash Academy We are looking for the best Lash Academy. An Academy that knows their students’ needs and provides great training and even greater customer service. An Academy that is forward thinking and know what they are striving to achieve and how that will be accomplished.

Best Educator We are looking for the best Lash Extension Educator. An Educator who knows their students’ needs and provides great training and even greater customer service. A trainer whose courses are always up to date in this fast paced industry and knows what they are striving to achieve and how that will be accomplished.

Best Achievement over Adversity We are looking to recognise and celebrate the achievements of a Lash Stylist who has succeeded - despite hardship, adversity and challenge. This could relate to their health, finances, family or relationship circumstances. Despite it all, this Lash Artist has demonstrated a resilient, selfless, disciplined commitment and inner drive to succeed and rise to be the best that they can be.

Ms. or Mr Congeniality!

We are looking for a Ms. or Mr Congeniality. A Lash Stylist who has a gift for getting on with others. They are kind, friendly, empathetic and compassionate. They have gone above and beyond to help their lash colleagues or the industry. They are truly genuine and expect nothing in return.

Lash Artist of the Year Take part in our online competition to be in with a chance to earn the most points and claim the title of World Lash University 2019 Lash Artist of the Year!

Best Innovator

Our gift to the World Lash University Class of 2019!

We are looking for the Best Innovator in the Lash Extension industry. An Innovator who knows what the industry needs and has worked with it to meet its needs and in turn, their innovations are helping lash stylists to improve their performance.

Receive one free entry to a category of your choice that must be selected when booking your ticket. Take advantage of your Class of 2019 membership status and enjoy 25% discount on additional entries at £17.50.

Best use of Social Media

Non-ticket holders

We are looking for the Lash Stylist who is making best use of Social Media. They offer engaging content that is both informative and promotional and have a growing following and fan base. Despite being a busy Lash Stylist, they manage their own Social Media accounts rather than outsourcing to someone on their behalf.

See website for details Worldlashuniversity.com/awards/

You are welcome to apply for any of these awards. £25 for one entry and £20 for additional entries in other categories (apart of Lash Artist of the Year)

The hidden psychology of consultations

By Kristina Shepherd Consultations are the most important part of any lash treatment especially lash extensions. It can literally make or break a set of lashes. This is not just an insurance requirement but the key to your reputation as a Lash Artist. Yes, during any lash training, they will teach you how to do a basic consultation but becoming a great lash artist goes far beyond a few yes or no boxes on a form and can sometimes take years to master.

Lash consultations can have a hidden depth of psychology. It’s our job to discover what our clients want even when they sometimes don’t always know themselves.

From the moment your client walks in the door you should be studying her features, eye size, brows, microbladed or natural features, hooded eyes? Deep set? wide face or narrow face?

How does her face naturally fall? You need to study all of this as you greet your client.

Gaining trust and building a professional relationship Make her or him feel confident and comfortable. Take their coat and seat them. Offer them a coffee. All this will allow your client time to feel at ease and not under pressure. Always be confident yet calm so your client feels they are in safe hands.

Sit with your client. Never be standing and talking while your client sits. Make sure your both at the same level and really listen and allow the client time to talk as she may have a lot of questions. It’s important to allow her to have the time to talk and feel that she can ask anything, even if it may seem like a stupid question. It may seem a silly question to a Lash Artist who has done thousands of lashes but to a new client, they may not understand what happens during the treatment.

extension bond. If the client is under any type of chemotherapy then this will fill the lash follicle with toxins and cause the lash to fall out. Lashes that the client does have will be weaker and won’t be suitable for lash extensions. Excessive stress is another factor that can cause lashes to fall out prematurely and will take a while for lashes to recover from this type of trauma.

Uncontrolled diabetes starves the lash of glucose which is a natural nutrient for it so lashes are not getting the nourishment they need.

So many things can affect our lashes. Many clients won’t be forth coming with this information and most won’t see any connection between their medical conditions and getting lash extensions. This is why we must find out.

Next, what look does our clients want with their new lashes? You might be lucky and have a client who knows exactly what they want and will tell you exactly the mapping, curls and lengths they want, or you might have a lovely client who says she wants super full, long, high impact glam lashes... yet natural and light. Don’t we just love these clients. So we put our detective hats on and the work starts. We need to firstly determine why our client wants lashes, what is the occasion, everyday wear? Wedding?

Holiday? Find out.

Has he/she had lashes before? This I feel is the most important question to ask! So many clients get lashes and so many have bad experiences. The client could say they have had them done before and it was a complete disaster so find out why. What went wrong, were they painful? Did it rip out her own lashes?

Some lash establishments are shocking in what they do to clients.

If it’s their first time then they might think that it’s normal to be in pain. They might think lashes ruin your natural lashes, so many clients still think this so use this opportunity to explain that this is not true.

Again, we use this chance to show our knowledge and reassure the client. We need to find out what happened in all their previous experiences with having lashes done, good or bad. Obviously, we’re not going to recreate any previous disaster but we can show our knowledge and experience and explain how this happened, and what we will do to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It’s really important to gain and keep the clients trust.

It’s very important to find out if they are taking any medication.

All medications will enter the blood stream within 23 hours and by that method, enter the lash follicle. This can affect the health of the lashes in a positive or negative way depending on what the medication is. Excessive vitamin A & C in the diet can sometimes create extra oil therefore could disturb our lash

When our clients say they want natural, my natural and yours could be completely different. It completely depends on what her perception of natural is and what she thinks lash extensions are. An older client or one completely new to lash services could be thinking that lash extensions consist of big 60’S Bambi lashes and have no idea of how natural lash extensions can be. So always be mindful of what your client’s perception is of lash extensions.

As a gentle rule, you always want to gain and keep the clients trust. If you have a nervous client then err on the side of caution when selecting lash curls/ lengths. You might be better off selecting a more natural curl such as a B curl even if you think a C would be better. If the client is nervous, you will gain her trust and ease her into lashes gently then she can decide in time if she wants more. Going too long or too full on your new and nervous client could lead to losing them. Your nervous lady won’t leave you for doing a subtle set. Let her feel comfortable with her new look and ease her in gently.

Never be deceived by how your client looks when they walk in.

She may have no makeup on and look very natural purely because she’s getting lashes done and not because this is how she likes to look. Always ask how much makeup she normally wears. Does she wear strip lashes and how often. She might look like a gentle wall flower purely because she’s getting her lashes done but you don’t know unless you ask she might not normally leave the house without two sets of strip lashes on.

Maintaining lash health Lash health is so important. Selecting the correct length and thickness without causing any strain on the lashes. When selecting length you shouldn’t go 3mm longer then the length of the lash in the middle and not longer then 1mm in the inners.

I know it can be tempting to go longer and I have done myself but at least be aware of the lash limits. If you do go a little longer then keep a good eye on the lash health. Some clients can occasionally go a little bit longer so just bear in mind their limits.

Lash diameters - again you don’t want to put too much weight on the natural lash. Years ago we were using 0.20 and 0.25mm

thicknesses that’s shockingly bad for the natural lashes. As a general rule, you really should be using a maximum of 0.15mm but you must double check what diameter that client’s lashes can hold. The way we do this is simple. Select a natural lash in the middle and isolate, then pick up a 0.15 for example. Without any adhesive, place the false lash next to the isolated lash. The false lash should look the same diameter or less then the natural lash, not thicker. You can select a thinner lash extension if you wish.

There are of course many more questions and techniques to create a superb lash consultation these are what I have come across in my 10 years year of lashing.

I’m Kristina Shepherd. I’ve been a business owner for 10 years and my business is called 27 two 6 Beauty. It started its life in a room in a hair salon. In 2017, I took a leap and expanded into a huge 1300sq ft salon. It was a mini supermarket when I got it and I transformed it into a luxury boutique spa and lash bar. We do everything at the spa through specialise in lashes. I also have a second aspect to my company called KSLA (Kristina Shepherd Lash Artistry) where we offer accredited lash education courses at a few locations around the U.K.

Kristina Shepherd www.2726beauty.co.uk instagram.com/@2726beauty instagram@ksla_london 0208 301 2726

World Lash University Class of 2019 & online competition!

6 amazing Nominations Classic 1D | Volume 2 - 3D | Volume 4 - 6D Male lashes | Kim K Style Fantasy Lash Art - choose from Out of this World or Every day is a School Day!

4 entry levels Beginner - up to 2 years’ experience Master - over 2 years’ experience Expert - Lash trainer or coach Professional - 1st place competition winner For Competition criteria, visit our website

www.worldlashuniversity.com

How we went paperless Sharing the real benefit to your business

By Julija Baltulioniene Today I would like to share my modest contribution to The E-consent form works on most Tablets. It requires only a the Lash Industry, which might be a true benefit to your stylus pen and a note-taking App. The form could also be personalised with your logo on it. To work on it effectively we business.

A couple years ago, we started using the E-consent forms instead of paper documents. This brilliant idea struck me when one of my clients arrived after a two-year break and requested the same styling I had done for her in the past. It was truly a nightmare to go first through the booking system trying to find the date she last came, then to dig into the paper storage searching for her consent form by the date. Luckily, my memory worked well and I managed to recall what exactly was done for this client. But at that moment, I immediately thought how amazing it would be to have an electronic database with a search engine, so that by entering customer's full name one could find the corresponding consent form and their data in seconds.

For the next few months we were searching for a developer who could create an App to suit our needs. But we found out that some similar applications already existed on the market. We also realised that creating and maintaining such an App for the Lash Industry would be too expensive. However, I was still looking for a personalised digital solution. So I researched various programs and found one – a simple note-taking app which allows us to work with a template of electronic consent form.

The App is an excellent solution. It has a search engine and you can easily find the client by name and surname, as well as export the documents in PDF format to your Dropbox or Google drive, etc., or print them out right away.

We had been working for almost half a year on creating a perfect template of the consent form to be filled by a client with their personal data, medical history, agreement to the treatment and a digital signature. The second part of the form is to be accomplished by a Lash Artist - entering the patch test information, the data about eyelashes used, styling and mapping (drawing lines using stylus), as well as some additional notes and pictures. Also, one of the useful features of the App is that you can use voice recording in case you are busy and want to write your notes down later.

suggest installing Notability app, as this is the application we currently use.

Basically, the Electronic Consent Form we have created is a pre-filled PDF document, which aims to replace the paper consent forms. I would say that our idea is a handy and efficient solution for everyday document processing. It enables convenient storage of all necessary clients’ data in a practical digital format. It helps you minimise the administrative work and to focus on what you truly love – eyelashes!

Another benefit of using electronic consent form is the ability to draw on real customer’s picture, showing them how they might look with various stylings and letting them choose what they love most.

You can purchase our pre-made form (in MS Word or Pages format) on our website and personalise it to your needs adding your logo, changing texts, amending terms and conditions etc.

You could also demonstrate to the customer that some effects might not suit them or even might make them look older or sad.

For example, if someone with sad eyes and downwards growing eyelashes is asking for the cat eye, then by drawing on their picture you could show how unsuitable this styling would be.

The aim of this article is to share this great idea with you.

You can prepare your own electronic form and use it with Notability or any other similar App. Here are few important tips on what to pay attention to while creating your own consent form: - Make sure that your form contains Privacy Policy - Do not collect unnecessary data - Add opt in and opt out areas for marketing purposes - Store your client’s data in a safe place - Protect your iPad by password - Add your Terms and Conditions to it

Our form comes with the step-by-step user guide.

After purchasing the form you can join our group on Facebook ‘E-consent form for work with note-taking app’.

- Add section which contains information about patch test - what products have been used, when it has been done, etc.

There are some video tutorials to help you use your E-consent form efficiently.

- Add information about Client’s requirements - style, mapping, eyelashes used, etc.

With so many benefits of E-consent form, why wait to make your business digital and more customer-focused?

- Leave space for additional notes and Before & After pictures - We recommend iPad Pro or any other new generation iPad, which is compatible with Apple Pencil.

If you are struggling to prepare your own E-consent form or simply don’t have time for it, we have prepared one for you.

Julija Baltulioniene Owner & Creative Director of Juli - Lash Art Studio www.lashesbyjuli.co.uk

Business | 47

Lash Apprentice of the Year

Kelsey Chester Taking on an apprentice is always a risk in business, however not when the apprentice is Miss Kelsey Chester.

Kelsey has just been crowned Lash Apprentice of the Year in South Yorkshire and we visited her to find out more!

weeks, she stepped up and battled through full columns of clients with hardly any complaints.

Zoe said “I really don’t now what the salon would have done without Kelsey last year she was an absolute god send to us, and for that I will always be than thankful”

Kelsey started her lash career only 11 months ago where she began working at the Zoe Mizon Lash Academy in South Yorkshire. Kelsey was employed by Zoe to become a lash artist in their ever so busy lash salon and training academy.

She was taught Classic Lashing and Elleebana Lash lifting at the very beginning of her career and then moved on to Volume after only 6 weeks of training. Kelsey is now creating absolutely stunning sets of lashes that are getting huge engagements on social media and is getting clients returning again and again.

Kelsey began her journey back in September last year straight from school at only 17 years old. Zoe Mizon had advertised for an apprentice and she saw the advertisement and immediately applied. However Zoe had received hundreds of applicants for the position so was busy sifting through the applicants when she had a phone call from a friend she had not seen in a very long time. This friend was in fact best friends with Kelsey’s Mum and had heard how much Kelsey wanted the position. Zoe agreed for Kelsey to come and have a chat about the position, and literally 10 minutes after the phone call there she was!

Zoe said “I knew from that moment how keen Kelsey was and how much she wanted the position, sometimes when apprentices come you can tell they are only there because their parents have encouraged them. Kelsey was different, Kelsey was confident and not your typical 17 year old”.

Kelsey began working in the salon full time and quick took her hand to every aspect, being a true willing team member with photography skills of a professional and confidence that the salon needed. She became a true asset from the word go.

Just before Christmas last year another Team Member left leaving the extremely busy salon really short staffed, but Kelsey stepped up to the mark. After only training in volume for 4

Kelsey said “I can honestly say joining the team at Zoe Mizon Lash Academy has been my best decision in life yet. After undergoing my training at the academy I completely I fell in love with the art of lashes and knew from that day on I wanted to put all I had into making my sets the best they could be and one day be as good as my fellow colleagues. Following the leave of a previous team member I knew it was either make or break for me, I had suddenly gone from a few models to a full to a full diary of clients at Christmas time too!! I had no choice but to step up to the mark and not let these ladies down, and without doubt this made me the lash artist I am today.

Kelsey is always on hand to help out with training and help others. In May, Kelsey traveled to Iceland with Zoe to train a salon out there in lashes and has many more trips on the agenda.

Kelsey added “I’m eternally grateful for everything Zoe has done for me. She has honestly set me up for life and if I wasn’t doing lashes I think I’d honestly be a bit lost as to where I’d be. I know for a fact while I have Zoe to follow, I’ll never go far wrong. I’ve achieved so much in the Lash industry at just 17 years of age. Lashes have now become such a big part of my life. Day by day I feel myself morphing slightly more in to a mini Zoe, and if I can become half the lash artist and businesswoman she is now then I’ve made a hell of a go at it".

Editors note Wow! What an amazing achievement in such a short time and at such a young age!

Congratulations on your award Kelsey! From the pictures of your work, it's so richly deserved! It shows the power of determination to suceed and what you can achieve when that's coupled with amazing training, ongoing coaching and a superstar role model by your side like Zoe Mizon! What a team!

Congratulations from Lash-Ed magazine Julie Knight, Editor x

Business | 49

Behind the Mask Hair and Beauty professionals against Domestic Abuse Campaign Behind the Mask offers hair and beauty professionals’ free access to online learning resources to enable them to spot the signs that someone is experiencing domestic abuse. It offers expert advice on how they could respond in the best way.

Abuse may take one or more forms that could be psychological, physical, sexual, harassing, coercion or control.

It’s not easy to spot as abuse is not just physical and injuries may be masked by clothing or makeup. With some insight, our unique relationships with clients or colleagues may reveal what’s hidden behind their mask.

1 in 3 women will experience abuse in their lifetime with 2 killed each week on average [source: Women’s Aid]. They may be our clients, colleagues – even family and friends. A kind and sensitive word from a trusted professional who can signpost to professional support just might change or save a life. It’s not about intervening or interfering, but having the tools to signpost to those who are specially trained to help that’s informed, wellintentioned and meaningful.

Many women use beauticians and often disclose things that they haven’t told anyone else. In addition to our treatments, we often offer a safe and relaxing ‘space’ for clients and we often feel like ‘therapists’ in the counselling sense! Sadly, their time with us may be one of the few opportunities they have to be on their own where they can reach out for help or at least, be open to it.

Those experiencing it may not tell anyone for many reasons. As a regular client, you may notice when they’re not as chatty as usual or appear somewhat withdrawn or anxious. If they are ‘masking’ injuries, they may be more careful getting on or off the treatment chair or couch or may be overdressed for the weather.

Some abusing behaviours may affect their appointments. You may notice that they simply ‘have to’ respond to text messages from their partner or they may comment that they’re in a hurry and need to get home and seem anxious about it. They may not show up for appointments or have to cancel them at short notice due. This may be due to injury or pressure through control or coercion. With experience, you can usually detect genuine sounding reasons for no shows and late cancellations from ones that seem dubious.

Earlier this year, asked professionals for their views on how we could make a scheme or programme really easy to implement.

We have had an amazing number of responses with 97% saying that they would prefer a short online training programme with

downloadable materials that they can use. They welcomed a certificate of participation in the scheme and a poster too.

I have since met with various bodies to help build the training materials. I am particularly grateful to Dr Alison Gregory from the University of Bristol for allowing us to use information informed by research with friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues of domestic abuse survivors. In addition to my own research with survivors, personal experience and years in policing, the learning resources for Behind the Mask have been developed with these broad insights and professional knowledge.

The training materials will be free of charge on our website . They will be reviewed annually and participants in the scheme will be invited to refresh and update their knowledge every 2 years.

In developing this campaign, I asked many people for help as I thought that they were greatly placed to do so without too much impact on them. I had some disappointing ‘knockbacks’ that truly surprised me but conversely, other doors fell wide open. I am exceptionally grateful to Professional Beauty for promoting the survey to inform the scheme and for offering a chance to speak at their Professional Beauty North event in Manchester Central on the 21st October. This will truly help to raise awareness and I am so grateful to them.

Become a champion!

As a champion, you can get involved as much or as little as you can to 'champion' the cause - it all helps. It could be as simple as contacting colleagues in your area, raising awareness on how to get involved and it's benefits through Social Media or contacting your local community magazines, radio stations or newspaper and speak out!

I'm preparing a 'champions' pack with everything you would need.

This includes a press release, social media images and answers to frequently asked questions.

Come and work with me and be part of something amazing!

Thank you , Julie Knight, Editor

www.behindthemask.online info@behindthemask.online

Commuting for the love of lashes

By Jessika Aude Gautier My Love and passion for Eyelash Extensions and the Beauty Industry took me all over the planet. I feel absolutely blessed to be able to do what I love and share my knowledge by teaching worldwide and to meet amazing people. SO GRATEFUL!!!

Let’s rewind a little bit. This all happened because of my intense obsession for perfection. Whatever I touched, whatever field I worked in, I was always obsessed to reach the ultimate perfection in that field and offer the absolute best service to my clients. I fell in Love with Eyelash Extensions 35 years ago when I had my first set of Lashes. I was automatically hooked! I never planned to make a career out of it, but soon enough because of my client’s referrals and I was the only one doing Volume, I soon became the best known lash salon in Montreal.

I started giving trainings in Montreal, then Worldwide. I started an online store shipping lash, microblading and beauty products internationally. Soon after, because of my clients demand, I expanded to offer top quality trainings in all spheres of beauty.

Recruiting the top trainers in their own field is how World Beauty University was born - now offering trainings worldwide.

I then organized World Beauty University Lash and Brow Championship, the biggest Lash and Brow contest.

How i started commuting So just if I wasn’t busy enough, on one of my many vacations to South Florida, I decided that Florida beauties deserved beautiful lashes as well. I noticed that only an estimate of 1% - and I’m being generous - had Eyelash Extensions. So right then and there, I opened a Studio.

My friends keep telling me I should give conferences on ‘how to open a business in 5 days’. My plan, well not really a plan as I do things as they pop up in my brain, was to hire staff, train them with my Advance Volume Techniques, and show up once in a while to check on things, go to the beach, lie by the pool sipping on a cocktail, shop, and wine and dine.

Well what happened is that clients would always ask for me to lash them personally. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely Love lashing, and I am flattered. I believe I am one of the few with worldwide companies who still do clients. I absolutely love the look on their faces when they look at themselves in the mirror. And without even advertising, I had big demand for trainings. So I started flying from Montreal to Florida once a month for the few first month, then every 3 weeks, then every 2 weeks, and now every 10 days. That’s how I started commuting for the Love of Lashes and my plan to lie by the pool fell apart.

What is commuting? Commuting is periodically recurring travel between 2 places for work, repeated traveling between locations. Always on planes, and living out of my suitcases. Luckily Montreal to Florida is only 3 hours flight so I use that time to write articles, upgrade training manuals

and studying a fourth language. I am now Elite client with the Air Lines, between my Florida commuting and my other travels to give trainings and conferences everywhere, so they take good care of me. The look on the customs agents face when they ask me after looking at all the stamps and visas attached to my Passport, “What kind of business makes you travel like this?” And I say, “lashes”. It’s absolutely priceless!

I first stayed at my best friend’s house who happens to be my manager at first, but when I opened my Palm Beach Location which is 45 minutes from her house, I decided to get a Hotel and that is how I discovered and fell in love with this fabulous hotel and it’s out of this world service - The Colony Hotel - that I now call home. Only steps away from my Worth Avenue Store - actually between my store and the beach - with the most beautiful decor, stunning pool, surrounded by the best landscaping, among them different variety of Palm Trees, bougainvillea and all sorts of beautiful plants and flowers. My home away from home.

I believe that you should treat yourself. I work about 20 hours a day, I deserve it. I always said, throughout my whole life, and my friend will attest to that, “Life is too short to stay in a bad hotel!”. I am often tired, stressed and neurotic, but I absolutely love my life and all the great things the Lash and beauty industry brought my way.

To the beginners, you do need to put tonnes of hours of work as nothing comes easy. But that shows you where passion, and being addicted to perfection can lead you. I now have amazing celebrity clients in South Florida who are addicted to my Star Volume Style, which is quite different than anything else. They also love our Ultra Soft Volume Lashes and our No1 Adhesive that offers them great retention.

Follow your path. Do not let anyone slow you down. Be creative. Stay amongst positive and secure people that will encourage you to go after your dreams or to listen to that idea that popped up in your brain.

If you ever need a pep talk let me know, would be my pleasure to help, don’t be afraid to reach out. I believe the Lash community should help each other.

Jessika Aude Gautier Owner/Founder of Star Lashes World and World Beauty University www.distributionsstarlashes.com instagram.com/starlashesworld facebook.com/starlashesworld

Business | 51

Hate, hate hate away

By Katie Godfrey Since the age of 13 I have experienced what we call “Haters” and I can honestly say that not much has changed since I’ve got older. You just learn how to deal with it and manage the pressure and stress.

When I was in school I was severely bullied . To the point I wanted to end my life, I was that unhappy. But luckily I had strong family support around me and my career, at that point I was modelling all over the country. Modelling kept me out of education as I had to leave school when I was 13 due to the problems I had from the bullying.

Modelling gave me inner strength and gave me my confidence back which led me to opening my own salon when I was just 19.

Coming into an industry full of women was a scary thing, I hated confrontation and meeting new people, but I had to get over that issue if I wanted to open my own salon.

The more successful you get, the more “haters” you will gain. If you are great at something it will bring you a lot of attention and can make you a target for bullying.

So how do you deal with haters and bullies?

1. For myself and my mindset, I always stay true to myself. I am always honest and I always try to help others. One of my main tips is to always stay humble. No matter how much success or wealth comes your way, always stay humble!

You want to be a good person. So if anyone is giving you trouble, then you know you have stayed true to yourself and always been you!

2. Don’t rise to it. As much as it’s hard, you don’t want to stoop to their level. Don’t put anything up on your social media pages and always keep it professional at all times. You are better than those people, and that's the reason they are using you as a target.

3. As much as it's hard not take to heart, in fact it's impossible not to but, you have to keep focused. When you hear anything bad about yourself, your business or your treatments it's very easy to carry that feeling all day. What is that then doing? It’s stopping you running your business. And you end up taking your eye off the ball because of them! Which is not constructive.

4. Surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams, encourage your ideas, support your ambition and bring out the best in you. Other salon owners, business owners and great friends and family are the best people to be around.

Thank your haters. I know I do. They motivate me to be even more successful and I know for a FACT that I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t bullied in the beginning.

Are competitors competition?

Unfortunately in our industry I am always hearing lash techs slagging each other off and salon’s slating other peoples work. Why, why, why do people do this? We should be encouraging each other!

Ok, If someone opens up down the road from your business, that is hard and scary and worry sets in and what we call “competition".

But why do we call it competition? There is NONE. Ok, we might be marketing to the same audience and we all might need new lash clients, but each salon and every therapist is unique. Even if that “competitor” does similar work to you, takes your marketing ideas or produces amazing work - they are NOT YOU! No one will ever be the same as you even if they tried as we are all built differently, we talk differently, we lash differently, our personalities are different and our salons are completely different. And that is why there are plenty of clients for everyone.

I love the fact that I get on with all of the other therapists in my area, we comment on each others work, give each other feedback and rise each other up. Plus if a therapist was to go on holiday or couldn’t fit someone in we recommend one another to accommodate clients appointments.

However, there are some therapists which don’t act like this, but, it’s best to use my tips above and stay away from those types of people.

I am lucky enough to have taught a lot of the local girls too. A lot of people say to me 'why are you creating competition for yourself?' but for me i’m not. There are enough clients for everyone and I am helping people to establish an amazing career.

Collaboration over competition One of my fellow lash professionals who some people would call “competition” within my other business gave me the heads up to write this article. He also said something to me the other day which stuck in my head “Collaboration over competition” which is 100% true. When great people get together, great things happen. Thank you so much Jamie Butler from Lash Base for giving me the inspiration to write this article.

On that note stay successful, keep building your business, always keep your eye on the ball and stay humble.

Katie Godfrey KG Salon / KG Professional www.kgsalons.com instagram.com/KGSalon instagram.com/KGProfessional

Business | 53

Taking the plunge to a better life

By Karen Baguley One of the most important decisions you will ever to make in your career is deciding to go it alone. Being self-employed is a scary world especially, if like me, it’s all new to you.

Gone are the 9-5 days, having evenings and weekends to yourself and the reassurance that no matter if you have been off sick or on holiday the payslip will still be there for you at the end of the month.

So why in the world have you decided to rip this security blanket from yourself? I’ll tell you why because you strive for better, a better life that is.

We only get one shot at this so why settle for anything less than you deserve! And to be honest lets face it yes the security of the monthly paycheck was, ok, but were you happy? The answer to that question must be no otherwise you would still be in the same job.

average person spends around 90,000 hours at work - that’s a 1/3 of your lifetime Well I was happy! I hear some of you say, yes, but could you have been happier? There is nothing worse than the dread of going back to work after a few days off, and if this is how you felt then you, like many others, were in the wrong job. I’m not saying you should wake up every day with a spring in your step but how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. The average person spends around 90,000 hours at work that’s a 1/3 of your lifetime!

It’s safe to say your job makes a huge impact on your quality of life and well being.

To get the right work life balance you need to enjoy being at work and ideally this should be a continuation of your day-today life, so it doesn’t actually feel like you are at work at all.

For me I enjoy the social side of my job so each time a client returns to me it’s like catching up with an old friend. You get to share of much of their lives and they with yours. You build up trust and they ask you for advice, which gives you a little warm feeling inside like you’ve done a good thing. You’ve earned their respect not just for your talents but also for you as a person.

I would say 80% of the time people choose to come back to you for the person that you are. For me it’s remembering the little things like what they like to do in their spare time, or experiences they have shared. The conversations I have with my clients normally picks up from where we left off last time and before you know it the treatment time is up and you don’t want it to end.

Then you’re left with a cliffhanger which know you will have to wait 2/3 weeks to find out what’s happened, so you can’t wait for them return.

I actually get a little excited sometimes when I know a particular client is due so I can catch up with the next installment of their life.

But remember someone who is always on the go and doesn’t devote any time to their personal life might not be the happiest of people. Ask Jack as all work and no play made him a dull boy.

It’s all well and good catching up with clients and having a therapists couch, but you also need to take time for yourself.

Your well being is just important as your clients, so just as they seek comfort in opening up or even offloading onto you make sure that you have someone you can speak to, whether that be a family member, friend or even a therapist of your own.

If we are constantly spinning plates then fundamentally all we are doing is running around and allowing ourselves to waste essential energy.

Take time out regularly because if you burn yourself out then you’re no good to yourself let alone anyone else Gravity may work against you at times, but momentum exists. You can stop and take a breath occasionally. Take time out regularly because if you burn yourself out then you’re no good to yourself let alone anyone else. No matter how busy you are it’s important to block out time for yourself, whether that be partaking in a hobby, going to the gym, watching a box set, reading a book or even just taking 5 minutes to reflect on the day. Most importantly make sure you have some ‘me time’, whatever that phrase means to you.

By Karen Baguley Arch Angels Beauty www.archangelsbeauty.co.uk

7 secrets to successfully hire employees

by Marina Larskaya Are you already in charge of your own studio?

If not, then just imagine you are and read this article for future reference. If yes, then all the more reason to read it.

When you become an employer and not an employee, your life changes dramatically. Now you’re not the one who gets hired, you’re the one who interviews people. It can be hard shifting from one role to the other. And these 7 secrets will definitely help you with that.

1) You’re not needy

5) Your job descriptions are original Nobody likes dry unattractive job ads. Interesting creative people buy into flashy, lively, unusual texts. Want to attract artists like this? Show them your creativity!

6) You’re confident in your success

Yes, of course you need employees, maybe even badly need them, but it’s best not to show that to then. Remember, you’re the one who gives, not the one who asks. You’ve got the upper hand, and if you make an effort and follow my advice, you’ll be able to attract lots of people.

Remember that our thoughts create our reality. If you keep thinking you won’t be able to achieve anything good and will only attract clumsy crooked technicians, that will happen. Make yourself believe you’re a great leader of a successful salon and amazing talented employees will line up in front of your doors.

You’ll just have to choose best of the best!

2) You’re not imposing

7) You’re inspiring

This point overlaps with the previous one. If you’re not needy, you’re not imposing. Don’t beg potential employees to choose your salon. Remember, you’re not trying to sell yourself, your salon or your jobs. It’s people whom you interview who are selling their skill. You’re the one who decides if you want to hire them or not.

That’s, probably, one of the most important aspects. Only the leader who shoots for the stars, has lots of creative ideas and love what they do will be able to inspire their employees as well so they give their best. Believe in what you do and your lash artists will believe in you!

3) You’re not looking for money bags, you’re looking for people When hiring people, refrain from temptation of simply making money off of them. Your main goal is to hire good reliable staff.

You need decent responsible people, not their money. Sometimes it’s better to hire “green” lash technicians and teach them everything yourself than to offer spots to seasoned professionals who have their own client base. They’re very likely to start trying to play boss.

And don’t just stop here.

Remember, you’re creating a process. Something that you can use repeatedly and improve over time. And remember the most important thing: don’t just hire employees. Build a strong and committed team, and you won't need to use your recruitment skills ever again! :)

4) Your social media looks great People always judge the book by its cover, no matter what they say about what’s inside. So, potential employees will always study your social medias closely.

It goes without saying that big communities with regular interesting posts will attract attention and make people trust your studio while empty unattractive groups will just be repulsive.

by Marina Larskaya Beauty business entrepreneur, owner of RQLashes www.MarinaL.pro www.RQLashes.com

Business | 55

The Importance of Good Bonding

By Karen Grehan When I set up my salon business over ten years ago, I initially operated from my home but the business kept growing until finally in 2016 I opened my first salon and named it Lash Dolls.

I currently have two salons, one in Ratoath, Co. Meath and a more recently opened one in Stillorgan, Co. Dublin.

Lashes were fast becoming the new wave in beauty.

To say I am passionate about the beauty industry is an understatement and even back during my part-time days at a local salon when eyelash extensions where about to take the beauty world by storm, I sensed a real business opportunity. Lashes were fast becoming the new wave in beauty – a product so exciting, glamourous and affordable, everybody wanted them. This part of the beauty market I wanted to be involved in so I set about building my business, and the first place I started was gathering a good team around me.

Building a good supportive team seemed second nature to me as I was able to draw on my team leadership skills honed from past employment with multinationals like PayPal, Bord Gais, eBay, CitiBank, British Airways. But I guess I owe motherhood some credit because when you run a business and a household with five kids you quickly learn the art of delegation, compromise and good old fashioned fairness.

It means a lot to me that my staff love what they do and look forward to coming in in the mornings.

At present there are six of us on the Lash Dolls team all split between both salons. For me personally, I believe it is possible to strike that perfect balance between a professional and a more relaxed atmosphere as I have witnessed first-hand how productive a warm, friendly and fun work environment has been for my business. Happy staff equals happy clients, it’s as simple as that. It means a lot to me that my staff love what they do and look forward to coming in in the mornings, I can’t see how it could work any other way! As the true saying goes, ‘You don’t build a business you build people and then people build the business.’

It’s always great to hear positive feedback from your staff, things like, ‘you’re a pleasure to be around because of your passion and energy,’ or to hear that that they love learning from you. After all, education and training is a big thing for me. I personally train all my staff as I firmly believe in the old adage of ‘leading by example. ’ Left to Right Linda Zarina Niamh O Riordan Karen Grehan Roisin Hevey Orna Kelly I’m all about quality and giving our clients the best care, treatment and experience, is what I expect and get from all my staff regardless

of whether they’re a new client coming through the salon door for the first time or an existing one. From application of lashes to aftercare, our experienced team are highly trained in Client Consultation, advising on which lashes will look best and how long they should expect them to last. And of course, in line with health and safety regulations we ensure all our clients undergo a patch test before any lash application to rule out a potential allergic reaction.

In the same vein I myself am constantly upskilling. Businesses are ever-evolving and the beauty industry especially so, with new products and services constantly being introduced onto the market this means further and specific training. Any new training ventures I undertake I do here in the UK, over in Ireland and across Europe which I then bring back and impart on my staff.

I actively seek out potential candidates that will embrace the Lash Dolls culture.

It’s vital that your staff feel they can come to you, whether it’s seeking advice or needing help with resolving an issue. In business things don’t always run smoothly, staff can have their bad days; whether it’s dealing with personal issues or awkward customers (though we’ve been relatively lucky on both fronts!) so keeping the communication lines open is important. Again, working with the bigger corporations and ‘playing mum’ helps with perspective and once you have empathy there is nothing that you can’t work through.

Of course the beauty business isn’t a good fit for everyone which is why I actively seek out potential candidates that will embrace the Lash Dolls culture. Having a close relationship with some of the top Beauty Training Academies in Ireland helps, as it allows me to hand pick those suitable candidates that will add to my already strong, passionate and hardworking team.

. . . in any business, there is always an opportunity to be unique.

When you have a good strong team working with you it alleviates the fear of competition, because let’s face it, there are beauty salons opening every day of the week, but in any business there is always an opportunity to be unique, make a difference. For example, we acknowledge our client’s birthdays, and when they come to treat themselves on their special day we present them with small personalised gifts. For clients who have lost some of their natural lashes due to medical conditions (e.g. chemotherapy, alopecia) – we offer a Bridging Technique – where we take a strand of their head hair and glue it to their remaining eye lashes creating a bridge to allow us to apply the eye lash extensions.

Making people feel special is what we’re all about. It’s probably the most important quality I could instil in the Lash Dolls team.

Karen Grehan Owner of Lash Dolls, talks Team and Lashes

Learning how to work to live ~ not live to work

By Zoe Mizon Now I feel a little hypocritical writing this article as I am enough is enough and you have to accept the fact that to grow a self-confessed work addicted control freak. However your business you need to have people in to help you. believe it or not I was a hell of a lot worse than I am now.

I used to wake up in the middle of the night and sit in the bathroom with my laptop so I didn’t disturb my husband researching and googling all sorts.

If I am 100% frank and truly honest with you this is the way you succeed. I strongly believe determined entrepreneurs have to do this. There is something inside you that physically feels like you are going to self-combust if you do not get those answers there and then, I can’t explain it. I spent years researching things, that to be honest were completely irrelevant to my business but I still needed to know them.

I would end up being up all hours, then would spend a full day in the salon working in clients. Come home and be a wife and mother, have a house to run and then when everyone was in bed my business head would awaken.

I found myself drinking heavily as the only way I seemed to switch with off was when I'd had a few glasses of wine and was that tired I needed to sleep. I still to this day refer wine as my chill out juice.

I was literally living out my dream. Or so I thought . . . our family was drifting apart while my business was thriving My business was growing from strength to strength my profits were soaring, I had a brand new range rover on my drive way, holidays to the Maldives I was literally living out my dream. Or so I thought.

It began to dawn on me the school plays I missed, the assemblies, the trips. I would be late home and my husband and daughter would be in bed. I’d be away with work weekends, evening’s weeks away, our family was drifting apart while my business was thriving.

It was then I realised I loved my family and I needed to drastically make some changes or face losing everything.

I started being strict with my appointments. No longer would I work until 8pm just so I could accommodate clients. I had paid staff, why should I be working all hours?

It is so hard to give away the responsibility when you are used to being totally in control but trust me it comes to a time where

The main factor I think most of us lash artist face is the guilt. We feel responsible for getting our clients appointments and feel we have to stay after hours and become a slave to work but we really don’t.

You will find that eventually the clients that you have bent over backwards for will, eventually leave. They may go to another lash tech and disappear off the face of the earth.

Invest in online booking so that people aren’t messaging you all hours! Honestly this is one of the best business decisions you will ever make The one thing I have realised in my business is that you have to take care of yourself before taking care of anyone else. You cannot be an amazing lash artist, Business Woman, Mother, Wife etc. if you are not happy and in the right place. Do what makes you happy! Invest in online booking so that people aren’t messaging you all hours! Honestly this is one of the best business decisions you will ever make. Then when people access your diary and see there is no availability you can say you are fully booked.

You can also book in downtime for yourself with our clients being able to see this and then feeling the guilt and being forced to work when you really don’t want to.

It’s hard but you have to get tough. One day it will click it may take someone pushing you over the edge (that’s what usually does it for me) but then you will realise you are a business this is your lively hood.

Create policies. Stick to them and live the life you truly want to live.

At the end of the day you’re the boss!

Remember that!

Zoe Mizon Founder and CEO of High Lash Couture Award Winning Lash Trainer/Master www.zoemizonlashacademy.co.uk

Business | 57

Why you need a Website

By Antony Knight, Lash-Ed Tech Director Many small business owners need to run a lean 3. It’s what most people expect these days and streamlined operation. It’s a necessity to save According to the Guardian, 36 million Britons use the internet every on running costs. You’re unlikely to have staff to day. More of us are using the internet to support the way we live, manage your marketing or have a reasonable budget whether it’s entertainment, shopping, learning or browsing.

People often use it to find local services and compare prices. You set aside for it.

About 70% of our Lash~Ed Editors' clients are from word of mouth referrals. That’s incredibly powerful as clients are her walking, talking adverts. Their family and friends are easily swayed and they’re passing on her name and number to strangers who randomly stop them in the street to ask about their lashes (or at the shop, gym, playground or pub!). Whilst those new clients came to you through a lash addicted client that you could also call a brand ambassador, there are those who want or will expect to see your website.

Where word of mouth and the power of social media has helped to attract new clients, it’s easy to see why some businesses believe that a website is an unnecessary luxury or think that they’re overly complicated or expensive.

Websites are a necessity. Building and maintaining one is easier and cheaper than ever before. There’s a vast variety of simple web publishing tools available so you could have your very own published by the end of the day.

can optimize your website with relevant keywords to help search engines like Google to get your business in front of new clients.

If they’re looking for ‘lash extensions near me,’ then key words like ‘eyelash extensions in Bristol’ is essential - if you’re in Bristol that is! You’re not relying on people stumbling by chance across one of your outdated flyers that many others have probably recycled the moment it was posted through their door or handed to them.

4. It’s readily accessible at any hour/any day People can find out about you and your services when it’s convenient to them. They can ‘self-serve’ 24/7 and 365 with no effort from you. This is a win-win situation for everyone as it’s an instant customer support system, especially if your content is relevant, well-structured and up to date.

5. Grow your client base

Here’s 6 good reasons why a website is important to your business, no matter how big or small you are. . .

You are able to reach and sway potential clients with easy to read and engaging content. You have the opportunity to influence their decision to choose you. You can also educate them on how to find a great lash stylist (you) and how important it is to care for their lashes. You’ll think of others!

1. Social Media is not enough

6. Credibility

Building your online presence through social media platforms is important but it’s not enough. They are third party platforms that you have no control over. You are at their mercy as seen earlier this year when Facebook changed how it ranks posts, videos and photos in our News Feeds. Their changes were designed to put friends and family first rather than businesses. If they decide to block your account then you can’t stay connected. If they decide to close your account then you can lose all your likes, fans and followers and you'll have to start over again. If you have previously paid to get your social media to where it was, this is all lost. In contrast, you are in control of your website, its content and the platforms are designed to serve you.

You can easily convince potential clients that you are the real deal and a professional business. You are more likely to be taken seriously and seen as legitimate. If you are genuine and authentic, they can get to know, like and trust you through your site and then they’re all yours.

2. Put yourself on the digital map

Credibility can be greatly enhanced with a business related email address. This is one that doesn’t have the providers name in it like julieknight@gmail.com. It’s more professional and memorable if it's business related like julie@lash-ed.com. You can get one with your website so it's easy to create.

A website can act as the hub for all of your important information that you can change in real-time. It’s also your digital brochure or up to date flyer as a means of advertising.

Be mindful that your credibility can be harmed if your content is out of date, if your website looks old or if it doesn't answer the visitors questions like what you offer, where, how much and how to reach you. Think about sites you have visited where you moved on quickly as it didn't immediately appeal to you or answer your need quickly.

What now?

I did say that building and maintaining a website is easier and cheaper than ever before!

Designing and building your site can seem daunting but these days, you don’t need to understand code or write in code. You can just use simple templates offered by website builders.

There’s plenty to choose from like Weebly, Go daddy, Yola, SiteBuilder, Wix and more. You can do a search online and look for ‘compare web building sites’ and you can see what they offer and how they are rated. You can read reviews about their ease of use, template quality, design flexibility, responsiveness and technical support.

They may offer a range of features from responsive themes and hosting space to eCommerce where clients can pay for goods or services online. You need to think about what your website needs to do. Do you want simple tools like the ability to blog or do you need more complex features like an online shop?

In an age where more and more of us access the internet with our phones, your site needs to be optimised for mobile (cell) phone users. If you're not optimized, you’ll lose potential clients for sure! Mobile users generally want information quickly so it must be easy to read and navigate on their phones.

Have a look at the websites of some of your colleagues and get a feel for how they have structured their pages. Most will have a Home page, About me/us, Treatments, Gallery and Contact Me etc.

Whilst template based websites are relatively easy to use once you know how, they're not a match on Wordpress. Wordpress is the largest content management platform there is so it's no surprise that one in every four websites are using it.

Wordpress is more SEO or Search Engine Optimisation friendly and that's important if you want to be found! If you look for 'eyelash extensions in Bristol' in a search engine like Google, it displays links to pages it considers relevant and authoritative.

Search engines are like librarians for the Internet. They collect information about website pages so they can help people find what they are looking for. So every word, title, link all matter and it's important that your site remains fresh and active.

Search Engines have secret algorithms for turning all that information into search results. Your site needs to be optimised so you rank and therefore feature high up on the list so you can be found easily. Here's a short video that explains SEO very simply - it's worth watching:

Some of this stuff can blow your mind and it's easy to turn the page and think, 'job for later!'. Truth is, you won't do it later and you know it! You've got this far and have read the 6 reasons to act now and you can as I can make it simple and affordable!

I know you're busy lashing and you know what your time is worth in that respect. By the time you've learned how to use Weebly or the like, then written your content, then tried to get it laid out in the template and looking great - you could have serviced enough lash clients to have paid someone to do it five times over! This is why outsourcing your website to someone who knows what they are doing is the simplest and often the cheapest solution.

Let me help you I can build your Wordpress website quickly and easily and I don't charge big bucks for it either! Here's how we can work together . . .

1. Think about what you need Is it something simple like who you are, where you are, what you offer and how to reach you or something more sophisticated?

Have a look at similar businesses and think about how big or small it needs to be. Then take a look at some of my sample sites at www.antandtech.com/website-choices

2. Contact me at ant@antandtech.com We can discuss what you want and what it will cost. This includes the domain name, your email address and site building time.

3. Write your website content This is easier than you think. There's a guide on my sample websites to help you. There's tips on what to write and how to write it so it is easy to read, keywords that will help the search engines and good word counts. If this really daunts you then we can commission Julie to help. After all, she's a writer, a lasher and she's written several websites so she knows the business!

4. Select your images to complement your website content Showing off your own work is better but ensure that your images are high resolution, at a flattering angle and taken in good light.

Before and after ones are great to help your 'call to action'. Avoid stock photos as they can look tacky.

5. Send me your words and images Once you're happy with your content, email it over to me at ant@antandtech.com and I will build your site!

It's as simple as that.

Happy lashing and best wishes, Antony Knight Note from Julie Knight – Editor.

When it comes to how technology works, I confess to being computer illiterate! Despite my limitations, I managed to build 2 websites using a site builder in 2011. It took over 3 months as I was doing it in my only free time and that was in the middle of the night! Though time consuming, I was surprised at how easy it was. I paid to get the domain name and to keep it each year. The hosting was free at the time but I paid for an upgrade so it was optimised for mobile phones - a must! I watched tutorials and got to work - rather than sleep!

For paper version readers, you can see this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF515-0Tduk

So now what?

Even though my websites were very simple back then, many of my new clients said that they loved how informative it was and that’s why they came to me. Having never met me, they got to know me through my site.

I can’t recommend having a website highly enough. What I can recommend is getting someone to do it for you! Value what your time is worth and outsource! Now Antony builds my sites for me and I have a few. I just follow the 5 steps listed above and he gets on with it and I do other things that keep me up at night! Best wishes, Julie x

Do you really need an Accountant?

By Ria-Jaine Lincoln What an amazing few weeks!

I met with some inspiring beauty businesses, influencers and role models at the Olympia Beauty show. During this time, the topic of many conversations focused on why businesses need an accountant and how to go about selecting and engaging the best accountant for you and your business. I touched on this on stage at Olympia and wanted to share further with our readers.

How to choose When it comes to choosing an accountant, word of mouth is great, a flashy website can be a winner but qualifications, licences, insurance, chosen niche market and specialist areas of accounting are all important factors. When you choose your accountant you need to choose the best fit for your business and for you, just as you would when seeking a member of staff or business partner.

How to hire The process to hiring an accountant really isn’t as daunting as some people believe. Accountants have all the processes in place to ensure that they can engage you as a client as quickly as possible with minimal disruption to your business. I usually have an initial call and/or meeting with my client, then I submit a fee quote based on what services we have discussed.

Accountants have .. processes in place to.. engage you as a client as quickly as possible with minimal disruption Once agreed, I send out a letter of engagement and HMRC agent form for signing, which can be sent online via docusign software.

Once these have been signed and returned to me, I am ready to work on your books!

After a decade in accounting and a few years working in my own sole-trade beauty business, I often find myself asking ‘why wouldn’t you want an accountant?’.

In a world where entrepreneurship, Mumteprenuers, freelance businesses, independent beauty academies or trainers, workshops, super salons and various other types of businesses are becoming all the more popular within the ever-growing beauty industry, the benefits of having an accountant as well as the importance in choosing the right accountant are becoming more evident.

The introduction of cloud accounting makes the process a whole lot easier too which is why I partnered with Quickbooks accounting.

This makes collaboration easy either online or via the App and gives you instant access to your accounts and accountant.

Here are my top reasons to seek out the services of an accountant: 1. Accountants are bound by legislation and monitored by other agencies and awarding bodies. This means accountants have a legal and professional duty to clients.

In addition to this there are rigorous checks to ensure that accountants are fit to advise and provide services to the public.

‘This is getting stricter as AAT Licences Accountants now have to complete DBS checks in order to maintain an accounting licence.’

2. Hiring an accountant often saves you more money than not using an accountant at all. When you think of your hourly rate and calculate how many hours you could spend on bookkeeping, payroll, budgeting and cash forecasts the benefits are clear to see. Even the business start-up process can be a little tedious when you want to just get stuck in with your trade.

3. As the old saying goes ‘two heads are better than one’. If you find an accountant, your trusted confidant, you can share your ideas and draw upon their consultancy skills in business and management accounting to help turn these ideas into reality in the most cost effective way.

It doesn’t stop there, an accountant will also be able to analyse and report on the results of a project for you to let you know what is working, and what not so well.

to the best way to organise accounts as required for your business.

Some people often choose the same basis to account for car mileage (rather than petrol receipts), because a friend of a friend does it that way. This is not always the best route to take as each business has different requirements and an accountant will look at your business as a whole before advising. It is also important to be aware that what the next person is suggesting may not be correct or legal.

each business has different requirements and an accountant will look at your business as a whole before advising 9. To provide lenders with information in the correct format. This could be for anything from a business loan to a mortgage. In addition to this an accountant could offer advice as to whether a purchase or lease agreement is suitable for your business before you make any big purchases.

4. Less is more. This is a great one to remember, the less time spent pouring over receipts and paperwork, the more time in the business. A good accountant will be able to ease the burden of paperwork and provide peace of mind.

offer advice as to whether a purchase or lease agreement is suitable for your business

less time spent pouring over ... paperwork, the more time in the business

10. Because they are the accountant. As touched on in point 1 it takes years and years to qualify as an accountant, with ongoing CPD as well as observation by HMRC and other organisations.

5. Never miss a deadline again! A good accountant will work with you to ensure that you are aware of any upcoming deadlines, payment dates and reporting requirements. This is important as HMRC issue penalties for lateness and incorrect information.

Accountants also liase with HMRC on your behalf and can be worth their weight in gold should HMRC wish to open an enquiry as they will have all the information in the appropriate format for HMRC providing they have acted for you previously.

A good accountant will be able to reduce pressure for you, identify opportunities or any areas that need attention and ensure that you remain compliant and within the law.

HMRC issue penalties for lateness and incorrect information 6. To avoid paying too much tax. Whilst a lot of self-employed individuals complete their own accounts, not all individuals are claiming all the allowable deductions. A good accountant will research and ensure that you are aware of every possible tax relief that is available to you, subject to the information that they have received from you. If there is a possibility that you have missed an opportunity to claim a potential tax relief a good accountant will identify this and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that you get the relief that is available to you.

not all individuals are claiming all the allowable deductions

If you can think of any other benefits that have not been mentioned above then please do share your views or experiences with me using the tags below.

I would love to hear how your accountant makes your life easier and business grow. Or maybe your needs are not yet being met by your accountant and you aren’t sure which way to go. Please do get in touch I would love to hear from you.

Written by

Ria-Jaine Lincoln MAAT Owner of Ria-Jaine Accounts and Tax Advice www.riajaineaccounts.co.uk www.facebook.com/riajaineaccounts www.instagram.com/ria_jaine_accountingforbeauty Mobile: 07585909305

7. To grow your business. Accountants often specialise in a particular area, I am an income tax specialist by choice and my chosen sector is the beauty industry, but all accountants have covered the area of management accounting. This is useful as the technical skills of an accountant can help with strategic planning and decision making at management level.

I am an income tax specialist by choice and my chosen sector is the beauty industry 8. To benefit from the expert knowledge from an accountant as

Business | 61

Client’s data . . .

Delete?

The right to keep?

By Julie Knight, Editor We’re now 5 months into GDRP and you may think that In June’s edition of Lash-Ed, you it’s gone a bit quiet on that front since that big day in would have seen a copy of my privacy notice. It advises my clients May 2018 came and went!

Having said that, one thing it has done is raised people’s awareness of their rights about how organisations handle and use their data so you need to be just as informed, and more!

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) produced a 12 step guide to preparing for GDRP that I covered in April’s edition.

Step 4 advised you to check your procedures to ensure that they cover all the individuals’ rights. This includes how you would delete personal data as individuals have the right of erasure under Article 17 – otherwise known as ‘the right to be forgotten’.

They can make their request either verbally or in writing and you have one month to respond.

Data must be erased if the purpose for which it was gathered is no longer necessary or consent has been withdrawn and that was your basis for having it, e.g. for marketing purposes.

As an example - if you cancel your gym membership, you can ask them to erase your data. This is because it can be argued that they don’t need to keep your name, address, age and health conditions on file anymore so it’s no longer necessary!

You can tell anyone in that organisation and you don’t have to write or speak to the manager. This is why all the staff need to know about these regulations!

The ICO advises people to back up any verbal request in writing as it proves they made the request. If they don’t delete your data, the ICO recommends complaining to the organisation before complaining to them. In some cases, individuals can enforce their rights through the courts.

Having said this, the right to be forgotten is not absolute – there are exceptions and they probably apply to your business.

An existing or former client wants to exercise their right to be forgotten and asks you to erase the data that you hold about them. What should you do?

GDRP states that an organisation can refuse to erase data where it’s legally obliged to keep it and it’s necessary for establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

that I need to retain relevant data about them for a period of no more than 7 years as this is a requirement of my insurer.

If someone wants to exercise their right to be forgotten and they are a former or an existing client, then this is simple. You need to maintain records of your treatments in the interests of safety.

If they don’t want you to process their personal data then you can no longer treat them It's simple - if they don’t want you to process their personal data then you can no longer treat them.

If someone asks for their data to be deleted, you have a calendar month to respond to them. In most circumstances, you can’t charge for this unless their request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ then it’s okay to seek reasonable fees to cover the administrative costs involved.

If you need more time to consider their request then an extra two months is available in law but you must let them know about the delay within that first month and why it’s delayed.

If you determine that you can’t erase or delete their data, you must explain why you believe you can’t. In addition, you should let them know about their right to complain about this decision to the ICO, or through the courts.

If you are in doubt, there’s loads of advice and information on the Information Commissioners Office website or consult a lawyer.

Julie Knight

Wellbeing

What can we learn from Winnie the Pooh and his friends?

By Zoe Thompson Over the last couple of weeks, I have been posting about some of the things that happy people do differently and a series of posts on negative thinking.

As I was researching images to post, I saw a photo of Eeyore, and it had me thinking about how he and the other characters in Winnie the Pooh all had different behaviours and traits that I had been posting about.

Negative thinking traits are: - Emotional reasoning - Labelling - Personalisation – this is my fault - All or nothing thinking - Over generalising - Mental filter - Disqualifying the positive - Jumping to conclusions - Magnification

‘Gloomy’ Eeyore demonstrates nearly all the negative thinking traits at one time or another. On occasions, he even manages more than one in the same sentence! Even when other characters are having fun, he manages to find a negative in the moment and will often over generalise previous experiences to support this.

Eeyore’s mental filter means that he only notices his own failures.

His constant comparison to other characters and labelling himself in a negative way only highlights this further.

- Express gratitude - Cultivate optimism - Avoid overthinking - Avoid social comparison - Practice acts of kindness - Nurture social relationships - Develop strategies for coping - Learn to forgive - Savour life’s joys - Commit to your goals Christopher Robin has so many of these characteristics despite him being a quiet and unassuming character. Much of the stories focus on the other characters but his positive and compassionate personality and wise words cover many of the traits as he guides the others through their adventures.

Pooh is most definitely responsible for nurturing the social relationship of the group and is probably more at the centre of the group than Christopher Robin. An influencer rather than a natural leader, his commitment to achieving his goal of getting honey is something we can all aspire to! He regularly shows gratitude and practices acts of kindness as well as savouring life’s joys.

Piglet is a determined character, full of fear but always stepping outside of his comfort zone. Not one to compare himself to others he focuses on his own abilities and successes. Whilst Piglet has a natural tendency to over think he uses the group around him to overcome his fear and step outside of his comfort zone as much as possible.

Eeyore is most certainly guilty of magnifying situations and blowing things out of proportion. It is part of his all or nothing or black and white way of thinking. Often he has completely jumped to the wrong conclusion, believed something to be his fault without reason or used his emotional state and feelings to label the situation.

Tigger, the one who clearly exudes and savours life’s joy. Not one to compare himself to others and always optimistic and grateful.

Tigger is a character that squeezes everything he can out of life and his positivity is often contagious.

Most of us display these behaviours at one time or another or in certain situations. It is important that we are conscious of

I have no doubt that we all have a character we feel we are most like and recognise elements of the other characters that we would like to be more of.

when we are doing this so that we can replace the ‘automatic negative thinking’ response with a more positive way of thinking.

Some traits are more noticeable than others. People who are more conscious of the less obvious negative ways of thinking are less likely to repeat them on a regular basis. Being conscious of these and when they are an automatic way of thinking is the start to reducing or removing them altogether.

In comparison to Eeyore, all the traits and characteristics of happy people are shown by the other characters.

Each character has their own traits that we recognise. Whilst they do occasionally have negative thoughts, they are less frequent and are replaced by happy, positive traits.

What is important is that we recognise what the behaviour is that the character is displaying so that we can be more conscious of when we display this behaviour.

How we think can have a huge impact on how we behave and how we feel. Being conscious of our thoughts will help us to replace the negative with positive thoughts and behaviour traits. None of this can happen overnight but we must ask ourselves … Am I being an Eeyore?

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

The advice we give to children that we need to take ourselves!

By Zoe Thompson 1. Distraction “ooh look, look what’s over here” Adults distract children from tears and pain. How we can we distract ourselves in a positive way? What can we control in any situation and where are we placing our focus?

2. Playtime “Go and let off some of that energy and have some fun” What do you do to have fun? Children tend to be more active but their playtime is fun filled and active. We need to laugh more as adults, the physical and emotional benefits of laughter are important and we should be actively finding people or activities that are fun.

3. Are you following the crowd? “If they told you to jump off a bridge would you do it?”

Are you succumbing to peer pressure or staying true to yourself and your ethics, morals and values? Are you spending time and energy on the things that are important to you or the things that are important to somebody else? The time and energy you are investing - is that taking you forward to the person you want to become and the goals you want to achieve? Are the people around you helping you get there, or holding you back?

4. Outside break time? “The fresh air will do you good” Do you force yourself outside at lunchtime for some fresh air and a quick walk around the block, car park or local park (if you are lucky) Are you rewarded for working through the lunch break you are entitled to? Would you be more productive if you stepped outside for half an hour and took the time to re-energise and refresh?

5. Challenge Self Limiting beliefs “Can’t was made to try” No such word as Can’t. How do you know if you haven’t tried?

Go for your dreams you can be anything you want to be. You can’t …YET! All things we were told as children to challenge any self-limiting beliefs that we had. How often do you challenge these beliefs as an adult? If you changed the internal conversation to one similar to a parent child how much more would you step outside of your comfort zone?

Are you allowing self-awareness to hold you back? The lack of self awareness that children have is very refreshing. Be more like ‘Phoebe from Friends’ run in whatever way you want, sing when you walk down the street, smile and say hello to strangers. Stop worrying about what other people think of you, it really is none of your business!

6. Bedtime is important! “It can wait until morning; go to sleep!”

We get tired and grumpy just like toddlers and don’t function as well either! Poor sleep can result in poor concentration and less productivity so

sometimes leaving it until the morning is really not a bad idea! How many reasons are you listing off as to why you can’t go to bed? Does it really have to be done right now or can it wait until morning?

7. Screen time should be limited “That’s enough for one day” How much time are you spending on your computer, watching TV or even computer games? Should you have a screen time limit? What could you be doing that is more productive? Does this type of activity reduce your stress levels or increase them?

If you reduced this activity by just 25% of the time what else could you achieve?

8. Ask lots of questions “because I said so” Have you stopped asking questions because you don’t want to be seen as not having all the answers? Are you embarrassed when you have to ask ‘why’? Ask, ask and ask again. Don’t hold back from asking, it is how you learn. Be a critical thinker, challenge what you hear and look for the evidence base from both sides of the argument. Don’t be put off by the possibility of hearing the word ‘No’. Fear of rejection is not a valid reason to hold yourself back. Don’t say ‘no’ to yourself.

9. Chores first fun second “but you found time to do the things YOU wanted to do” Start with the ‘Need to do’ tasks before you do the ‘like to do’.

Use the ‘like to do’ tasks as a reward for getting the other tasks done first. If you are putting something off be honest with yourself as to why you don’t want to do it, especially if it is a task you have set yourself!

10. Be nice “If you have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all” Be nice, be nice to people, be nice to people for no reason at all. Being negative about other people fills your own head with negativity. It doesn’t feel nice, it isn’t nice to do and people don’t like to spend time with people who do it!

Zoe Thompson Phoenix Life and Wellbeing Coach www.phoenixlifecoach.co.uk Zoe is a lifestyle and wellbeing coach. She's the voice in your ear that tells you that you can! She's a Neuro Linguistic Programming practitioner with over 10 years of coaching and mentoring experience. Visit Zoe's website to see her services.

Wellbeing | 65

Safety

Adhesive matters With Doug Schoon Part 2 Doug is an internationally recognised scientist, author and educator with over 30 years' experience in the cosmetic, beauty and personal care industry.. He is a leading authority, known for his technical and regulatory work that has helped shape the beauty industry.

In May, Lash-Ed asked its readers, 'if you could ask an expert a question about your adhesive, what would it be?' Julie had a fantastic opportunity to put your questions to Doug. Here's what he had to say. . .

Is it possible for adhesive vapours to irritate the skin?

Generally no. With cyanoacrylate, it's a little different because you can get cyanoacrylate vapors in air and they can react with moisture in different places and that creates little small particles that can get into the air. So, it is possible.

However, it is not likely to occur if a source capture system is used. If people are having these problems, it’s generally because of the way that they are working.

The mask is not going to protect you very much because cyanoacrylate is a vapour like air and you can’t keep the air out of the mask or the cyanoacrylate vapours. It will slow it down a little bit though.

It is much better to sit back further, look at where your glue is being placed and make sure that it is outside of the beach ball distance from your mouth and maybe off to the side and get a source capture ventilation system.

Some lashers have been trained to Patch Test by placing the adhesive directly onto the skin. Some insurers insist on it too (especially in the UK). When I have dropped adhesive onto my skin, it has burned. What are your thoughts?

Exactly. I'd like to talk to the insurance companies that require people to do that as they are creating a potential lawsuit for themselves. You should not do that.

If you suspect that your client might be allergic to your glue, harden up a piece and put a piece against . . keep your face away from the client's lashes . . the skin with a piece of tape shouldn’t put the glue ring directly under your nose Cyanoacrylates are pretty safe materials that can be used safely.

You should wear magnifying eye wear and keep your face away from the client's lashes. You shouldn’t put the glue ring directly under your nose. Your adhesive should be off to the side where it's not in your breathing zone. You're breathing zone in an invisible sphere that’s about the size of a beach ball in front of your mouth so you don’t want your glue near that space.

I was grateful for your Webinars with Jill (Heijligers-Peloquin) a couple of years ago when you talked about using N95 face masks rather than surgical masks. There are FFP3 and N99 masks being sued by lashers, are these okay?

Anything that’s N95 and over is fine to wear. An FFP2 is probably equal to an N90 which is probably okay too. I would recommend an N95 or FFP3 mask. You can use an N99 too. You don't need a World War 2 gas mask that have cartridges as that’s overkill!

If you have proper ventilation then you don’t really need a mask.

68 | Safety

If a dermatologist is going to patch test you, do you think they’re going to put glue on your arm? No, they're not going to put 100% of it on your skin. You can make someone allergic from the patch test so it's not a wise idea to do that. If you suspect that your client might be allergic to your glue, harden up a piece and put a piece against the skin with a piece of tape. They could have a reaction from the tape and you wouldn't know the difference because you’re not trained to do patch testing like Dermatologists. If you think your client has an allergic reaction then don’t service them.

Suppliers describe the particular temperature and humidity range that their adhesives work best in. What is it that makes them all very different?

They're not just cyanoacrylate, they have a lot of other things in them. There’s other additives and there’s many different types of cyanoacrylates that react in different ways and have different speeds. So, the product can be designed to set a certain speed.

It can be designed to have certain flexibility. So, if your adhesive is setting too slowly and you have all the conditions right for

your salon, you can go to a faster setting adhesive.

So this can all be controlled by the formulation and there are many different types of cyanoacrylates.

Cyanoacrylates are acrylics. All glues for lashes and nails are all based on the family of acrylic ingredients.

We've been taught that oily products degrade the adhesive, is that fact or fiction?

If you've got a tightly bonded lash then for the most part, it's not going to affect adhesion. You can actually soften the bond and make it a little stronger and a little less brittle Well, the biggest risk with oily products is they can leave a thin film on the surface of the lash and this prevents adhesion. This is why we clean the lash to remove any oily substances. If you're getting lashes lifting anyway and oily substances get underneath that lifted area, then it can speed up separation. So it can affect adhesion. If you've got a tightly bonded lash then for the most part, it's not going to affect adhesion. You can actually soften the bond and make it a little stronger and a little less brittle. But if you get a little bit of lift in the area then you can create a problem so it can go either way. The best advice is to avoid overly oily products. Just because it's got a little bit of oil does not mean it will be a problem but it could shorten the adhesion life of your lashes.

Is there a recommended time that we should shake the adhesive bottle for to make sure everything's mixed up?

I would recommend not shaking but turning the bottle upside down or rolling it between your palms If it's a clear adhesive then it probably doesn't need any shaking at all. If it's a dark-colored adhesive then the pigments have probably settled on the bottom so it’s darker on the bottom and lighter on the top and you don’t want that.

I would recommend not shaking but turning the bottle upside down or rolling it between your palms. This will knock any of the pigment off the bottom to re-disperse it so you get a better colour. How long that takes will probably depend on how long it’s been sitting. If it’s a month, it has probably settled more than if it’s been sitting for a day. You don't have to aggressively shake it every day. If has been a couple of weeks since you last shook it then you might want to give it an extra shake as more pigment could have settled in that time.

Once a bottle is shaken and the lid is opened, sometimes the contents gush out. Is there a way to stop this?

That often happens because of the thickness of the cyanoacrylate. When you squeeze the bottle, pressure builds up inside it and it starts forcing its way through. If you keep squeezing then more and more pressure builds until it finally starts coming through. Just because it has come through does not mean that the pressure has let up. It's going to keep on pushing it out. It’s not like a tube of toothpaste that stops when you stop squeezing.

Be very careful and do a small squeeze at the beginning and don’t use too much pressure as it will ooze for longer. People say squeezing from the side is better.

When the adhesive on a stone and being used, its sides are exposed. Would it last a bit longer if it was protected a bit more, perhaps if it was in a well?

It probably would, yes. There would be a bit of an advantage but it wouldn’t be huge.

Is there a particular surface that the glue sits better on so it lasts longer and keeps its ball shape?

Well there are probably surfaces that won’t maintain it better that would degrade it more quickly. Glass would make the product set more quickly. Try and get your surface water free and not acidic. The PH causes the product to cure. A neutral, water free surface would probably work well.

Many of us know that the adhesive can have an exothermic reaction with things like cotton. People use paper tapes like micropore to protect the lower lashes and sometimes dab off any excess adhesive on it before placing the lash. Would that cause any problems?

If you’re using paper tape then probably not.

We sometimes hear clients advising that they experience a stinging sensation in their eyes when they shower several days after being treated and it’s not their wash products. Could that be something to do with our treatment?

I don't know. I have heard that too but I haven’t researched that enough to know. I suspect that if the client’s eyes were cleaned before they left the salon then that wouldn’t happen.

There might have been irritants on the outside of the eye and when they wash their face some of those irritants washed into the eye. That would be my best guess. That’s why a lot of people have a lot of problems because they go too long without washing their lashes. Water makes cyanoacrylates harden better. The only time it’s a problem is if you use it before they set as that can cause microcracking. Once they are set, cyanoacrylates are resistant to water.

Does that mean that it's okay for them to go swimming immediately and use saunas, hot tubs and Jacuzzis?

Sure. But Jacuzzis are a bit of a different thing because they’re hot. It’s like standing under the hot water shower for 20 minutes so you might start to dislodge the lashes because of physical trauma. If you’re just sitting there then that’s different.

We learned from your webinar that adhesives contain stabilizers to prevent premature curing of the adhesive and these were more than more than likely going to be the cause of some people’s sensitization. Is that right?

Yes, that’s right

So sensitive adhesive contains more stabilizer to stop them from curing so quickly but it’s like to be those stabilizers that cause sensitivity.

Slower setting adhesives contain more stabilizers that fast setting adhesives that contain less. The stabilizers can cause issues on skin contact. That's why it's important to wash the skin after applying the lashes so you wash it off the skin.

Lash-Ed magazine would like to extend a big thank you to Doug Schoon for sharing his precious time and expertise in response to questions asked by its readers.

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