Lash inc. issue 10

LASHES . BEAUTY . BUSINESS . JOURNAL

INCREASE YOUR LASH CLIENTS

LASHING FROM THE HEART

READER GALLERY

Lash Conferences

THE LASH GAMES - LONDON 1

CONTENT WELCOME TO THIS ISSUE /

LASHES FOR MEN

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lashes

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LASHES FOR MEN 08-09 MY 7 FAVOURITES 10 BACK TO BASICS 11 INCREASE YOUR LASH CLIENTS 12 EYELASH EXTENSIONS AS PART OF PROFESSIONAL MAKE-UP - DOES IT WORK? 18-19 READER GALLERY 20-27 INERVIEW WITH STEFANI ALTIERI OF SKYNLASH ACADEMY AND THE LASH SHOP 29 LASH CONFERENCES 30-31 HAPPY CLIENTS? 32-33 PERFECTLY IMPERFECT 35 MY LASH STORY BY KATRE KULBOK 36-37 LASHING FROM THE HEART 40-41 MY LASH STORY: LESLEY-ANN ALTREE 42-43 STAYING SAFE 45-46

beauty INSTAGRAM: A QUICK HOW TO

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THE BEAUTY EDIT BY KELLY ANN 48-49 HAIR SPRING/SUMMER 2016 50-51 THE BEAUTY EDIT BY MELANIE 53-55 HOW MAY LASHES CAN I PUT ON ONE NATURAL LASH 56

business

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INSTAGRAM: A QUICK HOW TO 58-59 SIMPLE TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR LASH BUSINESS 60 ABOUT ME AND HOW I GOT INTO IT: JULIE KNIGHT 61 LASH INC ACCREDITED TRAINING PROVIDERS STUDENT LASH GALLERY 62-63 LASH INC ACCREDITATION 64-65 SUPPLIER AND TRAINING DIRECTORY 66-69

LASH INC ACCREDITED TRAINING PROVIDERS 2

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The publisher has taken all reasonable measures to ensure the accuracy of the information in Lash Inc. The publisher and magazine owners cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions from any information given in this issue or for any consequences arising thereof.

WELCOME TO ISSUE 10

OF LASH INC

Welcome to issue 10, the 2nd issue of 2016.

So much is happening in the eyelash industry right now. Conferences are now being run globally, if you are lucky to have one running in your area please attend they are a wealth of knowledge to help fine tune your skills and build your business.

This year I will be attending and speaking at …

The Scottish Lash Conference 25th April – www.lashinc.com Edinburgh Global Lash Summit – 4th & 5th June - www.lashsummit.com London Lash Conference Amsterdam – 29th & 30th October www.lashconferenceamsterdam2016.com – Amsterdam Lash Gala 18th & 19th Aug – www.lashgala.com.au – Australia I hope to see you there, please come and say hello.

We are currently looking for additional contributors to Lash Inc. If you think you have something to share with your colleagues please get in touch info@lashinc.eu

Louise Prunty

Louise Prunty

Kim Gibb

Editorial director / Business

Article Writer

Melanie Doyle Beauty Edit

Richard Prunty Editorial assistant

Amy Scott Designer

Miranda Tarpey Step by Step

Kelly-Ann Woodland Beauty News

The views in the articles of Lash Inc are the views of individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect that of the company.

Lash Inc. 7 Newton Place, Lower Ground, Glasgow, G3 7PR

Contact Name: Louise Prunty Contact Email: info@lashinc.eu www.lashinc.eu 3

Lash

The

GAMES 2-3rd Oct 2016

Hosted by Olympia Beauty 2-3rd October Olympia, London www.thelashgames.co.uk

s e m a G h s a L The

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London is calling all Lash Lovers!

The Lash Games is welcoming technicians from across the world to the competition floor. Judged by industry experts renowned worldwide, The Lash Games is set to be two days of the fieriest competition across four categories and four skill sets

Competition Categories • Classic Look • 2d / 3d Volume • Dramatic 4+ Volume • Fantasy – 2016 theme “The London Look”

Competing across 4 skill divisions • Division 1 - Novice: Up to 1.5 years’ experience • Division 2 - Lash Professional: Minimum of 1.5 years’ experience • Division 3 - Master: Minimum of 2.5 years’ experience • Division 4 - Expert 2.5 years’ experience and teaching

Media Sponsor

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Proudly sponsored by...

For more information about The Lash Games please visit www.thelashgames.co.uk The Lash Games proudly hosted by Olympia Beauty BUY

|

WIN

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COMPETE

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LEARN

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Lashes

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I

n the last years the ideal of beauty around men has developed versitale.

Besides epilation, pedicure, manicure, facials, body- and face care, as well as hyaluron, botox and surgical interventions, lash extensions also create the man of today.

However is this what men really need ? Sure it is not for every man.

Besides the cosmic aspect there are diseases that will change the body hair into white, grey or colourless, for example the skin disease vitiligo, also known as “white spot disease“. It occurs by dying cells (melanocytes) which are responsible for the production of the skin pigment. Approximately 1% of the population is affected.

Poliosis describes the vitiligo of the scalp with the whitening of the hairs, eyebrows or lashes. In albinism (an inheritate lack of pigment) there are troubles of production and therefore a lack of melanin-colour pigments, which are located in hair, nails, and eyes. Even with blepharitis, lashes can loose the pigment. Certainly men need a bit of courage. Many 8

people think of long lashes and femininity. Therefore you need the special know how of the lash stylist to create a look, which is suitable for daily use.

The most important thing is, to choose the right length. None of the men wants to look like a dragqueen. Because the lashes of most men are beautiful and enviable long by nature, you

usually should pick shorter extensions (4mm-10mm). The extensions can be shorter than the natural lashes. 2mm are no problem. The tips of the lashes are thinner and usually brighter so that it should not attract attention. Cat eyes, the typical doll look, fox, squirrel and angel wings are of course inappropriate.

Men´s eyes should still remain masculine and will be promoted soft by the “natural effect“ (for example 7mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 10mm, 10mm, 9mm, 8mm).

The ladys are currently up to date with the russian volume look and the perfect high line, but in men´s world the lash look should be as natural as possible. According to that it is perfect to mix the lengths of the lashes. The stylist has not

necessarily pay attention to the row of the lashes, because the accurate line is not required. The best are 1:1 or 2D. You have to accommodate the thickness to the number of lashes in a fan. That means you might choose thinner lashes to avoid the “fur look“. The same here - less is more! Now let´s shift attention to the colours. Black looks very hard by most men, so it is recommendable to use different shades of brown, except the latin typ. This shades of brown are meanwhile available in all nuances and look most naturally. The range of colours offers every tone from light brown to dark brown. Very trendy are mixed shades of brown (see picture “Edward“) of the company Lashmetics (www.lashmetics. de).

During the selection of the extension curl you have to make sure that the lashes are not over-bending. J, A and B are perfect ! If the men don´t wish to have a complete eyelash line, only put on a view lash extensions.

So dear stylists, just offer it in your studio and create a magical, seductive but masculine look.

By Tanja Nicklaus

Lashes For

MEN

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MY 7 FAVOURITES 1 CLEAN LASHES. Hygiene and clean lashes are essential for good extensions.

For me, Chrissanthie is an all-in-one. I use it in all my lash treatments, and I recommend all my clients to use it at home when they have extensions on.

2 AN SOLID ADHESIVE. When I do lashes, it is very important for me to have a quick-drying glue. Wink Lash Studios, volume adhesive dries in 2 seconds, and it is necessary for me when I make volume lashes for my fans not collapse, but I am also a fan of using it for the classic lashes.

3 GOOD TOOLS. A good tool is important when you have to do a good job.

Now, I use Flawless Lashes

by Loreta’s, volume tweezer, because it is perfect for volume or Russian volume.

4 THE CLASSIC. It is no secret that I have a preference for the classics, and for me Glamcor Elite Light is a classic.

5 SALTWATER. I use saltwater in every lash extension treatment, to create a better hold. I buy them as pipettes, so I am sure that it is all new saltwater, and it is 100 percent sterile.

6 THE LASHES. One thing that makes everything easier, when I do volume lashes; I use the .07 from London lashes. These lashes are so flexible and easy to work with, and they only helped me to do my job better.

7 MY NEXT PURCHASE. My next purchase is clearly a beautician chair from Beautek, because I have been in love with it for such a long time, but first I have to open my own salon, so maybe it is not quite my next purchase, but rather a dream purchase.

By Kenny Anker

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Back To Basics

With Miranda Tarpey

Patch Testing

Why do we patch test?

When we apply eyelash extensions, we are using products containing fumes very close to the eyes. These fumes can be irritants for some people if they suffer from sensitive or weakened corneas.

A patch test is required to rule out any adverse and severe reactions that may be caused by any of the products used during the application of lashes extensions, in particular, the adhesives.

What is a cornea?

The cornea is the clear transparent film that protects our eyes and helps to shield the rest of the eye from germs, dust, and other harmful matter. The cornea shares this protective task with the eyelids, the eye socket, tears, and the white part of the eye (sclera).

If we have sensitive corneas that react to allergies, the cornea could be weakened and cannot take these products so close to the eye this may cause a reaction, sometimes very severe.

If we have an allergic reaction, the eye may become red, itching, burning, stinging, watery, inflamed and the lid swollen. The entire area around the eye may also become sore and inflamed.

It is for this reason that we must patch test both eyes. One eye may be more sensitive than the other, so we must check the strength of the cornea in both eyes. The recommended time frame for patch test is 48 hours this allows us to ensure that the eye is suitable for these products.

How to Patch Test – Step By Step

Step 1 Ask your client to complete a consultation form and go through contraindications, some may be visible such as a recent scar or conjunctivitis, others the client may tick on your consultation form.

If they have no contraindications at this point, then continue to prepare your client for a patch test.

Step 2 Lie your client on the couch, prepare the eyes for lashes, clean the outer corners well using all the products you will use on the day of treatment, place under eye pads on the outer corners and tape if using both.

Step 3 Isolate a lash and apply an extension around 8mm in length so that it will not show on the client, use the adhesive you will be using on the day of the treatment, repeat this process and apply around 4 lashes per eye, to both eyes.

Step 4 Remove the under eye pads, sit client up and ask them to open their eyes. If at this stage she already feels her eyes stinging or cannot open them or they are very watery, I will assume that she is having a positive reaction to the lashes and this client will not be suitable for 12 12

lashes. Imagine if she has this sensitivity with only 8 lashes on, how would she react with 100 or more and over two hours of having her eyes closed.

At this stage of patch testing, clients should be able to open their eyes as if they cannot feel a thing, and then you can send them away to see if within the next 48 hours they experience any reaction.

Step 5 Ensure your client has dated and signed the consultation form, and that you have read it thoroughly and included the patch test products used, dated and timed. Ask the client to contact you if she experiences any problems.

Adverse Reactions could be, but are not limited to: swollen eyes, red eyes, sore eyes, burning sensation, pain around the eyes, watery eyes, inflamed or swollen lid or any area around the eyes. This could be one eye or both. Do Not go ahead if any of these symptoms happen to your client.

Is it safe to go ahead with a treatment if my client has had no reaction to the patch test?

There is no guarantee that a client will not have a reaction after a full set of eyelash extensions for many reasons, i.e, she may not have mentioned a particular medication she may be taking that might make her super sensitive but by performing a patch test you are hopefully ruling out severe sensitivity to the corneas and those people that would not be able to enjoy their lash extensions.

Miranda’s Tip – you can cut the under eye pads in half to apply just in the outer corners of the eye instead of using a whole one each time your patch testing.

Jayne Rolf was left with severely blistered skin for weeks after suffering a severe, painful allergic reaction to the glue used to apply eyelash extensions. This could

INCREASE YOUR LASH CLIENTS

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n 2004, I started working

for a large fitness company. I worked my way up the ladder from administrator to membership sales advisor, membership sales advisor to Deputy Manager and ending my career in 2011 as the General Manager. We had achieved in making our club one of the most successful clubs, alongside being one of the highest turnover clubs in the region.

Throughout my journey, I had learnt some valuable tools that would enable me to set up my own business with ease.

•

What to do to generate new business.

• When to generate new business.

• Why we needed to generate new business.

• Where to generate new business • How to generate new business In 2011, I welcomed my daughter into the world and realised it was time for change. I retrained as an

Eyelash Technician and began to set up my own business. Firstly I started by offering appointments in the comfort of clients homes, after building a stable client base I then went ahead with setting up my own studio. I started to use all the knowledge I had gained from my days in the fitness industry and business boomed.

In 2015, client bookings had peaked and I advertised for help in the studio. Not too long after, I started to develop my knowledge into helpful documents that I could use to help people in the Lash Industry.

Our website and online group is solely focused on helping your lash business thrive. We offer tools to help you drive new clients through the door. When you register, you will have access to a wealth of information and downloads including: • • •

Aftercare leaflet downloads.

Client consultation Forms.

How to create a successful

exhibition; for example a wedding fair.

• 5 pages packed with hints and tips to get your business off the ground.

• Downloadable Monthly Planners. And online planner workshops. Wording Templates to turn enquiries into bookings.

• Online discussions, brainstorming sessions and social media marketing photos.

And so much more.....

Joining up is easy, its a one off fee of £14.99. No monthly or yearly fees.

Click the payment link on our homepage and follow the instructions.

This fee will register you as a member of the site and log details will be sent directly to your email. Allowing you access to all the hidden content. www.increaselashclients.com Mrs Lisa Corwood 07980119850

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How did you find out, that you would do what you are doing now?

I have in the past few years had a burning desire to work with eyebrows, because they tell me a story, somehow. In the beginning, I thought, that my love for eyebrows would be brought to life by working with permanent makeup, also known as semi-permanent tattoos on the face. I have two different courses in it, but never really felt that it was the way. I stopped immediately because I did not feel comfortable creating eyebrows in this way. After that, I wondered whether it was eyebrows that I wanted to work with, but I knew that it was where my heart was, but just in a more natural way.

“To do lash extensions is an art.”

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In Denmark, there is no eyebrows education, so I thought, obviously lashes, I saw two courses in classic lashes in 2014, and ever since, been in love with the industry, and found out that I also have a love to make eyelash extensions. I have been taught in various systems / brands, both courses from Denmark and California.

Meanwhile, I have become much wiser about eyebrows, and still have a big passion about it. The last few years, I have been making myself better, working with brows with wax, tint and makeup; because I believe that, every brow have to be created for the specific person. I love to do it, and I could not imagine working with something else.

What did you dream of becoming when you were a child?

When I was a child, I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up. My grandmother thought that I should be a goldsmith, and my mother’s wish was that I was a firefighter. But that was not my dream How do you think others would describe you?

I am sure that others will describe me as independent, passionate and focused, with my own stubborn attitudes.

What is the best thing about your job?

I will divide it into two different jobs. One job is being a lash stylist, another is being an eyebrows’ stylist. As a lash stylist, the best thing about my job is to beautify, definitely. While I feel like an artist, to do lash extensions is an art. Anyone can learn how to make lash extensions, but not everyone can make it into an art. As an eyebrows’ stylist, the best part of my job to make a difference. I really feel that I make a difference for individuals. To see someone come in here, and another person walk out of here, is a great thing. Not many people are aware of how essential properly defined brows for their face and how much it can change, but it makes a huge difference.

Who inspire you?

Generally, it is primarily women with a sense of business and success.

How do I balance my work and home life I do not balance. My work is also my spare time, and so I think it will be forever.

What do you dream about, and where are you in 5 years?

In 5 years, I’ll have been with my boyfriend for 8 years. I have opened my own business - one brow bar. Only focusing on eyebrows and making eyelash extensions for a hobby Kenny Anker, Copenhagen.

Brow Stylist & Eyelash Artist.

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‘LASH EXTENSION REMOVER’

‘LASH EXTENSION REMOVER’ excusively from Nouveau Lashes, has not been developed to replace professional removal or maintenance but instead to give customers more choice.

By developing a product that effectively and safely removes lash extensions in under 10 mintues salons can promote their eyelash services to a wider audience safe in the knowledge that they can retail an at home removal solution to those customers that are to busy to return for professional removal.

Coming soon Video Tutorial on YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/ Nouveaulashesofficial Trade Price £5.35 per unit, multi buy offers available at www. nouveaulashes.com/pro/shop RRP - £9.99 15

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EYELASH EXTENSIONS AS A PART OF PROFESSIONAL MAKE UP – DOES IT WORK? We all know that eyelash extensions became a very important part of everyday make up. But, how do they function with professional make up?

My name is Dijana Tošev, I’m a professional make up artist, and I am also a lash artist/trainer.

During my work with the clients in my beauty studio, and my work at professional shootings, I had situations with eyelash extensions that were quite unpleasant. A client who had her eyelash extensions done by an unprofessional lash technician, came to me to have her make up applied. The extensions were so full of glue, very thick and messy. How can I do anything with that? Well, fortunately, she was going to a wedding and wanted heavy make up! With a lot of dark shadows and black eyeliner, I managed to hide them and it turned out to be the best solution for such situations. But, next time I had a shoot for a music video. The model came with very bad extensions, 70% of them fell off and the others had big growth and they hung like palms! The look for the shooting was very nude and bronze, so there was no chance to hide them.

I had no remover with me. It was unsolvable!!! So, what now? I had to make some aggressive removal with the tweezers that I had in my make up case – eyebrow tweezers and straight tweezers for flare

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lashes. After that day, I always have remover in make up case.

That is friendly advice for every make up artist who is not a lash technician- always have a bond

breaker, remover in your make up case! It’s very easy to take off the extensions, in the worst case it will take about half an hour.

You always have that time. After

taking the extensions off, clean the client’s eyes with cleansing foam and you can begin with your make up.

So, I’m gonna ask my question again- eyelash extensions as a part of professional make updoes it work? You probably think my answer is “no”, but my answer is “yes”!

If you are both, like me – lash artist and make up artist, then it’s great if you have the chance to do both treatments, because you know what kind of extensions suit for the make up look that you’re making.

Here are a few looks and my suggestions:

GLAMOUR MAKE UP – Russian volume 3D, 4D

HEAVY GLAMOUR MAKE UP – Russian volume 5D, 6D

SMOKEY EYES – Russian volume 5D,6D

ARABIAN MAKE UP – mega volume

BEAUTY MAKE UP – Russian volume 3D

NUDE MAKE UP – 2D (0,07)

Coloured extensions are great for fashion and funky looks, but also for every day. You just have to choose the colour carefully. I like blue extensions on dark eyes; that is my favourite styling and it’s on the picture. It is a combination of black and blue 0,07mm and for make up I just did her tan and eyebrows, that’s enough.

I wish a lot of beautiful sets to everyone and remember- remover is our best friend!

Dijana Tošev, Zagreb, Croatia

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Angelina Salacinski

Francesca Nappi

Jessica McIntosh Mogauro Faces by Dre

Nina Bindsted

Nina Bindsted

Reader Gallery 20

Claudia King

Carmen Palmiste

Pixie Joanna

Marta Wiatr

Tami Jo Vanessa Di

Marta Wiatr

Hoa Duong Ellingsen Loreta Jasilionyte

Josie Christina

Tania Schroeder

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Astridah Bowler Ana Milovanovic Aldoiu Biance Badest Berry

Anite Gera-Kiraly

Astridah Bowler

Bryony Barclay Heidi Streeter

Daria Ziolkowska

Gina Mclaren

Daria Ziolkowska

Anna Gobey Inesa Svetkina

Genevieve Harding

Loreta Jasilionyte Inesa Svetkina

Ina Helland

Jana Adamcova 22

Hannah Barret

Jiena Liu

Jess Martin

Jiena Liu

Jiena Liu

Jolita Shishmanova

Jill lagasse

Karen Morrison

Josie Christina Joanna Staniul Michelle Meredith-Rath Kit Stephenson

Joanna Staniul

Martina Kallos

Michelle Poser

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Lash Extend

Nelly Maxy Tami Jo Tanya Morrison

Lisa Corwood Rebecca Reilly

Teresa Ilaria Guida

Stacey Nicole Ridler

Sahar Ramezani

Teresa Page

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Lisa Fletcher

Nina Bindsted

Sada Cole Jiena Liu

Marie-line Brusa-Pasque

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Laetitia Cilhair

Lisa LaTurner Magee

Marta Wiatr

Blanariu Stefania Florentina

Cortney Boich

Kovacs Brigi

Marta Wiatr

Cortney Boich

Janni Lofqvist

Lash Lift

DVD and Online Training

Order from www.lashmasteracademy.com 28

Interview with Stefani Altieri of Skynlash Academy and The Lash Shop

1: How would you describe your business Skynlash Academy is a Hands On & Online Eyelash Extension & Eye Enhancement Continuing Education Training Courses. We train & certify licensed beauty professionals in Lash Services and provide mentoring services as well. I am the ONLY Master Lash Educator for Skynlash Academy. I do not have any other trainer working for me as I want to make sure Quality Control is not lost as can happen with these large corporate lash companies with hundreds of trainers.

The Lash Shop is a One Stop Shop for all your Lash & Brow Supplies. I pride myself in having the best of the best products at a more affordable price for the detailed lash artist. I not only have my own lash line, Stella Lash but I also sell other lines that I personally love and believe in. The Vivienne Lash Line is probably one of the best in the Lash Industry and I had to make sure I was able to sell it to my customers along with Belmacil, Elleebana, Glamcor, Chrissanthie, Lux Beauty, and many more......

2: What is your most popular product or service?

For Skynlash Academy the 2 most popular classes are my hands on courses in Volume Technique for Beginners and for Advanced Lash Artist. My beginner Lash training course is minimum of 4 days which are done spaced apart. Usually the first 2 days are done back to back then the 3rd day is done a week to 2 weeks later and then the 4th day is done 4 - 8 weeks later after they go on to lash 10 - 15 people.

The 4th day is the really the most important, this is a day I watch them lash a full set and critique and correct any issues so they full 100% confident when they leave they know what they are doing. Before my students come in for their first day of training we ship them part of their lash kit and they have access to a secret lash portal that allows them to watch videos of me to help them get comfortable working of a mannequin to get the feel for working with 2 hands with tweezers. They also will have access to these videos up to 60 days so they really get a grasp on the art of lash extensions. I feel that we need to take lashing more serious as our eyes are the most sensitive organ on our body and we are working with sharp tweezers and adhesive. These 1 - 2 day beginner lash courses boggle my mind when there is so much to know about lashing and I see so many lash artist really do not have the knowledge behind them when they take a 1 or 2 day beginner lash course. If I had my way I would actually have more days, less hours per day to really get the best out of the training. You only absorb probably 40 - 50% of what we are taught as it can be very overwhelming for most students.

For my 2 day Volume Lash Course for Advanced Lash Artist I just started doing something similar by sending out Volume lashes, my lash finger pallet & Volume Tweezers with access to my Volume Training Videos so they have a practice and feel before they even come into my studio for the training. With this course students will get 30 days access to the videos.

My main priority is my students succeed in their lash career.

For The Lash Shop I would say my most popular selling product is The Lash Nebulizer by Stella Lash.

This is a MUST have product to cure lash adhesive the best way with a vapor of moisture.

Then Vivienne Elite adhesive and Stella Lash C Curl Single Length Lash Trays are tied for a close 2nd runner up most popular products I sell.

3: Where is your business based?

Howell, NJ USA

4: What does a typical say look like for you?

I am a single mom so besides getting my 12 year old son off to school and take care of my 4 dogs, its my day to day operations at the Lash Shop. I finally have some staff that can free up my time because I used to be the one picking all the orders, packing and shipping all myself so thank god I finally have a great small staff to take care of that for me so I have more time for my training classes which I do 2 days a week. So most days when not training a hands on class, I am on the computer doing research and testing for new products as I have been expanding and ordering new items every week.

5: What is your favourite thing about your job?

What I truly love about my job, is I really don’t even think of it as a job. I really love helping others in any way that I can. Whether it is teaching in the studio or on the phone talking with customers trouble shooting an issue. It is so rewarding to me to hear the words “thank you so much, I can’t believe how much you have helped me!” I hear that almost daily and I never get tired of hearing that. I truly love to know that I can make an impact on someone in a positive way, and that is the most precious gift to me.

6: What are your best achievements to date?

What many people may not even realize is that I pretty much do almost everything myself for my businesses. From creating my own logos, designing & creating all my websites myself to growing & expanding The Lash Shop and my Stella Lash Line. I really have exploded over the past 2 years and when

I look back from when I was only doing about 5 - 10 orders in 1 month with my inventory in a small closet on one shelving unit to NOW, 2+ huge rooms of inventory doing a minimum of 10 orders in one day shipping worldwide. I really am proud of myself as all the hard work I’ve put in and still putting in is finally paying off. I have been so honored to be asked to be part of Co-Authoring in the Lash Masters Book Vol 1 & 2 as well as being a Guest Lash Educator/ Speaker about Adhesives (my specialty) to several Lash Conferences to Judging Lash Competitions all over the world. It really makes me so happy knowing that I can have a positive impact on numerous woman in this Industry!

Being on the Board of Directors on the American Eyelash Association I am proud to be a part of this amazing Organization to help impact the Lash Industry in such a positive way and help try to make Eyelash Extensions it’s own licensing in each state without having to have a prerequisite of esthetics or cosmetology. This will also bring consistency with the standards of lashing and the education on a much higher platform.

7 Anything else you wish to add?

I finally am going to be working with a company to help really Brand my companies and take it to the next level! I am super excited to see where the next year takes me.........

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Lash Conferences What is a conference? During the last year or so, the frequency of various conferences held has grown greatly. Their popularity is growing and new ones are constantly added to the yearly roster. In 2016, conferences have been and will be held in Estonia, United Kingdom, Scotland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, United States and so forth, which are virtually always sold out. So this begs to question, why now and why overall, these movements have come about in the world of lashing- and brows? Information! It’s information that has brought about this phenomenon. New knowledge, technology, techniques, etc. is constantly flowing in, so keeping track of it all by going to constant courses would be difficult. So going to conferences can give you all the information you need as the influx of information moves and changes constantly in all areas - Lashes, Brows, Nails, Hair. In the flowing information world, contacts are also very important. Conferences are that one place, where you can find most of the beauty industry leaders and the hottest news. These events also clear up misunderstandings and myths that are circulating as well as explain thoroughly topics that are most recent. If there’s a brand new product out, there’s someone to introduce it, if there’s a new service, there will be someone to tell you about it. Conferences are the place where you’ll get the latest trends and the greatest lecturers. On top of all the above, conferences also give you a good overview of the trainers. You have the opportunity to speak to them, get to know them,

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ask questions. Virtually all conferences end with a more casual afterparty, where you’ll meet various technicians from all around the world.

Events like these are about learning as much as enjoying the process, having fun and getting to know people - build relationships with intrigu-

ing like-minded people. A great additional bonus is the option to buy various products from all over the world, get to know interesting and great brands, quite often, ones, that are new to the market and not yet available to the general public. Conferences are designed and intended for professionals. For those who are making a career in their selected industry or are planning to do so. It goes without saying, that it is also intended for hobbyists and beginners, as a well put together conference might be your first big step towards becoming a career-professional! Every conference will put you a step ahead of everybody else, who’s working in your field but not present! Another thing, as already mentioned, is that you have the opportunity to meet many different technicians and trainers, whether they are guest speakers or sitting in the audience. All the big names are always present, who are eager to learn and grow. If you have thought about going abroad for a course or there are many outside trainers coming to your home country to give courses, but you haven’t decided, who to pick, a conference is your perfect chance to get to know the trainers better and make up your mind. It is best to learn from the best and conferences are your chance to find the ones you prefer the best. Conferences are almost always comprised of theoretical study as well as practical applications. For example Lash Summit 2015 - Various techniques and lash art flowers were taught, Lash Conference Tallinn 2016 - Taking high-grade pictures of your work and practical

yoga tips to relieve work-relatedphysical stress, League of Lash Master 2015 - Live lashart model demonstration Based on personal experience, I advise you to pack your bag and travel, go to a relevant conference. The whole experience is more than worth it. You will see how things are done elsewhere and as a bonus you get to travel.

My best experiences have been while travelling abroad. All of these conferences are rich of emotions and growth, which are hard to explain with words. Go out and be part of it!

By Carmen Palmiste

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HAPPY CLIENTS? Most of us will agree on one thing; we lash techs love lashing and strive to provide the best treatment and experience that we can for our clients. Sadly, they may not always agree. While we consult their views on what they want, and we set realistic expectations of what’s achievable using our knowledge

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and skill, a fact of life is that two people will not agree all the time.

Situations like these can be a little uncomfortable and a question I see and hear time and time again is ‘what should I do?!’

Your first thought may be that you are the experienced and highly trained lash professional so ‘I

know best, and my pride’s been punched!’. Your client’s first thoughts may be ‘I’m not getting what I’m paying for!’.

What you do and say now can make all the difference in how quickly and successful their concerns are resolved, as this is far better for all parties. It’s about having the confidence and skills to manage difficult situations in a healthy way. It may be helpful to approach it in four simple steps.

1. Stay calm.

I know, it’s easier said! Staying calm will help you stay focused and will enable you to listen and understand your client’s views.

You’ll also notice and read their body language better too as these offer tell-tale signs if your approach isn’t working. Learn to control your emotions. If they run riot, they may well cause one!

2. Understand the issue Really listen as they explain their concern and let them finish.

Try not to interrupt, even if you disagree with what they are saying, unless they are being aggressive or insulting. Remind yourself that we have 2 ears and one mouth for those times when it’s best to double our listening time! It’s hard to stop yourself from interrupting when you believe you are right as you’re the expert after all.

However, if someone doesn’t feel heard and understood, the situation will only escalate, and there could be even more to disagree on.

Show that you understand what they are saying by summarising it. You could ask, ‘have I fully understood what you’ve said?’

You can only attempt to resolve an issue when you really know what it is.

Offer your response, views or technical explanation in an empathetic and respectful way – notably, staying calm. It is easy to mirror the behaviour of others so if your client’s concerns are released in a heated way, responding in the same tone will only hot things up and can lead to more than words!

If someone is being aggressive, then you could advise along the lines of, ‘I can see that this has really upset you, and it’s not what I intended. I truly want to work with you to resolve your concern, and that will be easier if we work together.’ Take a moment or ‘time out’ if you need to do so!

3. Coming to a resolution It’s good to start by asking what they think needs to happen to put things right. Put yourself in their shoes and consider how you would feel if you were your client. What would satisfaction look like for you given what you know about lashes and what’s achievable?

You’ll know what you can offer that feels reasonable, and that’s a good place to start. After all, we want our clients to be fully satisfied and enjoy our work.

On most occasions, you’ll be able to resolve or allay their concerns by simply taking the time to explain what you did and why you did it. This is another great reason for taking before and after treatment pictures and using them to help get your point across. Where relevant, remind them of what was agreed at the outset, and this is why consultations are so important.

If realistic and achievable, you could offer a range of solutions such as taking some of the longer lashes off if they feel they’re too long or adding a few more in to create a bit more density if it’s safe to do so. It may help to use stories to help present your point, i.e. I would often ask my hairdresser for the latest hot hairstyle in one of their magazines and couldn’t wait to be transformed.

What they didn’t tell me was that the models lovely hair was very different to my own, so there was no way a miracle was going to happen – well, not without the help of a wig anyway. They hadn’t set expectations but raised my hopes. I much prefer experiences that over deliver than those that over promise and under deliver.

So, if on reflection, you know in your heart of hearts that today was not the best lash day for you (we’re human and not machines after all!) then a genuine conversation is far better than trying to defend the indefensible and an offer to put it right is right and proper.

There may be times when you cannot agree on an acceptable resolution and now comes the point where your client believes their treatment should be free of charge. What do you do? Now, this will be exceptionally rare, but we know that some of our colleagues have experienced this. If you have gone to great lengths to provide the treatment agreed possible during your consultation, and it is a clean, safe and well applied one then payment is due. If your client refuses to pay because they are so dissatisfied with your work, then you have a few options. You could advise that the treatment needs to be removed immediately though they need to agree as you are treating again. If they don’t agree, then you could send your invoice to their home giving a reasonable time to settle what’s due and advise that if it remains unsettled, you may seek to lay your claim to a court. Subject to local laws, that may be your next step but you’ll need to weigh up the worth – for the wellbeing of you and your business.

4. Reflect and learn from it Give yourself a little time and then reflect and think about what happened and why positives can come from it. By that, I mean learning.

Did they really understand that you could only enhance what nature has given them? Was their interpretation of ‘natural looking’ so very different to yours? Really think about what you can you do to avoid that happening again. With global connectivity that is social media, you have a wealth of virtual colleagues to ask for their views too so you can feel supported and a little less alone. It may be that you did everything right, and you were never going to please them and neither will the next lash tech!

While no one likes to be complained about, what can be gleaned is free and invaluable business intelligence.

This is an insight into your business that some companies actually pay for, i.e. customer surveys.

One valuable learning point may be that you immediately start taking non-refundable booking fees from new clients to secure their booking and be clear about your terms and conditions. We may think that we shouldn’t have to tell clients that they need to arrive timely and pay for their treatment at the time, but professional businesses set the ‘rules’. It shows clients that you’re a serious outfit and business boundaries are more likely to be respected.

Best wishes, Julie Knight Eye by i and Eye by i Academy

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PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

BY JENNA HAVILAND

Most (quality) lash artists are perfectionists and strive for... well...

PERFECTION; settling for nothing less. Each lash must be ever-soperfectly in place, all pointing in the same direction with a seamless sweep, looking perfectly PERFECT.

Achieving such uniformity is a tedious and difficult task; an absolute skill that any lash artist will appreciate and even envy.

Finally, the full set or fill appointment is over and it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for all hour long; the opening of the eyes! And....oh wait...

$#%+ !!! A lash is out of place and...oh DAMMIT there’s another one.. and ANOTHER one!

Total bummer. You beat yourself up on the inside and over analyze every step you’ve taken, trying to decide where you went wrong, telling yourself you won’t let it happen again next time.

Sound familiar?

I used to be like this. But, it’s a new year and I’m trying this new thing where I’m not so hard on myself and I must say, it’s working really well for me! It’s not like I purposely try to create a really messy looking lash set, but if I have a few stray lashes so be it! I’m embracing the mess!

Take a look at your natural lashes. Are they perfectly uniform with every lash looking exactly like the rest of them - all sitting so neatly in a row? Probably not. You may have a few lashes that are curlier than the rest; that point in a slightly different direction than the rest; that are thicker or thinner than the rest. And they sure as hell aren’t completely symmetrical to those on the opposite eye.

A completely uniform set of lashes may look flawless... but in my opinion that tends to make it more obvious that they’re fake. (Don’t get me wrong, I love a flawlessly uniform set of lashes, they look amazing).

However, the messy lash-look is growing on me because it looks so natural, and I’m a natural kinda gal! I love me some bed-head, so why not have the messy lashes to go with it!? (Ok, there’s messy lashes that have been applied well, and there’s messy lashes that have been applied very poorly; there IS a difference and I like the messy’s that are applied nicely).

The messy lashes are incredibly popular right now too thanks to Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. Clients are constantly asking for the staggered look with wispy lashes all over the place, and it makes a lot of lash artists cringe. I personally love when they ask for this look because I get to relax a little bit and just go to town plopping lashes on (nicely) and not having to worry about the perfect-perfectness. Score!

The truth is, there is no right or wrong when it comes to neat vs. messy lashes.

Both have their place in the industry depending on the client you are working on, and both can look amazing. As long as the natural lashes are properly isolated, the correct lash lengths and diameters are applied, and minimal adhesive is used you are good to go.

So stop being so hard on yourselves and be proud of the quality work you provide to your clients, because there is nothing wrong with being perfectly imperfect.

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My Lash Story

By Katre Kulbok

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H

ello! My name is Katre! I have worked as an eyelash extension technician for 4 years, and I have been applying volume eyelash extensions for over two years. It is the job that I love!

To be honest, I was sceptic about the eyelash extensions for a very long time. I saw how they were applied on my friends and when they fell out there were holes left, and it looked just horrible, but it was about 6 or 7 years ago. Then many of my friends passed their training and started working in this field while I kept saying that I will never have eyelash extensions nor train and start working with them. But never say never because by now I have had eyelash extensions for 5 years, and it’s been 4 years since I passed my course. Back then It seemed like an easy way to earn money while being at university. During observation, the work didn’t seem that complicated and that was one of the reasons why I decided to book a course and go through with it. To be honest, I don’t think my hands have shaken as much as they shook back then. I remember thinking „There is no way I am ever gonna do it after this”. I spent 6 hours on my first customer and even then I couldn’t get it all done. Yes, it was scary but at the same time, it was very exciting and interesting. As the time passed, I gained more experience and 6 hours turned into 3 hours. When I look back at my earliest works, then I can see that half of the lashes were without extensions. Sadly, I was taught that you should not put extensions to all the lashes.

When I first started, I used my sofa to lay my customers down; the prices were very cheap, and I did everything the client wished for. Then I started noticing my mistakes and to get better I took the client’s original lashes into account. I tried to improve myself to raise customers’ satisfactory as well as my own skills. Unfortunately, I had no one by my side to direct and teach, so I had to search for a lot of information on my own. I left university and quit my other job and decided to become a full-time eyelash extension technician. It is the job that I love! I moved to a smaller town and started building my business. I opened my salon, gained clients and improved and developed my skills.

Soon enough I gained enough clients and worked up to 5 or 6 days a week.

I also put myself through more courses which concentrated on classic lashes and then 2 years later I decided to take Ruthie Belle course on volume lashes. (Ruthie Belle brought volume lash technique to Estonia.) Up until today, I have put myself through 6 courses which concentrated on volume extensions and next courses are already booked as well.

Because I have developed so fast in such a short time then 1.5 years ago I started training the technicians myself. It started off with classical lashes, but now I also hold volume lash courses. I have also carried out training in Paris and next I

am going to hold training in Sweden.

Eyelash extensions have become a very big part of my life. I just opened my own little salon where I offer a chair for many technicians. My very own salon has always been a dream of mine, so when I moved back to Tallinn, I decided to set it up.

At this moment, my goal is to take part of many courses and constantly improve my own and my employee’s skills. I am concentrating on training and co-operation with other salons outside of Estonia. I enjoy passing my knowledge to my students and employees. It gives me such pleasure to see students develop and to observe their improvement even after the training. In the near future, I am planning to start selling the products needed by technicians, improve the salon and widen the range of the services we currently offer.

What I love most about this job is that it’s constantly improving, and I am improving with it. When you think that there is absolutely nothing new to come then you are wrong because there always is. Volume lashes are interesting and with volume, you can always do something different with every client. There is always something new and interesting.

I would have never thought that eyelash extensions turn out to be such a big part of my life, but I can honestly say it is the best job I have ever had.

What I love most is that I can plan my own time and have no obligation to anyone except of course my clients.

Word of advice - this job needs to be done with love because if you only do it for the money, then nothing good is coming out of it.

You definitely should not rush. You need to take time for this job. Then and only then you are able to achieve the best possible outcome. Quality is more important than quantity.

Rather have fewer clients but keep the quality up because quality is the only thing that guarantees you a constant job. That is what I stress to my students and my employees. If there is an opportunity to improve yourself through some course, I always recommend to take part of them because constant improvement and development is what will get you more clients.

If you are not able to go to training courses then you can find everything you need from the internet. It’s not always necessary to go there in person because many of the upper level trainers are taking part online.

Many trainees post information and videos on their pages on social media.

Love what you do and do what you love!

Katre x

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LASHING FROM THE HEART

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During your career as eye, and they have little a lash or brow artist, ridges to help keep the you may be asked to eyelids closed perform a treatment • Eye gel pads/tape on a client who has – as it will be difficult recently passed away. to apply tape it’s best This may come as a just to slip or slide the shock to some people eye gel pads under but is getting more the lashes. There is no and more popular in need to cover the lower our industry. lashes, but the eye gel Some people ask for pad will prevent any their hair to be styled adhesive going on the or for make-up to be skin or lashes sticking applied and now they to the skin. They can request for lashes will also prevent the to be applied as well. tweezers from causing This is where our any unnecessary dents professionalism comes in the skin. to the core!

• If you have Some people might not difficulty applying feel able to perform the treatment, especially if they have eye gel pads just leave them off and be aware of your never experienced seeing or touching someone who has pressure with the tweezers to avoid dents. passed, but I hope this article will give you some insight as

to how you would go about this and what is involved in the • Due to the massive reduction in body temperature and treatment if you are ever requested to carry it out. the lashes being more brittle your adhesive might take Lashing someone who is deceased is maybe a daunting task, longer to dry. but it is also a very rewarding one.

When someone dies, the body has to be taken through • If you normally apply volume to your client, you might the embalming process. The purpose of embalming is to want to pre-make your fans the day before to cut down disinfect, temporarily preserve and restore a person’s body on time and also if you are feeling nervous. to a more natural appearance to allow for the viewing of the • If you think you are going to struggle with the treatment body. at all you may want to apply express lashes; you will After embalming is complete, cosmetics can then be used if still be able to achieve a beautiful set of lashes. requested by the deceased’s family; this can be a full makeThe timing of the procedure – if you normally spent 2-3 up, a certain hair style and/or a full lash application. hours you may not have that amount of time allotted to If you are requested to carry out any type of lashes on a client you. who has passed there are a few things you need to take into consideration: To be asked to lash a client who has passed is a privilege and • The type or style of lashes the client normally had from honour, it means the family trust you and appreciate your you, this may not be achievable. service to your client. It may be the client has requested your

services, again, this is a privilege and honour.

• The timing of the procedure – if you normally spent 2-3 You may want to request that a family member/members hours you may not have that amount of time allotted to or a funeral director be with you in the room just to put you you. at ease.

If you have never seen or touched someone who has passed, • Cleansing – The cleansing process is carried out during it may come as a shock to you how cold the person feels. It’s embalming, there is no need to cleanse the lashes, just very hard to explain, and everyone experiences it differently, brush through gently to separate or detangle before you please be prepared for this, they will be extremely cold. A begin. good idea is to place a small towel over the forehead while

you work, this will make the treatment much easier and • Isolation – this is going to be more difficult as you won’t more comfortable for you. have the same flexibility around the eye area. The eyes You will be sending this person on their last journey with will have been closed prior to your treatment, don’t beautiful lashes, take a deep breath, be confident in yourself worry too much about isolating each individual lash for and remember them as they were and how good you made this particular treatment. Closing of the eyes involves them feel when you lashed them in their physical life. eye caps which work a lot like contact lenses in the I hope you found this article helpful. way they are inserted. Eye caps are plastic and serve two purposes: they maintain a natural curvature of the Kim Gibb 41

My Lash Story: Lesley-Ann Altree My name is Lesley-ann Altree a from Cape Town, South Africa, and I would like to share my story with you.. I hope to inspire you. I was adopted from an orphanage when I was a little girl. My “adoptive” parents ( who I see as my parents) have been married for 66 years now; My Dad turned 98 recently... They battled for a long time to have children, and eventually had my brother. After he was born, they were told that they couldn’t have anymore children.. 11 years later...after living next to an orphanage, they decided to adopt.. And I was the lucky one!! My “ adoptive” Dad lost his father when he was 11 years old and had to stop schooling to go out and work to help his Mom. So he has no academic achievement. When WW2 started, he volunteered and was on the ship that sent the last torpedo to sink the Bismarck. He helped pull survivors out the water, and his heart went out to them.. Further down the line, Japanese bombers sunk the ship he was

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on, and then machine-gunned the survivors in the water next to their sinking ship.. My Dad was shot 3 times.

Once through the palm of his hand and twice through the leg. He hung onto floating “flotsam” for 3 days till a passing ship rescued any survivors.

With one hand working and very little education, the work he could find was not the best paying.. But he married my Mom. My Dad believes that a mother’s place is bringing up the children, so my Mom never worked.

My Dad didn’t have the best job, so we were very poor. My childhood dream was to become a veterinarian.. To help those that cannot speak. When I was almost ready for high school, I wanted to go to a school that had the subjects that I needed to get into university, to study veterinary science. The problem was that I believed that my adoptive parents came from the “old school” and girls became secretaries.. So I was shipped off to a commercial school, where they churn out secretaries. (At

that stage of my life, I didn’t realize that there was NO way on this planet that my parents could afford me to go to university! ) ... So I went to a school with no subjects that you could get into university with.. So I rebelled! If I was told to do something, the chances are good that if it went against what I thought, I wouldn’t do it. And if I wanted to do something, and was told that I shouldn’t or couldn’t.. I would go out of my way to show I can and I will.. My school reports said that “Lesley-ann would amount to nothing!” So at the age of 16, I left school. But what can a 16-year-old do, with not much education.. So I looked for something ... Turns out that you only needed to be 16, with my level of schooling I could only become a hairdresser..

My Mom had a million reasons why I should stay in school and why becoming a hairdresser was a really bad idea.. So I became a hairdresser! I worked myself from an apprentice, to becoming a qualified hairdresser that

everyone wanted! I was always fully booked, with a waiting list.. The reason for this (I believe) was that hairdressing is not my passion, but if I put my mind to something and gave it 150%, I could get it right. My Dad was a very hard working man, and he taught me that if you work hard, and give it your best.. You will always find employment. Which was what I did. I worked very hard and did my best. I am a perfectionist, which the clients appreciated. I became the manager of the salon a few years later and eventually managed to buy the salon, which was very successful. I sold the salon about 13 years ago, as I moved out of the area, but some clients hunted me down and insisted that I still do their hair. Then the end of 2004, I happened across the word “eyelash extensions” and researched it, and it was not in South Africa yet... So I convinced my husband that we needed to go to the USA to learn. We both trained at 2 different eyelash extension companies there. That way we could compare products, learn different teaching methods and techniques. On our return to South Africa, I started offering it to my clients, and it was a hit! It wasn’t long before I had a waiting list of clients and not enough time to do them. Being the first (and at that stage the ONLY) people doing lashes in South Africa, I realized I needed help.. And that was how the training aspect of it started, and Luscious Lashes International was born!! Luckily I had many apprentice hairdressers under me in my career, so I was used to training. Our first classic lash course took place midyear 2005. Back then, I was still doing hair, lashes, and training, and then still taking orders (lash products), packing and sending them off, by myself. My husband also helped with training and demo’s, and use to do my lashes.

It’s now 11 years down the line, and Luscious Lashes International is still going strong! During this time and being in this industry, My husband - (Cliff Altree) left his job in the healthcare industry 5 years ago to join me in the business full time. We have franchisee’s all over South Africa doing training now, and all our franchisees have been

trained in volume, by an international trainer. There are 5 of us (sometimes 6 when it gets too busy) at head office in Cape Town - South Africa. We also have a few franchisee’s overseas... We regularly go overseas to trade shows to keep ahead of what’s new or better, attend overseas conferences, training and test new products constantly to make sure our products are the best available. I have come a long way from the little girl that would go to the movies with her friends, and had to stand outside asking strangers for any spare cents they had, so I could get money to go in and watch with my friends. I no longer have to get hand me down clothes from older cousins, that were too big or get 2nd hand bicycles for Christmas ... Today, my parents live with me, and I pay for their care.. Because I come from nothing, and while growing up.. my parents favorite saying was “it’s not WHERE you live, but HOW you live..” there is nothing that I want more than family and friends.. So my lash story comes full circle.. Always do your best! No matter what mood you’re in, how bad you feel, if you are doing a client, do your best! That way you’ll always have clients. When using products on your clients, look for the best to use! It will make your life easier than fighting with bad products, and your clients will notice the difference. BUT most of all... Even when your life takes unexpected turns, and is not what you envisioned, still give 150% of yourself!

When someone says you can’t, SHOW them! But do it all with kindness and a good heart, and don’t hurt anyone, no matter how badly they have hurt you. Even when you think you are “just” doing something until what you really want comes along.. Give it your best, and you may find that it was the best thing you ever did! I have chosen an animal charity that I support as much as possible. And without Luscious Lashes International, I wouldn’t be able to... So it’s a full circle. I am Lash Inc Lash Art Artist of 2015, and Cliff (hubby) is “1st Place winner in the master category for “An eye of 2016” winner Star Lash Academy because we are committed to being the best... And we are truly blessed. I hope my story inspires you, to become THE BEST you can, and to never give up! Love, light and lashes!

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Staying Safe I saw some findings recently from a UK industry survey revealing that more and more beauticians are either working from home treatment rooms or traveling to see clients in their home.

I started out offering a mobile service for four years, and that worked for me at the time, and my clients loved the flexibility.

Sadly, every day I was feeling the strain of carrying lots of heavy kit to my client’s homes, and I was feeling it as I was inching into my mid 40’s.

I certainly did not need reminding of it! Apart from the hours spent on the road and being stuck in traffic, one of my biggest concerns was my personal safety. This was always at the forefront of my mind even though I’d spent the last quarter of a century advising people just like me about the do’s and don’ts in similar situations.

I was parking in various parts of a big city and visiting new clients for the first time for their consultation and patch test in their home. As a lone worker, it’s possible to be an feel a little vulnerable.

When taking that first booking with a new client, I always asked about the availability of parking nearby as that always influenced my decision to take their booking. I always carried my kit in one go into their home as I did not want to leave any of it unattended with my client, their children, and pets! So duly loaded up with my a massage couch bagged and on one shoulder, kit bag containing couch covers, lamp, diary et al on

another shoulder, both hands were busy with the portable stool and precious beauty case. Sadly, I often had difficulties parking close by and recall with horror, my furthest hike on a rather inclement day – oh the great British weather! I walked for half a mile up a steep hill with all my kit and then faced concrete stair after stair to the 8th floor of a tower block as both lifts were out of action.

I certainly didn’t look and feel ready for action when I reached my clients flat!

I would always let my husband know where I was going and when he would expect to hear from me. He knew to try and reach me if I hadn’t called in. This was before the prominence of personal safety apps that you can download to smartphones. There are some really great ones available, and some have free functionality. You can set them

to track you by GPS and you can signal them to alert your contacts should you need help. Some start recording both audio and visual and patch this to your contacts too. Very smart.

When driving, my car doors are always locked so no one could jump in while stationary in traffic or as I’m parking. I always try to park close to a street lamp for evening work and avoided isolated areas.

I always made sure all my kit was stowed out of sight in the boot and kept nothing ‘on show’ in the car. I carried the minimum of cash and kit as I could and only carried the lashes I needed for my clients rather than my entire stock of lengths, thickness and curls! These are far too precious to cart about.

I was careful about my routes too and never took isolated shortcuts. I always walk facing 45

oncoming traffic and stay central on the footpath so I’m not too close to the road or building line. You can see into hidden doorways better.

I also never wear earphones or headphones as it’s important to be aware of what’s around you and it advertises that you have something worth taking.

It’s best to look purposeful and confident too by simply holding your head up and being aware of your surroundings. People who look confident are less likely to attract the wrong kind of attention. Learn to trust your instincts as they are there to warn you. If you think someone is following you, change your course and if necessary, head to a populated area and ask for help. If that’s not possible, try talking with the person making you feel threatened as this 46

can be one of the most successful ways to prevent aggressive situations developing. Be assertive, but not aggressive as this will only escalate the situation.

Use your voice and make lots of noise if you need to. This can deter a would-be attacker and get other people’s attention.

Sadly, I’ve had to talk my way out of a few situations. One of the most bizarre was a guy who was the worse for wear.

He approached me asking if I was a nurse as he needed a massage right now. I was in my tunic uniform, and you could say it was similar. When I said ‘sadly not, I’m a beauty therapist,’ well, that opened the door to ‘I need you to do something for my stiffness!’ I advised him that I was fully booked that night and thanked him for thinking of me. I then made a quick getaway!

Most of our clients can’t wait to see us as their lashes are so important to them! In most cases, our interactions will be extremely positive as we enhance what nature has given them! Sadly, not everyone is super sweet and my work set up in a client’s home always had safety in mind – both theirs as well as mine.

I’d always be positioned closest to the door should I ever need to be the one

to need to reach it first! Thankfully, that was never an issue, but it may be for some of our colleagues). Clients homes were always challenging with limited space and poor lighting if any. I often felt like I ought to be carrying light bulbs for their ceiling lights to compliment my own over couch lamp!

I know it’s pretty much common sense, but common sense can be easily forgotten in the heat of the moment. Your safety is always more important than your money or belongings. They can be replaced, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time, so hand them over rather than risk the situation becoming worse.

Remember, your aim is to get away unharmed.

Anyway, now that the traffic jams and hikes up eight flights of stairs are thankfully a thing of the past, I have other considerations now that I operate from my home treatment room. I’m lucky that my husband works from home as an IT consultant, so I’m never alone. In fact, he meets and greets my clients and knows them all by name! For many colleagues, though, this is truly lone working and can be isolating.

Thinking about your room set up is just as important, so you are closest to the door and having your mobile phone on hand though set to silent can offer reassurance, especially if you have a smart app on board! The smartest tool or asset you have that can help you out of trouble as well as into it is your mouth! We’re used to talking in our profession, but there are some techniques that can really help you should you encounter a less than satisfied client. More for another time!

For now, be safe! Julie Knight Master Lash Tech Eye by iand Eye by i Academy

Beauty 47

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BEAUTY EDIT

By Kelly AnnWoodland !

LASH TRENDS S/S16

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“A little distorted, cute doll” is how MAC make-up artist Lucia Pieroni describes the tendency towards an unorthodox lash this season.

the girl that went too far with eyelash extensions and lash treatment serum ..... not precise symmetry, but playful, pretty and fun.”

MAC’s Senior Vice-President of make-up artistry, Gordon Espinet, explains it further and says: “mascara and lashes are now being used in an ornamental way, to give the eye an edgy feel that is full of attitude.”

Here’sunorthodox how to get the look: lash this season.!

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LASH TRENDS S/S16

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"A little distorted, cute doll" is how MAC make-up artist Lucia Pie

FACE: Prep + Prime massaged MAC's Senior Vice-President of make-up artistry, Gordon Espinet, e over the face to hydrate and tone, lashes are now being used in an ornamental way, to give the ey leaving a radiance.

Select CoverUp applied over the skin only as Lashes, likeLuna you didn't needed to perfect.

Creamknow Col- "Lash Inc" readers (!), are making a sta lookblended at the catwalk our Base over the trends cheek- for S/S16 and you'll see an abundance of bonespainted-in to highlight. Blot Powder equidistant dots under the lower lash line (as used by Ant applied T-zone to set. (asthrough seen inthe Mary Katrantzou)." !

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Lashes, like you didn’t know “Lash Inc” readers (!), are making a statement all of their own this EYES: Lashes year; just take a look at the catTop MACwere artistwell Tomcurled.

Pecheux talks us through the lash look for Marn 48 Lash cut into separate walk trends for S/S16 and you’ll describes it as "it'sindiall about the girl that went too far with eyelas flares and inserted through see an abundance of ways to draw vidualserum ..... not precise symmetry, but playful, pretty and fun."! the lower lashes. Clear Brow Set attention to lashes, from paintedbrushed through the brows to in equidistant dots under the Here's how to get the look:! lower lash line (as used by Antonio groom and set.

"A little distorted, cuteLIPS: doll"Prep is how MAC Lip make-up artist Lucia Pieroni describes the tendency tow + Prime applied Marras) right through to icy blue unorthodox lash this season.!

FACE:!

Prep + Prime massaged over the face to hydrate and tone, over the lips to nourish and hylashes (as seen in Mary Katrantdrate over without theshine. skin only as needed to perfect. Luna Cream Colour Base b zou).

MAC's Senior Vice-PresidentPowder of make-up artistry, Gordon applied through the Espinet, T-zone toexplains set." ! it further and says:" "m lashes are now being used in an ornamental way, to give the eye an edgy feel that is full of a Top MAC artist Tom Pecheux talks us through the lash look for Marni EYES:! Lashes were well curled." 48 Lash cut into separate individu likeplayfully you didn't know lashes."Clear "Lash Inc" readers are makingthrough a statement all of their own this S/S16 (above, Lashes, centre). He Brow(!), Set brushed the brows to groom andyea se describes it as look “it’sat allthe about catwalk trends for S/S16 and you'll see an abundance of ways" to draw attention to lash LIPS:!

Prime Lip applied over the lips to nourish and hydrate painted-in equidistant dots under thePrep lower+ lash line (as used by Antonio Marras) right through to ic (as seen in Mary Katrantzou)." !

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LASH TRENDS S/S16

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Top MAC artist Tom Pecheux talks us through the lash look for Marni S/S16 (above, centre)." He pl

BROW BEAUTIFUL Big, bold brows are still very much in demand - thanks mainly to model Cara Delevingne - but this spring we are seeing the return of a more natural look. Whether you like them bushy, plucked or glamorously arched, there’s a plethora of products out there to help you achieve the right look.

We’ve been speaking to New CID Cosmetics Brand Ambassador, James McKnight, for his tips on creating perfect brows that still make a statement. Say bye-bye to bad brows .......

The brow should begin in between the bridge of the nose and the outer nostril, ending at a 45 degree angle to the corner of the eye. For a guide, mark start/end points using a brow pencil, such as New CID Cosmetics i-groom.

Avoid the brow being too short to avoid the eye looking puffy and droopy.

Arch of brow should sit directly above the outer edge of the iris.

Avoid an arch in the middle of the eye: it can create a ‘surprised’ look, adding weight and age to the face.

Start with a pencil, or i-groom, on the inner point of the brow and work outwards in short feathery strokes. Using the fine tip, work gently up towards the arch then down towards the end of the brow tapering the shape.

If colour is too intense, groom through with the brush to soften the colour.

BROW BAROMETER We’ve searched high and low for the best brow products and here’s what made the grade .........

Benefit “Gimme Brow” (1)- a brush-on fiber gel in a tube which gives the appearance of thicker brows.

New CID Cosmetics i-groom (2) - a dualended brow groomer with a creamy formula.

Exceptionally easy-to-use for natural-looking brows

slick palette with everything you need for beautiful brows: three shades to fill-in; a wax to hold hairs in place and a luminous pink shadow to enhance eyes. Three little tools - miniature tweezers, a brow brush and sponge applicator - are also contained within the compact.

Words by Kelly-Ann Woodland.

MAC “Brows Are It” (3) - this is new from MAC (it hit counters in March). It’s a vast collection for brows including Veluxe Brow Liner, Fluidline Brow Gelcreme and also the Big Brow Pencil which is a chunky version of their very popular self-sharpening brow pencils.

Clarins Perfect Eyes & Brows Palette - a

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The S/S 16 Osklen collection at New York Fashion Week caught our eye with the interesting hair. Wandering tendrils wisped into a whimsical knot is the best way to describe one of the key looks.

It was created by Antoinette Beenders, Aveda Global Creative Director. He said: “The devil is in the details with soft wisps of hair throughout the sides, crown and in the back, all reminiscent of feathers. The knot is simply folded up, with the ends flared to provide an artistic look while also getting hair away from the face.”

STEP 3: Taking the end of the ponytail, pull hair up and over the base of the pony to make a loop, secure with a second bungee 1” from the end of the ponytail.

STEP 4: Take the remaining end and loosely loop hair around the base of the pony, leaving hair to fan out the sides and top. Secure with a third bungee.

STEP 5: Apply Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo on each side of hair to create a matte look and begin to gently massage sides to bring out wispy strands STEP 6: Set the look with Aveda Control Force Firm Hair Spray.

Here’s how to get the look: STEP 1: Prep hair with Aveda Thickening Tonic and blow dry hair straight.

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STEP 2: Pull hair into a low ponytail at the nape of the neck and secure with an elastic bungee.

Words by Kelly-Ann Woodland.

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BEAUTY NEWS

By Melanie Doyle It has been a very busy year for me so far this year in 2016 but a very fun one at MelVicMakeup Academy as we are now offering lots more courses including Russian Volume Technique and creative eyelashes see www.melvicmakeup.com for more information, I truly feel like I have blinked and we are already in March, the beauty industry is an industry that just keeps on going and it’s an industry that’s both fun and very creative.

I have been working with my small team of students on a very special project that is very close to my heart ‘Fair Trade’ I always if I can buy Fair Trade produce and now I am working with a very special company who are retailing scarves and hats made from sustainable and cruelty free Mohair and Ostrich Feathers from a small village in South Africa which is giving woman a good wage for their excellent skills. The company is called ‘Archer and Maiden,’ their website is www. archerandmaiden.com the photographer who is working on the projects is Iain Hamilton Photography, and the models are Jen Brooke and Sarah Reed who all equally are supporting Archer and Maiden through their journey of bringing Fair Trade Fashion to England.

I have also been working with designers Archer and Maiden as a makeup artist for their London Fashion Week catwalk shows for 2015 and now 2016, the head makeup artist is Melissa Lackersteen, this year I was lucky enough to do the makeup for the model who was shooting the pre-catwalk photo shoot with photographer William Besse. The brand supporting the fashion shows is ‘Pierre René’ set out to become very innovative in their delivery of cosmetic solutions for the modern woman. The range includes makeup that is: paraben free; silicon free, sensitive and nourishing. Pierre Rene have eye products suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lenses wearers. Pierre Rene products have been used exclusively on events such as Miss England and Miss World 2014 & 2015. Regularly used on programmes such as Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, EastEnders and of course for all their Red carpet events such as National Television Awards, British Soap Awards. Pierre René makeup demonstrates the absolute quality and professionalism of the brand.

Pierre Rene, I can honestly say have the most beautiful and luscious mascaras and brow products, so I have decided to focus on one brand for this month’s edit as I am so in love with their products, and I know you will too!

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Brow Palette

The professional palette for eyebrow make up, guaranteeing long-lasting 24-h effect!

Unique set for women with delicate and expressive beauty.

The package includes three powdered shadows; from light, medium to dark, and wax styling brow. The double applicator is perfect for professional use (a sponge to work with the shadow, a brush with wax). I found the product was very long lasting and because of this it has now found its way into my professional makeup case, an amazing product that lasts all day at just £12.00 this product is a bargain! £12.00

The Volumator Mascara

Ultra fast and extreme volume mascara, this is my ultimate favorite go to mascara, I love it! The tube is big and fat with really good thick mascara, and the brush is just to die for it really does thicken up the lashes, but then I have always loved the old fashioned style mascara wands, and this one is so like one of the old style wands, it is amazing.

Intense and dark black color for “drama” effect! Gigantic brush. £15.00

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Water Proof Mascara

Waterproof mascara - perfect for summer time, water sports and rainy days, I tested the product while at a spa with my Mum and Sister for the day, it did not run, smudge or even lose its curl, I was very impressed.

Unique formula creates a protective film on your lashes for elasticity and shine. It gives a perfect makeup effect. Contains nourishing and moisturizing panthenol, keratin, salmon’s caviar extract and natural, caring waxes. This mascara provides the total smudge and waterproofness.

Removable only with makeup remover for waterproof textures. £15.00 Contact Faceworx for order information – 01514211234 or visit www.pierrerene.myshopify. com/

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How many lashes can I put on one natural lash?

There is not a straight forward answer to this question as there are a lot of variables, so I am going to try and break it down for you and give you the facts.

Here are just a few of the things to consider when deciding to go 3D, 4D, 5D or more…

Lash Type. You have lots of choice nowadays with the type of lash you can use. Synthetic Mink, Synthetic Silk, Real Mink (not recommended by LashBase), Flat, Cashmere, Ellipse, I could go on, but you get the picture. The two most popular types are different, due to it’s less tapered shape a Silk lash is heavier than a Mink lash so use fewer Silk lashes than Mink when applying volume.

Lash Length. Pretty obvious really, a 15mm lash will weigh more than a 7mm!

The Clients Natural Lash. No two sets of natural lashes are the same. Strong and healthy lashes will support more weight without issue whereas weak and brittle lashes will make your job tough! This means every client will handle volume lashes differently so don’t just stick to one rule for all because you could run into serious problems which will affect you and your business.

Check your client’s natural lashes and then make a decision as to what weight you think they are prepared for.

After Care. I know you will never truly be able to control whether a client will look after their lashes when

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they leave you, ensuring that your client has all the information to help them care for their lashes will go a long way because after all, a client with good aftercare will not get as many problems.

Opinions. We all have our opinion of what is too heavy for a natural lash. For this article, I am assuming we are all happy with one single 0.20 per natural lash. If you like to stop at 0.15, take this into account when looking at the charts. Also, for this article, I am using the lighter and softer LashBase No.1 (synthetic) Mink lashes.

Chart one is numbered and gets deeply mathematical.

I have done this as it produces FACTS not guesses or opinions, just pure mathematical facts. The numbers in the chart are to define the precise area of a cross section of a lash. These figures are produced using that thing you heard a lot about at school “Pi-R-Squared” and then some more maths. The figures show the relative weight for example four 0.10 weighs the same as one 0.20 for any given length of lash. So if you are happy putting one 0.20 lash onto a client there is no weight difference to putting four 0.10 lashes on. Having said that, this is where the above variables come in.

You need to consider the length of the lash, so realistically you would only put three 0.10 lashes on if they were more than 11mm in length.

Article provided by LashBase www.lashbase.co.uk

Business

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A QUICK HOW-TO: INSTAGRAM 58

consistent about it, and it will create a nice cohesive feed, not to mention bring in lots of traffic.

Instagram is a great Social Media Platform….my favourite actually. It has been designed as a mobile app that allows you to capture and share on the go. It is a highly visual platform, and is popular with women. About 30% of females (and this stat is from May 2015) use Instagram.

Age ranging from 18 to 49 years old. More and more search for beauty services on Instagram, so your potential Client is probably on there!

But so are other Lash and beauty Salons… aka your competitors. So how can you stand out from the crowd and put your business in front of your Ideal Client? You need 3 things:

1. A Plan 2. Valuable hashtags 3. Be Social 4. Have a Plan

Great Instagram accounts don’t just happen by chance. A lot of thought and planning goes into them. They are intentional. Most of the great Instagram accounts have a cohesive look, and are inspirational…be it through quotes, amazing photos, quick DIYs or an inspirational lifestyle.

What does this mean for your business?

Your Instagram account doesn’t have to be a lookbook of your work, in fact it is discouraged unless your Target audience are fellow Lash stylists. Remember your clients don’t live and breathe your business the way you do. You also shouldn’t post specials but I’ll explain this later.

What you want to do is sit down and plan out: 3-5 topics that you want to post about consistently For example: you may want to post healthy eating, beauty tips, quotes and your lash work What you choose to post about should be partially what your target Client enjoys, and partially what you enjoy…

Whatever topics you choose try and be

Pick 1-3 colours or a particular filter and STICK to IT! You may like to have a monogramed feed or bright colours…whatever you choose stick to it! Also make sure you’re photos are top notch! Crisp, clear, bright.

I have templates for certain posts, and often retype a quote to fit my feed style, rather than just repost.

When you think about your photos, think about them as pieces of a puzzle that form a nice picture aka your feed. The one thing you want to avoid is creating a feed that is a tribute to your work, but oh! So, boring to a potential Client, who isn’t as passionate about lashes as you are. They are looking to connect with a business through common interests, inspiring posts, and or a lifestyle they desire themselves.

So make sure you have a nice variety of topics that you post about consistently.

1. Use valuable hashtags The common misconception is that you have to use most popular hashtags.

However let me save you some time trying to google what they are, because popular hashtags are ineffective. A popular hashtag like #love has at least 912,449,221 posts…what are the chances that your post will be found?

I like to use hashtags that have no more than 600,000 posts. However you don’t just want to focus on popular tags. Ideally you want to use a mix of hashtags a client would use when looking for your business, then industry-related hashtags, interest specific and some popular. Now you are allowed to use up to 30 hashtags in one go… USE THEM ALL! Hashtags that your Client searches for, these can be location specific, and just the simple #eyelashextensions, #volumelashes etc….

Industry related can be more specific:

such as #beautysalon, #beautyblogger #lashaddict #volumetraining (this one will also work if your audience are other Lash Stylists) . These are the hashtags that fellow lash Stylists may think of but they are not necessarily the hashtags a client will think of. They are good because they will expose you to people in your industry and your posts may get shared/reposted bringing you more exposure.

Interest specific hashtags are the ones that have nothing to do with eyelash extensions but your Ideal clients are using them.

Such as #healthyliving #beautyhacks #datenights #mumlife and so on…knowing what your Ideal Client is into you can use hashtags they use, which then puts your business in front of a wider audience.

If you still have tags left, include a few of the popular ones: #nofilter #widn (means: what I’m doing now) #blackandwhite I recommend you make 3 groups of hashtags One with all 30 hashtags, and two with just 10-20 hashtags save them in your phone or computer so you can quickly copy paste. Now when you post your hashtags, post them into the comments immediately after posting your photo. In a few days / weeks you can post the next group in the comments. This will bring your post back into the feed, as long as the hashtags aren’t the same ones as the ones you have posted originally.

2. Be Social Lastly you want to be social on Instagram!

It is meant to work both ways, you post and get Likes and comments, then you go out and like and comment on other posts. When you do comment on them, please, please make it a genuine comment!

Nothing more annoying than a faux comment that looks totally automated. Be genuine, interesting and kind and people will follow you back….

If you need more in-depth help with your Instagram account I have an eCourse that is a 4 Module, self-study course that is delivered to your inbox weekly.

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Simple Tips to Improve Your Lash Business There is nothing better than the flexibility and enjoyment that comes from working for yourself. Add that to doing something you love (lashes) and you are pretty set for life. But how exactly do you make it as a successful lash technician? Is it possible to lash full-time and earn a lot?

The answer is a massive YES! Lots of you ask the question ‘What can I do to gain more clients and get busier?‘ So I have decided to put together a few pointers to hopefully help boost your confidence and your business.

Customer Service This is very important. Never let your emotions affect you and your work/ relationships. Answer questions and queries politely and professionally.

If the customer is wrong, don’t be aggressive with them as that will only make the problems worse. Always listen to your customer and engage in conversation if they desire. If silence is what they want, then quiet you must be! Always read the situation. Treating your clients as ‘friends’ and not just a number will make the appointment a little more special for them, and it is something they will remember. Use their name and ask them questions about themselves. Remember the answers and refer to them at your next appointment. This will show you care and will go a long way in building a long lasting business relationship. Getting your lashes done should be a great, enjoyable experience for the client and not similar to a trip to the hospital for an operation!

Word of mouth is one of the biggest business creators which can be massively beneficial or as severely detrimental because if you have a disgruntled customer telling everyone about the terrible experience they had, it will affect future referrals. So remember always to be professional and happy when around your clients.

Promotions Promotions are a great way to generate some business and to get you and your business out there. However, there is a fine line between good promotions and too many promotions. If you are always running a deal or discount, then it will cheapen your image and can make you look either desperate for business or take the overall power of the promotion away. Some good ideas are to run a refer a friend scheme, a loyalty scheme and the occasional straight forward discounted price. There are loads of other great promotional ideas but below I will briefly explain the promotions mentioned and how it works.

Refer a friend: When you are with a client and applying their lashes, explain to them that if they can refer 5 people to you, then they can have a free set. New clients can then approach you and mention the name of the person that sent them to you; you can make a note of the name and when that person’s name is mentioned 5 times you can offer that person a free appointment. This works great because you get 5 new clients all paying full price and the person that referred them gets a set for free.

And if those 5 new clients then refer 5 new clients themselves, the limits are endless.

So giving away a free set here and there will not be an issue as you have lots of new full paying clients. One of my personal favourites as you technically get clients to work for you!

Loyalty: This is a simple one, If the same client comes back to you 3/5/10 times (you can pick the amount of times) in a row, as in no gaps of longer than 2 months then you can offer them either a free set or a half price set. What this does is cement you a paying client for a prolonged length of time because they will want that free/half price set for being loyal. Whether you offer this in the form of a card with stamps or just note it down in your books or PC is up to you.

Discount: Another easy one. Offer a cheaper rate for the days that are not your busiest. Don’t offer cheaper rates at a weekend when you know you will be fully booked anyway. If a midweek is the quietest, then offer a discount for a midweek appointment. Even if your weekender wants to move to the midweek because it’s cheaper for them then great. This is because you know it will be easier to fill a weekend appointment with another full price client anyway!

Price You might think that being the cheapest is a good way to get business; you might think that being expensive shows you are an expert. Both are incorrect. The best

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way to price up your treatments is to look at your local competition. If you live in Leeds and try to price match with Kensington, then you will appear too expensive and vice-versa. The price of living varies all over the country, so making sure your prices fit with where you live is key. Do some research and set competitive prices. The good news is that after you have established you and your business, you can increase your prices to be towards the upper end of your areas pricing.

After Care Make sure your client fully understands the aftercare procedures.

If a client looks after their lashes correctly, they will last longer, thus making you look better! If they don’t look after them and their lashes start falling out, it’s almost a dead cert that they will blame you and not themselves.

Provide them with an aftercare pack that has instructions and a couple of mascara wands to use for brushing the lashes. This little gesture will cost you around 2p and provide your client with that extra little bit of service which can make a huge difference when it comes to a client wanting to return or not!

Knowledge Never underestimate the power of knowledge. Don’t be fooled into thinking that by passing your lash course is enough to make you a lash master. Take refresher courses whenever you can and always be on the lookout for tips and tricks from fellow lashers. Lash Forums are a great place to pick up extra knowledge. Post your work, ask for advice and follow what’s going on within the industry. Knowing your trade inside and out will help you develop your technique and learn which styles are best suited to certain eye types. It will also help you when it comes to customer questions and queries as you will appear more professional which will promote trust.

Other Revenue Streams It is always a good idea to have a little extra to your business other than only the main event that is lashes. Investing in retail products can be a nice little pocket money earner for you. Lash cleansers and oil-free makeup removers for example.

You can buy them cheap and retail them to make an extra £10+ per appointment.

What this also does is ensure that your clients will be looking after their lashes correctly and as explained before, lashes that last make you look good!

Online/Social This is a huge one. I could go on for hours about how important this is (I guess because it’s my job) but I will try and keep it short.

The world today is nearly all online. So making sure you have a good presence is extremely important. Having active social sites is key to gaining new business and showing off your brand so pick 2 or 3 and keep them up to date regularly. I’d recommend Facebook and Instagram as the main 2 to work from. With Facebook, you have the option to boost your posts and expand your reach, so reinvesting some of your lash profits into Facebook is a really good idea. Try to post your work and encourage reviews as the majority of new customers will do their research before committing to a new lash tech. It is also a great place to connect with your clients and keep in their minds for next time. I would say as a rule of thumb, try to post on Facebook at least once every other day (sometimes more) and post on Instagram as often as you can (but don’t bulk upload, no one likes their feeds being spammed).

Post timing is key and Facebook gives you the tools to see when your clients and potential clients are online so learn up and dive in! Away from social media, it is a good idea to get your business information on all relevant directories to maximise the amount of people that can find you. When you have built up a good client base and the profits are soaring, definitely, look into a decent website and an online booking platform. This will give you that added professional appeal to go along with your already amazing work and service.

So there you have it. I know this is a lot to take in, and I have tried to keep it as straightforward and to the point as possible so I hope you picked up a thing or two!

To conclude this blog, the main points to take away are to be committed, practice perfect customer service and keep learning! If you can keep these things up and be consistent with them. Your lash business WILL improve! Thank you for reading.

Abridged Article provided by LashBase www.lashbase.co.uk

About Me and How I Got Into It I had my career mapped out from the age of 10, or so I thought. A police officer visited our school to show off their dog, and I was so impressed by the officers uniform, that I knew then and there that, was the career for me. As soon as I was old enough, my application was submitted and so started the year-long assessment process to gain my place and uniform.

Now nearly 26 years on and 4 years from retirement, I’m now 6 years into a very different career that started and took off by accident rather than design!

I had a few friends over for lunch one day. I hadn’t seen them for a while, so I was loving the catch-up. One of them has always been more tomboy than glam girl and there it came. She spent 20 minutes telling us about a friend of a friend who had just moved to an isolated village in the country and trained to do something called eyelash extensions because she wanted to meet people. When she stopped talking, I ask the question that we were all thinking, ‘what the heck are eyelash extensions?’After lots of blank-faced expressions and shoulder shrugging, we all fell about laughing. Five minutes later, I’d powered up my laptop and started lash learning. It was bizarre as I was the one who went to various beauticians for all sorts of treatments in my fair city and I’d only heard of clusters. I was fascinated immediately.

My friend then announced, ‘I wouldn’t mind giving it a go, but I’m too scared to doa course on my own!’. After we had finished laughing at the thought of our friend lashing, I did the good deed and offered to go with her to keep her company! Within 10 minutes, we’d booked our places on a one day course due 2 weeks’ later. The best part, or so we thought, was that it was local (50 miles away) and cheap. There was my first lesson.

We arrived for what should have been a 7 hours course and were dismissed with a certificate bang on 3 hours and 5 minutes later. I’d spent 45 minutes trying to isolate a lash on training head and had precariously stuck one on a brave student model with my very shaky hands! All my experience and instinct screamed at me that there had to be a lot more to this as I just didn’t know what I didn’t know so I was consciously incompetent.

Considering that I was hand holding a friend, I was hooked. I spent every spare moment researching anything I could for anything lash related and

practiced putting my 0.20’s, and 0.25’s on my forgiving training head lashes and (unlucky) friends. That was a steep learning curve, to say the least. I spent hours pondering business names and settled on ‘Eye by I’ as a play on word and letters. I wanted it to reflect that I was a small business, just me in fact. It was my neighbour who commented on how poignantly local that name was, and I laughed til I cried when the penny dropped! In Bristol (UK) you can hear the occasional ‘I’ replace the word ‘me.’ So, instead of ‘he loves me, he buys me chips!’, it plays as ‘he loves I; he buys I chips!’. ‘Lush!’, as we say in Bristol!

So, 6 months in, I was becoming more and more alarmed by the number of people begging me to correct damaging work that they were wearing. I would quietly despair and hoped that what I was removing wasn’t the intended outcome of the other techs work, surely? I soon heard more and more people bad mouthing this incredible treatment because of poor practice, and I reflected on how my own training had effectively set me up to fail – if I’d have let it.

I took another course that appeared to be a lot more comprehensive in its description on the providers website. I now had 6 months experience and was lashing every day and eager to learn.

That course was my turning point and another lesson learned. They got more from me. The only thing I gained was their certificate with CPD and a confidence boost that my lashing was fast and technically skilled. I was elated as it was selftaught. They were amazed by my kit and spent half an hour checking out my supplier’s website and placing orders while I ‘trained.’ That’s when it came to me: if you are going to play a part in raising industry standards and build customer confidence, you have greater reach by teaching others who also want a great start. After all, I really did know what disappointing training was like, and I learned from it.

I now had a far better understanding of the things I firmly believed should have known before being able to go near a real person with products!

In 2012, I studied to teach and built my small training academy based on the principles of quality over quantity. So offering 1 to 1 tuition and ongoing advisory support was a must.

I wanted to make sure that my ways of working and product knowledge stayed fresh. Given that my first 2 training

experiences weren’t great, I learned to do my research before parting with my hard earnings as that saying ‘pay cheap, pay twice’ really does resonate! Consequently, I feel both proud and privileged to have trained with some of the best in the industry both nationally and internationally.

I’ve met some really inspirational trainers and techs who are as equally committed to those values dear to my heart, and I’m in absolute awe of their stunning work.

As for product knowledge, I had the chance to say hello to my main product supplier last July. I was always pinging them emails and quick chats on the phone with bizarre questions and asking for things that they mostly delivered on, i.e. dark brown lashes in trays of mixed lengths, please! They too were at a UK lash conference and I recognised who they were from their voices was able to name them! They must have thought I was bonkers, but all became clear when I introduced myself, so it was much less stalker sounding!

As for my friend, that one course was enough to destroy her confidence, and she hasn’t picked up her tweezers since. It really does pay to do your research, in more ways than one. Best wishes, Julie Knight Master lash tech, Eye by i and Eye by i Academy

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LASH INC ACCREDITED TRAINING PROVIDERS STUDENT LASH GALLERY Eyelash Excellence

62 62

Vogue Lashes

Lessons in Lash Artistry

The following training academies and individuals are accredited by Lash Inc. Their training courses and qualifications meet all requirements for approval by our organisation.

United Kingdom & Ireland Accredited Training Providers.

ENGLAND:

Love My Lashes

Sue Winter 7 Bremen Grove, Shenley Brook End, Milton Keynes MK5 7FJ mklashes@gmail.com

Flirties

LASHacademy Training & Products rachel@lashbyfrancesca.co.uk www.lashbyfrancesca.co.uk

VZ Hair and Glamour Ltd 26 Rutland Road​ Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 4HY, UK +44 (0)755 492 5551

Immaculate Beauty Academy

Unit 2, Tarlair Business Park Tarlair Way, Macduff AB44 1RU www.flirties.co.uk 0845 022 22 33

8 Tamworth Parade Elms Park Essex RM12 5AS UK e-mail: imlashes@yahoo.co.uk www.immaculatelashes.com

East Anglian Beauty Training

Inga Misiute

maureen@eabt.co.uk www.eabt.co.uk

Hello Gorgeous (Kent) www.eyelashacademy.co.uk eyelashacademy@gmail.com

Institute of Eyelash Excellence

25 Hillview Road Canterbury, Kent, ct2 8ey www.eyelashextensiontraining.co.uk 64 64

Lash By Francesca

Dartford Kent DA15LF UK T: 07988 374564 E-mail: imlashes@yahoo.co.uk www.immaculatelashes.com

7 Newton Place Glasgow G3 7PR www.ctacademy.co.uk Tel: 01423329251

Flirties

Unit 2, Tarlair Business Park Tarlair Way, Macduff AB44 1RU www.flirties.co.uk 0845 022 22 33

IRELAND:

Monika Wojtysiak

DeviLash Lash extensions Atelier & Training Centre.

16/1 8 William Street Galway Ireland devilashireland@gmail.com

Glamour Lashes Ireland www.glamourlashes.ie Glamourlashesbyjana@gmail.com +353872974781

SCOTLAND:

United States Of America Accredited Training Providers.

Caledonian Therapy Academy

Jessica Mogauro, The Beauty Pro Loft

130 Centre St. Howe Barn #103 Danvers, MA 01923 Website: beautyproloft.com PH: 781-813-8131 beautyproloft@gmail.com

Benita Lash Studio 18321 W. Lake Houston Pkwy Suite 305 Humble, TX 77346 benitaramos@outlook.com

Amy Young

Love Those Lashes LLC www.nomascara.com www.lovethoselashes.blogspot.com Tel: 513.280.6550

Lucy Argent

LA Lash Academy 137 Bay Street #8, Santa Monica, CA 90405, United States Phone:+1 424-200-8278

San Diego Eyelash Extensions

12935 Pomerado road, Suite C Poway, CA 92064 www.sandiegoeyelashextensions.com info@sandiegoeyelashextensions.com 619-438-5770

Canada Accredited Training Providers.

Sugarlash Academy of Lash Artistry Courtney Buhler www.sugarlashpro.com info@sweetsugarlashes.com 587.982.5274

1526 N Scottsdale Rd. Tempe AZ 85281 USA Australia & New Zealand Accredited Training Providers.

Komao

Kerrie Ann Ditz

Sugarlash Academy of Lash Artistry Melena Langford www.sugarlashpro.com info@sweetsugarlashes.com

VC LASH Ltd Canberra, ACT AUSTRALIA info@vclash.co.nz www.vclash.co.nz +61 2 476 159 717

Boutique Lash Company 2115 39 Street NW Edmonton, Alberta T6L 4G1 admin@boutiquelash.com Call or Text: 780-266-3875

Worldwide & Online Accredited Training Providers.

Deluxe Lashes International Aleksandra Maniuse +37060922922 info@deluxelashes.lt www.deluxelashes.lt www.deluxe-lashes.com

Lash Master Academy Online

www.lashmasteracademy.com masteracademyonline@gmail.com

Institute of Eyelash Excellence - Online

www.eyelashextensiontraining.co.uk eyelash.extension.kent@gmail.com

Lessons in Lashes - Online www.lessonsinlashes.com lashtutorials@hotmail.com

Star Lash Academy

Jancarza 89, 31-618 Krak贸w Poland http://www.starlashacademy.pl/ starlashacademy@gmail.com

South Africa Accredited Training Providers.

Lesley-ann Altree

Luscious Lashes International 6 Hutchinson Ave, Table View, 7441 South Africa Tel: + 27 21 557 5279 www.eyelashextensions.co.za lushlashes@iafrica.com

Lash Line Academy & Supplies Inc Jessi Love info@lash-line.com jessi@lash-line.com www.lash-line.com

Mai Lee MaiLash Academy Cell: 480-404-0092 mailashceo@gmail.com

Vogue Lashes

by Adelle Sutton

Address: 9 Harvey Street, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth, 6001 +2741 583 2530 info@voguelashes.co.za www.voguelashes.co.za 65 65

TRAINING DIRECTORY UK and Ireland

Ireland Ms Diva Training Cork & Dublin

LASHacademy Training & Products

Web: http://www.msdiva.ie/ Contact: Aoife@msdiva.ie 0870 991 991

Products The LASHacademy supply products that are of the highest quality and most affordable to professional lash technicians. We ship worldwide.

Frankie Widdows

Contact: eyelash.extension.kent@gmail.com 07714 638405 Web: www.eyelashextensiontraining.co.uk Master lash artist Frankie Widdows is head trainer at the Institute of Eyelash Excellence. She provides outstanding training from foundation level through to advanced lash techniques and Russian volume eyelash extensions.

She also provides continued online support and tutorials as well as 24/7 access to her for the rest of your lash career.

Sinful Lashes Luxury Products and Quality Training.

Tel-1-818-970-7151 Email-Sinfullashes@gmail.com www.sinfullashes.com

-Luxury products at competitive prices.

Featuring our Red Ruby Volume Adhesive.

-Quality, in-depth training located in Los Angeles. We also travel the US bringing our Classic and Volume training to you.

Contact: rachel@lashbyfrancesca.co.uk Web: www.lashbyfrancesca.co.uk

Training Dates: Ongoing

USA & CANADA

Michelle Ryan

Michelle@flirties.co.uk 07825924920 www.flirties.co.uk www.stalhambeauty.co.uk Michelle Ryan is an experienced and passionate lash technician who has a wealth of knowledge that she loves to share with her students. As a trainer for Flirties, she constantly strives to improve the standard of eyelash extensions across the board.

Being a busy therapist herself gives Michelle the ability to support students not just with training but to also offer help and advice in other areas of setting up and running a business.

Training Dates: Ongoing

Premium Products and Quality Training Canada’s Premium Quality Products shipped World Wide Tel: 1-403-999-4455 Email: info@hotlashes.ca Web: www.hotlashes.ca

Luxe Lash Academy

Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) Classic and Volume Certification Advanced Volume Techniques Re-Certification & Refresher Courses

List in our training directory for

ÂŁ50 GBP per quarter or $80 USD

Email: info@lashinc.eu to be included in our next issue.

ph. 778-808-5572 leslie@luxelashstudio.ca http://www.luxelashstudio.ca http://www.facebook.com/luxeacademy

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY USA & Canada

SkynLash Academy

Training Courses Continuing Education at it’s Finest Skype Training Available Basic Lashes to Advanced Volume Lashcoat & Lashbrow Training SkynLash Shop for the Finest Lash Supplies www.skinlashstudio.com info@skinlashstudio.com 732-618-2096 NJ USA

Boutique Lash Company www.boutiquelashcompany.com Call or Text 780-266-3875 admin@boutiquelash.com

Canada’s Premium Quality Products shipped World Wide

Hot Lashes

Tel (403) 999-4455 Web: www.hotlashes.ca E-mail:hotlashes@live.com

Sugar Lash Novalash

http://www.novalash.com/ contact@novalash.com 1-866-430-1261

Sweet Lash

Eyelash extension & training provider

www.sweetlash.com info@sweetlash.com 377 Marshall Way N #1 Layton, UT 84041

www.sweetsugarlashes.com www.facebook.com/sugarlashPRO

Lash Affair by J.Paris

RevitaLash® Cosmetics cservice@revitalash.com www.revitalash.com

www.LashAffair.com info@lashaffair.com 1.800.608.2420 We sell Luxury Lash Extension Products & Global Certifications We ship and train globally as well.

Sinful Lashes Luxury Products and Quality Training.

Angel Eyelashes Eyelash Supplier to Professionals www.angeleyelashes.com info@angeleyelashes.com

Tel-1-818-970-7151 Email-Sinfullashes@gmail.com www.sinfullashes.com -Luxury products at competitive prices.

Featuring our Red Ruby Volume Adhesive.

-Quality, in-depth training located in Los Angeles. We also travel the US bringing our Classic and Volume training to you.

United Kingdom & Ireland

UK / Europe

Flirties

BeautyTrix Tel. 0845 022 2233 www.beautytrix.me

Lash Perfect

0208 500 9028 info@lashperfect.co.uk www.lashperfect.co.uk

- Professional and accredited training available from expert trainers at competitive prices throughout the UK. - Internationally renowned and available worldwide through over 30 overseas distributors

Nouveau Lash

LashBase Ltd

Nouveau Beauty Group http://www.nouveaubeautygroup.com/

Web: lashbase.co.uk Contact: 02392251425 Email: sales@lashbase.co.uk

Tel: 0844 8016820

My Beautiful Eyes

Mylash, Myscara, Mybrows http://www.mybeautifuleyes.eu/ sales@beautyinnovator.co.uk

Golden Eyelashes Ltd.

We supply high quality eyelash extension and accessories. www.golden-eyelashes.com goldeneyelashesinfo@gmail.com 07522168750

Lash Heaven

Luxury Lash Supplies www.lashheaven.uk Official distributor of VOGUE LASHES By Adele Sutton and Chrissanthie

Glamour Lashes Ireland www.glamourlashes.ie lamourlashesbyjana@gmail.com +353872974781

UK/Ireland

Elite Lash Academy http://www.elitelash.co.uk/ Mall Road Monaghan Ireland Tel: +3534772580 +353868593699 Email: santa.jodka@gmail.com

VZ Hair and Glamour Ltd

International Distributor - Affordable Beauty Supplies T: +44 (0)755 492 5551 E: info@vzhairandglamour.com W: www.vzhairandglamour.com • Professional LashBlack 3 Week Semi Permanent Mascara: Made in England & EU Certified • Eyelash Extension Medical Grade Glues made in England – Ultra Diamond Pro: fast drying - Senses for Sensitive eyes: low vapour odour, perfect for trainers and beginners • Individual Mink Eyelashes 100% Real Siberian Handmade Lashes

LASHacademy Training & Products Contact: rachel@lashbyfrancesca.co.uk Web: www.lashbyfrancesca.co.uk Products The LASHacademy supply products that are of the highest quality and most affordable to professional lash technicians. We ship worldwide.

Bulgaria

South Africa

EBC LIMITED LTD.

26, Prilep str., Fl. 1, Ap.1 VARNA 9000 - BULGARIA Phone BG : +359 52604073 Our website : www.ebcstore.com Email: mimi@ebcstore.com

The Lash Collection

http://www.thelashcollection.co.za/ info@thelashcollection.co.za

European Beauty Concept (EBC Limited) is a lead manufacturer of high quality professional eyelash extensions and Permanent Makeup supplies.

Luscious Lashes International

Netherlands

http://www.eyelashextensions.co.za/ Email: lushlashes@iafrica.com +27 (0) 72 338 7000

PremierLash - designer lashes™ Lash eXtend

Tel: 033-4450323 E-mail: info@lashextend.nl www.lashextend.nl / www.lashextend.be

Premium Products and Quality Training

Canada’s Premium Quality Products shipped World Wide Tel: 1-403-999-4455 Email: info@hotlashes.ca Web: www.hotlashes.ca

Premium products including the new Hotlashes Ultra Adhesive. Competitive Canadian pricing with guaranteed fast shipping.

www.premierlash.com scott@premierlash.com Toll Free US & Canada +1 877 366 5274 Local & International +1 801 463 4868 International Calling Code 00+1