We're not all perfect, and thats OK! Being a lash artist means you're going to make plenty mistakes along the way, the industry is still a baby- and that means at some point so are you.
My gift to you this holiday season is to share the mistakes I've made in this industry in hopes you don't follow! Admitting your mistakes is the first step, as long as you're always willing to improve and do better, then that will make you a successful lash artist. Remember, be humble, because you won't grow by being cocky.
So here we go...my 5 booboo's as a lash artist:
1. Not using enough adhesive/ understanding my adhesive
Adhesive doesn't have to be all that confusing, but only if you play by its rules. You can't cheat or cut corners because that's when bad retention makes it's move. It's important to know your adhesive inside and out. What makes it tick. Be familiar with its optimal temperature, humidity, life span, and viscosity. Your environment must be to it's needs and you need to learn how much or how little to dip. Always remember to label your glue so it doesn't go out of date. Follow these steps and your glue will become your best friend. Refer to my fav video from Untamed Artistry on how to properly dip your lash into your glue.
2. Being scared to tell my clients their lashes were dirty
This one was a hard one. I feel like I pride myself on always being polite and friendly with every client that comes through my door, but when they would lay down and I would see a mess of their lashes, I didn't have the heart to tell them because I was scared to offend them. Good intentions, but bad outcome. In result my clients had poor retention because I didn't reenforce them to clean them more than they were. Fast forward to today... this is not the case! I encourage my clients to buy lash shampoo and I've learned a couple phrases to say that will make my point but also not have my client feel embarrassed. If you have trouble speaking up try saying something along of the lines of...
"before we begin, I'm going to wash your lashes for you just because I see some debris, but nothing we can't fix! though, when you go home i'm giving you homework... make sure you wash your lashes everyday" and then further educate on the benefits of why.
Friendly and gets the point across.
3. Telling clients to use baby shampoo
I'm sure i'm not the only one who's made this mistake. Like I said earlier, the lash industry is still a baby and we have so much more to learn, and this is one we finally improved on! Naturally we thought, hey if it's gentle enough for babies, it should be good for your eyes? Wrong! Stop telling your clients to use baby shampoo as a replacement to lash shampoo and heres why:
- Drys lashes over time
- Blepharitis thrives off dry and damaged environments
- Contains fragrance which is irritating
- Opthamologists do not approve of use on the eyes
- No added extra benefits that a lash shampoo would have
4. Being shy about promoting myself
I hate when I'm being sold to. Do you know what I mean? You walk into a store and the sales clerk jumps on you like a lion and starts following you around the store explaining promotions, telling you "you need this", "that would look great on you" etc. It's annoying! And I thought by selling on my platforms I would annoy other people as well. Wrong. How you sell is so important. Be genuine and educate your audience on WHY they need your services, not just that they need them. Be yourself and show your skill! No one else is going to do it for you, so do it in a way that makes you comfortable, but don't think posting 1 lash pic a week is going to do the job. Be consistent and don't be afraid to show off what you got.
Check my blog post 30 Instagram Post Ideas to get some inspiration.
5. Not experimenting with products enough
You just became a lash artist! You got all these new and amazing products in your kit, and then you stick with them... Those products might be great but you're doing yourself a disservice by not trying others! Those products in your kit are most likely best suited for the instructor (thats why they chose them), but they may not all be suited for you. By trying different products from different companies you may actually stumble across one that actually works BETTER for you. A new tweezer, different styles of lashes, different drying time for adhesives... theres endless possibilities out there. You couldn't pay me to use the products I once used back in the day, (LOL remember 0.25 J curl 😐) but I'm glad I learned what was right for ME which in result helped me create BETTER work as I grew.
Follow @thatlashgirl on instagram for more great things soon to come!