So, I booked myself into a salon for a full set of classics and was SHOCKED! £60 for a full set? I was sat there thinking, £60 for an hour and a half of work, sounds much more appealing than what I was earning. So, onto Google I went and searched ‘eyelash course near me’.
The Beauty Academy popped up first and much to my amazement, was only 15 minutes away from me in the car.
Sat at my desk at work, knowing that this is not what I wanted to be doing at 23. I want to do something I enjoy, can get stuck into and develop my own career from. Looking around the office at the girls of all ages and it hit me – lashes! Instagram is full of it, I love the look and it’s becoming more and more popular. I think we can all agree that the tacky glue and numerous attempts of applying falsies is so frustrating! I just wanted to have great lashes, which last!
Ichecked their Facebook page, website and Instagram and was blown away by their reviews and offers. I immediately booked myself onto the Classic Individual Eyelash Course for the next available Saturday and had a great buzz for the rest of the day. I couldn’t believe that in just 3 weeks, after 1 day I could be a qualified lash technician. How crazy is that! ?
I started immediately texting my friends and family, asking if they would be interested in receiving a full set of lashes for me to practice after the course – of course they said yes, free treatment? Silly not too.
A couple of days before the course, panic hit me. What do I wear? Will I be the worst? How many people will be there? What do I bring? What if I cannot get the hang of it? I referred to the course notes I was sent by The Beauty Academy and read it. Thoroughly. It explained everything I needed to know from what the client expects from you, contraindications, patch testing, Anatomy and Physiology of the skin and hair, eye shapes and so much more. I couldn’t quite believe how much information you receive for such a great price.
The Saturday had arrived – I woke up early, skimmed back through the course notes, put on some leggings and a black top, ankle boots and left. I arrived for 9. 30am, giving myself time to find out exactly where I needed to go, and park and also a few moments of nerves and excitement to calm down. I walked to the door and another girl arrived at the same time. The tutor let us in and offered us hot drinks and showed us the area we would be working.
We both immediately felt at ease as the tutor was so friendly and dare I say ‘normal’? We sat down around a large table as more and more students come and sat. By 10am, we had all arrived. 12 of us. I really thought there would be about 30 people here but I love how intimate the class was.
Our tutor began by introductions around the room which was a great icebreaker. It was SO nice to hear that the majority were beginners and had been as curious as me! The tutor was so lovely, she explained about her past as being a beauty therapist – how busy she was, how much she loved her job – even how much she used to earn! I (and I think the others) all felt such a relief hearing someone truly loved their job and seems genuine about it! Passion is contagious and this was a great way to start the day.
After demonstrations of applying the lashes by the tutor, we were each given our own mannequin head to practice ourselves.
The tutor came round and spent time with each of us,offering support and guidance with parts we were struggling with. It was so nice to feel valued and to get that 1 on 1 time. After lunch, we all had a go on each other applying the eye patches under the eye – who knew something so simple was actually so much more detailed than I thought!
The day came to an end by the tutor giving us all a long list of suppliers and discount codes for more courses! This was incredibly useful for us all as she explained the best (and the places to avoid) suppliers for every part of the technique. What a great idea for them to include – someone who knows and has experienced the market for us giving us their insider knowledge.
A few days after the course, I had my first client (the mother! ). Now – I know we were advised to practice on mannequin heads, but I was far too impatient and wanted to get stuck in! The patch test results were clear (24 hours before! ) so I begun the treatment. 2 hours later (I’m a perfectionist! ) and the lashes were complete.
However, I wasn’t completely happy with the results. They weren’t as thick as I had hoped and I remembered the tutor saying if we were having any problems, to email the support team. I sent my before and after photos to the team and had a response within the hour. I couldn’t quite believe that even though I had been to the course, that they still offer ongoing support for us.
Now, 3 months on, I’ve got a list of clients, I’ve set my own brand up, business cards, an Instagram page and I’m making a great little side income on-top of my job. I can honestly say that this was one of my greatest ‘spontaneous’ decisions. It’s so refreshing to be doing something I actually love and actually feel like I’m good at!
I can’t wait to book more courses to develop my skills and build a bigger business for myself. Thank you so much Beauty Academy!
