Last month, we hosted our first major event focused on building community in the lash industry—The Lash Affair—in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Being our first conference-style event, we weren’t sure to expect. We were overwhelmed to see so many lash artists and business owners from all over the country fill the room with so much energy and passion. Every attendee arrived with an open mind and a willingness to step out of their comfort zones to make new friends, expand their skills, and perhaps challenge some prior assumptions.

The goal of The Lash Affair is to bring in ideas and expertise from a wide range of professions in the beauty industry to help artists think outside the box. The journeys shared and lessons provided by our speakers offered different perspectives on common challenges artists face, as well as opened up opportunities for growth.

Our first speaker, Jordan Liberty, award-winning makeup artist and photographer, shared his journey and offered tips on how to differentiate yourself from the crowd. He also provided photography and tips on photographing and lighting methods for highlighting lashes (stay away from square lights ladies!)

Next up was the delightfully peppy Ellie Malmin who provided TONS of detailed information behind why certain clients may have a reaction to lashes and how artists should take into account far more factors than are on the typical consent form. For example, how many of us ask about recent skin treatments or a client’s diet? Both can affect how the client reacts to adhesive fumes, eye pads, and/or tape.

After the lunch break, Tara Walsh akaof The Lashpreneur WOWED the crowd into silence with her truth bombs for how lash artists should really be using Instagram to grow their business. The hard truth? The goal of building a business on Instagram isn’t to gain followers—it’s moving who you’ve got along the funnel. That means content should be focused more on what a clients wants, not what other lash artists want to see.

Building on Tara’s presentation, My Addiction Skincare Founder, Savannah Carmichael, challenged attendees to learn their numbers. Understanding what your chair and time are worth and then accounting for all your costs (including spending time ON the business vs in it) will help you understand where you need to be focusing your time to maximize your income. With four locations under her belt and more than 30 employees, Savannah certainly knows what works!

And last but not least, the fabulous Maddie Thompson, owner of Madluvv Brows, explained the value of adding microblading as a service. Lash clients already understand the value of luxury service and, as Maddie pointed out, have most likely considered microblading. Therefore, artists have a built-in client base to make that extra dough—just need to activate it!

We were fortunate to have the support of many fantastic companies from all over the beauty industry for The Lash Affair, and a big thank you goes out to our two main sponsors, 420 Skincare and Advanced Mineral Makeup.

From cannabis-infused body butter to handmade soaps, 420 Skincare specializes in natural and organic, hand-crafted skincare for all skin types. Our attendees enjoyed an array of scented CBD bath bombs in their swag bags!

Advanced Mineral Makeup (a personal favorite of the Lash Affair team) specializes in mineral makeup made from natural ingredients and shared tips on how artists can create a great client experience by finishing each appointment with a bit of foundation.

A big thank you to all our speakers and volunteers who made the event possible, as well as the amazing team at Lash Affair—we can’t wait for the next event!

LASH AFFAIR