In the past few years, lashes and brow treatments have become more and more popular. Having found a place in the mainstream beauty market, there is also an ever-expanding choice of products for beauticians to choose from. One of of our latest additions at Salons Direct is the wonderful London Lash. Offering premium quality products and training programmes, they are ready to lead the way in the world of lash extensions!
We caught up with them to find out more about the brand…
Can you tell us more about the London Lash brand and how it began?
It all started in 2014.. After gaining popularity on social media, our CEO and Founder Hanna Putjato started receiving requests from technicians to teach the popular “Russian Volume” technique. Having already been rejected from already recognised beauty academies, Hanna was driven to create her own beauty guild accredited courses.
Hanna recognised that her students needed a variety of products to kickstart their lash careers. Buying single lash kits from big brands was becoming expensive! After careful consideration, Hanna took the risk of borrowing £8,000 to invest in sourcing eyelash products and tools – the rest, as they say, is history!
Solely juggling ebay orders, training courses AND lash appointments whilst ALSO building a website, Hanna decided it was time to hire her first members of staff. After hiring four lash technicians, Hanna branded the business Lady Lash which was soon to be rebranded London Lash – the brand you all know and love today!
What makes London Lash stand out from other professional lash products?
London Lash is more than just a brand, we are a family. That means that we don’t just sell products, but are on a mission to care, inspire and support. As our products are specifically designed by lash technicians for lash technicians, we understand our clients’ struggles and journey from complete beginner, to award-winning international lash champion! Regardless of whether you are an employee, a customer, client or partner, we have a product to suit you! We put our family first and welcome everyone into the lash community with open arms.
Who can use London Lash products – are they best suited to beginners, experts or everyone?
Our products are best suited to everyone! We have a wide and diverse product range that caters to every lash technician’s needs. From our slower drying glues like Velvet, to our fastest Flexie and Royal Bond, we understand the importance of catering to different needs and different experience levels, as we’ve all been beginners at some point!
Related: How Do You Become a Lash Technician?
What are your best selling products and why do you think that is?
Our best selling product so far this year is our Mayfair Mink volume lashes. These are super soft, super dark, and completely animal friendly! These are closely followed by our Lady Bond lash adhesive and our revolutionary Easy Fanning lashes! Lady Bond glue appeals to lash artists of so many levels, with its user friendly texture and not-too-slow-but-not-too-fast drying speed, it has lower fumes than some other lash adhesives and has been a London Lash staple for years! Easy Fanning lashes are amazing for creating that coveted wispy, Kim K lash effect in seconds – they have a mixture of lash lengths on each strip, making the wispy look effortless. These lashes can speed up a volume set by as much as an hour, as the lashes basically fan themselves!
Tell us more about your training programme – how do you make sure you are offering the highest standard of education?
At London Lash, we believe in ongoing education and development, and therefore offer comprehensive education and opportunities to grow and improve to any level of student. Our beginners courses are not just one day courses – after hours of theory and practice on a doll’s head, our students can practice on a real model under the close supervision of our trainers who give on the spot feedback and support on their first ever eyelash set.
By the time they leave us, on the day, they are equipped with a full kit to get them through their first ten las sets, a wealth of knowledge passed on by our talented, knowledgeable and award winning lash trainers, and their first lash photos to begin their portfolio. After this, each student must complete three successful case studies, each of which are given in-depth feedback and areas to focus on in order to improve their work. After this, they complete and in-house exam, which they must pass in order to receive their certificate.
We also offer higher education to experienced eyelash artists – whether it is an advanced technique of Russian Volume where multiple extra fine eyelashes are fanned out to create a soft and wispy effect, or mentoring sessions, which are completely tailored to the individual eyelash technician who is looking to perfect their technique in any given area. We support and encourage our students for the rest of their lashing career, and ensure that our own knowledge is ever expanding and up to date – we believe that learning never ends, and with a fast-paced, ever adapting industry such as ours, a person can never have too much knowledge!
London Lash is proud to not test any products on animals. How important do you think this is to clients these days?
We think it is extremely important to clients. Society is becoming more and more aware of the impact that testing on animals is having globally, and it is something which is so close to the hearts of so many. In addition to animal testing, we completely shun the idea of using real mink hair and real silk in our lashes – we are proud that all of our lashes are made from a synthetic fibre, and have caused zero harm to any animal, ever. We as a business are also animal lovers and even have an office cat @henry_londonlash! We are constantly looking at ways to improve our sustainability, and hope to have an influence on the planet including standing by our ethos of kindness. We even supply vegan sweets as a thank you gift in parcels as we know many of our clients are vegetarian and vegan!
Lash extensions are exploding in popularity at the moment. Why do you think this is?
The simple answer is that they look GOOD! When we look good, we feel good, and when we feel good, we are unstoppable! We believe that there are several reasons why eyelash extensions are continuing to rise in popularity; first and foremost, they are seriously addictive! Eyelash extensions are semi-permanent and allow the wearer to wake up already flawless, saving them time on make-up application and removal, while still being suitable for an active lifestyle.
In addition, over time eyelash extensions have become more natural looking. Gone are the days where there was only one style of very heavy and long extensions available on the market that did not complement the bone structure or the facial features of the client, not to mention the damage they could cause! Today, eyelash extensions are custom designed for every client, where a mix of lengths, thicknesses and curls can completely transform the client’s face. Eyelash extensions are much lighter now, and take into account lash health as well as the overall aesthetics of the set. Clients are able to choose between a ‘nude’ look, a mascara effect, light volume, and dramatic, head-turning volume. There is a lash set for pretty much everyone.
Alongside the improvement of the general look, eyelash extensions application has improved over the years. Therapists and clients are more knowledgeable about the safe application of lash extensions. We can finally see the myth of eyelash extension damage wearing off due to more readily available education, a wider range of products and a better understanding of the importance of aftercare.
Last but not least, eyelash extensions have become more accessible. There are far more salons that offer the treatment. 10 years ago this was definitely a very exclusive treatment in terms of price and availability. Today salons have therapists of different experience levels like junior, senior and master, AND offer different techniques of extensions like classic, hybrid and Volume. The choice in treatment options, price, salons and therapists is making the treatment more available for customers to try and, ultimately, get hooked!
What is next for the London Lash brand?
What isn’t next for London Lash!? We have seen tremendous growth the last couple of years expanding from a team of around 11 – including office, warehouse and salon staff – to a growing company spanning two major cities, three offices, and an expanding warehouse – not to mention our international trainers and distributors! We are currently expanding our professional product market further in terms of location and range with plans to conquer the American market and expand to brow products and education! We cannot wait to see what the future holds for London Lash and the wider lash industry!
Shop London Lash Online at Salons Direct Now!
We have a professional range of lash supplies available online now, including semi permanent lashes, individual lashes, strip lashes and much more.
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