Plot Twist: I Became Allergic To My Industry | Elle Taylor

In this episode of Beyond The Tweezers, I’m joined by lash and brow artist Elle - best known as @LashElle on instagram. Elle shares the emotional reality of becoming allergic to her lash glue -  the very thing her career was built on.

This Episode is Sponsored By Lash Oasis. want to try their new Hybrid Korean Lash Lift Products? Try their sample range for FREE. Use code: KARIS 

https://lashoasis.co.uk/products/the-one-portion-system-sample-pack-3pcs?variant=47502539456738

After years of specialising in lash extensions, winning awards, and building a busy clientele, Elle began suffering severe allergic reactions that affected both her physically and mentally. Eventually, she made the difficult decision to stop offering lash extensions completely.

We talk about the emotional impact of pivoting her business, rebuilding her books through Korean lash lifts, brows and dermaplaning, navigating quieter periods in her diary, losing confidence online, and how losing her spark with lash extensions - alongside the allergic reactions - ultimately pushed her to make a life changing decision.

This is a raw and honest conversation about identity, change, rebuilding, and the hidden health risks that aren’t spoken about enough in the beauty industry.

Connect with Elle here: https://www.instagram.com/lashelleuk?igsh=bXQxdDc2Z2V1MGtq

This Episode is Sponsored By Lash Oasis. want to try their new Hybrid Korean Lash Lift Products? Try their sample range for FREE. Use code: KARIS 

https://lashoasis.co.uk/products/the-one-portion-system-sample-pack-3pcs?variant=47502539456738

Thank you for pressing play and joining me! If you would love to connect - follow and DM me. I would love to hear your stories.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthetweezers?igsh=MmN1dTVlYTA3N2Zo&utm_source=qr

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I find it so hard to know what's the right thing to pope. The confidence doesn't come straight away, does it? So I've kind of disappeared again. It clicked and I was fully booked. Can I actually be allergic to this? And it would say like you can develop reactions. Like it was so overwhelming. Not many people realise how difficult it actually is. I'll just see what happens. I'm really proud of that. What was the hardest moment for you during all of that time? Hello and welcome back to Beyond the Tweezers. In today's episode, I'm sitting down with the most talented Elle. She's more known for her Instagram name, Lash Elle. She is someone who has been in the industry for over eight years, known for her classic lash sets, her beautiful lash gifts and brows. But unfortunately, last year she started to have an allergy to her lash glue, which affected her skin and unfortunately made her have to give up lash extensions altogether. I find her story truly inspiring. I think she has an incredible mindset, considering when a treatment is your bread and butter, to then not to be able to do it anymore because your body physically won't let you. There's so much that you have to go through and change in your business. So this episode is really gonna help you navigate that. If you're someone who is struggling at the moment with treatments, maybe you're struggling with your health, maybe you're unsure of where you're heading. You're truly gonna love this episode. Ellie's honestly such a lovely human being, and it's a pleasure to have this conversation with her. So I really hope you enjoy it. Is it L or L A? Either. I prefer L. Prefer L. My sister's an L A. She prefers L. I would ask what your mum was thinking. I know I think because it's Lash L, everyone calls me like E L E, but I normally prefer E L. I just like let people do whatever now. Some friend you spell some name L but pronounce L. So that's it's all very confusing names at the time. So you're not so your name. I was thinking Is it what are we going with? Or L. Yeah. I prefer L, yeah. Well, L. Welcome to the On the Tweeters. Thank you. Very happy to have you. You feel August? Yeah. I'm excited to have you. Thank you. I'm excited to be here. I want to take it back to the beginning. I like to do this with guests so that the listeners get to know who you are, what made you, sort of thing. So if we go back, you're at school. Yeah. What made you go? Am I going straight into beauty? Or was it not like that? Did you go into a corporate world or did you I think it do you know what? My dad's gonna kill me, but it actually sends to my dad never wanted me to play around with makeup. And then I just got to an age where I thought, like, whatever, I'm just gonna play around with makeup, and then I just fell in love with makeup, and then I was like, Oh, I'm gonna get into it somehow. So I ended up going to college after school and did like media makeup, and you did it, it was only a year course, yeah. Um, it was only a year course, and then it was media makeup's so hard to actually get into as a career. Like when you say media, is it like um special effects? It was like, yeah, like special effects, like you know, using all that uh um I don't know anything, um cuts and bruises. Yeah, where you make um I don't say prophetic, yeah. Sort of, yeah, like late la latex uh and then it was like using like the fake hair and making yourself look really old and stuff like that. It was it was so fun, like it was a really good course. Um but then it's so hard to go further with it, like you need to go to university and in London probably specifically, and I was like university never appealed to me, never appealed to me. So I finished that course and then just did like hospitality jobs.

unknown 4:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

And then I was like, I know, just waiting around. I don't know. I just at 19 I was kind of like I don't know where I want to be, I don't know what I want to do. And then weirdly I got a message from um a girl on my estate that I lived on at the time, and she was she just started doing extensions, and at 19 I'd never heard of extensionslash extensions, and just did not know what it was. So I said to my mum, I said, Should we go and get our lashes done? So then we walked around the corner, and then the whole time we were just talking about extensions, and I was like, Oh my god, they walk back. I said to my mum, I was like, I could do that. What year was it? That was 2017, so I was the same, yeah. So the same similar year. I felt like extensions wasn't really that big of a thing. No, and then when you saw it, I even I was like, What is that? You can give me a mascot every day, like what it was insane. It was like my whole world changed. Like we have spare room in the house, and I just said to my mum, like, I could so do that. So I ended up getting a second job. Um, I did a Christmas time job, and I saved up every penny to buy my course, and then I went and did the course in February, and then yeah, I just ended up with it. Wow. So the hospitality was that like waitressing? Yeah, it's just in like restaurants, local restaurants in town.

unknown 5:32

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

So then you saved up for the course. Were you still doing your hospitality? I was doing, yeah, working in a restaurant and I worked, actually worked at Pandora. And I was like, I was so buzzing to get that job, and I really wanted I really wanted them to keep me on, but they didn't, and I was like, oh got it. But it I would if yeah, if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't be where I am now, like completely. So you were 19 when you did that course, or um I was 18, I was literally just about to turn 19. Oh, you were really young. I know. I think I was 19, 18, 19. Yeah, it was 10 years ago, yeah. No, but it was eight years ago. Oh my god, I don't know where I am. Eight years ago, so no, it was 19, 82, 20. Right, you're still so young then. I know. So, what was that course like? Was it good? I don't know, but at the time, obviously I was really young and naive. I had no idea what to get into, and I just went, and I'm pretty sure there was probably six or seven other girls there. I was trained by a man, which threw me off completely. I remember walking up the stairs and hearing a man's voice, and I was like, Hell in the Yeah, this is like a very like female-dominated industry, and I was like really like confused anyway. Like he was great. I mean, this is like eight years ago, I can't really remember how the training was, but um yeah, I just left after thinking like oh my god, like it was so overwhelming, so much information, yeah, and they're so overwhelming, and I remember doing the model on the court on the day, and I was like, I'm taking far too long, and like I did this for so long, I did one eye, then the other, and I did it on the day, and I was getting like 45 minutes left, and I was still on like the left eye or something, and I'm like, I haven't got time to even finish the other eye, like, and then yeah, I just came home and had to do my case studies. At least you do case studies, yeah. And I stand by that. Like, I think I I mean, I get you can you know get qualified at the end of the day, but I think with extensions you need to kind of prove you can actually do it because it's so fine, it's so hard as well, very fiddly, very that intricate, yeah. Like you need to be able to prove that you can it's on someone's eyes, like if you can't do it, then you can't. Yeah, I don't want to be No, because the competence doesn't come straight away, does it? So you're like the case studies is is what is filled in that confidence for sure. And then you just need to keep going. Yeah, they asked me to do more as well. I think I sent off like four case studies and they said, Can you send us two more? And then I think I qualified in like the apron. Very thorough, that's really good. Very good. She always think back to that time, and it was very quite my course was quite basic. I did it in college. I was really something that I had as like a free diploma. So they literally were like, Do you want to add that onto your course? And I was like, What now? What is that? Like, that looks really good, and I loved it, but it was very much like did we show you much isolation? It's just wiggle, that's how you do it, yeah, all that. Yeah, so I feel like I had to self-teach myself a little bit. But I can imagine people do have bad courses at the very beginning. They sometimes don't continue it because they get stuck and qualified at the end of the day, off you go. Off into the room where I've actually spoken to a few girls, like in the area, um, and they've just been like, I don't know what I'm doing, like, can you help me? And then I'll just pop get them home for a day and be like, So where where are we at? And they're just like, any confidence with isolating, like it's hard, isn't it? It's so hard. And I feel like not many people realise how difficult it actually is. I mean, when you have it in your head, like, oh my god, do lashes. It's like exciting, but actually, a lot of when I've been teaching my students, they go, I did not realise how hard this was gonna be, and then that almost was a bit deflate. Does yeah, it is a bit deflating because it's you're not good at it straight away, and no one is. No, there's no way you're gonna be good at it straight away. I think I sleep when we did non-dominate dominant hand as well. Like, how are you so many things about? And like I I remember for such a long time thinking, you know, watching all these other girls posting videos of them lashing. I'm like, I hold my tweezers wrong, but I don't obviously everyone holds their tweezers differently, but I was like, I hold them so different, like to how everyone else does. But they're always compared to dumb people, and I'd see someone do something like I'm not doing that, am I doing it wrong? And then you almost I think like I used to lose sleep over it sometimes, go used a stress. Yeah, I used to be like thinking in my head, like, how do I do that better? And then like me too. Yeah, but you get there. So you did your course, yeah. Did you go into a salon? Did you go straight working from home? How do you literally I think so? Obviously, I did the course in the February, probably the week before we gutted my mum's dining room and like painted the walls, and then we took a trip to IKEA, got a load of furniture, got a little bed off Amazon, and then yeah, just set my mum's room up. So I was working in my mum's dining room downstairs for I think it's like two years until COVID. Your mum and well, your family sounds really supportive. Yeah. At home, is it who who have you got? So yeah, um, it was literally just me and mum at home. Yeah. And then chair partners, so yeah, partner at the time. Oh, it's lovely. How did you find being straight in your own? Like grabbing from being a course, gotten out of that room, in your own space, like did you struggle to get clients? What was I mean? At the time my mum did Avon, so she yeah, so obviously it's mainly females that she was in contact with, so we just got a little leaflets in her books and was like, if anyone wants the lashes done, like you can come to my house or whatever. Um so I had a couple of like um some of her customers, and then I think I just promoted it on my my personal Instagram, so I had like a few friends come or people that I knew from school, so it it took a while, but yeah, I got I got a few people in, and then it was it I don't know, like my like people I knew, people that I used to work with, or they were just people were just so supportive, and it was just and it's also really like we said before, it was quite a good time because yeah, it was quite new. There wasn't many people that would know in it. I just say that now, like I did it at the perfect time. I'm I was the same yeah, um, yeah that you did it, and I felt like I just hit the right time of it. Because even if you got two or three clients, they then go and tell their friends, you only really need a couple of biggest to come in. Word of mouth is have it, yeah. Then go off and tell everyone, yeah. It was literally just friends of friends of friends. And you're the and you're a young age, so you then had your friends from school as well. You were doing your tent jobs, obviously, Pandora's probably had quite a few girls. Yeah, I did get a couple of girls from there, yeah. So good. And from the other job, and from previous jobs. You just gotta put yourself out there. Did you find that you were just on Instagram and doing things like that, or was you leaflet drop in? Did you do anything? I didn't I don't think I did leaflet drop in. I I think it was purely word of mouth. It's a nice and like back then Instagram wasn't as fundamental to your business as it is now. Like I barely posted on my Instagram. I mean I posted like the sets on my grid, but on my story, like if I go back down my archive, like I posted on my story once a week, maybe not even that. And it wasn't even fancy, was it? I was so embarrassed about I am so embarrassed at what I used to post. Like, I mean, obviously it would be because the sets weren't as good as they were recently, but okay, back then you were like, look how good and I'm so proud of them. Like, if I did a set in two hours, oh my god, I was so happy. I know I was gonna say, but do you not find now though that content and social media it's changed so much? You really do need to be on it all the time. It's just it's a second job. It's a bit of a shame, yeah. That when we used to do it back in the day, it used to be just post your photos, do what you like. It was very it was quite easy. And then now it's you have to fight to stand out out of it. Oh, completely. And I felt like it in the last few years I've kind of disappeared again. I don't know, I felt like I had a bit of a breakthrough. I had a couple of viral posts or whatever, and then everybody else did, and then it's just I've just disappeared again. Do you think you feel like you disappeared? Yeah, a little bit. Like, I don't know, it's just it's a weird like Instagram is just it's hard to keep up with. I find it so hard to know what's the right thing to post, and like you've got all these people that are like trying to help you build your business, and they're like, You should be doing this, you should be doing that. And I'm like, I ain't got time. And you're also really overwhelming me. Yeah, okay. Do I actually have to do that? You know, like these people posting like skips on their stories and on their reels and things, and I'm like, I'm not doing that. I think with social media, it depends what you want from it. I always think this, like, sometimes I've had students that they think they need to show up all the time, and I'm like, uh, what's your goal? And if they're like, Oh, I'm I've got all my clients, and I'm like, Do you want to train your no? Okay, you don't actually need to stop stressing yourself out. Because if you've if you've already got the clients and you're enjoying your business as such, it depends where you want to go. Yeah. If you want to get brands or you want to do this, doing that, but if you don't, it's okay, you don't have to stress yourself now and you want to start and it you'll find your feet as well. Like when you first start out, just post your work. Just got a fun of it. Yeah. So overthinking every time. Yeah. So I feel that's where it will do. Yeah, it is a fun industry, like, don't don't deep it. Don't deep it. What were those early stages like for you then from the beginner in your last career? Did you struggle with anything in particular? I don't I don't know. I think the main thing that I struggled with was working a zero-hour contract job, and you don't know what you're working next week. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. So, like you're waiting for your rotor to come out, and I'm like, I can't offer appointments out because I don't even know what I'm doing at this other job. And I don't think I realised at the time like I needed to put aside certain time and say to this other job, look, I'm doing something else, don't cut me in on these days. Um, but that you know, that worked out as it did. Um but I I remember so I must have gone on holiday in 2018, maybe June time, and then as soon as I got back, it clicked and I was fully booked. It was like weird, yeah. And then I I quit my job in September. Wow, yeah, and then I was fully booked from that as well. Like it was just something happened, it was just perfect timing where everyone was like, I want that, yeah, and like my sets were coming out beautiful. Like, it didn't actually take me that long for it to kind of happen to me. Do you feel like you had like that natural talent towards it in a way? Maybe, you know myself, because I found that when I picked up them tweezers, it was like a weird moment of life. I felt like the job was made for me. Yeah, it's like the weird thing to say, which may be a bit far-fetched, but I was doing it and I was like, I actually really love this. Yeah, you know, when you almost like have that passion already, yeah, literally, and you might struggle in some areas or you might have a little bit inconsistent retention sometimes or something like that. But actually, at the very beginning, you were actually right, yeah, yeah. It didn't it did not take me on. I mean, what like from February to June, July? And I was just like, I love this. Oh, that's so good, it just happened. So, was there any moments throughout during the beginning of lashes that you kind of wanted to like throw the towel in at any point? Was there any moment? I think the beauty of it was what working alongside doing lashes, so I felt like I'll just see what happens. That's literally how I've seen my whole business the whole time. I'll just see what happens. So you just take the pressure off the wing. I just wing everything. Oh I say I just booked the course on a on a whim. Like I just thought, oh, let's quite I never booked that course thinking it would turn into my full-time job. Well, yeah. I just thought I don't know, I just yeah, it's nice, even fun to do. That's do you know what? I feel like we probably miss a lot of that nowadays because people are so like, oh what are you gonna do? What what do we be? Yeah, what's a five-year goal? Yeah. I don't know. I'm just trying to look. Yeah, I'm just like, I see what happens. Pretty much every sort of big milestone within Lashing I've just sort of gone, see what happens. But because I think as well, like you from what I gauge from you, is that you're quite open to it all. Yeah. I feel like you just go, I'll just give it a go. Yeah, see what happens. And I always feel like you don't allow that negative that space to come into you. Do you know what makes? Yeah, I can, and I can overthink and overthink and overthink. But I just think what what's the worst that's gonna happen? So you can overthink in that moment, and then you can just try to say, Hang on a minute, I just need to do it. It's just good video. Yeah, just do it. I'll just stay in the fucking not. Yeah, I love it. So when you said it all just clicked, was that the moment tell me about that moment? Was it that you just come back from holiday and you had a fully booked diary? Yeah, or was you just working and you were just getting loads of inquiries? Yeah, it was just the the sets clicked. Like, I would finish a set and I was just like, Oh, I'm really proud of that. And I remember like finishing a set, I don't know, like nine o'clock at night, mum cooking my dinner, and I'd be like, Oh my god, mum, look at this, I'm so proud of it. And she'd be like, Oh, that's amazing. And I was just like, I I don't know, that feeling just sort of fueled me, I think, because I was doing something that I was proud of. So, when how long did it take you then to then get rid of the other job you were working? Did you do it in September? Oh, okay. Yeah, so Feb February training, September, I quit my job. Wow, yeah. Did it feel nice having that job there as a fullback at the start? Yeah, it definitely did because obviously, when you start out doing lashes, you're not charging the world like 30 quid for a full set. So then you can go from fitting four in in a day, 120 quid, and I was like, mm, if I've not got a full week alongside my own job, I was like, I know I'm gonna get some cash from that. So I just I I kept it around, and then again, it's funny timing when um it was probably end of August. Um my job had said, like, mm, we might be shutting down, don't really know what's gonna happen. And I was like, right, that's my my queue. I'm out, and then they stayed open for like another year. But I was it's just weird that that was like put to you. Yeah, and I was like, okay, I feel happy to go now before Cobden after like it was on my terms, yeah. It's like I don't want you to kick me out, and then I'm like, I wasn't prepared. I prepared myself and I just went and I did it. It's like you yeah, you just got so much driver than that. Again, you're just like, yeah, I'm just gonna make it work. Because you also still only what you were still really 22, yeah. I was 22 when I went in my home. Maybe we just had that it's the the right time completely. Do you not feel like at that around that age he was a bit fearless? Like, I feel like I fear more than now than I did way back then. I always had that attitude of just like, let's just do it. Yeah. I think that's what it holds. I was like, I'm only 20. Yeah, do you know what I mean? I can get a job in a couple of years' time. If it doesn't work, if it doesn't work, yeah. Then I can I'm still so young. I am now. Do you know what I mean? How old are you? 28.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

Oh the same.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

I'm thinking about Yeah, yeah. No, it's so true, and I feel like when you work from home, you almost have that, you're not paying rent for the room. Do you see what I mean? Yeah You almost like it does take a bit of the easier to build it up because you've not got as many overheads. Yeah. So it's just easier to I don't know, it's just easier at that age, I think. It just didn't because your mind is not going into overdrive of like, oh, if I if you put a mortgage, Now you have a really quiet week or something, you you then have like um out of problems, you know what I mean? You'd have then got to then think about how am I gonna do this, how am I gonna do that? When you're at that age, you've got support from family, you're working from home. It's if you don't have a client, it doesn't really matter. I could just go and chill much time. Yeah, Jim T, yeah, it's just easy. It was so easy at that age, like I love that area though. You worked at your mum's for how long? It was about two years until COVID. Um yeah, about two years. Because COVID lasted about was it like three or four years or was it two? About two-ish. Oh, because we go away to work a little bit and it closed down sometimes and yeah, yeah. Yeah. So I'd moved out when did I move out? 20 2019. I started seeing my partner now in 2019, and yeah, I felt like I just completely just moved in. I'm sorry, came out from a holiday and I was like, yeah, I'm staying now. You don't get me moving. Yeah, literally. So but I still worked at my mum's house and then COVID hit, and then we moved out. We were living with two of our friends as well at the time. So all four of us moved out, and then we moved somewhere that I had a lash room, which was perfect. So I like removed my whole business with us, worked from there for about a year, and then moved from there to where we are now. So I've been there for about five years, I think. Still working from home, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Alright, all your clients came, would you drop her? From no, like I moved from one side of the to the other. Oh, okay. So it's actually I've not lost anyone due to too much travel. Like if anything, I get people traveling to me from like not to go and you're good at what you do. People travel. They always travel. I have someone who travels like an over an hour just to come and have a lack of ash lift. It's insane. I think when you really perfect it and no one can do it like you can, you're irreplaceable. Yeah, they see your worth and they're like, I'm coming to you. Yeah. And I will only trust you really with my eyes. Yeah. That's what a lot of my kind carries no one else gonna come. Yeah, I so incredible that I will follow you to the end of the world. Like nobody else is doing it. My lashes. Because you not only did incredible lashes, but you were winning awards from it. I saw you got Master Classic Lash, artists, London Lash. I mean, I I would awards, but I mean, someone messaged me the other day saying, like, oh when I see some competitions, like give me some tips and tricks. And I'm like, every award that I've won, I don't want to sound big headed, but every award that I've won, I've not entered. You just feel the recognition for that. Yeah. That's incredible. And that is props to Lubden Latch, like all of them are from them. But yeah, I know they are so good. Yeah, but yeah, I've not entered anything. I mean, I have entered some, but yeah, as I know it just didn't just didn't feel that. No, no, but it's good to be recognized what you're oh honestly. That's that probably that award probably means more to me than one that I've entered, I think. Because you almost haven't put yourself out. Yeah, and then someone has gone, she's really aged. Yeah. Because your classic work was that something that you were the most popular with? Yeah. Because it seamless, very neat direction. I took a lot of pride in my classics. I think from training, I took a year before training anything else. So I was just doing classics for a whole year, and then obviously I built all my clientele from that. So then they continue. I still got well, I still got clients today that I had from day one. They've obviously changed into other treatments and stuff, but yeah, I just tried to perfect that before trading anything else. Because in classics you see every single mistake.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

I always feel like with volume, yes, you've got create the fans and all that. You can have a wonky fan, but it's not gonna but if you've got a fan that's a little bit wonky, it's just covered by the other one. If a classic is out of pain and you see it, so I think there's so much detail in classics that gets massively overlooked completely. Students want to quickly go to volume or maybe the two days straight to volume course. Yeah, actually, classics nail is a strong foundation. Yeah, you can know your own case just for classics, it will pave the way for everything. Do you feel like classics, there's still a market for it? Mm-hmm. I do too. Yeah. And I feel like classics today are so different to when I trained as well. It was like 0.2 decurl. Whereas now it's like even try, even try yeah, even try like a 0.07 CC curl, C curl, even brown lashes, like it's so different now. There's so much you can do for classics to make them look different as well. Wispy classics now. I mean, I've never tried them double classics, I don't know. I think they'd just come out as I've stopped doing it because I never I can't even think of what they is it just it's a double classic. I don't even know. I'm assuming it's I don't know. I'm assuming it's just like a we're gonna have a look now after re-plose type I don't know how to know. Like a flat lash, but maybe smaller. You know, because a flat lash is like two lashes that tape, but I don't know. Oh, but it's kind of like, oh yeah. So you have just mentioned it, you no longer do classic lashes anymore. No, which is really sad, and I feel like you've been really open about this online. Yes. How I have actually found you is um one of my friends sent me really your um your photo of you, or maybe you even did a reel, actually, I want to say, when you I posted a group post on it. You must have been something like that, and um we were actually all discussing allergies. We were discussing allergies in a blue and just your your great straightened, and I was like, hmm, like easy. Considering that you have built this incredible business, incredible following, you've got your awards and being recognised for that treatment. Tell I know I know about it, but if the listeners don't know, what happened for you not to do lashes in? It's a bit of a long story. Um Buckhala. Yeah, stripping that. So I think it started around February last year, 1925. Um, and I was getting like sort of red dry patches under my eyebrows and sort of on the tops of my cheeks. And I was like, I'm allergic to my glasses, yeah. And I'm Googling, it's literally where my glasses are. So I'm Googling, can I be allergic to plastic? Glasses frames. It's like, yes, you can be allergic to acetate. And I'm like, okay, that's what it is. Changed to metal frames, um, and it didn't really go down, so I kind of stopped wearing my glasses, wore them a bit, and then it flare back up again, and blah blah blah. So, like during the summer, um, my window was open and my kick my skin colour up, and I was like, hmm, strange. Anyway, continued working, and then it was sort of November. Um it started to flare back up again, and I was like, what is this? This is so weird. Obviously, Corinne is an outshot. So my room's more contained, and then it just started to spread this like red, rashy, dry, sort of flaky skin, like mainly on my cheeks, um, and on my neck. And I was like in tears, like, what the hell is this? Go like what is this? Why is this happening? I don't know what it is. Um obviously I suffer with eczema, so I thought, oh, it's probably just an eczema flara. The weather's changed, it's gotten colder. My skin's reacting to the temperature change. Um, so I was going to like the pharmacy getting all these like different creams to parlene just to soothe it. Had no idea. And any of it helped?

unknown 30:02

No.

SPEAKER_00 30:03

It might have stopped the drying, yeah. So it just it just dropped it, uh just stopped it being dry. Um so that was sort of like mid to end November, and then in December, you know, busiest month of the year, it just flared up so much. It was painful. Was it because you were doing more of them in December? Yeah. So on the I remember like date 20th of December, my last working deb, I remember posting a photo on my Instagram story, and I was like, is my body telling me like I've overworked this week or what? I posted on my story, like, guys, is this my eczema? Like, what is going on with my face? And the amount of messages I got from girls saying that looks like a glue allergy. How so had anybody crossed my mind? Wow. Yeah, and I was like, what? I just I couldn't I couldn't fathom it. I was like, surely not. Did you think you did you go in a bit of like denial of that it wasn't? Did you just go like no it can't be that or Well, I thought about it and I was like, thinking back to the last year, like it kind of adds up a little bit because I just like from having windows open, obviously I'm ventilating my room throughout summer, so it was gonna clear up. I feel like the sun helps my skin anyway a little bit. Yes, so I was like, okay, I've got two weeks off over Christmas, let's see what happens. Cleared up within a week, completely back to normal. And I was like, maybe it is the glue. First day back on the 5th of January, whatever the date was, and that evening flares up. And I was like, it's the glue, it's got to be the glue. So luckily, I'd already decided that I was going to drop a day from January because I thought it's quiet time of the year, like I'll just drop a day some more condensed days. So I was like, okay, I've only got sort of three or four days this week where I've got clients in. So I did the Monday and Tuesday, fled up on Monday night, Tuesday night got worse, had the Wednesday and Thursday off, Friday night, even worse. Saturday morning, I was like, I don't think I can do this anymore. I was like, what do I do? So I I cancelled um my clients for the following week. And I was like, I don't know what to do with this. And then I think that's where the denial hit because I cancelled that one week, that second week in January, and then left the week after. I was like, yeah, before I then I'll just do it. Yeah, like your skin has a week up and it before the following week. It won't happen again. And then I think it got to the back end of that week, and I was like, what am I thinking? Like, it's gonna flare up again. Yeah, that it's painful. I don't want to go through that. Is it sore to touch? Like, is it it was just like I can't even remember now. It was just I know it was dry and it felt quite hot. It was very angry. Yeah. And it was just guessing worse and worse, like down my neck and like spreading like all round my face. Like, and weirdly, this side of my face was worse than my right, but thinking about it, I had my glue ring on my left thumb. So it was like all like down here, like spread a little bit on my cheeks, but it was all down the side of my face. So, how did it make you feel like in yourself? Because physically you have the rashes, but it can inside it makes you feel because I was saying to you before, like people that are listening when they follow me personally, I do talk about the rashes that I get, and I almost feel really like sometimes when it's that bad and flare up, I hardly want to leave the house. I remember on I think it was that Wednesday, so like two days, the two days I'd done in January, and then the Wednesday. I remember going out to one of my friends and we did some work in a coffee shop, and I was just I was sat across from my saying, like I just feel so ugly. Like, I've never so like luckily I've never suffered with bad skin. So something like this, and it was all over my face, and I was just like, I feel like people are looking at me, and I was just like, I don't know what to do. I felt so lost. I was like, don't know what the odds are in. Yes, I don't have the figure, I don't know who to go to. Because it's I've never seen anything like this on Instagram or in the lush industry. It's wigs. I almost think sometimes people hide it because maybe they don't want to share, yeah, they don't want a client's show, or what's or maybe they don't, it's like like you said, you kind of felt that you didn't feel nice, that you felt ugly. It's like I have felt exactly the same when I was having it so badly flared up. I mean, touch word, it's it's a little bit, but it's gone down, but I just feel you do then talk about it, and then you had your DNs being flooded by people there, like, oh I have something similar, it could be this or it could be that. So, what did you do in the end? Did you find yourself did you go through glues? Did you was you trying new glues? I was researching the hell out of it. Like, can you be allergic to it? Was my first question. Because I was like, surely, like, I I don't I mean at the time I had no idea what was in glue. I don't know how many people do. Um so I was like, Can I actually be allergic to this? And it was saying, like, you can develop reactions, you know, swelling, shortness of breath, rashes, whatever. And I was like, I just genuinely didn't believe it. And then I'm like, so what do I do then? And it's just seek medical help. So I just booked to it with my GP, had an appointment, and she referred me for an allergy test. I'm still waiting for that allergy test today, 40 weeks later. Oh my god. And I did think with it being my job that they might have pushed me forward a little bit. But I've no, I'm still waiting. Did she look at you and go, that looks like an allergy to your glue? Well, she can't. Bless her heart. I think she was a student nurse. So she needed to. I she was like, send over the photos, um, and I've written down everything. Send over the photos, I'll go and speak to like my manager or something, and then we'll let you know by tonight what we're doing. And then she'd spoken to a manager or whoever, and then they decided to refer me.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

Oh. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

So she was like, It sounds like an allergy, but obviously she's still quite new to everything, and they don't know what's glued, they don't know what abract clay it is. And it's not even they might not even think it could be drive, it could be sometimes it can be washing powder because it can be I went down the route of that. Could it be like toothpaste? Like, if you're adding toothpaste, or could it be carpet DVX? Yeah, diet. We were saying away before recording, like I was glute gluten free. I was literally like eating nothing medically because I was like, what is it? But when I actually went away on holiday, or and I'm still waiting on the things I wanted to eat, it went away. So yeah, it's uh it's a it's uh harder, and for them, they probably can't give you a definite answer because they don't know. Like, and I remember sitting in in the doctor's room and she got up the website that I get my glue from, and she was like, So what are the ingredients then? And I was like, Well then it's cybocalate in it, and it's like two more ingredients, I guess. She couldn't find ingredients anywhere, and she was like, Okay, well, I don't know what's in it, so I don't know how to really help. Right. Yeah, I was like, Right. Oh bo. Did you feel like do sneak down? You knew it was a I think at that point I just wanted the confirmation, yeah, that you're not just yeah that to throw the towel or something that maybe could have exactly so that all happened, and I was like, okay, well, I'm on the wait list, and I had clients in, I think I cancelled clients for another two weeks or so. Um, I had clients in in February, and I went to see my dad for a coffee, and it was really strange how it came up because he was like, he was telling me like how we've been to a doctor's appointment, and he was like, But you've not seen a doctor in ages, have you? And I was like, Funny, you should say that because I literally there last week. So I told him all about it, and he was like, I want you to go private. I want you to go and see a private doctor, and he was like, I'll pay for consultation, get it booked. So I booked him for a private consultation with a doctor, like a dermatologist in Leicester, and I was probably in there for five minutes, and he was like, Yeah, yeah. He was like, You can go for an allergy test, but he was like, I don't see the point of paying for it privately because what's it gonna change once it's confirmed? Probably not a lot. And because you know when you stepped away from it, even in a week it cleared up. Yeah, and that's he did he didn't even need to see the photos by what I told him, the series of events and how it all panned out and how my skin flared up and came back to normal. Like he was like, Yeah. So he literally wrote in my doctor's notes, you should stop using this. And that was the confirmation I needed. So you got the confirmation then, but you you didn't know, but you didn't go down the phase of like I'll I'll test that cyanoacolate free glue or test this or anybody. I I I found some cyanacolate free glues, but they still contain acolates, which is what you're allergic to. So I was like So you're actually allergic to the whole act. I found but I don't know yet because I've not had my allergy test. Oh, but did you try the cyanacolate free one? No, I didn't dare. Oh, you've literally gone past it. I was just like, I am not. I tried I tested our UV system, um, but like I said to you earlier, I feel like I tested it a bit too soon because you it wasn't, yeah, it was still flared up. Um, and my client that tried it on, I thought she was a really good candidate because she has insane retention. She sees me once a month and has a full set every month. Um, and then her lashes are just so easy to lash. So I was like, I'll test it on you. Um, and I was like, keep you updated on your retention, how they feel, like just tell me everything because it's very different. Um, and she messaged me, I can't remember whether it's just after on a Friday, and then she messaged me on maybe on a Sunday or Monday, or maybe even a weekday, I can't remember, but she said that she felt like it didn't last her as long. And I was like, I'm not having that. I also I was thinking long term with this particular one that I was using, it was a foot lamp, so there's like pedals over the pedal, yeah. And I was like a whole set, I'm like tapping my foot, and I was like, my ankle's gonna go, like I can't be doing that for two hours. Yeah, like I'll be sat on the sofa and my ankle will just be going like this because it's just used to tapping on a pedal. I was like, mm-mm, no, it wasn't for me. So, how did you feel in those moments that in some way your career was gonna completely change? Do you know what? I wasn't mad about it. He wasn't no, I think over the last year, like I said with falling backwards in social media and stuff, I felt like I was losing my spark. Because of what was going on or just losing my spark. I think I was getting lost in the industry with the evolution of it. Do you know what I mean? Like there are so many different styles. When I trained, it was just classics, cat eye doll eye, go go knew it. Whereas that's like wispy, and there's like anime and lamy effect. And I'm like, I can't keep up with all these styles, like I can't do it, and I was just I continued like my style was natural, uniform extensions, that was it, and I was like, that's what I'm doing. But I felt like people were coming to me like this is a wispy set of classics, can you do it? And I'm like, I don't want to do that, and then I'd try it, and then I'd be like, didn't look how I wanted it to look. I was just getting more disheartened, and I just thought, like, I don't know, it's not giving me that feeling that it did in that first year. And I was like, Do you know what? If I have to stop doing it, I'm not too mad about it. Because you wasn't getting that fabric and that's that dump for it in first place. Did you were you already qualified in lash lifts? Yes. Okay, so you're doing brows and lash lifts anyway, so you've always about six years now, yeah. Oh, amazing. Because that was something else that I asked you because I was thinking, did you just have to completely just be like, I need to go in something else? So, in a way, having it was like a backup in a way, because obviously classics were my most popular treatment, but I still had a good amount of lash lips and brow clients. So I was like, see what happens again, just see what happens. Was you nervous? Like, oh god, yeah. Yeah, absolutely terrified because I worked out I think it was in January before I even knew that I had to stop. I was like, okay, if I have to stop, let's work out what my financial situation will be. And I was like, 50% pay cup. That's a lot. That's a lot. And I was like, the classic clients that you had to let go, have they come did they convert to lash lift? I have D most incredible client base. Like, my girls are my girls, like I love them. I've had a fair few, as I would a couple that have gone elsewhere, because they can't have without their extensions, but I've had a couple girls go and say, I need to have my extensions, and then they've come back to me. And they've been like, No, I want a lash lift with you. Like they've gone elsewhere and come back to me, even though I can't give them what I used to give them, they'll try something new. But they're coming back to me. Like my clients have just been so supportive. They come for you though. Oh, yeah. Yeah. My clients come for me. Like, like I I've got clients that have been with me for eight years and they are like my ride or die clients. They are just insane. Yeah. Because they're all like always backing you. Always. And they they genuinely become friends. Yeah. So then they care. And they must have really felt for you his moments where he was suffering his skin. I mean, it also really dumb flicking mood as well. Yeah, sniff. You almost feel like he's going. You almost feel like, why is my body that eating on me right now? Okay, give me a break. Like, stop. I'm trying just doing my best. And it's like your body's like, nope. I'm literally just doing my job.

unknown 44:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

And my body's like, I don't think you should. I would have stopped people. Yeah, I don't think you should be doing that anymore. So do you think for anyone who maybe just does one treatment? Because I believe that specialising in something is important. I think. So you've got a reach, right? But you never know if this could happen to you. Yeah. And I mean, I do my main is lash extensions. I probably do two or three lash lifts a week. I'm all just fully bitching extensions. But if that ever happened to me, I've always got lash lifts and yeah, I mean I don't do brows, but have lash lifts. I probably would have to like maybe do brows or something like that. Do you think it's important that you should have something else up your sleeve that you can do? Maybe I mean it's it depends, doesn't it? It's like I I don't know, like if if you're doing just that and then something does happen, you're kind of like, well now you've got to do have a complete complete career change. Yeah. But if I guess if you have got something behind you, then you've got something to fall back on. Yeah, but it depends on what you're doing. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, because I guess if you do brows, if he was allergic to one thing in brows, like say that lamy, you can still do brows, but you just can't do lammy anymore. And I guess if you wear gloves, you're fine. Yeah, of course. And like stuff, yeah. I think yeah, I don't know. But for you, having them two treatments was a bit of a lifesaver. Yes, for sure. Yeah, yeah. So I think I I feel there's actually gonna be many artists that do have a few treatments that they've already been qualified in. I feel like I was qualified in quite a lot of people, and then I fell into that of it being my major. And I think that's it. I I don't see anything wrong with training in lots of different things, like why not? Because, like you said, you'll find what works with you. But if you kind of got your fingers in all these other pies, like it it's a good backup. Definitely, yeah. Because your allergy, you just stopped doing extensions. Was it did you say it's February? Yeah, how's it been? It's been an adjustment. I'm not gonna say it's been easy because it's really not. Two months. Two months. Yeah, um, I'm already seeing a pattern. Obviously, with Lashlifts, they're coming six to eight weeks. So February was quiet because I'm I'd seen them in December. Of course it was. Well, I started to see them in December in February. Um and then March was really busy. So April this month has been like quiet, and then next month I'll see them all again. So like the turnaround of my clients is so much different. I'm seeing them once every two months rather than every two weeks. So do you feel like you're gonna maybe push more that you get more brow clients in? So there's that thing, yeah. I'm awful at posting on Instagram. How do you think about it? We're doing demo play in. Yeah, so I've just trained facials, yeah. I love a facial. Yeah, I love doing facials. Yeah, I've really enjoyed it. Obviously, I only did that like two weeks ago, so it's still very new to that. But I just thought something extra to add on to my belt, like, why not? And how have you felt having the gaps? Because you're probably someone who's never read what you've produced, right? Yeah. So how did how did it make you feel? Is it something that has been stressing you, or have you just been again winging it, but it's not the energy. But I think from a few years ago, obviously you fall into a sort of a monthly routine where like January and February a bit quieter, then you pick start picking up for summer, you go quiet and you pick up again. So I know that January, February, quiet, so I was like, I'll just drop days we drop a drop of days in the week. Um, so yeah, I started dropping days in the week so I could continue that, still condense my days, and then still having a few gaps, it's kind of like why doesn't people want to why don't they want to book in? It was it's quite hard to accept it, I think, that you're just gonna have gaps. But then I'm like, okay, well if I've gap then I get an hour to myself. And you also just said that you haven't been that great at posting. Yeah. So I'm like but everyone to know that you are probably a really busy artist and I didn't even know that you stopped PATIX in February. I thought it was maybe a while ago. I wasn't I wasn't sure. So I guess maybe for your audience or new clients maybe they're maybe they think you're still really, really busy as well. I don't I honestly don't know. Because I'm barely posting, I'm not very present on my stories. People might see in that Eels busy. Maybe, I don't know. But then I'll post like every now, I don't like to do it too often because I don't like people seeing that I have availability all the time. But yeah, I'll post like my next week's availability and like no more book in. Really? Yeah. And I'm like, is it the time of year? Are people still recovering from COVID? Like, what is happening? Or maybe it's because when you haven't posted in so long, then you post. It gets lost. Yeah. I think my I think my my posts are getting lost. Because almost you have and the thing is you've got you have actually got a quite big following. And sometimes the higher following you have, yeah, your post is only so how it works, I I think it still works. Like, because apparently it only gets sent to 10% of your following, right? I don't know if you've got like a if you've got a higher following, I don't know if the percentage is different, right? So it only gets said for a few people, basically. They have to actually like interact with like say that code or shit, and then it gets pushed and blah blah blah. But if you have like people in that column that don't actually engage with you, really, it might get shown to them that they're not engaging and it does get lots. Yeah, makes sense. So then that's probably why it's not like people don't want to book in, it's because they're not seeing you, yeah. Probably. Yeah, like my story views are a lot lower, yeah. And I've noticed as well, my story views are higher when it's like a photo of me. If I post like, I don't know, like a photo of that with my availability on it, and no one will see it. But if I post my availability of a selfie, they will. They'll see it. Oh interesting. I know I. My Instagram definitely pushes my face. It's weird. Maybe they like it uh because that's also more like a connection, perhaps, more than it just being like an on-deck. I think people will assume that you're really busy because you're not posting. Maybe. I think that's usually what it is. I have friends who they're shoveling at the moment with clients, and I say to them, I see you're they do post, but they're not posting to get clients. They're posting to be show off the work. They're on holidays a lot. Um they are yeah, they're showing some work, but to me as a client, I would be like, Oh, she's she's too busy to fit me in, she's always doing something. You have to, I think he's thinking like how your client would think because if you're not telling them, how do they know? It's actually I have some clients that say to me, You're not taking anyone new, are you? And I'm like, So now I've actually had like one or two spaces come up with, and they're like, Oh hard telling them that you're too busy because they see what you're doing, but because you're not telling me maybe have they know if they don't know. True. That's it now, you're gonna be next week. You'll be a martyr of content and not see what showing up. Before we dive back into the episode, I just wanted to quickly talk to you about something that I didn't even realise was annoying me until I stopped having to deal with it. So when working with Korean lash lifts, I have had it where I've had to use more than one sachet for step one. Sometimes I feel like there's just not quite enough solution for the lashes I'm working with. Sometimes it's fine, but then sometimes it's not. And then I'm opening another packet, using a bit of that, and then thinking, what do I do with the rest? Do I seal it or do I just throw it away? And then realistically, it's actually costing me money. And this is where Lash Oasis has changed the game with their Korean lash lift sachets. Their sachets are one milliliter per treatment. So you've actually got enough to work with. So that means no opening extras halfway through, no waste, no second guessing. You just open it, use it, and that's it. If you do want to check it out and try it, I have an exclusive discount code just for you. You can purchase the hybrid Korean lash lift sample range for free using code Caris. It's available on their website at lasharacist.co.uk, and what I'll do is I'll leave the link in the description notes so you can easily access it. Okay, let's get back into the episode. I always ask you, what was the hardest moment for you during all of that time and what actually kept you going instead of walking away? The support from my clients and my family, my partner, my best friend, honestly. They were all saying the same thing, like something big is coming. Everything happens for a reason. When one door closes, another opens, and I was just like, Yeah, let's just see what happens. Do you feel like that door, like do you feel like it's happened? A little bit, yeah. I feel like it's it's happening. Like I'm getting like opportunities that wouldn't have happened if like being here, I wouldn't have been here if the allergy had not happened. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? I I'm sort of doing things that i I don't know, it's just created more opportunity. Because I think it's something that you've now experienced and then you've had to you've really had to adapt. And your mindset is very I just gotta do it. Because for me, I had an allergy to my glue. I mean, if it was my I know I had the little rash here and there that flares up. I actually think I would go into I would know how to coat. I mean, I did have a little bit of a meltdown, I'm not gonna lie, like like I said before, it's my it was my bread and butter. Like classics were my thing. And then I was like hey hey this is just a hurdle to go over, let us move on. Next thing. The world isn't then it and I you just have to hit the and I think yeah, the support from my clients, like they were all saying that I had one one of my clients. Um she was like, honestly, don't worry, I'll wait for you. And I was like, More people just so lovely. Honestly, I've met the most wonderful people through this job, and I was like, I'm I know I'm not quitting because I cannot see myself doing anything else. This is my job. Did it cross your mind? Not at all. No, no, I'm not quitting. I'll just find another way. Yeah, yeah. I love to be self-employed, I love sitting in my little lash room and just having a good day with clients, like chatting, making girls feel pretty, like it's my favourite thing. Great job, is it? Oh, it's amazing. I think when you're not running into any issues where like you're getting client complaints, when you really figure it out and it clicks, yeah, you're like, oh, this is a yeah, it's like a dream, isn't it? You go in, do your work, see everyone catch up, celebrate the fair, gossip, you know, first strike in the world. So you just knew deep down and you're not gonna quit everything, oh, get another job, it's just let's just make it work. And you've even gone down the facial route, which is super popular at the moment. Yeah, it is something that I I have friends who have facials at every single month. Like it is a it's yeah, it's more popular. Everyone wants my skin. Skin is massive. Well, it's all like the clean, natural, everyone's really looking after themselves. So do you have a good feeling about do you feel like you want to go more in the facial world? I think eventually I'd like to evolve into like other facial treatments, but I'm still finding my feet. Yeah, obviously it's still very new, um, and just kind of seeing how our clients take to it, I think. If it will gain you new clients, and I'm again just playing it by uh literally just winging it. And have you been feeling okay, I know you said it's been a bit of an adjustment, but how have you been feeling like to now? Has it been I have ups and downs? Do you know what I mean? Like some days I'll be like, Oh, I've got two clients in today, like what's going on? And it will like get me down, and then say I have my Wednesday off, and I'm like, I have no plans in, and I'll just sat at home, do bits around the house, sit and watch tally all day, and I start to feel guilty, and I'm like, I should be working right now, I should bring in money in, I should be seeing people, but obviously I can't force people to come in my door. So then I'm like battling with myself, like yes, I feel like I should be working, but then also I can't magical clients. So I'm do you think it's because the some if we go back to when you was at the beginning, you know when you said I can click? Yeah, you always really have to get them. So it's like it's gone until now to have this allergy, and then you haven't got that every two or three weeks or even four weeks, and clients are coming back. It almost feels like what a lot of people struggle with when they're building a clientele because you've never really had to worry about because the time was right. Yeah, that money, you're sort of getting the clients in all the time. Now the market's bigger. Um, I feel like you've really got to put yourself out there more, you've got a market all the time. Starting from scratch again, it's crazy. And it always makes you feel a little bit stuck because it's something again that you have to try and figure out I don't have hitting my head against a brick wall. Like, how do I push through this? And then I sort of see it as like a small blip. Yeah. Summer's coming up, it always gets busier. I'm just waiting it, I'm riding it out. And I think as well, it is about putting yourself in places of even like you know, you said you didn't even do like the leaflets or like even like little business cards. Like I don't know if you have anywhere around you that has um like wedding shops or anything like that. Yeah, true. I actually had um someone from wedding shop ask me if she could if I could just put my cards in there because she has a lot of people come in, ask sleepy treatments, like thinking of little things like that. Because sometimes I think we as artists when we get higher in our career, I actually think we get more complacent because life is just you're just like I've just been doing it already, yeah. Yeah, and now like my whole world's kind of tips upside out, and I'm like, ugh. And that's where it's just like I don't really know where I'm at. But do you know what? Sometimes when you don't know who you are, that is when things happen. Yeah, you get yourself you pick yourself up because you already have like you don't give yourself enough credit because if if I started to develop an energy to it, I would have like I said, I'd have lost my mind. I would have been in like I actually don't even know what I'd have done. I've just like this for timing again. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Like I said, I was losing my spark with it. Yeah. So I was kind of like, okay, well maybe it is my time to stop. Yeah, I don't want to get to a point where I'm doing extensions and I'm like, I hate this. And I didn't end on that on that note. I was just like, okay. You could have closed the door for now you need to flourish in some because your Korean lashless. Wow, I love it. And they almost women like classics, they look like classics, don't they? My clients have gotten real lashes, and I think it helps from so I developed an allergy to extensions myself, um, probably three or four years ago now, I can't remember. So I've not had extensions for that long. Um, and again, timing, it was so strange. I was like, okay, I've got this allergy. Um, I'll I I think I was going away or something. I was like, I'll keep them on until after this holiday, I'll take them off, and then I'll start using a growth serum and then have lash lifts. And I think it was a day or so before I saw my extensions off. I got reached reached out to by um a growth serum company. Can I just say I did think that your lashes are insane? Before we start, I was looking at them thinking, oh my god, they literally look incre is that from the serum? Serum, yeah. And a career lash lift, yeah. Wowzers. Yeah, I did this lift four or five weeks ago. Your lashes look incredible. They do. So yeah, again, timing was right. Like allergy to go uh the goo and the adhesive on the lashes, and I was like, I'll grow my lashes, and then they were like, Can we send you a growth serum and you do some content for us? And I was like, I was literally just about to buy them on anyway. So, like the timing of that he said brand, but rapid lash. Oh yeah, maybe yeah. So I have been using rapid lash for it must be nearly three years now. Wow, yeah. Religiously. So because I've started using it, every client that I get in for a lash lift, Korean lash lift, whatever, I'm like, you need to use a gross serum. Why wouldn't you? So the only thing I've said of gross serums is that I've seen there's a lot of contr controversy around them, I guess. But so I've had clients who've had a gross serum. They've come in, like they've not had my lash lift, but they've been somewhere for a lash lift, but then they've been using a grow serum with their lash lift, and their lashes are mental. Like the lash lift grows out and it's all crisscrossed over the page. And that's what I was finding with the original lift. Not with Korean Korean. With a Korean, it's just it's just growing all of your lashes or they'll go flat. Like I never get a client come back to me from a Korean lift with messy lashes. Never. With a serum or just in its in it, oh yeah, anyone. Hmm. I don't know whether it's the shields that I'm using, they're not I just think I'm not bending the lashes. Do you know what I mean? Like when you do an original lift, you're just putting a solution on the roof. Yeah. You're literally bending the lash. So they are gonna grow out like crazy, but yeah, because I found that when clients were using the serum with the because I've not done it with a Korean, I need more traditional when they come in and I've looked at the lashes and I'm like, You've been using a grow serum. Yeah, they're like, Yeah, I use it religiously like for years, yeah. And then it's like the lash lift's grown out, they're using a serum, so the lash lift it's not shedding, so the lash lift looks a bit mental, a bit crazy. Yeah, I know I hear that. But with Korean, you'd not notice. I've not really noticed that, no. That's really interesting. And that's sort of how I sort of sell it to people. I'm like, you know, when you get to like the five, six week mark with a traditional lift and they'd be a bit crazy. I was like, you don't get that with a Korean lift, and every time they come back, they're like, it's so much better. The grow-out is so much better. And like you said, because you're putting it on, I guess you're flattening, you're something flat, oh yeah. That's really interesting. I'm really intro I I find things like that really fascinating because it is true. My clients that come back with Korean Nash lift, they're just ready to be making it. They don't have that they don't have hooks on the end of the lashes. No, because the lift hasn't just like grown out to the tip. Because you're because you're curling the entire lash and it's not such a harsh curl. Yeah. It's just a soft light lift. Yeah. Doesn't and then I always think the lashes always look some healthy as well. Completely. I notice the difference of it. And my clients do as well. Yeah. Like when they're putting a mascara on, they're like, it just goes on so much nicer. It's so true. And it lasts longer. It lasts longer. Yeah, I had a client who messaged me, she must have been like eight weeks and she was on my lashes still looking the same. She is that someone who goes at 12 weeks before she has and she's wearing it just whole tree while and um she was my model for Korean, and I every time I saw a photo of her, I just was like, Your lashes, she was like, my nine. Yeah. Okay, I'm interested in this. So you now do do you do c still do content for them? Is that is it like a Um I guess it's kind of fizzled out a little bit, but I will promote them on my Instagram story. Just from the own good of my own heart because I do genuinely believe this product does something. Yeah, because authentically you you used it and I mean that's just I mean clients they like to see my updates on it and that convinces them. Well I feel like I might just be convinced. Yeah, I'm just gonna be actually gonna Yeah. My clients are like even if I'm working and I've got like no makeup on, whatever, and they're like, Have you got my score or am I no? And they're like, oh my god, what is that? I need it. No, I never think so. Yeah. I mean there were so many different types, like the price varies completely, but when you find one that works for you, like it's it is so good. And I feel like because you then wasn't doing classics, you then have somebody to like another little it's you're having something new to do. Yeah. Do you think you'd ever like I know you say you don't do a lot of content, but does that ever interest you in the sense of in going down an avenue with working with like I mean, yeah, completely. I did a little bit of UGC for London Lash at some point. Um did enjoy that, but obviously it was around the time where I was kind of losing my spot with extension. So I'm like, I'm promoting these lashes, and I'm like, yes, they are beautiful, they look insane, but I'm not as proud of my work as I could have been. But when you're not behind it, it doesn't, you're not on camera then. I love it. It did you don't feel like you want to show up and talk, yeah. It was a very hard situation to be in, but like I'm open to anything. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, and I feel like actually sometimes when you have breathing room where you have gaps, it's because I I believe the same dude, it happens for a reason, right? You have gaps because I feel like you either need to either be working on something that you actually really want to do. I always think you get the time, you do tell it or you do it. Yeah. Like I always think like if I have a gap or something, or if I I'd now structured my days where I have cut them down, I want to rework on projects that I really want to do. How am I gonna do that if I don't allow the time? So you'll flip it on your head, kind of, and be like, actually, if I've got a bit of time, I can do anything in these times in this time and not feel guilty for it. But that guilt is where like even if I schedule a day, oh I feel so guilty that I'm not earning money, but I'm working at something. But do you see what I mean? It is a hard in mind, yeah. It's a crazy world in that. Very true. Yeah, crazy world in that. Do you think lash artists are aware of the allergies that may be do you feel like there's enough knowledge in glues, in in the industry? I don't think there is enough, and I think lash artists are more aware of allergies of clients than themselves. Because you said that you actually had an allergy as a client. Yeah. I actually find that super fascinating that you reacted, and then further along the line, actually there was a fetching skin. And I mean, I was a religious extension wearer, I was wearing them for years. Well, I was eight years, obviously, from the minute that I've discovered extensions, I was wearing them. Um, so yeah, like as a lash artist, like you know about all of the allergies that could potentially happen to your clients, and that's what's spoken about, you know, in these um allergy Facebook forums and stuff like that, like it's just my clients had this, my clients had that. So obviously everyone's already talking about that, but I don't think it's spoken about enough that we are at risk as well. We are being way more exposed to these products than our clients are. So you sort of sort of think, what am I breathing in? What um what is what is in the air that I'm spending all of my time in? What is it actually doing? Yeah, it's doing this to our outside. What's it doing in the streets? Honestly, and I've only really figured this out recently, but I remember like last year, maybe the year before as well. You know, if I'm work because I work upstairs, if I'm working upstairs and I don't know, I get a delivery or someone's at the door, I've run downstairs and then I've run back upstairs and I get to the top of the stairs and I'm like, I'm out of breath. Like, am I unfit? Whereas like now, I've not noticed it. So I think I was getting like shortness of breath through it as well, and that could have developed into asthma. You think the fumes are circular breathing that in? I think it needs to be more spoken about on the PP that we should be wearing than we should be doing. We use like the basic little masks. Actually, they're not even It's not gonna do as much as we need it to. I don't think it really apparents anything. No. It's got little holes in it for it, anyway. Exactly. And it's like touches what like this part of your face. The fumes are still gonna get to your forehead and your neck. It's true. Um yeah, I I feel like there sh it should be within a training module, like how to protect yourself. Proper ventilation, whether that's having your window open or an air purifier, do you know what I mean? Like we should be more educated. Yeah, because it's only when it comes to now. It's too late for me. It's too late for you, but also there's still no answers about it. No. It's just that it yeah, what is it? Is it is what it is. There's no going back. If a product came out and it was the product plate free. There is I I've I've used them. Um it's still got, like you said, the acryleg family in it. If there was something that was just different, would you would you try a taxi or not? Depends on what it is. Like I don't I don't think you can make a glue without cloakes in it. It's what makes it sticky. There's this there is this new uh glue that's coming out. I don't want to say it's like they called it the opal. Oh my god. Uh it's like um they've used it, it's like from a plant. Hmm. And there was this big thing on it um last October. I will find it for you. It's um it's something to do that is like all natural. It's like um it's a resin. That's how it's cured. And it's cured under I wanna say it's cured under UV. It's a resin. Interesting. So it doesn't have any of the ingredient in it. Very new though. Because I was I was questioning it, I was messaging the um company on when they post it, because I was like, so what actually is it? I'm interested in because it's like but then I think with all glues, you get told what it is, but we don't really know the effects of anything. No. It's actually really crazy. It's just you're just using something and you don't know what the all-time effects of it are. I mean it's the same with anything. I know, and we just absolutely anything. And we just really we just got one that's what you do. Yeah. Everyone else is doing that as well. Well, it's so true. Even like kid eats, aren't they? Yeah. We are a little bit actually. But it's only I think when you get curious when something happens, you go, well, what is it? What is in that? What has hap- why has it happened? Yeah. You never know, you could be the person that could um give a go down that route. You could It's a prince. Hell yeah, yeah, I imagine. Is that anything you wish you knew earlier? Going back to what I said earlier, I think we need to know more about PPE. Do you think PPE could have anything to protect us? I mean, obviously I'd love to have known that this was going to happen, but I just never it never crossed my mind that I could actually even develop an allergy to lash glue. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. It never crossed my mind. So I feel like lash allergies for lash text needs to be spoken about more. And more needs to be done in the industry to fully be safe from it. Yeah. Cause I always sometimes think like you hear all these things that could it affect things later on in life. Do you know what I mean? I always have that you never know till I just say this run in life, and it's that someone say, Oh, you you're not able to do this, or you can't have that. And then it ties their art, yeah. It's like um, do you have that yuck wrap? No, it's like um you can scan things and it tells you it's bad on the skin character, yeah. Yeah, and there's some though that if you scan it, it can tell you that it can affect your fertility and all that all this we like some of the ingredients. And I remember scanning my old face cream, and that was one of the things this can affect fertility, this ingredient, and I was like, if I don't own that, I was like, Do you I've literally ditched it because it was like I think it was like 40 out of 100, so it was pretty wooden grape my skin, even though it's an expensive brand, but this app like it tells you the things that it can harm in. That's insane. You get a bit addicted, you kind of scan everything, and they have a bit of like yeah, I don't use anything anymore. Literally. This is a little bit more on a personal note. Do you feel happier now in your business? Now everything's sort of you you know the issue what it is. Or would you say how much question? Yeah, do you know what? I feel like a massive weight is off my shoulders. I think I think I knew it was coming that I was gonna probably stop doing extensions at some point. My clients absolutely murdered me that you would never stop it. But I felt like it was gonna happen at some point, so I feel like I'm a little bit more relieved that it's happened on these terms rather than me deciding. I think that's my biggest thing is I struggle to make big decisions like that myself. Um, like I remember when at the start of the year when I was figuring out should I cancel clients, what should I do? And I was like talking to my partner, I'm like, oh I don't know what to do. And then I think something clicked in my head, and I was like, Oh, I'm probably gonna cancel my clients next week, and he was like, I think that's a good idea. So like I was like, okay, he's kind of justified my thoughts, but I struggled to get to that point, so I just feel like knowing that it's happened in that way, is it was a bit easier for me to accept it. It's out of your control. Yeah. Did you feel any pressure to keep going with it? I don't think I did. I think I was just like, this is it now, like this is how it is. Well, at least you didn't feel that pressure of like I have to keep going, but then you said your clients are so they're so they can see it happening to you too. And I think my clients would respond because I was so transparent with them all, like keeping updated on my doctor's appointments and keeping them updated on how my skin was doing, and they they'd all respond like your health comes first. Like, do not force yourself, like it's horrible to see you going through this. Don't force yourself to do something that's making you uncomfortable. Yeah, and I was like, preach, it's true, like, yeah, fine. You have to look after yourself because no one else is gonna do it. Yeah, and I put myself first in that situation. I was like, I I can't I can't force myself to do something that's making me uncomfortable just to make other people happy, yeah. So I was like, done. You should be so proud of yourself, Judge. I think it's so inspirational when people are sitting there listening that you've had to change your whole your attitude is just like I'm winging it, I'm giving it a go, I'm not giving up, and I'm just gonna try and make it work. I think that's just so much about you. You should be really proud of yourself, and even if you do have little gaps, it's not forever, it's not forever because you're really good at what you do. I think you just have to next week you're gonna be showing up online. Yeah, yeah, I'm back. Hope you didn't forget about me. No, you did not. What are your goals for the next few years? Have you got anything that you're thinking that you want to do or you want to focus on? Or do you know what I actually kind of want to deep dig deeper into this allergy stuff? I think you're the best person for it. Being an ambassador on lash allergies, like and educating more people on it. Like it's such a big part of the industry, and everyone's just said that there's a massive gap. Yeah, no, no one is talking about it enough. Is mentioned, isn't it? Like people are aware that it's there, but people like people post in these groups, like my clients had an allergy, what do I do? No one knows what to do. Yeah, like obviously there's never any right or wrong, and if a client has had got an allergy, kind of steer them away to a doctor, like you don't want to touch them, but I don't know, like I just think there's a massive area there that we can start educating more people on allergies and how to go about them. And I think because you've experienced it, you would be the best person for it because you have been through it and been through it, you've known how to navigate it, which I think is a huge one because there's literally people listening now who may have early symptoms, yeah, struggling because or they're in the thick of it and they don't know what to do. If someone is listening and they have got negative early signs or yeah, it's like what advice could you give them that maybe they can make a simple change or maybe they could start focusing on, or is it anything that you did? I mean, I'd say anything small, just go and see a doctor. Yeah. Like you can put stuff on your face, it's not gonna it's not gonna do anything. Even if it's not a lash allergy, just go and see a doctor, like that's what they're there for. Do you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Like I wish I'd gone to a doctor sooner. Because then maybe I could have put something in place to prevent it, maybe, you know, getting a heavy-duty air purifier to keep my room clean. I I I don't know. I just think if you if you're not even sure, just go and see a doctor. Like, that is my biggest recommendation. I wish I'd done that earlier. Yeah, because it could have it could have changed everything. Yeah, you just know. I could still be doing it now. Granted, I might be unhappy because I'm falling out in love with it, but at least I'd know and I could prevent long-term effects later down the line. And that's the scary. And if there was more education in it, that yeah, but also helps you actually be like, okay, I maybe need to look at that and artist. Yeah. No, I say chickens. We obvious we go in a bit of denial, be like, it's not my job. Yeah. How can it be my job? This is what I do every day. Literally. So go to the doc just go to the doctor and make sure you're not. I think, yeah, we just need to know more about what's in these glues. I just think Yeah, just we need we need like these lash suppliers need to be telling us. And I just can't believe that I can't find lash ing like lash glue ingredients online. It's on the packaging, but I'm like, how are there only three ingredients in a lash glue? Yeah, you've got stabilizers and all that sort of stuff in there that keeps it. Yeah. There could be more than three things in that. I think it's it's a hard one because you have like the cyanacry, you have the stabilizers, you have the pigment, but you could be reacting to cyan acrylate or the stabilizer, even the pigment. Depends on the ratio and whatever. Zeming glue is kind of different. Yeah, obviously with dry time and everything. And also how it's been manufactured. Like I was saying before off on off recording, and I was telling you about and Frankie Widows. Yeah. She is after afterwards, you have look at her page. She talks about it a lot because she is so passionate about the ingredients and how it's made, and the fact that we're so uneducated on how it's actually made and what it's actually doing to us. Yeah. Because she's all she's talking about artists, she's not talking about it being on a client, and it isn't spoken about. I think she I was definitely after she is someone who I even caught my eye because when I was experienced little things, where even when my friends was, it's interesting to see actually what it is, and if but maybe even if brands do know, that's another thing. You've been manufactured, but maybe it's a grey era. Yeah, I think it is. I think there's a fine line between like oh posting too much about it and scaring people, yeah, and then not saying enough, and people are like because if the education isn't there, if you're preaching about something, it's actually a little bit wrong. Yeah, it's a very clever. That's your biggest thing with with trying to talk about anything, there's kind of like an opinion. If I'm wrong and someone calls me out for it, oh my god, I'm mortified. So I kind of keep to myself. But because you've experienced it, it is your opinion, you can have your opinion. I think it's when it gets into like the nitty-gritty of my. Yeah, that's what I'm scared of. Imagine if it was like if you found it out, yeah. The research is research. So we are coming towards the end. I have a beyond fire round, so it's a quick fire round. These questions are just nice and light, just for people to get to know you just a little bit more. So, what is your go-to comfort food after a long day of work? Crisps. Any type? Anything. You love crisp. Yeah, give me a bag of crisp sauce work. Sounds a snack before dinner. What word your friends would use to describe you? Oh my god, I have no idea. You know? I really don't know. What about you on a half? What would you describe you as? I'd like to think resilience is a good word. Yeah. Yeah, I love that. What lash tool or any product could you never live without? So it could be anything work right here. I don't know. My gray serum. Yep, I can tell you great your lashes on. I don't actually live without that now. Your lashes are actually insane. If I skip a date, I'm crying. Like, do you go through a lot or is it last long? It lasts me like two or three months, four months. Quite a while. I swear, but I'm gonna try it. What if I've tried one? It's always tingled with my eyes though. If you can give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would that be? Oh my god. Just yeah, again, again, trust you feel it, it's like it'll work out. It always works out again. Everything like don't die yourself. Definitely don't die yourself for sure. So this is a wild card question. One to thirty click and number. 19 oh no. What's a hidden talent most people don't know about you? What's your party drink? I can make my eyes wobble. Make your eyes wobble. I don't know if you can see that. I haven't done that in so long. I thought I was like, I can still do that. Oh, that's so good. Oh my god, I've not done that in so long. Oh my god, that is so cool. I don't know. It's like I just relaxed them and then they just I don't know. Mine is I can headstand for ages. Ages? How long are we talking? Like, I can just stay there. I know. You don't get like a headstand. No, I literally can like and just how did you figure that out, Kat? You just had to see how America's sun hair upside down. I know. I've been like, you know, you used to do like gymnastics as a child. It must have been one of me. I'm so good at a headstand. I'm so good. I've never had a future drink. I'm like headstand, and everyone's like, I think you can just say we are coming towards the end. I just want to say a big thank you for coming on because it's been really lovely to meet you and have you on yet. I'm sure everyone's absolutely gonna love it. If anyone wants to connect with you, DM you, maybe they're going through something to see when I'm not sure how to navigate, and they just want to drop your message. Would you be able to say your Instagram or where's best to Yeah, on my Instagram? Lash L U K. Lash L U K. Yeah, love it. And I'll put that all in the description. It's really lovely.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:54

Thank you so much.