The beauty industry is a big one and keeps expanding with time. One of the established sectors in the industry is the facial beauty sector. This is where eyelash extensions and everything concerning facial beauty belongs. In this article, we will discuss one of the careers in this sector of the beauty industry; Eyelash Artist. We will touch on the duties and responsibilities of eyelash artists, the process of becoming one, and the qualities of good eyelash artists.
Who is an Eyelash Artist?
Also known as a lash technician, an eyelash artist is a professional that provides cosmetic eyelash treatment for people. This means that your job is to provide your clients with befitting false eyebrows, lash extensions, and any other form of facial beauty treatment as necessary. You may also have to handle lash perming or tinting for people who need it. In summary, your primary responsibility as a lash technician involves ensuring that your clients have fuller, symmetrical and natural-looking eyelashes that enhance their facial beauty.
As an eyelash artist, you will work in and around beauty salons, spas, beauty schools, and anywhere that focuses on facial beauty and the use and application of eyelash extensions. One of the highlights of being a lash technician is choosing how you want to work, especially if you have had some years of experience or operate your salon or lash studio. You can decide to work full-time, part-time, on weekends, every day, or only on weekdays.
However, being a lash technician comes with some requirements. While we will discuss these requirements fully in this article, there are some that we need to mention up front. The ability to stand or sit for long periods is an important requirement of being a lash artist. Fixing or applying eyelashes is a tedious and time-consuming process. It takes about three hours or more, hence the need to have the ability to stand or sit and work for long periods.
You will also need good hand and eye coordination, the ability to work fast and efficiently, and a sense of manual dexterity.
What Does a Lash Artist Do?
The duties or requirements of the eyelash artist extend beyond the application or fixing of eyelash extensions. As an eyelash technician, you will do the following;
Consulting with Clients on the Best Facial Beauty Treatment
One of the first things you will do for a client is to provide them with information on the ideal facial beauty option. When a client walks into your lash studio, most times, they have little knowledge about the type of lash extensions they want. They probably have seen lash extensions they liked on their friends and are trying to get the same.
It is your duty as a professional to advise them on their choice of eyelash extensions. You will need to let them know if the extension works for them, the cost, and how best to pull it off. If the extension doesn’t work for them, you need to let them know if there are alternatives and the process involved.
In summary, you will be the go-to source for information regarding eyelash extension treatments and everything regarding facial beauty. This duty requires you to be a good listener, understand your clients’ needs and show a willingness to help them achieve the look they wish for.
Application of Befitting Eyelash Extensions for Clients
After consulting with your clients, the next duty you may need to perform is fixing or applying eyelash extensions for them. This is the most important and the core of your functions as a lash technician. This is what most of your training with be based on. This function will also require manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to work for long hours on your feet or while sitting.
Provision of After Care Tips and Instructions
One of the main issues that your clients will face is eyelash retention. The eyelash extensions would last about six weeks or more with good maintenance and after-care practices. However, many extensions do not last this long because people do not know how to care for lash extensions after fixing them. This is where you come in.
You have to provide your clients with instructions on how to care for their eyelash extensions. These instructions should span activities, ingredients, and agents they must avoid after fixing the lash extensions. It should also include tips for maintaining the extensions and how to avoid infections or damage to their eye through the eyelash extensions.
Other functions of a lash technician include;
- Ensuring sterilization and disinfection of equipment and supplies as per state regulations.
- Preventing infections or damage to the eyes during the application of eyelash extensions.
- Suggest or proffer advice on facial beauty products that work for the client’s face.
How to Become a Lash Artist or Technician
Because eyelash technicians work with the eyes, a very important and sensitive part of the human body, there is a strict requirement for people trying to become lash technicians. These strict requirements ensure that people who parade themselves as lash artists have the training and experience to work with people’s eyes and avoid damaging them. The requirements for becoming a lash artist also depend on the country or the part of the world where you reside. Some countries have governmental regulatory bodies for the profession, while the regulation of the profession is left to the professional lash artists in other countries.
To become a lash artist, you may need to go through one of these routes;
Education
To become a lash technician, you may need at least a GED or high school diploma. This is the basic requirement with many beauty salons. Some beauty salons and lash studios may also prefer a bachelor’s degree in cosmetology or any related course. It will take about two years to go through the education route and get a degree in cosmetology. You will take human anatomy, chemistry, business studies, and cosmetology courses.
Training and Experience
For some saloons, you need not study cosmetology or any related course. All they require is that you have practical knowledge or on-the-job training. Some employers will go through the process of training you themselves before allowing you to attend to the clients in the saloon. During this training, you will receive lessons and instructions on the type of products used by the saloon, the process of fixing eyelash extensions, and the maintenance of the extensions. While the duration of the training depends on your trainer and the salon where you are training, most training last between one and three months.
Certifications and License
Some countries or regions need licenses before you can answer the title “Lash Artists.” In some states in the United States of America, you need a state cosmetology or aesthetician license and a year of experience. In most cases, the requirement for the license involves between 1500 and 2000 hours of studying and practicing before taking the exam. You get the license when you pass the exam.
Skills Required for a Lash Technician
Regardless of the route, you take in becoming a lash technician; the following skills are very important for your success as a lash technician. You will acquire some of these skills during your training, but if you don’t, there are skills that you can develop on your own.
These skills include:
Communication Skills
The ability to convey information to a person or group in a simple and easy-to-understand manner is what is referred to as communication. As a lash artist, you should be able to communicate to your clients, explaining the lash extension application and treatment process and ensure that they understand it. Your clients should have a vivid picture of what to expect at the end of the treatment process based on your explanations. This is why you need communication skills.
Clients are not the only people you will need to communicate with. You will also need this skill with your coworkers, employers, or employees, as the case may be. At the end of the day, the people around you should be able to understand what you are saying whenever you communicate with them.
It is important to state that verbal communication or the use of words is not the only way to communicate. You may need to know how to use other methods of communication as long as it is comfortable and helps you achieve the goal of passing information around.
Customer Service Skills
The core of your function as a lash technician involves working with people, especially your clients. This means that you need good interpersonal relations skills that also translate to good customer service. The hallmark of any business is the ability to solve problems for customers and clients. Thus, the more you can deliver premium service and solve clients’ problems, the higher your chances of a profitable business. This is why you need good customer service skills.
Clients should be comfortable talking to you and asking your questions regarding your services. They should also be able to get the utmost value for every dime paid for your service.
Organization Skills
Your ability to sort through and organize information and processes at the beauty salon is an important skill for a lash technician. You will have to deal with client information, appointments, product inventory, supplies, and schedules. You should be able to handle all of these pieces of information, organize them, and use them to map out a workable process for the saloon.
You may need to learn how to use scheduling software and applications to help with the organization. This works for a large beauty spa or salon. You may also need to learn how to use inventory management systems for tracking and managing product inventory and supplies. This helps you understand the number of products you have and when you have to reorder for more products.
Technological Skills
The technological advancement in the world today means that many processes requiring manual input are now automated or computerized. This advancement is also true for the beauty industry. This is why you need to have technological skills so that you will be able to use the technological equipment.
Also, you may need to understand computer software as many beauty salons now adopt computer software to manage scheduling, product inventory, client information, and appointments. There is also software that allows you to track employee hours, update your social media accounts, and create content for marketing your business. You need to have technological skills to handle all of these software and systems.
Product Knowledge
This is another important skill or knowledge that you will need as a lash technician. Apart from applying eyelash extensions for your customers, you may need to advise them on the usage and application of certain facial beauty products. Before giving this advice, you need to understand what these products are, how they work, and their effect on different types of skins. You need to understand the difference between these products and know the best one that works for each of your clients based on their skin type. Sometimes, you also need to know where to get these products so that you can buy on behalf of your clients or refer them to the best supplier.
Apart from the technical knowledge of fixing and applying for eyelash extensions, these five skills are important skills that you will need to become a good eyelash artist. You should train yourself on any of these skills if you lack them, as they could make or mar your career as a lash artist.
Qualities of a Good Lash Technician
We have touched on the core skills that you need as a lash artist. However, certain qualities are not compulsory but will make you stand out in your career as a lash technician. While you can be a lash technician without these qualities, don’t be surprised that a lot of clients would prefer those qualities.
These qualities include;
Creativity
One of the things you will need to stand out as a good lash technician is your creative mind. In this profession, you will constantly face the need to turn your client’s dreams concerning their facial beauty into reality. This takes some level of creativity. Also, every client has different needs and would prefer someone with a creative sense to help them actualize their unique look.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to put yourself into another person’s shoes and relate to their experience. This quality is important if you are going to help people achieve their looks. While you may not understand the idea or rationale behind the look, you have to resonate with the passion behind it and help your clients achieve it.
Business Oriented
If you are going to have a successful career as a lash artist, you need to have a brilliant business mind. If you look at many professions or careers, you will find that certain people have made it to the top of that profession. Amongst other things, these people have a rich business sense, which has helped them make more success out of the profession than an average professional. So, if you are looking to make it to the top of the food chain as a lash artist, you will need to have a rich business mind or go have someone that is business oriented as a partner.
Interpersonal Relationships
While having a good interpersonal relationship may sound like good communication or customer service skills, the context is different in this case. In this case, we mean the ability to establish and maintain relationships with people, businesses, or enterprises. You will need this quality as a lash artist or an owner of a beauty salon. You will have to deal with people as clients, businesses as suppliers of products, and enterprises that may want to partner with you or your brand. Therefore, the ability to establish and maintain a business relationship with these entities goes a long way toward determining your success as a lash technician.
Adequate Training
The importance of adequate training as a lash technician cannot be overemphasized. You need it to succeed in the profession. This is because your job involves working with the eye, and nobody would allow an ill-trained person near their eye. Thus, your ability to attract more clients and increase your customer base depends on the quality of your service, which is a direct result of the adequacy of your training.
Conclusion
Being a lash technician is a lucrative and interesting profession. It allows you to work with your creative mind to help people look beautiful. You get to be directly responsible for the joy, and increased self-confidence people enjoy when lash extensions make them look beautiful. However, a lot goes into being a lash technician, as this article shows. You will need some form of training, education, and hands-on experience to qualify as a lash technician. You will also need some skills and qualities as espoused in this article.
