So You Want to Be a NovaLash Artist…
Image (and lashes!) courtesy of Debbie Affleck.
Is your New Year’s resolution to learn a new skill? Maybe it’s to make more money. Or maybe it’s to have more control over your business. What about all three? A career as a NovaLash artist ticks all the boxes.
If you’re a fan of BTC, you may have heard of NovaLash (last year, the brand took home the Stylist Choice Award for Favorite Eyelash Enhancing Product and has since gone on to become the most awarded eyelash extension company in the industry). But maybe you still have some questions, such as, “What exactly is NovaLash?” “How do you become a Novalash stylist?” and “How can eyelash extensions help grow my business?”
Recently, BTC sat down with Sophy Merszei, the award-winning biologist, cosmetic chemist and founder of the brand; Beth Fetzer, NovaLash Director of Operations; and two NovaLash Artists (not to mention tried out NovaLash for ourselves—spoiler, we can’t get enough of them!) to help answer all your burning NovaLash questions. Read on to see what we discovered, and find out if NovaLash is the right fit for you.
What Are “NovaLashes?”
NovaLashes are individual, synthetic eyelash extensions that are singularly bonded to each natural lash to create a longer, thicker, more glamorous lash look. The NovaLash technique harnesses the natural growth cycle of a client’s eyelashes. Each NovaLash artist learns to identify lashes that are in the growing phase, the resting phase and the shedding phase. The type of extension depends on the phase. “When you use the growth cycle, the extensions look good even as they shed,” says Sophy. “It’s safer, more effective, looks pretty and lasts so much longer!”
What Makes NovaLash Different from other Eyelash Extension Companies?
Sophy founded NovaLash back in 2004, after many negative experiences with extension products from China and Korea that didn’t function properly. Extremely high formaldehyde levels in the adhesive, severe allergic reactions and improper application techniques were just the beginning.
So Sophy partnered up with eye doctors, plastic surgeons and family care physicians, and set out to create an adhesive—NovaLash’s award-winning Platinum Bond Adhesvie—that was clean and safe when delivered to the client. Today, NovaLash is the only physician-developed course in the lash extension industry.
How Can NovaLash Help Grow My Business?
To answer this question, we enlisted the help of NovaLash artist Bianca Martinez. When Bianca first started her career in lash extensions, it was fairly new, and she was running into tons of problems—including losing clients who were suffering from extreme allergic reactions! Bianca knew there was a huge demand for extensions, and she started doing some research. It was then that she discovered NovaLash. Fast-forward to today, and Bianca has so many clients she doesn’t know what to do with them.
“My business grew because people were so happy with the quality of the lashes,” she shares. “This was supposed to be a job to get me through school, and it turned into my career! Now I have a lot of people asking me, ‘How do I get your job? I want your job!’”
And while the average price for a full NovaLash set can range anywhere from $200 to $500, Bianca says she has had clients offer to pay double!
“People get so hooked on these lashes,” says Sophy. “One time our building lost power, and our clients insisted we bring the beds out to the parking lot so our artists could finish their lashes!” Sophy shares that her salon is usually so booked, she can’t even make an appointment herself! Can you say repeat client?!
Plus, not only are lash artists making more money with NovaLash, but it’s also helped them have more control over their own business.
“It’s fueled my passion to be a business owner,” says Stefanie Thurman, a Novalash Brand Ambassador who owns her own studio. “I get to be passionate about the business side of it and the artistic side of it.”
What’s “American Volume?”
This year, there’s a new kid on the NovaLash block. It’s called American Volume, and it’s for experienced certified lash stylists who want to take the next step in perfecting their skills and learning new techniques that will grow their business. Interested artists will learn tips and tricks from advanced trainer, Sophia Navarro, for creating the voluminous and luxurious looks your clients crave. Find out more about American Volume here!
OK, This Sounds Pretty Great. How Do I Become a NovaLash Artist?
NovaLash training courses are available in all 50 states with the most experienced pros in the biz and are open to all licensed cosmetologists and estheticians. The training starts in your home (stylists are mailed a training manual) and continues during an eight-hour, hands-on course with live models, which covers theory, technique and application.
Upon completion, trainees take a written test and a practical application skills test. When you pass both tests, you receive a NovaLash Training Certificate and join the worldwide NovaLash team of stylists! Voila! For more info, check out: novalash.com/professional/training.
Lashes for DAYS! BTC Managing Editor Heather stopped by NovaLash artist Lindsey Rae Joslyn’s home studio for a set of brand new lashes!
BTC editor Katie’s NovaLash before and after. She went mascara-free for over a month with her NovaLash Classic lash set. Lashes by Lindsey Rae Joslyn.
