LashBase Interview with Megan Thomas

LashBase Jamie meets an Award-Winning Lash Artist, Megan Thomas Lash Academy

What does it take to be an award-winning lash artist?

Luckily for us, one of our customers is just that! Megan Thomas has just won the title of 1st place in the expert classic lashes category at this year’s Professional Beauty North Show.

So we wanted to get to know a little bit more about her and find out how she got to the top and what her plans for the future are.

Hopefully, it can give you a little inspiration and motivation on the way!

Before we start with the questions, we’d like to introduce you to Megan and take a look at her amazing, award-winning lash work that earnt her the crown.

Let’s get started…

What is your name and business name and how long have you been lashing?

My name is Megan Thomas, owner of Megan Thomas Lash Academy. I gained my Classic Eyelash Certification in December 2015. It’s gone so fast since then, but on the other hand, it feels like I have been lashing for so much longer!

What made you enter the competition?

I entered The Lash Championships Competition hosted by Professional Beauty this year because I wanted to set myself some new goals and challenges. After 18 months of full-time lashing, I decided to become a trainer as I wanted to combat the poor training practices that are being used in and around my area. In May 2017, I trained with Daria to learn Russian Volume Lashes to extend my portfolio and later this month I am going on a mentor session with Bryony Barclay, LAE Trainer, as I really admire her work!

Earlier this year, I launched my meganthomaslashes.co.uk website, which has an online shop selling Megan Thomas Lash Academy branded lashes and other eyelash extension products.

Entering the PB The Lash Championships Competition was for me, going to be a massive learning curve. I had seen on Facebook Groups where my fellow lashers were saying how entering competitions improved their work and highlighted areas to work on. So I thought it was time to challenge myself and my experience in lashing. I was also hoping to meet experts in the industry who I follow on social media and inspire me, along with lash artists who share my passion for lashing.

Any advice for lash artists considering entering a comp?

My advice to anyone entering a competition is to check the criteria and rules carefully. That way when you get, there is nothing to get you flustered.

Arrive early! I was one of the first to get to the competition, and I got to choose the bed that was at the right height for me, or if needed, you then have time to move the bed to suit. Be prepared. Because it’s not our usual environment and we don’t have everything right on hand next to us. Time is precious, so have an organised bag or box with small compartments, so you know where your tools, lashes and glues are located quickly and easily. Most of all, enjoy it. The judges were so friendly as were the other competitors. I now keep in touch with them all on social media, so even if you don’t win a place, at least you come away with new lash friends.

What styling did you use and why?

So the styling I used on my model, Emma, was the Natural Eye style as she has a natural look and wears minimal makeup. The extensions followed the natural pattern of her lash line, and the 11’s were used to gently open her eye. I did this by applying 7C, 8C, 9CC, 10CC, 11D, 10D & 9D Lashes. I had never used as many different curls in a single set before, and I loved the look so that’s something I will now put into practice with my clients.

My model had one eye that was more hooded than the other, and subsequently, I should have considered that more in my Lash Map. But hey this is why I entered the competition in the first place to challenge and push myself!

Eye styling isn’t my strongest area, and that reflected on my score sheet, so hopefully, in the very near future, I want to find a workshop on Eye Styling and Face Shapes to practice on my clients.

What products were used?

The products I used in the competition were LashBase Lashes as I’m currently researching extending my own brand lashes inventory to include C & CC curls. LashBase Extreme Plus Adhesive was also used as I’ve tried and tested dozens of glue brands and types and Extreme Plus is by far the best. The tweezers, eye pads and other accessories used were from my online shop eyelovelashes.uk

What are your plans for your future in the lash industry?

My plans for the future are to definitely enter more competitions and continue my self-development in the lash industry. After my mentoring session with Bryony, you never know I may enter into the 2d/3d categories. I want to attend more workshops and mentoring sessions in 2019 as you can never know too much in this lash industry!

Where can we find you?

Website: meganthomaslashes.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/meganthomaslashes/

facebook.com/MeganThomasLashes

Megan Thomas Lash Academy is based in Derby, East Midlands.

And there you have it!

If you have an amazing story that you want to share with the lash world, get in touch – [email protected].

Thanks for reading!

Written by

Jamie Butler, LashBase

https://lashbase.co.uk/lashbase-meets-an-award-winning-lash-artist/