Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Lagasse.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jill. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started in the beauty industry as a hair apprentice in southern New Hampshire (Act One in its glory days). During the time there, age 15/16, I was unable to pay rent with my room-mate and had to stop the apprenticeship and start working an hourly job. Fortunately enough I was quite a mature teen and able to move into an assistant managers position within the salon. Eventually life shifts led me away from there and onto many other managerial positions. Finally at age 21 I was able to afford cosmetology school and felt complete in where life’s path was taking me. It had been such a long journey which seemed so unreachable at times. I ended up becoming a color expert working in the financial district in Boston for a couple years until following my dreams to Arizona where I got to work for (Toni&Guy) a company that I looked up to for its originality and sharp stylish edge.
By age 25 I had left the salon life and the always part time restaurant jobs to open up a bead store in Beverly mass. Random? Maybe, but it was a way for me to feed my starving artist and stop conforming to what society tells us what to be. It was a beautiful way to share artworks of others and to also reach a community of artists. I embraced it as did the local artisans. Moving forward three years after opening the store had to close due to the birth of my first son. I was unable to manage a baby and a business with little to no support from those around us.
Fast forward about five years…I had heard of lash extensions and was so interested in pursuing this meticulous art form of transforming faces by framing the windows to the soul! It was just after my second son was born 2013 that I was able to take my first lash extensions course. I started practicing on anyone and everyone who would give me their time. Just a half a year later I was accepted into a dual advanced volume class with two world famous educators. This reassured me that this new journey was the one!
Just a few years after my first lash extension course I was so busy I couldn’t take on more clients. Still having a toddler I wasn’t sure if it would be biting off more than I could give, but I took a leap of faith and opened Design Her Eyes in July 2017. Using most of my savings and all of my spare time…even having my boys come help paint the shop. I decided that the staff would be a collection of strong, independent women who could hopefully be inspired by where I had come from and understand that all I want for them is to be empowered to be their best at all times. My younger sister joined me from the beginning…she started her lash path a year or so after I did and it made me so happy to have her by my side! April joined the team shortly after opening the doors. She was the first person I got to mentor on this path and has such skills, it’s utterly amazing! Shortly after Catherine joined the team as well, coming straight out of school ready to learn with a passion for lashes. And then our front desk concierge, Julia came along by happenstance. Still finding her path, we all hope to inspire her to dream big and reach for the stars. Our team of down to earth women are the icing on the cake for most of the guests we have the opportunity to enhance with our services. Empowering women to understand how their creative talents can set them on a path that is both financially and emotionally top notch.
Sorry if this is too much. I am not very good at writing, lol, as this is not my art form! Thank you for taking the time to read that. Please feel free to take for my story what you wish. It is not impossible to follow your dreams as long as you are willing to work you’re a$$ off to get there is what I’d like to give to readers,
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s never been a smooth road. More like an uphill battle no matter direction I went.
I struggled as a homeless teen trying to start a life, a young adult unable to afford schooling with no financial support from parents, a single mother trying to get away from an emotionally abusive partner with a drug habit, unaffordable moments where it seemed like I’d never be able to actually take even my first class and just day to day life trying to keep me down.
The best advice I can give someone just starting out on their path is: Believe in yourself and follow those dreams! As long as you are willing to put in the work anything is achievable. As for the nay sayers in your life and the negative thoughts you will have along the way…always remember that nothing easy is worth it and nothing worth it is easy. Forge your own path…do not get distracted. Be kind to yourself and flexible along the way because it won’t happen overnight and t can’t happen if you don’t believe it can!
We’d love to hear more about Design Her Eyes Lash Lounge & Spray Tannery.
I am a lash artist. Specializing in responsibly applied, custom styled, Volume lash extensions. I’m known for my ability to make extensions look natural as well as give life back to eyes that seem to have no lashes.
I am proud of myself for getting where I am today and not giving up until I got here. I have been globally published multiple times for my colored lash work and “fantasy” lash art. I won first place in two lash competitions and second place in another which all were internationally published and recognized by a huge audience of piers. I also had the opportunity to be a judge for a South African lash contest and also a fantasy lash art competition in Australia.
What sets Design Her Eyes apart from the rest is the amount of education I have under my belt. I may have the most certifications from world educators in all of New England!!! With nearly a dozen courses and conferences in lash extensions under my belt and still learning. I feel as though one can never stop learning!
We as a team are different due to the education we provide to our clients so they can have the best experiences with their lashes as possible. I’m so proud for every woman that I work with…there’s nothing like our team!
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
So far the lash extension industry is still a mostly female run industry. Where so many likeminded business women are coming together to create an environment within this community that is upholding and strengthening. Mush less caddy and much more savvy. We all share so much of ourselves and give one another great tips and tricks on how to be the best we can and how to help create balance within our ever evolving lives. How to handle success in business and still have a happy home life. It’s so hard and yet somehow it works.
Women who don’t look at challenges as a challenge but more of an attainable goal will surely succeed in whatever their paths have in store for them. It’s more of a mindset than just a he or she thing for me. I’ve never been one to listen to the masses and nay sayers. For one person’s jealous rants should just be the fuel to success. No-one can stop you in your path unless you allow their words to poison your goals. Women have to realize that we are stronger than we will ever know. Being complacent and compliant for so long has only slowed our momentum, it’s suppression of the strongest…when people become intimidated they generally want to put that competitor in a place where they can’t win. Don’t be a competitor….just a winner! Compete only with your own goals and you will never fail ladies!
Pricing:
- Lash Extension Full Sets $185-$300
- Lash Extension Fills $60-$90
- Custom Spray Tan $30-$40
- Brow or Lash Tint $25/$30
- Facal Waxing $10+ depending on area
- Lash Lift $85
Contact Info:
- Address: 62 Wingate St. Haverhill, MA 01832
- Website: DesignHerEyes.com
- Phone: 9789146058
- Email: DesignHerEyes@yahoo.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/DesignHerEyes
- Facebook: Facebook.com/DesignHerEyes
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
