Eye Lash covers the latest makeup, eyelash extension and eyebrow trends for makeup artists, lash and brow stylists, and other beauty industry professionals who provide eyelash extension, eyebrow shaping and makeup application services.
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eyelashmag.com | MAY/JUNE 2017 | eye | la 39 you get to meet them in person and really connect." Being around likeminded pros can boost your drive for success and creativity, and those connections could become lifelong ones that you can count on throughout your career. Finally, if you pull off a win, you'll enjoy industry recognition that can help you grow your business. "Within hours of winning the NovaLash LASHoff Lash Artist of the Year, my Instagram business page had 58 new followers," says 2017 winner Sarah-Anne Barham of Sarah-Anne's Beauty in Felixstowe, England. "It gets your name out there in the lash world, and other lash artists start to recognize your name and your work." Ready to get the ball rolling? Read on for advice from recent winners and top judges on how to choose, prepare for and compete in eyelash competitions. Choose Your Own Adventure Before you can be a contender, you have to choose a contest. As you weigh your options, consider the hours you'll spend prepping and competing, along with the cost of entry fees, supplies and travel expenses for yourself and a model. Some competitions require no travel at all (unless you win). Others can take you to international hotspots like London, Paris or Moscow. Somewhere in the middle of those two extremes lies Lash Wars. Organized by the National Eyelash Education and Safety Association (NEESA), every June Lash Wars draws lash artists from around the world to Las Vegas to vie for cash, product prizes and lashing glory. If you're not ready to hit the road with a model in tow, consider an online competition, such as the photo- and video-centric NovaLash LASHoff. "What makes LASHoff unique is that you can do it on your own time," says NovaLash project and product development coordinator Vanessa Max. "This allows you to choose the best model and time that works for you. Once you get the look you want, you can start taking pictures and videos for submission." In addition to cash prizes, LASHoff winners become NovaLash brand ambassadors, enjoying PR and travel opportunities with the brand. For a mix of online convenience and free travel for fi nalists, master trainer and My Brand Lashes founder Hilaree Brand likes the Paris- based Les Victoires du Regard, which she just fi nished judging in April. It starts with online photo submissions, and then narrows the fi eld down to 15 fi nalists. "Then, the fi nalists are fl own to Paris to compete in person to win massive crazy prizes. I really think of all the competitions, this one is by far the classiest," says Brand. "Eyelash extension competitions are so popular in Europe that there is practically one or two every month," says Lee. "All the ones that I've had the pleasure to judge have been very well-organized, including World Lash Moscow, Sculptor Lash Kharkov [Moscow], A view of the competition area at The Lash Games 2016, held at the Olympia Beauty Show in London.