Eyes on the future

Although she never set out to launch a brand, Leah Oldfield has developed Leo Lash from the ground up in two years. She shares her story and her plans for expansion

How did you come to specialise in lashes?

“I had qualified as a beauty therapist but one of my first jobs was as a welder in an engineering firm, of all things. Then, at 22, I wanted a change, so I moved to the Gold Coast in Australia and started working in salons. I applied for a job that paid way above average but the catch was the owner asked, ‘Do you do eyelashes?’. I had learnt classic lashes a long time ago and was absolutely shocking at it, but I really wanted this job. So, of course, I said I could do lashes.

“All went well for the first eight months because I’m a good waxer so the owner kept me on waxing most of the time. But then more and more clients wanted Russian lashes so the owner insisted I go on a course. It was so hard, but when you’re in a foreign country on your own with no family to fall back on, you’re under pressure, so I persisted and ended up getting into it and actually being good.

“After a couple of years, I quit and went self-employed. You could get around $150 for a set of lashes out there, which is about £120. However, one issue was that my supplies were ridiculously expensive. I had an Asian friend who had her own lash supplier. She gave me their details and I still use lashes from that supplier to this day.

“I’ve been back in England almost eight years and I now have several suppliers from different Asian countries, including Korea, Vietnam and China. I believe Korea has the best materials, but Chinese packaging offers better value so I mix and match suppliers to give my customers the best quality and value.”

How did you start the Leo Lash brand?

“It had never crossed my mind to have a lash brand; it just happened organically. I had my own supply of lashes and glue and people started coming to me. Then, in lockdown, I took on the lease of a salon. Everyone thought I was an idiot but I thought ‘without risk there is no reward’. We opened for six weeks then the second lockdown hit, but I had a good solicitor who put into the contract that the rent would be paused, which saved a huge cost.

“We were closed for six months and that’s when I started thinking about becoming a trainer, so I did my training in lockdown. I decided to offer kits to my students, but didn’t want to use other people’s. I wanted my own case with my own lashes. Then I thought, I need a bag, I need tweezers, and all of a sudden I had my own lash range.

“When we were allowed, I started training people (we offer a student card which gives discounts for life and our starter kit is only £99). I must have trained about 100 people now and I get messages on Instagram saying, ‘My friend has this glue, can I have one’. It was kind of annoying at first, but then people even started asking, ‘Can I be a brand ambassador for you?’ I thought, ‘I don’t even have a brand!’ It was so strange, but it made me realise I needed to give the products proper focus. That was two years ago and we’ve now got 400 people ordering a month.”

What’s to stop a lash technician doing what you did and going direct to suppliers?

“I’ve done the research; I’ve worked out what I consider the best quality at the right cost and I offer a brand that people can identify with. And that’s not including all the hassle of import duties and paperwork. Most individuals wouldn’t know what they were getting in to. With me, you have comfort and security.”

How do you manage your quality control?

“Take the example of glue. All my lash glue is made to order. You can buy lash glue ridiculously cheap, say for £2. Often, the reason it’s £2 is because it has chemicals in it that are illegal and it’s been sat on a shelf for six months, then someone just puts a sticker on it and sends it to you. I buy supplies in large, sealed containers then package to smaller quantities, which protects shelf life.

“We get our products toxicology tested. We just brought out a new glue and we had it tested in England (which cost an absolute bomb, by the way), but I know that it’s safe.”

Have you noticed any trends in the lash market?

“At the moment, it’s trending to be more natural with your lashes, so there are a lot more classics. It’s OK for people to see your lashes are enhanced but not to excess, so people are moving towards flat lashes.

Brown lashes are really popular at the moment too; they’re not as harsh. Another development is ‘Pro-made’ lashes, which help people who can’t make their own lashes and end up giving up. We supply the complete lash in a box, which techs can apply relatively easily and still deliver amazing lashes.”

How do you select your brand ambassadors?

“They have to actively use and like the brand. These girls are my friends because I know them and their lives. I need to trust them. They get really good perks; some free products, 20% off some more depending on how many times their code gets used. And, of course, they make commission on sales, with some making a lot of money.

That’s why I only have a small group because I want to know that they’re professional and looking after their customers.”

Is your training online or face to face or both?

“I don’t believe in online training. People need to practise in front of me – they will be dealing with people’s faces. We offer most of the lash courses people need to get work, including classic lash training, eyebrow lamination, airbrush brows, henna brows, brow waxing and lash lifting. I’ve just finished my assessor’s licence, so I’m an assessor now and then I’m going to apply to VTCT to become a registered trainer.”

Where do you see your business growing in the future?

“The rate things are going, I’ll probably have to buy another building as we are stacked here. A year ago, we had 70 customers a month and now it’s 400. We started locally in Yorkshire, and we’re going UK wide. Last week we sent products to the USA. We’ve got 11 brand ambassadors. At the moment people need to come to me here in Yorkshire to get trained but my 10-year goal would to have multiple Leo Lash buildings around the country.”