One thing I've learned after more than a decade in the lash industry is that you don't have to be an expert in absolutely everything, and personally, I'd rather be really bloody good at the things I do know than pretend to know everything about treatments that aren't my speciality.
At Eyelash Excellence, my world has always predominantly been lash extensions. That's where my years of hands-on experience, training and product knowledge sit, particularly when it comes to professional lash adhesives, ingredients, retention and product safety. Lash lifting and brow lamination are different treatments with their own chemistry, techniques and product knowledge, and although I obviously understand the treatments and products, I would never claim that they're my area of expertise.
So rather than developing an Eyelash Excellence lash lift and brow lamination range simply because we could, I decided to do something that made far more sense. Sell products from someone who DOES know this area inside out.
And that's why you'll find Ladybug Lashes professional lash lift and brow lamination products at Eyelash Excellence.
Why Ladybug Lashes?
If you've read some of my other blogs, you'll probably already know about my friendship with Louise, the owner of Ladybug Lashes. Although our businesses technically compete with each other, Louise and I became friends through our shared interest in product safety, ingredients, formulations and generally questioning everything that goes into the professional products we're using on our clients.
Over the years I've got to know not only Louise personally, but also how she works behind the scenes. She's incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to lash lifting and brow lamination, and this is an area of the industry she knows far better than I do. For me, that's exactly the type of person I WANT to buy these products from.
I could go to a manufacturer, choose a lash lift system, put Eyelash Excellence on the packaging and suddenly start marketing myself as an authority on lash lifting and brow lamination. But what would be the point? Having your logo on a product doesn't automatically make you an expert in it. I'd much rather be transparent about where my expertise ends and somebody else's begins.
Why We Chose Flutter & Frame
One of the main ranges we've chosen to offer is Ladybug Lashes Flutter & Frame professional lash lift and brow lamination system. Flutter & Frame is a professional three-step system developed and manufactured in the UK using cosmetic-grade ingredients. The same system can be used for both lash lifting and brow lamination, so you're not having to buy completely separate processing products for each treatment.
Step 1 lifts and allows the natural hair to be repositioned, Step 2 sets the hair into its new position and Step 3 is there to condition and nourish following the chemical process. The final conditioning step contains ingredients including amino acids, panthenol and sodium hyaluronate to support the condition and appearance of the natural lashes and brows after processing.
What I also like is that Ladybug doesn't just sell you three sachets and leave you to work the rest out. There is proper product information, processing guidance and education behind the range, which is incredibly important with any professional chemical treatment.
Louise also offers different options depending on how you work, including sachets, airless pumps and sample packs, as well as a separate cysteamine-based system for artists who prefer that chemistry or offer Korean and glueless lash lifting techniques. You can see the full Ladybug Lashes lash lift and brow lamination range on their website.
Knowing What You Don't Know Is Important
This is actually becoming quite an important part of how I choose what we sell at Eyelash Excellence. I don't believe a lash supplier needs to manufacture its own version of every single product on the market. I'd rather put my time, money and research into the areas I genuinely understand and where I know I can add something worthwhile.
When it comes to lash extensions and particularly adhesives, I can talk until I'm blue in the face about formulations, cyanoacrylate, stabilisers, curing, humidity, retention and why different adhesives behave the way they do. That's my world and it's where a huge amount of my professional experience sits. If you ask Louise about lash lifting and brow lamination, however, you're entering HER world.
That makes our collaboration work really well. Instead of competing for the sake of competing, we can actually complement each other's businesses. Eyelash Excellence customers can access professional lash lift and brow lamination products from someone I trust, while I can continue concentrating on the products and education I'm genuinely passionate and knowledgeable about.
Product Safety Still Matters
Just because lash lifting and brow lamination aren't my specialist treatments doesn't mean my standards suddenly disappear when I choose what to put on the Eyelash Excellence website. These are chemical treatments that alter the structure of the natural hair, so correct product use, processing times, consultation, patch testing and professional training all matter.
This is another reason I'm comfortable selling Ladybug Lashes products. Louise doesn't treat safety information as an inconvenience that gets in the way of making a sale. Ladybug provides specific professional guidance around its systems, including lash lift and brow lamination patch testing, product use and processing.
That's important to me because I want the products we offer through Eyelash Excellence to come with proper information behind them. A good professional product shouldn't just give you a great result. You should also be able to find out what you're using, how it should be used and what the manufacturer or supplier expects from the professional using it.
Why You'll Find Ladybug Lashes at Eyelash Excellence
Ultimately, this is really simple. I sell Ladybug Lashes lash lift and brow lamination products because I trust Louise's knowledge in an area where I don't pretend to be the expert. Through our Shopify Collective partnership, I can give Eyelash Excellence customers access to products from another independent UK lash business without trying to reinvent something purely so I can put my own logo on it. For me, that's a much more honest way to run a professional lash supply business. If I can develop something better because I have the knowledge and experience behind it, brilliant. That's where I'll put my energy.
If someone I trust already has the knowledge, has done the work and has created a bloody good professional product, I'm equally happy to sell theirs. Sometimes being good at what you do also means knowing when somebody else knows more than you. And when it comes to lash lifting and brow lamination, Louise is that person for me.
Frankie x