Much Love to 2013

Today is the first day of 2014, I've been scrolling through Instagram and trolling peoples Flipgram ( I think that's what its called) anyway the pics flipped so fast it made me crossed eyed and didn't allow me to creep as effectively as I would have liked. After uncrossing my eyes, I sat back to reflect on my year. Woooooo Weeeeeee it was some duzzy, the year started with a broken engagement after finding out he had cheated and had been having an affair. I was DEVASTATED and thought that event was going to set the tone for the rest of 2013. I couldn't have been more wrong, 2013 offered one amazing opportunity after the other. The business had always been busy but all of a sudden it just exploded, the Brampton location became booked weeks in advance and Burlington became so busy we had to open 7 days a week in order to lash Burlington/Hamilton/Oakville beauties. Who was going to apply the extensions??? I needed lashettes and quick time, the first member of the FCL Burlington team was Tanis.

( Couple of babes...FCL 2 nd Anniversary Party)

Tanis was one of my first clients when I started the biz, she is as sweet as she is beautiful. Bringing her on board as part of FCL I think was more exciting for me then it was for her. Here we were, Tanis and I tag teaming at both the Brampton studio and the Burlington studio. We weren't even putting a dent in the flow of business coming through, now what!! Lovely lashing Lynda...that's what.

Lynda as an L.I.T ( Lashette in Training at the Burlington Studio)

I posted an ad on Kiiji and Lynda responded, having recently relocated from downtown Toronto to Burlington. She had a background in hair dressing and a natural eye for design and texture. All we needed to do was train her in the FCL way of doing things and she was off! creating simple beauty one silk strand at a time.

Right after Lynda was hired, I purchased my first house. It was actually the house I had been living in with my now ex-fiancee. The owners wanted to sell fast and gave me the opportunity to purchase the home at a great price. I was a business owner and now a home owner, shit just got real.

(My Living Room)

Cruising right along, Vicky (my business manager) came to me and said "Uhhhhhh I have no where to put people". No worries!! bringing on more lashettes was the solution, along came Shanelle and Krissy. Shanelle had also been a client for as long as Tanis and I trusted her in my home with my Piggy ( no, I don't have a pig). She wasn't so sure about this whole lashing thing but I knew that she would be great and clients would fall in love with her soft spoken nature.

(Shanelle as an L.I.T. at the Brampton Studio)

Krissy was the last member for the FCL team, I think she saw a "Help Wanted" ad on the Facebook page. Just the tiniest little thing and cute as a button, she was eager to learn and remembered the lashing steps right away.

(Krissy as an L.I.T. at the Burlington Studio)

The FCL team was complete, 1 business manager we would be lost without, 4 lashettes who all operated in the best interest of the business and their clients.

(Left to Right- Vicky, Shanelle, Krissy, Me, Lynda and Tanis)

With a team ready to rock, I felt it was time to open another location. FCL dominated in the West with locations serving from Mississauga to Ancaster. So when Steph Daga of BlushPretty approached me about coming back into the Toronto market - the timing was right.

I had been working out the Queen St location 2 years prior and had failed (let me tell you that still had a sting to it). At that time I was stretched too thin and just couldn't focus on Toronto. Steph knew FCL Toronto needed to happen and like everything she does, she MADE it happen. She and Elaine looked for locations while I gave a thumbs up or down from my Lash Lair. They found the PERFECT location 777 Richmond St West, in the heart of Queen West - Trinity Bellwoods. The studio was urban, in a great area and had parking.

The 777 Richmond St location is still a work in progress, because we're the new kids on the block and have only made an impact in the West. Our clients have rallied as they always do and have offered ways to help spread the word that FCL Toronto is open and ready to make Wake Up Made Up beauty happen. So here's to you: current lash junkies, new lash addicts, lashettes, biz partners and biz managers. If 2014 is going to be as good to me and FCL as 2013 was...We are blessed.

(Cheers to Love & Lashes)