Let’s Talk Lashes & Brows!

Founder and SHE-E-O of Cosmopolitan Lash and Brow Academy, Alana Howard shares her passion for beauty trends!

To this day, I have to pinch myself to see if my life is real! But how did my story begin, many ask.

My Mom owned Spa at Blue Mountain Resort in Ontario, Canada and had to shop high and low for the absolute best skincare line. After trying the line, it was a natural choice to go with Pevonia. At the young age of 12, I worked at the Spa cleaning and doing reception. By the age of 16, I was ready to get more active and take clients but I needed to learn more.

Naturally, my Mom sent me to the Sylvie Hennessy Academy for an Advanced Skin Analysis course and this is where my passion began! [Sylvie Hennessy is the Founder and Executive Vice President of Pevonia.] Being subject to such high-end products and education in the beauty industry at such a young age has absolutely set my standards quite high.

Fast forward 16 years, and I’m the proud founder of Cosmopolitan Lash and Brow Academy; the Graceful Brand, an innovative line in the lash and brow industry; and the #clabagivesback initiative. I get the honor of coaching other women in this incredible industry, which has come naturally, as I have such a passion for not just the industry but also the trends.

Let’s talk lashes and brows because we all love lashes and brows!

Lashes 5 years ago, conservative was key. Most people didn’t even want their friends knowing they had extensions on. Now it’s the exact opposite: BIGGER IS BETTER! But c’mon ladies, let’s keep it classy … big can be achieved without looking gaudy. I recommend upping the curl rather than thickness and length to keep your natural lash health while still achieving the illusion of REALLY BIG lashes.

Brows … ugh … thank you so much Instagram! Go BIG OR GO HOME! I’m saying this with extreme caution because not many women can pull off a big brow so it’s being overdone for sure! I hear this all the time, big brows are a reflection of youth … so wrong! Full brows are a reflection of youth and full does not mean BIG! I highly recommend keeping facial harmony in mind when choosing the size of your brows. For example if you have small lips, small nose, small eyes you will need small brows to keep the harmony. Look at your facial features as a whole, as your brows should NOT exist in isolation!

As a young entrepreneur, I had to learn very quickly to follow my passion, and I can only hope every other entrepreneur is enjoying it as much as I do! Don’t judge your first step to someone’s 50th step; we all have to start somewhere. Oh and never look down … unless it is to admire your shoes!