THE woman who cornered the lucrative lash extensions market in Glasgow says she has ‘no regrets’ about returning to work two weeks after the birth of her first child.
Gemma Lang co-owns LTL (Love those Lashes) with her sister Erika, boasting a celebrity client list including actress Helen Flanagan and TOWIE's Sam Faiers.
Gemma, who is mum to three-month old Rupert, said she had a "long chat" with her fiancée Irvine before it was decided he would take six months paternity leave, allowing her to return to work. She is due to marry Irvine, who works as a whisky ambassador for Diageo, this weekend at Gleneagles.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveiled radical plans yesterday to extend parental leave from the current year to 64 weeks.
Research suggests a link between longer paternity leave and greater involvement of fathers in the early lives of their children, but a minority take up their full entitlement.
Gemma said: “We had a long chat about it. At the end of the day Irvine works for a company whereas I own two businesses.
She said: “At the end of the day he works for a company whereas I own two businesses.
“I wanted to get back into it, the business still needs nurturing and growth.I went back after two weeks which was a little sooner than I had planned but hand on heart I loved it
“It was just nice to get back to my old self.
“I don’t think Irvine would mind me saying it was a bit of a shock at first. I don’t think it comes as easily to men as women, that mother nurturing instinct. He’s very much, you are crying, you’ve been fed why are you still crying!
“It means I don’t have to worry because I know Irvine has his best interests at heart.”
Gemma launched LTL on St George’s Road in Charing Cross almost 10 years ago with Erika before lash extensions had really taken off in the city.
She said: “I studied French and politics at university but I’ve always been very interested in beauty.
“When I was living in Australia I discovered eyelash extensions. I went in, had them done and that was me hooked. It was a game-changer for me.”
Erika trained in the technique while she was living overseas then when she returned to Glasgow, she trained her sister Gemma, who was working as a nanny at the time in Helensburgh.
After starting off treating friends, the pair decided to open their first business on St George’s Road in Charing Cross and says bookings soared.
Read more: Love those Lashes
According to the Guild of Professional Beauty Therapists, lash treatments are now the second most popular service in salons after nails.
Gemma said: “There was nothing in Glasgow at that time so I recruited Erika and we practised in her living room and then she started doing it on evenings and weekends while she was still working as a nanny.
Erika said; “It went from the odd evening to every Saturday and Sunday and after a few glasses of wine we thought ‘lets open our own business.’
“We are very fortunate to have each other because it’s having someone there who gets it.”
Gemma said: “People thought we were crazy at the time because we were just doing lashes. No one was really doing that. We were one of the first if no the first lash bars in Glasgow.
“We are very much about making it more of an experience, rather than just bums on beds.”
The sisters opened a second salon in Shawlands in Glasgow’s South Side soon after and now have a team of around 16 last artists.
Clients travel from as far as Fort William in the north west highlands for Classic or Russian Volume lashes where up to 16 lashes can be applied to each individual lash and the age of customers extends to women in their 80s.
The sisters have now also launched a strip lash range, and were delighted when actress Helen Flanagan, who is engaged to Celtic’s Scott Sinclair, chose the brand to complete her glamorous Scottish Baftas red carpet look earlier this month.
Gemma said: “We tried out lots of distributors but our brief was that we wanted them to feel as much as like eyelash extensions as much as possible so it’s a very light natural feel.
“Sam Faiers has worn them quite a few times and Helen Flanagan wore them to the Baftas .I had to pinch myself!”
Love those Lashes, 85 St George’s Road and 192 Kilmarnock Road. www.lovethoselashes.co.uk
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