Chris Carr Of LashGuyPro Joins PLA Team
Hello, lovelies! I'm so excited to introduce myself and share a little bit about my journey in the lash industry. My name is Chris, I live in Austin, Texas with my long-time partner Chase and our two goldendoodles Sandy and Dusty. I'm a passionate lash artist and former brand owner who has now embraced a new role as a full-time content creator on the marketing team for Paris Lash Academy (PLA). As the top-selling lash brand in the United States, PLA is the epitome of excellence in the lash world, and I am thrilled to be a part of this incredible team!
Embracing A New Chapter: My Journey From Lash Artist To Brand Owner To Content Creator At Paris Lash Academy
My Journey As A Lash Artist
My story as a lash tech began in 2017 at Amazing Lash Studio in Austin, Texas. It’s a chain lash bar that, at the time, specialized in classic lashes. I learned a lot of valuable lessons during my time there for which I am thankful. It was less than a year before I decided I was ready to make the jump to being a solo lash artist and lease my very first suite. I reached out to a med spa in a small town outside of Austin and asked if they had room for another lash tech. As it turned out, the one they had, Kristen, an old friend of mine, was overbooked and needed someone to take her overflow. I really lucked out as she was ready to quit doing classic lashes in order to focus mainly on volume and gladly I took over all of her classic clients! Kristen and I worked together for about a year before I was ready to move my business into Austin and raise my prices. After I made the move I took my first mega volume training. I completely fell in love with the style and soon became known in Austin for my mega volume lashes. Early in my mega volume career I held a position as a brand ambassador, learned how to use social media in a real way and quickly grew my following to over 10,000 followers in a matter of months. I worked as a brand ambassador until COVID hit. It was around that time when I decided I was ready to start my own product line, so I left that position to pursue my own lash business. The LashGuyPro brand was successful for a couple years and I learned a great deal about myself, about the industry, and about content creation. In early 2024 I realized running a lash company was not my passion. It became apparent to me that the only part about running a business that brought me joy was making beautiful educational content, connecting with lash artists online and at trade shows, and being on camera.
Transitioning To Paris Lash Academy
After a couple years of running LashGuyPro I knew it was time to make a change. I had met Michelle, the CEO of PLA, a couple times at different trade shows and heard her speak on occasion. I sat in attendance at her 2023 LashCon breakout session where she and Caitlin talked about building a successful lash business. During their presentation they kept talking about the company culture they created and I was intrigued. From that moment, I knew deep down that I either wanted to create something like that for my business, or join theirs! And I think you know how that went!
One evening I got a mysterious text message asking if I had time for a call to talk about my future. It was Michelle and Tress and we had a wonderful conversation about the lash industry and how it had changed all of our lives, the future we see for the lash industry, and how we each would benefit from a partnership. The chips just seemed to fall into place. Michelle wanted to take a step back from being the face of PLA and being on camera making content, and that’s all I wanted to do! It just made sense! To me it was a no-brainer, I gladly accepted her offer and joined the Marketing Team at Paris Lash Academy!
Now, I get to create content for a brand that I truly admire and help push the industry forward!
The PLA Difference
What sets Paris Lash Academy apart from other lash brands is our unwavering commitment to quality and innovation. Not many brands out there are actually inventing and innovating in our industry. Michelle is an actual inventor, changing the landscape of the entire lash industry one product at a time. When I heard about the extensive testing process each adhesive goes through, my jaw dropped. Not only are the adhesives subjected to purity tests, they are consistently pulled from the shelves for random quality control tests to ensure the highest quality is being delivered at all times.
Did I mention Michelle built her own lash manufacturing facility in her hometown in Vietnam with the goal of employing 700+ women in order to get them out of less than desirable working conditions and into clean safe working environments they could be proud of?
Many lash brands rely on education as a major source of annual revenue. Paris Lash Academy is dedicated to free and affordable education for all. There’s no gatekeeping here and it’s something that I’m most proud to talk about because I was one of those brands who needed to sell classes to pay the bills. What we are doing here is completely revolutionary. Free and affordable education. For the classes that do have a fee, that money is funneled directly back into the community through a program called “Paris Pays Your Bills.” At events like LashCon Michelle will literally cut a check for thousands of dollars to a lucky lash artist. I’m so proud to say PLA doesn’t profit off of lash education classes.
When I made the decision to stop selling LashGuyPro products and join with another brand, I knew the brand had to be something special, and doing things no other brand is doing. Paris Lash Academy is making a difference in the lives of lash artists everywhere!
My Role As A Content Creator
As a content creator for PLA my goal is to create content that is beautiful, informative, engaging, and helps the viewer succeed. Whether it’s on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube, the goal remains the same and I am always seeking new ways to explain concepts that will resonate with the community. I may add some “hot takes” every now and then. The point of those is to get you to think. Sometimes they can be a little inflammatory, but the point is never to make anyone angry, just to push back against the norm a little bit. For instance, a popular video I filmed for my page featured me asking the question “why is no one talking about the fact that when fill times were standardized the only service we were able to offer was classic lashes, and now we have intricate mapping, different diameters, hand made fans, and layering to think about but we’re still expected to keep the same one hour fill time…?” Another goal of mine is to always be real with our audience. I want to show that it’s okay if you’re slower, it’s okay if the lashes you do for your clients don’t look like someone else’s portfolio work, it’s okay if you don’t do the most intricate lash maps and styles and that you can be a successful lash artist if you just master and stick to the basics.
Looking Ahead
I'm super excited about the future of Paris Lash Academy and the lash industry as a whole. With continuous advancements in techniques and products, the possibilities are endless. I am committed to sharing the story of PLA, educating and entertaining our community, and being a part of something much bigger than myself!
Thank you for joining me on this journey and I hope you follow along! I look forward to connecting with you through our new and exciting content and supporting your growth as a lash artist.
Stay fabulous!
Chris Carr, @lashguypro
