Speakers

Speakers

  • Ria Hountas-Hart
    Lashtique

    Ria Hountas-Hart is an RN turned lash stylist since 2007 based in New York. Ria quickly became one of New York’s premiere lash artists fusing the art and science of Nursing to beauty and wellness.

    Ria’s expertise was quickly acknowledged and was featured in VOGUE, CBS, LONG ISLAND PULSE magazine, IN STYLE magazine and was named 2009 Beauty Breakout Star by Vital Juice in addition to other various online, print and television media.

    Her own brand of lash styling which enhances without overpowering is beloved by an impressive and loyal roster of clients which includes celebrities, high profile and chic New Yorkers in addition to international clients. They all benefit from her unerring eye for style and precision in application with the utmost attention to health and safety.

    Ria was a contributing author LASH MASTERS Vol.1, has been a judge in lash industry competitions and a speaker at various national and international lash conferences.

    One of the most gratifying aspects of her career is being a mentor and coach to newer and established lash artists around the world, contributing and encouraging their success and empowerment.

  • Morgan Hawes
    Primp Daddy

    I’m Morgan Hawes of Primp Daddy, and I’m excited to be part of The Lash Brunch! I’m happy to see our industry finally pulling together to exchange valuable information and push forward in excellence. I began the practice of lashes in 2006; since then, I have seen and been part of so many amazing developments throughout our industry. It has been a steep and continual learning curve every step of the way.

    I began with a two-hour course, and left believing that lashes were impossible. Fast forward a few months through hundreds of hours of perseverance, I started to get the hang of it (or so I thought). I soon became a trainer, and spent the next few years traveling throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia teaching numerous students. At the same time I began expanding my business at home by training staff, and opened up a second office in NYC where I currently reside.

    Through the collective experience of so many great people in our industry, we have been able to fine-tune both products and techniques into what we have at our disposal today. And I know this is still just the beginning! I’m honored and excited to be a part of The Lash Brunch, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone!

  • Eunice Nuekie Cofie
    Nuekie

    Eunice Nuekie Cofie is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Chemist and Licensed Esthetician of Nuekie. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry/molecular biology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a certificate in Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century from Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Education program, and has also completed the Kauffman Foundation FASTRAC Entrepreneurs Program for Scientists and Project Entrepreneur of Rent the Runway Foundation.

    Recognized for her expertise, Eunice is a sought-after expert in cosmetic science, ethnic dermatology, health disparities in people of color, and entrepreneurship. This Esthetician, Cosmetic Scientist, and Entrepreneur legend-in-training has been featured on Essence.com and in Forbes, Madam Noire, Florida Trend, Tallahassee Woman, Afiya, and Ghana Television.

  • Vivian Ko Gooch
    LBP Beauty Distribution Inc.

    Vivian is the Chief of Operations of LBP Beauty Distribution Inc. – Lash Beautique Pro online, Exclusive Canadian Distributor of Beautier Total Beauty supplies, Beautier Canada and LashLift Canada master trainer, Lash Master 2 co-author, Mother of two, Lash Wars judge, International speaker, Lash Wars Fantasy Competition Winner 2014 and owner of W Lash Beautique salons in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

    Vivian has been in the aesthetics industry for 21+ years and was one of the first people in her city that specialized in eyelash extensions since 2004. Originally certified with 3D Beauty International in classic lashing, Vivian was one of the North American lash technicians to train with Irina Levchuk in late fall of 2013 in Russian Volume and continued education with multiple advanced volume and mega volume certifications since then.

  • Karen Hodges
    Salon Gurus and Nailcare Academy

    Karen Hodges is a licensed esthetician and manicurist with over 20 years’ experience in the salon. She entered the beauty industry after a twenty-year career in business and finance, immediately flourishing with her entrepreneurial skills. She has moved several times over the course of her career and successfully launched her practice in large and small venues.

    Hodges was first introduced to individual lash extensions at the ISSE launch by Lin McKinstry of 3D Beauty. After standing for hours at the booth, mesmerized, McKinstry pulled her into the booth and sat her down with a mannequin and some hands-on training. She bought the starter kit and went home and “lashed” everyone who would lie still. Over a decade later, and many, many hours invested in learning all she could about lash artistry, she enjoys creating luscious lashes for her clients.

    A free-lance writer for several beauty trade publications, Hodges has traveled globally as an industry educator and public speaker. Her expertise ranges over a variety of technique, health/safety, and business-oriented topics. She offers in-salon consulting and training, as well as being the co-founder of Salon Gurus and Nailcare Academy, two online educational platforms for licensed beauty pros.

  • Sandra Duarte
    iLASHART

    After building an eclectic resume over the past 15 years and a 2-year assignment in London, UK, Sandra chose to leave retail finance and incorporate all of her talents including client management, beauty, and music into a flourishing business. “I’ve always wanted to combine my creative and business savvy and use my talents to help others.” And so Sandra made up her mind to move into a fairly new sector at the time in the US – eyelash extensions. “I tried eyelash extensions while living in London, and was just fascinated by it.”

    While putting iLASHART together(her lash business), Sandra soon realized there was a demand for reliable information and solid business practices in her field. She decided to fill that demand by utilizing social media to assist Lash Artists by creating and posting informative visual demos with witty captions via the Instagram page, LASH411. Within the first year of the LASH411, Sandra went on to develop LASH411.INFO. Her objective was to build a crowdsourcing platform: a social network to gather information about the lash culture by enlisting the participation of the lash crowd with the objective to not only provide users convenient access to various lash information but to also connect quality lash businesses with those users.

    Over two years later, LASH411 has over 30K followers on Instagram, and over 3K members on the social network.

    Today, Sandra is rebuilding iLASHART with a new location in Middlesex, NJ which will also be LASH411 training facility and retail shop for Lash Artists.