In 2019, Kim Evans was an accomplished salon owner, noting some of Australia’s favourite celebrities as fans. The brow and lash artist took advantage of multiple COVID lockdowns, using the time to perfect her very own product line. Hannah Gay chatted to Kim on the origins of her career, and how she ultimately founded Lux by Kim Evans.
Kim, briefly tell us how you got your start in the industry and in what year. Did you undertake any specific training?
“I began working in the industry over a decade ago. In 2012 I took a leap and became a brow and lash artist as my sole profession with the hope of building enough clientele to fill two days full of appointments. That’s when things began to ramp up and what ultimately led me to open Lux Brows and Lashes.
At the time I had undertaken training in beauty with a focus on brows and lashes, along with 1:1 brow feathering training. Over the years I’ve continued to train to stay on top of the latest trends and developments in the industry. We recently did some specialised training on a really exciting new treatment we’ll be offering shortly – stay tuned!!”
In what year did you open Lux Brows and Lashes?
“I launched Lux Brows and Lashes in 2014 on Collins Street in Melbourne.
I remember hiring my first employee and being so excited for what lay ahead. I couldn’t have imagined how the next eight years would play out; hiring more staff, moving to a bigger location at Essendon Fields, launching my own product line, COVID totally devastating the beauty industry – it’s been a challenging, but amazing journey.”
What prompted you to open your own business?
“I had a passion for brows and in particular, brow feathering. Back when I started, brow tattooing wasn’t natural looking and I knew there was a gap in the market and an opportunity to create natural looking brows through brow tattooing. Kim Kardashian was known for her beautiful brows and we all wanted to have beautiful brows, so why couldn’t we?!”
Describe the look and feel of your Lux Brows and Lashes salon.
“From the outside, you wouldn’t have any idea of the lux paradise you’re about to walk into. Our Essendon Fields studio is within a bigger building so it’s a bit of a hidden secret! Lux Brows and Lashes is the perfect mix of lux and comfortability. It’s elegant, but you also feel right at home when you walk through the doors.”
“Lux Brows and Lashes is the perfect mix of lux and comfortability.”
Are you able to share the names of some of the celebrities you’ve worked with?
“Over the years I feel privileged to have worked with many well-known faces including Danni Minogue, Casey Donovan, Ash Pollard, Em Rusciano, Nadia Bartel, Rebecca Maddern, Sophie Cachia, Bianca and Bridgett Roccisano, and Chyka Keebaugh.”
What are some of the key pros and cons of owning your own salon?
“The key pro for me is having complete control over the work I do.
I’ve been able to create my own style and introduce new services and products, giving people more options to achieve their own individual style. I love that I can be creative, try new things, and not be bound by a ‘cookie cutter’ approach to beauty.
A con is not being able to switch off.
Owning your own business is a 24/7 job so make sure it’s definitely something you love before you dive in! All of my time and energy is continually poured into Lux Brows and Lashes. I’d love to grow the business to a point where I could step away a little bit more, but I’m not quite at that point yet. To achieve business success, it’s really important to have a support network that can encourage, guide, and cheer for you every step of the way.”
“To achieve business success, it’s really important to have a support network that can encourage, guide, and cheer for you every step of the way.”
You recently launched your very own line of lash and brow products – Lux by Kim Evans. What inspired you to do this?
“It was something I had dreamed of for many years. I started with a brow powder pre-COVID which really took off with my clients. Ironically it was actually the COVID lockdowns that inspired me to expand the range. I had created an e-commerce store to connect with clients over this time and for once, I actually had free time to focus on creating a full line of products!
Lux by Kim Evans is all about functional, easy-to-use products that are also beneficial to the health of your brows, lashes, and skin (we also have an amazing body oil in the line too!).”
Describe some of the hurdles you’ve encountered in getting your product line off the ground.
“There were so many hurdles! Creating a product that is totally made in Australia comes with quite a few challenges. The fact that I also created my products during COVID lockdowns meant I was also met with postage issues and delays with manufacturing packaging. The process of ensuring all the ingredients are doing their job and working how I envisioned was also a slow and tedious process (but an important one!). I had so many ‘samples’ for my brow soap before I achieved the correct hold and the right ingredients. Every ingredient in KE Lash Serum needed to be beneficial to the hair health, performance-based, and these ingredients needed to all come together. But that didn’t mean to say they would work together and deliver the outcome I wanted to achieve at first go. It’s a lot of trial and error!”
What is the ethos behind Lux by Kim Evans?
“Performance and Health – 100 percent.”
Any plans to expand your businesses?
“Each time I create a product I say ‘this is definitely my last product’, and already I am bouncing around another new product idea. I’d absolutely love to have Lux by Kim Evans stocked in retailers around the world. We’ve got no plans to expand right now, but I have been playing around with the idea of creating some pop-up experiences across Australia, so watch this space!”
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