Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Burlile.
Hi Dani, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My love affair with the lash industry was very, very unintentional. In fact, in 2012, my best friend had gotten lash extensions and I said ‘That’s the dumbest sh*t I’ve ever seen”. I sure had to swallow my statement, huh?
I have always been into cosmetic services, skincare, make-up, fashion and everything in between. In high school, I was living in Mississippi for two years, where I actually ran a bootleg salon out of my dorm room! I would wax eyebrows, do event hair/makeup and cut a lot of the student’s hair. So in 2016, I figured why not go to cosmetology school so I could become a licensed professional. My intention was to get a cosmetology license as a way to pay for a college degree.
After graduating high school, I moved back to Utah where I went to cosmetology school in 2016. The program typically takes 12-18 months to complete. I remember asking the administrator if I could accelerate the program. I was told 10 months was the legal limit and that no one had done it. I told her “I will be the first and you are going to watch me do it”. They all thought I was crazy! Months into my program, I was offered a lash extension course as an extracurricular. Let me tell you… To this day, it was the worst class I have ever taken in the industry. I was asked to draw 10 lines on a piece of paper and then to adhere eyelashes onto those 10 lines. The rest was left for me and my determination to figure out.
It’s no secret that I am a very competitive person. When I am not the best at something, I will work tirelessly until I am the best. After that awful lash course, I started doing so much research and providing complementary services to get hands-on practice. This is actually something I still do to this day when I want to try something new, editorial or I just want to do a set of lashes on my day off. Practice makes progress! Doing so, I had quickly developed a great reputation and became fully booked as a cosmetology student 10-12 hours a day! I was absolutely hooked.
Early 2017, exactly ten months since my enrollment date, I had obtained my cosmetology license as I said I would. The day after, I drove to Los Angeles. That day, I got my apartment key, started college for fashion design and I started working for a lash bar full-time. I still have no idea how I pulled it off. I was a full-time college student and a full-time lash artist the day after I was licensed. I was on cloud-nine. A disclaimer- I do not recommend that lifestyle for anybody! Haha
In 2018, I had left the lash bar I had worked tirelessly at due to some legality issues they were facing. Roughly 10 days later, I met my mentor and one of my closest friends, Michelle Rath. At the time, she owned one of the most impeccable lash bars in Los Angeles. To even get an interview with her was an absolute dream! I still remember being so nervous I actually had sweat through my clothes and I had spent some of my last dimes on parking for the interview. Michelle and I still look back at that day often and laugh. This woman absolutely changed my life and my perspective in the industry!
Within about three months of working for Michelle, I had become a lash artist who was just shy of making 6-figures at a fresh 20 years old. The high I got from providing lash services influenced me to drop out of college. I had left a 72 thousand-dollar investment of my education to stay in the lash industry. It was and still has been the best decision I made. Six months into being a made-over lash artist, I was providing services to A-list clientele and had recently been a first-prize award-winning lash artist. I could not believe it! Going from “that’s the dumbest sh*t I’ve ever seen” to a protege of the elites in my industry was absolutely illuminating. For that reason, I was later offered an incredible job of being the Head of Education at Michelle’s lash academy, Sinful Lashes. With all of my hard work and amazing results, she felt no one would best fit the job. My experience was living proof that quality lash education and experience is what makes a top-tier lash artist.
In 2019, The Lash Temple was born. In my usual fashion, I accelerated the pace of that too. In less than one week, I had created the name, had the website made, remodeled the studio and had my grand-opening party. It was pure insanity! Throughout the pandemic, we have opened and closed many times, relocated and repositioned. It has been challenging but to be quite honest, very amazing. As a woman with a small business, I have really enjoyed seeing businesses be creative with how they adapt to these wild times. I myself have been able to redirect The Lash Temple in numerous ways. Including developing a new extension of my business, The Modern Lash School.
The Modern Lash School will be just as its name is- a modern lash school. I will be taking everything I have learned during my time in the industry and laying it out in the most digestible way. I want to ensure my students are getting the most modern, cutting-edge education on the market. My goal is to satisfy the hunger of every lash artist- or aspiring lash artist. This industry is easily one of the most unique and abundant industries out there. Everything you put into it, you will get back out of it and twice over. My mission is to make everybody live, eat and breathe this industry as much as I do- if not more!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! Although, I will say nothing else in my life has been more satisfying. Any business owner who says it was easy is trying to sell you a dream. As the saying goes, “good things don’t come easy”. I had opened The Lash Temple months before the pandemic hit us. Unfortunately, my industry was hit the hardest as we faced multiple closures over the course of two years. I have greatly appreciated the unique chaos the pandemic has brought us. It has made me and my business adapt and flourish in ways I would not have before.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an eyelash-extension artist and trainer. I provide the actual cosmetic services as well as train other future lash professionals. I am most known for my lash-styling and inclusive beauty accommodations! Anyone can take a lash course and learn how to do lash extensions. However, very few lash professionals can create a custom experience or tailored lash look for clients who will ride or die for you. I achieve this by using the most modern education, techniques and products on the market.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Anyone and everyone can come and get an eyelash or eyebrow service in Hollywood! If not, we always appreciate referrals to your friends and loved ones. I also take every opportunity that is given to me. Therefore, the door for collaborations with other business owners/brands is always open.
Pricing:
- Lash-Extensions Full Sets 250$ +
- Lash-Extensions Fill 125$ +
- Eyebrow Lamination 150$
- Holistic Keratin Lash Lift 150$
- Brow Lamination+Lash Lift Combo 250$
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thelashtemple.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelashtemple_la/
- Other: https://www.vagaro.com/thelashtemple
Image Credits
Naomi Christie for the shot of me
