We were lucky to catch up with Charnell Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Charnell thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I have been working since I was sixteen years old. So you can say, it’s all I’ve known. After starting a family, finances become the number one priority…roof, food, clothes. The grind to make sure your children are and have better than you is the motivation. My husband and I decided to move back to my hometown in Louisiana after being in New York for 8 years. To say it was a valley low experience at the beginning, now looking back from the mountain top is crazy. I remember working at an AC company a friend of mine managed. The slow season started and the owner of the company was getting nervous, rightfully so. I would hear panicked conversations about being able to afford the day to day in the office. And being the type of person I am, I approached my friend and let her know if I need to be let go that is ok. About a week or so before this conversation, I had the sudden desire to learn lash extensions. So I text my husband and told him about it and bought a kit off of Amazon. I watched a ton of YouTube and TikTok videos and taught myself how to lash. I took several certification courses and got certified to do lash extensions. I started taking models in my apartment behind my couch in the living room. Mind you this was a 2 bedroom 1.5 bathroom townhouse with my family of 5 occupying the space. But I did it and I kept doing it and I perfected my craft. My clientele grew almost over night and I was lashing everyday. By this time the slow season at the AC company had turned into the busy season and I was asked to come back. And out of fear, because lashing wasn’t guaranteed money, I went back. I was able to negotiate terms with days off and the hours I worked. But I went back and I worked from 8am until 3pm and I was taking clients from 4pm until 10pm. I started to do some research on what I needed to do to open a studio because lashing out of my home, albeit great, also was not ideal because I had strangers constantly in my home. I eventually found out I needed an esthetician or cosmetology license to even do lash extensions. I put it off for a long time and kept praying for a way for me to go to school. I had a new client reach out to me wanting to book an appointment. I got her scheduled and the day of her appointment came. We had a great conversation that led to her telling me she was the admissions director for a beauty school I considered going to. I was so nervous that I didn’t tell her I was not licensed at her first appointment. When she came back to me again, I felt peace about telling her and she was the ram in the bush for me. I went on a tour of the campus personally escorted by her and it felt like I belonged there. I went to work at the AC company the next day and turned in my 3 weeks notice because school started at the beginning of the next month. Was I scared, absolutely. That was me taking a risk on going to school at 36 years old and completely betting on myself to make it work with school in the daytime and lashing in the evening. I was the top student in my class, I graduated with a 4.0 and I retained and gained clients. 11 days before I graduated esthetics school I received a text message from a family friend that owns several properties. He knew I was in school and asked if I was finished with my program because he had an opportunity for me. I let him know I had 11 days left and interested to know what the opportunity was. He had an esthetic tenant relocate to the other side of town and wanted to know if I’d be interested in opening up a studio. I am happy to say I just had my grand opening of Nani au Lash & Skin Studio a week after my 37th birthday and I am still in awe. It doesn’t make sense, yet it absolutely does. I am blessed to be in the position that I am in and I know it is only by God’s Grace and I do not take it lightly.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a licensed esthetician and I specialize in lash artistry. I create masterful sets that are catered to my clients eye and face shape. The name of my business is Nani au and it means I Am Beautiful in Hawaiian. I believe life and death are in the power of the tongue. And when people say the name of my business, they are literally speaking over themselves that they are beautiful. Every woman, in some way, shape or form has dealt with confidence in what they look like and how they feel. A simple gesture of “you look so beautiful today” can literally change their entire day for the better. Their smile is brighter and their mood is better. It’s simple but it’s big. I cater my business to the working woman. Most of the things we like to get done are only offered during normal business hours. By the time we get off of work, everything is closed. Being able to offer beauty services to women that work hard for themselves and or their families during times that make sense, without having to take a day off or miss a Saturday with family makes it worth it for me. And that’s what sets me apart and makes me proud to do what I do. I also offer what I call model call Mondays for newly licensed or struggling estheticians/cosmetologist to come into my studio free of charge, set up for the services they provide and take clients be it mine or ones they booked on their own to help build their confidence, get exposure and perfect their craft. In a world full of the crabs in a bucket mentality, someone has to elicit change if we want to see it. I am blessed to be a blessing and I will never stop showing and sharing the love of Jesus in all that I do. Am I perfect? Absolutely not, but that’s also what makes what I do so dope. I’m just a regular girl trying to make the world a better place.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a lash artist is making women feel beautiful. Something so simple can change a woman’s entire perspective of herself, and when I hand them the mirror after the appointment the smile says it all.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Support in any capacity is the main thing. Even if you cannot financially afford to support a business. Sharing something they have posted is a big win for everyone. It gives them access to a network, under normal circumstances they wouldn’t have had access to. Word of mouth will ALWAYS be the best marketing. It is what has and continues to grow my business daily. Don’t think you have to spend dollars to make a difference in the business of a creative or artist. Just share.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Naniau.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naniaulashes?igsh=dDA1d3J3ejlnY21p
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naniaulashes?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits

Joshua Burns-Family Highlights Photography