We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kim Jaynes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kim below.

Kim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

When I started as a lash artist, the industry was still in its infancy, most people didn’t even know what lash extensions were. This was before social media, so it wasn’t something you could just look up or learn online. My clientele grew quickly because I was obsessed with perfecting the service and caring for my clients’ lashes like they were my own.
Back then, we were trained to avoid water at all costs, to tell clients never to get their lashes wet. But after three weeks of wear, I kept seeing clients come back with buildup and residue on their lashes. It didn’t make sense to me. The anatomy of our lashes is meant to block dust and debris, so naturally, they need to be cleaned. That’s when I started formulating my own lash cleanser, what would eventually become Borboleta Lash Bath, and educating my clients on proper lash care. Their lashes started lasting longer, looking better, and staying healthier. That was my lightbulb moment.
From there, I began teaching other artists how to apply lashes and care for them properly. The more I taught, the more I realized how much whitespace there was in the industry, no brand was offering high-quality products, community, and education all in one place. When social media started taking off, it opened up an entirely new world of connection for beauty professionals who wanted to specialize in lashes.
In 2013, I launched Borboleta.com, a brand built on quality, artistry, and education. We didn’t just sell products; we built a community and introduced an entirely new category to the industry: professional lash care. From the very beginning, I knew I didn’t just want to create a pro lash brand, I wanted to build a beauty brand that could bridge the gap between professionals and consumers.
What still excites me most is that Borboleta occupies this rare space where we’re loved by pros and respected by consumers. Our foundation has always been rooted in education and ethical lash care, and that’s what continues to set us apart today.

Kim, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Founder Story: Kimberly Jaynes, Borboleta Beauty
I’ve always been obsessed with beauty. As a little girl, I would spend hours reading Vogue cover to cover, experimenting with my hair, and recreating the looks I saw in magazines. Beauty, to me, was never just about appearance, it was about creativity, confidence, and transformation. I loved how getting ready could change how you felt about yourself. It became my favorite form of expression.
When I was a senior in high school, I decided to go to cosmetology school. That’s where my love for beauty deepened, but not just in the artistic sense, I became fascinated by the business of beauty. I wanted to know how brands were built, who was behind them, and how they created something that people connected to emotionally. That curiosity lit my entrepreneurial spark.
After graduating, I worked at Clinique as a sales associate, where I learned about skincare and the psychology of consumer beauty, how people buy, what makes them trust a brand, and the importance of consistency. From there, I joined a salon as an assistant to the owner, which gave me a front-row seat to the business side of running a beauty service. That’s when I discovered lashes.
Once I started doing lash extensions, everything clicked. I fell completely in love with the artistry and precision of it, and I quickly built a loyal clientele. But more than anything, I saw an opportunity, this was a service that had the potential to completely change the beauty industry. At the time, there was no education, no high-quality products, and no sense of community for lash artists. I realized that if I wanted those things to exist, I would have to create them myself.
That’s how Borboleta was born. My husband, who’s a marketer, encouraged me to think bigger than just being a successful lash artist. He challenged me to turn what I was doing into a brand, something with a story, a mission, and a legacy. Together, we recognized that we were doing more than just lashes; we were building a movement. We wanted to elevate the industry through education, innovation, and care, for both professionals and consumers.
The name Borboleta means “butterfly” in Portuguese. It symbolizes transformation, the kind that happens when an artist perfects their craft, and the kind that happens when someone looks in the mirror and sees their best self. That idea of metamorphosis is at the heart of everything we do.
Today, Borboleta is a full beauty brand, trusted by professionals and loved by consumers. We provide high-quality lash products, education, and lash care designed to help people feel confident and beautiful in their own skin. What sets us apart is our commitment to the health and integrity of lashes, our focus on education, and our belief that beauty should empower rather than mask.
I’m most proud that we’ve created something that’s redefining what it means to be a beauty brand—one that bridges the gap between artistry and care, between professionals and everyday consumers. Borboleta isn’t just about lashes; it’s about transformation, connection, and legacy.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A Story of Resilience
About five years ago, Borboleta hit a point where I no longer recognized the brand, or myself in it. The company was growing, but not in a direction that aligned with my values or vision as a founder. I felt disconnected, like my voice no longer mattered. I had built a leadership team that I thought would take us to the next level, but over time, I realized that the culture we were creating didn’t reflect who we were or what Borboleta stood for. It was complicated because many of those people were also my friends, and I had personally put them in charge.
At the same time, I was struggling with my own role. I wasn’t being the best steward of the brand. I had allowed things to drift too far off course, and the more I ignored it, the more toxic everything became, including me. It was one of the hardest seasons of my career.
After two years of feeling lost, I finally sat down with my board and shared what was happening. I told them I wanted to pivot—even though I knew it could mean stepping away from the brand I built. But deep down, I knew if we didn’t make a change, Borboleta wouldn’t survive.
That decision was a turning point. We let the leadership team go and started rebuilding from the ground up. It was painful, humbling, and also the best thing that ever happened to us. A few of our key team members stayed, and together, we rebuilt around our original mission—education, artistry, and integrity.
That experience taught me that resilience isn’t about holding on, it’s about knowing when to let go. Even if someone is a rockstar on paper, if they’re damaging your culture, they have to go. Culture is everything. It’s the heartbeat of a brand, and protecting it is the most important thing a founder can do.
Today, Borboleta is stronger, healthier, and more aligned than ever. And I’m a better leader because I learned to rebuild—not just the company, but myself.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A Story of Pivoting with Purpose
A few years ago, Borboleta was at a crossroads. We had grown fast — maybe too fast — and in the process, we’d lost touch with the heart of who we were. The brand didn’t feel like us anymore. The decisions being made at the top didn’t reflect our values, and as founder, I could feel that disconnect in every part of the business — our team, our artists, even our community.
It was a painful realization because the leadership team that was in place at the time were people I trusted and had built close relationships with. But over time, I saw that we were prioritizing growth over purpose, and it was creating a culture that didn’t align with the brand I had set out to build. I had to face the truth: we needed a full reset.
That meant making some really hard choices. We parted ways with leadership and rebuilt the foundation from the ground up. It wasn’t just about replacing people — it was about redefining who we were, what we stood for, and how we wanted to move forward.
That’s when we brought in our current CEO, Mike, who brought stability, structure, and a renewed sense of clarity to the brand. It was the first time I truly felt like I had a partner who understood both the business side and the creative spirit of Borboleta. Together, we aligned the company back to our professional roots — focusing again on lash artists, education, and product excellence.
From there, we began to rebuild trust with our community — not through grand campaigns, but by consistently showing up with integrity. We invested deeply in our pro education, we elevated our product quality, and we started to introduce our lash care system to consumers in a way that honored our professional foundation.
That pivot wasn’t just operational; it was spiritual. It reconnected me to my “why.” It reminded me that Borboleta’s purpose isn’t just to sell beauty products — it’s to elevate an industry and create connection between professionals and consumers through artistry, care, and education.
Today, we’re stronger than ever because of that pivot. It taught me that growth without alignment is empty — but when you lead with clarity and conviction, everything else falls into place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Borboleta.com
• Instagram: @KimberJaynes