We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristina Orido a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

When I launched my business in 2018, my family and friends were extremely supportive! We hosted a launch event with to celebrate, and I believe only 2 people were not able to attend out of 50 who were invited! We sold out of several lash styles and gain 2 clients (still clients to this day) from our launch event. Many of our family and friends took to social media to post about the launch party- it was such a huge success! It is so important to have a strong support system when doing anything new.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I launched Amara Lashes in September 2018, not only for my love of lashes (I’ve been wearing lashes for about 17 years), but to create a business for myself, doing something that I love, while taking care of the needs of my children. At that time, my daughter was receiving speech and occupational therapy. I was working for a corporate company that was giving me a difficult time when requesting leave to take her to her appointments. At times, I was told that my absence would be leave without pay. After completing my Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, I took a giant leap of faith… and said goodbye to my corporate career in October 2018!

A few of my most proud moments thus far- In 2019, when the former lead makeup artist of the hit television show ‘BLACKISH’ emailed me back requesting for Amara Lashes to be mailed to Los Angeles, at ABC network (after reviewing samples) I was OVERJOYED! This is one of the many opportunities that Amara Lashes has been apart of! Amara Lashes has been seen on incredible celebrities such as Sherry Shepard, on set at the Latin Grammy Awards and Miss Universe (Mikala McGhee USA 2022). So thankful for the incredible opportunities thus far!

Amara Lashes mission is to support, encourage and inspire all women from all walks of life. We are here to make our customers feel fierce + confident! We are so proud to work and collaborate with other women-owned businesses, in order to motivate and support one another in our business journeys.

Amara Lashes is a luxury lash brand created for the modern day woman, boss running her business, mommy on the go, student, influencer or corporate professional who is in need of a beautiful, high quality lash to complete any makeup look! Our lashes are easy to apply, lightweight + comfortable to wear all day. All styles are 100% cruelty free, vegan lashes with no animal/mink hairs. Amara Lashes are perfect for the beauty who is fresh faced + off to a coffee date, or a glam queen primping for a work event or social function! Amara Lashes can be worn up to 30 wears or more, and comes with a chic, sleek lash case that is easy to store away in your makeup bag- also perfect for travel! Our compact cases are recyclable, and can be used to store your favorite pieces of jewelry, hair accessories or beauty necessities, such as Q-tips!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building honest, organic relationships on social media has been the key to building our audience on social media! In our 4 years, we have connected with so many fantastic makeup artists who truly love Amara Lashes. These artists have used Amara Lashes on themselves, their clients/brides and friends, which has really helped us to build the community that we have today! We love to host giveaways with other beauty companies to bring more brand awareness. These giveaways are usually a wonderful experience for the giveaway winner- for example we did a spring beauty giveaway with 2 incredible companies in the city giving away a pamper session for hair/makeup and a microblading treatment. People are more willing to enter giveaways for an experience not just products. This giveaway included a bottle of champagne and a charcuterie box during their pamper session! These days, you have to give people a reason to follow along, stay engaged and post the behind the scenes of what your brand is up to, bring your community along with you!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are so many books and podcasts that have impacted my entrepreneurial thinking! A few of my favorites:
“Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future” by Peter Thiel
“Starting a Business QuickStart Guide” by Ken Colwell

Podcasts:
Girlboss Radio
The Skinny Confidential
The Ladies Room with Iris + Jennifer
The Warrior HER podcast

Contact Info:

• Website: AMARALASHES.COM
• Instagram: @krisorido @theamaralashes

Image Credits
Photography- Paige Vaughn Photo LUX Beauty + Bridal – Owner Caitlyn Holmes Photography- The Austin Aesthetic by Emily Photography- Michelle Baillio