Eyelash Parlor Lavilash, New York

Eyelash Parlor Lavilash’s owner, Kiki, found inspiration for the business in her own beauty routine, which she squeezed in between triathlons and martial-arts classes. That was in 2005, and Kiki had already accrued more than six years of experience performing eyelash perms and teaching the technique throughout southeast Asia. Her business plan quickly came into focus. She opened a studio devoted to infusing eyelashes with a curl that lasts four–six weeks through weather and hard wear, dispatching with the need for daily mascara application and damaging mechanical curling or extensions.

The procedure is surprisingly similar to a salon visit. After the mild perm cream coats eyelashes, a silicone roller—chosen from a collection of 42 options—shapes the eyelashes into arcs ranging from demure to diva, and a complimentary collagen treatment conditions each tendril to a high gloss. Kiki works with a team of technicians to safely create new looks and correct unsuccessful perms perpetrated by other salons. She also teaches the method to professional aestheticians and lay folk hoping to streamline their own makeup routine.