The Beauty of Eyelashes
Since she was a child, LaDori McNeal, spent most of her time in the beauty parlor with her mom. McNeal, a Black female entrepreneur, went from doing styles on herself and her friends to owning a beauty business of her own and even offering classes to become a certified lash technician. McNeal became inspired from being around this environment her whole life, which led her to pursue the career of her dreams by opening her own business, Adore Luxury Lashes, at 31 years old, where she is the head eyelash technician.
McNeal started out by spending two and a half years at Pomona Unified Adult School, studying cosmetology. “It’s good to do something that you like to do if you’re going to spend a lot of hours in school,” she says. Once she finished, she received her license but left the beauty industry to go into retail management in order to pursue a secure job.
McNeal wakes up everyday and loves what she does for her clients. Being a licensed cosmetologist for over 11 years, McNeal strives to make women and men feel their very best. “Sometimes you gotta look good so that you can feel good,” she says.
The single mother has built her legacy from the bottom. Before she started her own eyelash business she had been working at an eyelash shop in Melrose. As she was starting to get on her feet with her clientele, she went through a divorce, where her then husband had threatened to take her to court for alimony. This is the situation that had really pushed her to start a career of her own, to become the best version of herself.
After a couple of years in retail management and being a stay-at-home mom, she realized she wanted to get back into cosmetology, doing eyelashes, hair, and makeup, something that fulfilled her heart. McNeal dedicated two years to working at a couple of eyelash bars, simultaneously building her clientele while employed at an eyelash business in Melrose in (20xx). However, during this period of personal growth, she faced a deeply challenging experience—a divorce. During this painful time, her former husband's threat of legal action for alimony weighed heavily on her. It was this personal struggle that ultimately spurred her determination to forge her own career path and strive to become the best version of herself. She soon opened up a mobile beauty business of her own. By doing so, she has become the successful woman she is today with Adore Luxury Lashes.
The single mother who has built her legacy from the bottom up. believes it is significant for people to know that her business is owned by not only a woman but a woman of color because “representation is definitely important.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Business Survey, “85.6% of U.S. businesses are owned by white Americans even though they account for 70.4% of the population,” whereas Black Americans “own just 2.5% of businesses with employees, despite accounting for 12.6% of the population.” McNeal also shares, “It is important for young girls who are Black to see someone excelling in a field that they would be interested in.”
McNeal explains that being represented is important to her and her family. She says, “I have Black daughters, and I want them to know that they can do what I do, or they can do anything else, but it’s important for them to see someone that looks like them.”
McNeal wakes up every day and loves what she does for her clients. Being a licensed cosmetologist for over 11 years, McNeal strives to make women and men feel their very best. “Sometimes you gotta look good so that you can feel good,” she says. She explains that her clients feel comfortable opening up to her by sharing their life stories, accomplishments, and giving/getting advice. She has experienced being vulnerable with her clients and even bouncing ideas off of one another such as different techniques and trends. McNeal, owner of Adore Luxury Lashes, serves women and men of all ages and ethnicities.
McNeal continues to inspire the community she serves simply by doing what she loves. The mobile eyelash technician states, “If you can find your ‘why,’ then every time you wake up to service a client, or when you go to work, or go to their house it’ll give you motivation, it won’t ever feel like a day of work for yourself.”
