THE beauty industry is increasingly moving beyond quick fixes and fleeting trends as consumers look for services that can last for years and make their beauty routines more convenient.

That shift is creating opportunities for beauty entrepreneurs like Lacyann Brown, founder of AURA Aesthetics & Academy, whose business has evolved from make-up artistry into permanent make-up, lash services, and professional training.

“I knew that I was creative and that I had potential, and I got to a point where I felt like the path that I was on wasn’t going to give me enough to explore all of that,” Brown said in an interview with the
Jamaica Observer.

A finished AURA Signature Brow, a semi-permanent brow treatment combining lamination, sculpting and stain for a refined, fuller finish..

Brown was first working as a sales associate, selling cosmetics over the counter. She planned to spend a year in the job, save money, and eventually start her own business. Six months in, however, she knew it was not going to be a long-term plan. Brown began saving, but realised that what she could put aside would not be enough to get the business off the ground. Two months before leaving the job she took an $80,000 loan and combined it with her savings. She started out as a makeup artist, working from a small corner in a salon. She bought dividers and made the most of the space she had.

Building a client base from scratch became the next challenge. In Mandeville, Manchester, Brown visited salons and left flyers. After work hours she positioned herself near a call centre, handing women business cards and flyers and encouraging them to try her services. As make-up bookings slowed, Brown began looking at other opportunities within the beauty space. She trained in lash artistry before eventually moving into permanent make-up, adding services as she identified gaps and opportunities in the market.

Today, AURA offers permanent make-up services including microblading and ombre shading brows, along with the AURA Signature Brow, which combines brow lamination, sculpting, and tinting for clients who want defined brows without microblading. Permanent make-up has become an important part of the business, particularly as more clients look for beauty treatments that can reduce the time spent on their daily routines. Unlike many traditional beauty services, the results are designed to last for years, with the pigment gradually fading from the skin over time. Brown’s approach to the services she provides is also informed by what she has seen in the industry. Over the years, she has seen beauty trends influence the work being done in the industry but believes professionals have a responsibility to know when a particular style is not appropriate for a client.

“I think a lot of working lash artists compromise the health of clients’ natural lashes in the name of trending styles,” she said. “If your natural lashes can’t safely support the style, as professionals we have to learn to tell clients no.”

A finished Hybrid Brow by AURA Aesthetics & Academy, a permanent cosmetic treatment combining precise, hair-like strokes with soft shading for enhanced definition and dimension.

That caution is even more important with permanent make-up whereby the results cannot simply be removed at home.

“It’s a pretty big deal when you think about it — you are giving someone something on their face that they will walk around with for years,” she emphasised.

For Brown, the business is not simply about keeping up with beauty trends; it is about offering clients services suited to them while maintaining professional standards. That approach has attracted clients beyond Manchester, with women from Kingston travelling to have Brown provide their services.

Every AURA Signature Brow begins with mapping. Lacyann Brown, founder and lead artist at AURA Aesthetics & Academy, tailors each one with lamination, sculpting and stain.

The journey to building AURA, however, has not been a straight line.

About a year after launching, Brown moved into a commercial space, viewing the move as an investment in growth. But at the same time, COVID-19 brought other setback as clients stopped coming in at the same pace and business slowed. The financial demands of maintaining the space alongside challenges in her personal life eventually forced her to close the location. AURA was on hiatus before Brown restarted the business in 2023. The experience changed how she approaches the financial side of entrepreneurship.

“That period during COVID and after taught me the importance of financial discipline, and saving and preparing for the unexpected,” she told Sunday Finance.

Brown’s experience has also changed her view of what it means to stop and restart a business.

“It’s okay to stop if you need to, re-evaluate where you are and what’s happening, and start again,” she said.

The restart has come with a broader business model, with Brown expanding the education side of the business and developing digital products. She is also preparing to launch AURA Pro, a line of lash adhesives and other lash tools, building on her experience in the lash industry.

“You can build what you want to build, and you can move at your own pace and still succeed,” she said.