Meet the most inspirational, entrepreneurial women across the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industries.
“A boss, to me, is someone that is a leader and isn’t afraid to take charge. She also isn’t afraid to be wrong and learn how to be a better leader. She also is willing to mentor and teach others, and for me, that is one of the most rewarding things.”
Deneen Marcel of Deneen Marcel Lashes is a lash queen. Owner of Philadelphia’s #1 Lash Bar, when I sat down with Deneen, I learned she is the epitome of hard work, diligence, and kindness, deserving of every ounce of success she has earned.
After seeing someone with lash extensions 15 years ago in California, Deneen went and took classes on the skill and brought it back to PA (before lashes were cool). She worked hard to build her client base, but it was definitely difficult in the beginning, since no one really knew about or understood the lash extensions. The perseverance paid off, and she never was discouraged by the initial struggle.
Her inspiration in the beauty industry started in about 7th grade, where she visited a local trade school in Philadelphia and yearned to be a hairstylist. Her story is inspiring. It shows how a young girl’s dreams can come to reality with hard work and dedication.
Deneen opened her first studio about 7 years ago. She now has 2 locations, one downtown in Rittenhouse, and one on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr. Her space is soft, serene, and well-decorated with beautiful 90s/2000s music playing. She has 6 technicians working for her, and a well established client list. At her studio she offers lash extensions (colorful ones too!), microblading and shading, brow shaping and tinting, and a lash lift and tint. She also offers facials and makeup artistry.
We specialize in custom strand by strand eyelash extensions while also offering a variety of lash, brow and makeup services. The stylists at our luxury salons will work with you to determine the best look to enhance your natural beauty. With lashes and brows by Deneen Marcel Lashes, everyone wakes up pretty
Deneen loves doing what she does. She loves to make her clients feel beautiful when they sit up from her lounge. Also, she finds it rewarding to mentor new women in the lash business.
She started her business before the days of Instagram, so establishing her name took hard work and dedication. She’d go on the news, hand out cards at boutiques, and she hustled to get her client list. Instagram has helped, but Deneen’s tried and true advice is about name recognition. “It takes people 11 times to see your name before it registers, and with print and cards, it takes like 25!” Fortunately, her dedication paid off.
For herself, Deneen owes her gorgeous skin to her diet, drinking lots of water, and skincare treatments like the PRP facial. As someone in the beauty industry who is on top of the latest trends, she predicts that more skincare technology will soon be huge on the market, replacing things like injectables. For her business, one of her main goals is to continue to train future lashionistas and make her clients feel beautiful. She also will have a flagship location coming in Wayne this summer!
Her final advice for people pursuing their dreams? “Don’t listen to the word no. It’s not an option, not a word in your vocabulary.”
All thoughts and opinions are my own. Deneen did do a service while we did this interview, but it does not skew my thoughts in any way.