Dawn Walsh, Lash Extension Educator Since 2011

Dawn Walsh is the founder and lead educator of Blink & Brow Co. Academy in Langley, BC, the first lash extension academy in Canada. She's been teaching lash certification since 2011, has certified more than 1,500 artists, and helped establish Canada's lash extension safety guidelines through the Beauty Council's BeautySafe Level 2 program, working with an optometrist and physician. She still runs a working, insured, two-location lash studio, and has coached hundreds of people into their own businesses, including the first Blink & Brow franchise.

Hi, I'm Dawn. I've spent my whole career doing two things: lashing real clients, and teaching other people how to do it safely and well. I started teaching lash certification back in 2011, and I've been at it ever since.

I want you to know who's actually teaching you before you spend your money, because in this industry that matters more than most people realize.

How I got here

I've been teaching lash extension certification in Canada since 2011. In fact, Blink & Brow Co. Academy was the first lash extension academy in Canada. Since then, I've certified more than 1,500 students. Some came to me as complete beginners looking for a career change. Others were already in the beauty industry and wanted to add lashes to what they offer. A lot of them now run their own studios, I've coached hundreds through opening their own businesses, and our first franchise is up and running.

I didn't come to teaching from a classroom. I came to it from behind the chair, and I never left it.

I helped establish the safety standards

This is the part I'm proudest of. I worked with an optometrist and physician through the Beauty Council's BeautySafe Level 2 program, the safety program for lash extensions in Canada, to help establish Canada's lash extension safety guidelines.

That work changed how I teach. When you've sat at the table setting the standard for how this is supposed to be done safely, you don't cut corners in your own classroom. So when I tell you why something's done a certain way, it isn't a personal preference. It's the standard, and I helped establish it.

I still work behind the chair

I'm not a full-time talker. I still run a working, insured, two-location lash studio alongside the Academy, and I lash real, paying clients every week.

That matters for you as a student. It means the techniques I teach are the ones I actually use, on real people, right now. Lashing changes. Products change, retention challenges change, client expectations change. Because I'm still doing the work, what I teach you is current, not something I learned years ago and never updated.

How I teach

Here's what you can expect in my classroom:

Small groups. No more than five students per instructor, so I can actually watch your hands and correct you in real time.
Real models, not mannequins. You'll practice on live models, because that's the only way to learn to work safely near someone's eye.
Safety first, always. You'll understand not just how to apply a lash, but why each step protects your client. That's what keeps you, and them, safe.
Support that doesn't stop at the door. I offer follow-up after class. Getting certified is where the real learning starts, and I don't disappear once you've paid.

I'd rather teach you properly and have you leave confident than rush you through and hand you a certificate you're not ready for.

Credentials at a glance

Founder and lead educator, Blink & Brow Co. Academy, Langley, BC
Founder of the first lash extension academy in Canada
Teaching lash extension certification since 2011
More than 1,500 students certified
Helped establish Canada's lash extension safety guidelines through the Beauty Council's BeautySafe Level 2 program, working with an optometrist and physician
Coached hundreds of people into their own lash businesses, with the first Blink & Brow franchise now running
Owner of a working, insured, two-location lash studio

Train with me

If you want to learn from someone who's still doing the work and helped set the safety standard, I'd love to teach you. Take a look at my in-person certification classes in Langley, BC, or start with my guide on how to become a certified lash artist in Canada if you're still figuring out where to begin.

Dawn Walsh, Founder and Lead Educator, Blink & Brow Co. Academy. Teaching lash certification since 2011. Helped establish Canada's lash extension safety guidelines through the Beauty Council's BeautySafe Level 2 program.