Envious Lashes

NEW YORK — Clementina Richardson, creator of Envious Lashes never dreamed she’d be where she is today. A native Bahamian, she grew up impoverished but constantly had a dream of making it in New York City.

Today, she works with celebrities like Mary J. Blige and owns the number one lash salon in New York with a second salon in Long Island and the third opening in Miami.

Constantly dressed to impress and the embodiment of a boss lady, it’s evident she was born to run the show. She’s extremely talented and a natural leader.

Aside from her humbling demeanor, I was surprised to learn she grew up in The Bahamas with nothing.

“When I tell you we had nothing – we never had money to go food shopping,” said Richardson. “We had no indoor plumbing, I had a bucket on the side of my bed to use at night. That’s how I grew up.”

With nothing but a dream and hard work ethic, Clementina pioneered the beauty industry as one of the first eyelash extension specialists in the state and went on to build her own empire, Envious Lashes.

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It wasn’t an easy journey. From cleaning fast food bathrooms to facing racism from customers as a Black business owner, she shares every hardship she’s experienced along the way.