HOW I BUILT A NALA ACCREDITED ACADEMY FROM A PERSONAL MISSION

In 2018, I returned home from a mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico with more than stories—I came back with a calling. My friend Perla, a local woman with big dreams but limited access to opportunity, wanted to learn how to become a lash artist. She didn’t have the resources to attend a school, and I couldn’t stay in Mexico to train her. So I began writing everything I knew—creating a step-by-step manual she could follow on her own. What started as a gift for one woman has now evolved into Lash Intensive®: Bespoke Lash EducationTM, a 1,500-page, NALA Accredited Academy curriculum taught in Arizona and built to empower lash artists around the world.

This wasn’t a quick project. It was a 7-year journey built one client, one model, and one chapter at a time.

As a lash professional with over a decade of experience, I saw how limited most training programs were. Courses often focused on fan technique and speed but skipped over crucial knowledge like

cyanoacrylate chemistry, adhesive cure stages, tear film health, and contraindications. I witnessed

firsthand how allergic reactions, poor retention, and product misuse weren’t just common—they were accepted.

It wasn’t that educators didn’t care. It’s that they didn’t know what they didn’t know. The industry lacked a clear, science-backed framework. And without a vetted curriculum to rely on, most instructors were left to piece together content from YouTube, AI generators, or unaccredited sources.

So I committed to building what didn’t exist.

When I discovered NALA, I felt like I’d finally found an organization aligned with everything I believed in: safety, ethics, education, and public health. I didn’t just want to be a lash trainer. I wanted to create a training system that could help reshape the perception of lash artists as true professionals.

Accreditation wasn’t about status—it was about accountability. I wanted every chapter of my program to be rooted in truth, not trends. That meant real anatomy, client intake strategies, adhesive safety protocols, and retention troubleshooting based on clinical observation—not opinion.

Getting accredited by NALA affirmed that Lash Intensive® met those standards. It gave the program credibility and gave me, as an instructor, confidence that I was delivering something transformative—not transactional.

Today, Lash Intensive® is an Arizona Board–approved Lash Technician Training Program and a NALA Accredited Academy. It includes:

• Over 1,500 pages of scientifically grounded curriculum

• A complete client education system

• Business and branding modules

• A proprietary five-tier skill and educator framework

• A mentorship-based approach that centers both skill and spirit

But more than that—it’s still powered by the same mission that inspired it: to help others rise. Whether I’m training students fresh out of high school or working moms starting over, I believe this industry can offer something deeper than lashes. It can offer independence. Confidence. A way out.

If you’re an educator thinking about building a curriculum or applying for NALA Accreditation, my advice is simple: start with what you know—and who you’re doing it for.

Let it be personal. Let it be intentional. And then build slowly and carefully, like someone’s future

depends on it—because it does.

You don’t need 1,500 pages on day one. You need one clear voice and the courage to share what you've learned.

Patrice Sondersen

Founder & Instructor, Lash Intensive®: Bespoke Lash EducationTM

Owner, Bespoke Lash TailoringTM by The Lash AficionadoTM

Scottsdale, Arizona – USA