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Erika Ordinario, daughter of iLash Salon—or iLash—founder Agnes Ordinario, grew up seeing her mother apply extensions to her amigas’ eyelashes as a hobby. In 2006, this hobby eventually led to the establishment of iLash, one of the country’s first lash extensions salon, where she’s currently the Head of Operations.
“We started in a small mall called ‘Porta Vaga’ in Baguio. And I remember handing out flyers when I was in grade school,” Erika recalls. “Now, we have 26 branches nationwide and that’s something we’re proud of.”
But the iLash story actually started in 2005 when Agnes took early retirement as a flight stewardess to officially move back to her husband’s province, Baguio. Erika was only a child then. Yet through her mom’s stories and childhood experiences, she witnessed how the salon grew exponentially in their 16 years in the industry.
“You know how flight stewardesses were back in the day: they were well-put-together. My mom was one of them,” Erika says, with pride. “Flight stewardesses always have to be on their feet and channel that ‘boss babe’ vibe. They [almost always] didn’t have time to get ready every single day and having lash extensions would be such a blessing to her.”
Even at retirement, her mom was still a kikay. Erika remembers her mom to have always wanted to look naturally glammed, no matter how simple their days were. One day, her mom learned about lash extensions from an article she read about Hollywood actresses. “She started looking for lash stores or places in the Philippines, but she couldn’t find any,” Erika shares. “Then around 2005, my grandmother let her go on a trip abroad. That’s when she first got the service.”
A few months after that trip, her mom got so fascinated with the natural glow she effortlessly got by merely putting on lash extensions that she decided to go back abroad and study about it. “She got certified before coming back home, then she decided to do it as a hobby,” Erika narrates, saying that the referrals and positive reviews her mom received were crazy back then.
“After trying out the service to one of her friends, four [clients] came back the next day. Then, fourteen [clients] the day after.” Even some of Erika’s strictest grade school teachers came to their house for the service and as a child, she was scared and embarrassed at the same time.
Since then, Erika has witnessed not just how iLash grew, but also how people’s perception and acceptance of lash extensions have changed over the years. She saw all of it—from the moment her mom hired and trained their pioneer staff, opened their first branch in Baguio, branched out in Metro Manila, started having franchise stores in Pampanga, Iloilo, Cebu, and other provinces, and, just most recently, when the industry’s growth halted because of the pandemic in 2020.
“March 2020 was supposed to be a time of celebration for us because we just opened our stores in Olongapo and Dagupan. But every business had to close and it was difficult not knowing when the lockdown would end,” she says.
All their efforts focused on helping their employees survive. Aside from this, their family also used this time to recalibrate and decide on the future of the salon. “We were already thinking about what we’re going to do with iLash, whether we would close down for good. During the lockdown, we didn’t want to give up, for our staff, since some of them have been with us for nearly 20 years. We took it day-by-day and held onto the hope that things would get better. iLash has been such a huge part of our lives. So, we decided to wait it out and see what was going to happen.”
While most salons immediately provided home service during this time, iLash made the huge decision of not making the shift for everybody’s safety—and it’s a decision they have stood by even to this day. “We didn’t want to risk it. Instead, we want to focus on strengthening our safety protocols [in the salon] and among our staff.”
Things had slowly picked up again for iLash in 2021 when their provincial branches restarted operations. “It felt like a blessing that we were the first salons based in provincial areas because it helped even our other newly-established branches,” she says. People also had a newfound appreciation for lash extensions since the eye area is all everyone can see now that everyone’s wearing masks.
Although, to be honest, Erika’s been waiting for people to see lash extensions as a regular part of their every day all her life. The reason is that at a young age, she already saw the power of lashes: the way extensions bring a lot of life into a person’s face and, of course, how they made her mom the happiest.
Now, as she’s become more involved in the business, Erika uses her degree in interior design to help her mom on rebranding and renovating some of their branches. “We’re already seeing what we can keep and what we can change, so that iLash can be more long-lasting as a brand.” Even her siblings are inspired to contribute their artistic expertise in the business now that they’re capable of doing so—with their mom still at the helm.
Personally, her ultimate dream for iLash is to stay resilient as a business. “I want to show people how we are changing, and how we, as a salon, are doing the best for them,” she says. She learned at a young age that lash extensions can be an inclusive service—something that is welcomed by people of all ages, genders, skin textures, and eye shapes. As a salon that started out in the province, she believes that they have experienced dealing with all types of clients and have made the service more accessible to the public.
At present, Erika aspires to balance her role in their business and her interior design career. To her, “having a beautiful life means there’s an alignment in your goals and values for you to have a purposeful journey.” This belief transcends in her role at iLash because in her eyes, there’s a beautiful connection between their interiors and the services they provide that make their clients’ experiences extraordinary. And she’s determined to provide comfort and joy to their customers, little by little, through the work that she does.
In as much as Erika saw the growth of their lash salon and the industry, the importance of lash extensions also transformed at every stage of her life. iLash also witnessed how much she’s grown—from being a clueless child asked to hand out flyers to being a young lady who harnesses the power of lashes in her career. “I like to think that the eyes are the windows to the soul and the lashes are the curtains,” Erika says.
And that, they are. That, they are.
*iLash Salon has several branches nationwide. Discover and know more about iLash Salon on Parlon. Follow iLash Salon on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos courtesy of Agnes and Erika Ordinario, and iLash Salon
