Amy Connolly and Carrie LaPenta run Lash a go-go in Fountain Hills, but only Connolly is allowed to provide lash services.

“We don’t want Carrie doing lashes,” says Connolly. “We’ve joked about teaching her just so she can do mine, but I don’t trust her.”

Before going into business together, Connolly and LaPenta have been best friends for some time and their banter has kept them close over the years. With their love for lashes, one might even call them lash-addicts. In fact, when Connolly lost her job in March of 2020, she didn’t cry because she no longer had a job, she cried because she couldn’t get her eyelashes done.

As a licensed esthetician and former manager for a major hotel chain, Connolly was beside herself when, in 2020, all non-life-sustaining businesses were ordered to close their physical locations. While Connolly might argue that lash businesses are life-sustaining, she had to find a new way for people to get their lashes done. Living in Pennsylvania at the time, Connolly moved to Fountain Hills where her mother and LaPenta lived and came up with a plan to start a lash business on wheels.

“We were all trying to navigate a ‘new normal’ wearing face masks,” Connolly said. “So our whole concept behind Mobile Lash Artistry was when you talk to somebody, you can’t see their face and smile, but you can see their eyes.”

Despite a slow start, business began to pick up. Last year the two started the Pro Lash Training Academy, where lash enthusiasts could attend a comprehensive, hands-on training program that gave them the expertise to “lash like a boss.”

Through an in-person or online platform, Pro Lash Training Academy provides theory and practical application of both classic and volume eyelash extensions.

With the academy’s success and eased COVID restrictions, Connolly was eager to transition from a mobile lash studio to a physical location in Fountain Hills, and LaPenta provided the perfect space for it. Aside from being part owner of Lash a go-go, LaPenta has been in real estate for 18 years and owns CPL Properties at 16858 E. Avenue of the Fountains.

“We really don’t like each other,” Connolly said sarcastically, who moved into LaPenta’s office space roughly two months ago. With most of their clientele living in town, the two naturally promote and share each other’s businesses.

“It’s like women empowerment,” LaPenta said, who runs the financial side of the business.

The atmosphere at Lash a go-go is calming, perfect for what Connolly calls “lash naps” on their quilted lash bed. There is ample lighting for Connolly to skillfully apply light-weight extensions using safe, professional-grade, certified adhesive. A sliding door and linen curtains ensure privacy throughout the sessions, which typically last 45-60 minutes. Lash fills are scheduled out two to three weeks based on wear and retention, and extension length, diameter, curl and volume are selected based on client request.

An additional lash studio is nearing completion, and a waiting area and swag shop contains clothes, tumblers and other treats for sale. Lash a go-go gift certificates are available on their website, and the duo said they make perfect gifts for birthdays and anniversaries.

“We offer loyalty programs with a cute punch card and after 10 visits you get half-off your next visit,” Connolly said.

“We’re always trying to thank essential workers and always have military and student discounts…we want to get to know our clients,” Connolly said, who recently gave out discounts for graduating seniors.

For Connolly, the best part of the job is the expression on her clients’ faces after they open their eyes and see themselves in the mirror.

“For me, that’s everything,” Connolly said.

She spoke of one client who had lost her hair due to chemotherapy. She was overworked and exhausted from her job as a nurse.

“She just needed to feel good about herself,” Connolly recalled. “When she opened her eyes, she cried and said, ‘I actually feel beautiful again.’”

As their business continues to grow, Connolly and LaPenta are researching charities to support, especially if it involves empowering women, veterans or simply those who have gone through the ringer and are trying to start again.

After some research and recruiting, the two are drumming up plans to reopen their mobile lash business and provide their service to people in their own homes.

“Everything is still evolving,” Connolly says, who enjoys getting to know her clients. Although her returning clients are important, her ‘special occasion’ clients are just as unique.

“They are just as important as the folks who come back every two weeks.”

Lash a go-go is located at 16858 E. Avenue of the Fountains. Service is by appointment and can be made by visiting their website at lashagogo.com. For more information, visit their website or call 908-295-3009.