They say your mess becomes your message, and nobody embodies that quite like Brittany Manney.
The woman behind B Lashed Ink didn’t just build an award-winning beauty spa in Kansas City. She rebuilt her entire life in the process.
As a licensed esthetician, tattoo and PMU artist, educator, and speaker, Brittany has turned her signature “Wake Up With Makeup” philosophy into a movement rooted in enhancing women’s natural beauty, not changing it. With more than 250 five-star reviews and a growing community of mentees through her lash and PMU mentorship and Beyond Beauty School, she’s proof that transparency, faith, and fearless reinvention can be the ultimate glow-up.
Mo Clark: You’ve said B Lashed Ink began as a way to rebuild your own life before it became something bigger. Take us back to that chapter. What was happening, and at what point did you realize this was becoming a purpose and not just a paycheck?
Brittany M: B Lashed Ink started during a chapter when I was trying to rebuild my life and find myself again. After being diagnosed with congestive heart failure following the birth of my fourth child, even taking care of myself became difficult. I knew what it felt like to look in the mirror and struggle to recognize the woman looking back.
Beauty became a way for me to reconnect with myself, and when I started my business in 2020, I wanted to help other women feel that same confidence while creating a future for my family.
One moment that really brought that purpose home was when a client who had been diagnosed with cancer came to me needing eyebrows. She cried, and I felt so honored that she trusted me to help her through such a personal chapter.
It took me right back to my own CHF diagnosis, the fear, the changes, and wanting to feel like myself again.
I understood why something that might seem small to someone else could mean so much to her. That experience helped me see how deeply this work could touch someone’s life. Making a living mattered, but helping women see themselves again became the heart of B Lashed Ink.
Mo Clark: Your motto is “Wake Up With Makeup,” and your work is known for enhancing rather than changing a face. What’s your philosophy on beauty, and how does it show up in the way you customize each set of lashes or brows?
Brittany M: My philosophy is that beauty should feel like you. I want you to look in the mirror and recognize yourself, just with a little more confidence and a little less work in the morning.
That’s what “Wake Up With Makeup” means to me: making your routine easier while bringing out the features you already love.
Every service starts with listening. I want to understand your style, your daily routine, and what makes you feel comfortable. With lashes, I consider your eye shape and whether you want something soft and natural or a little more noticeable. With brows, I customize the shape and color to complement your face. For lips and eyeliner, I focus on definition that feels balanced and works with your natural features.
There’s no one-size-fits-all beauty at B Lashed Ink. My goal is for you to leave feeling seen, heard, and beautiful in a way that feels like your own.
Mo Clark: You launched Beyond Beauty School because certification wasn’t enough. Artists still didn’t know how to get clients, keep them, or price their work. What’s the biggest thing beauty school doesn’t teach, and what do you wish someone had told you starting out?
Brittany M: Beauty school prepares you to pass your state board and get licensed. That’s an important foundation, but being ready for your exam and being ready to run a business are two different things.
The biggest gap is learning how to turn your skill into a sustainable career: how to attract clients, price your services to make a profit, and create an experience that keeps people coming back.
That’s why I created Beyond Beauty School. I wanted to help artists connect what they learned in school with what it takes to build a business. You can be talented and still struggle if you don’t understand your numbers, market your work, or have systems to support you.
I wish someone had told me, “You are more than a service provider. Learn to think like a business owner from the beginning.”
I love what I do, but I had to realize I could love serving clients and still set boundaries, charge confidently, and build something bigger than my appointment book. Those are lessons I want my students to learn early.
Mo Clark: From the Beauty Mogul Yacht Club to Black Spa Expo weekend, you’re creating rooms and experiences for Black women in the beauty industry to connect and grow. Why is building community part of your business model, and what has it given back to you?
Brittany M: Building community is part of my business because I know how much it means to have someone believe in you, share what they know, and make room for you.
As Black women in beauty, we bring so much talent to the table. Having spaces where we can connect, ask honest questions, and share opportunities helps us turn that talent into growth.
Experiences like the Beauty Mogul Yacht Club and Black Spa Expo weekend give us time to build relationships beyond a quick introduction. A conversation can lead to a collaboration, a referral, or the encouragement someone needs to take their next step. I want women to feel comfortable sharing what they know and asking for what they need.
Community has given me friendships, support, and opportunities to grow as both a woman and a business owner. It has also helped me see possibilities beyond my treatment room.
I spend so much time pouring into clients and students, and being surrounded by women who pour into me reminds me that I don’t have to build everything alone.
Mo Clark: With 250+ five-star reviews, an award-winning spa, and a mentorship program, what’s next for B Lashed Ink, and what would you say to the woman reading this who’s talented but afraid to bet on herself?
Brittany M: The next chapter for B Lashed Ink is expanding the impact beyond my treatment room. I’m working toward opening an academy focused on what comes after beauty school, helping artists turn their talent into a business they understand and can sustain.
I’m also growing Beyond the Mirror Foundation to help women affected by breast cancer, alopecia, and other health challenges reconnect with their confidence. After my own experience with congestive heart failure, that mission is deeply personal.
To the woman who’s talented but afraid to bet on herself: I understand. I started while rebuilding my life, raising my children, and figuring things out along the way. I didn’t have every answer, and I still had to take the first step.
You don’t have to risk everything overnight. Learn your numbers, find people who support you, and take one thoughtful step toward what you want.
Your talent deserves a chance, and so do you.
I love being a service provider, but giving myself permission to become more opened doors I couldn’t see when I started. Give yourself that permission, too.
Brittany Manney isn’t just shaping brows and perfecting lashes. She’s shaping futures.
From the clients who walk out of B Lashed Ink standing a little taller to the women she’s mentoring into their own six-figure beauty businesses, her impact stretches far beyond Kansas City.
And if Season 2 of her journey has taught us anything, it’s this: when a woman decides to bet on herself, everybody wins.
The beauty industry better stay ready. Brittany’s just getting started.
Photography Credit: Brandon ‘BC’ Clemoens
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