Entrepreneur's journey from home business to Vogue

"Don't be afraid to fail," says one woman from Bristol who has gone from working part-time in a scrapyard, to creating a successful beauty brand in just four years.

Lucy Pearce founded House of Amor, which aims to empower women to achieve salon-quality results at home with its range of lash extensions and press-on nails.

The mum-of-three established her brand in 2021 and it took off after she started doing demonstrations on social media platform TikTok.

"It's been a crazy journey and one that I didn't expect," said Miss Pearce, whose business has been featured in Vogue, Glamour and Vanity magazine.

Growing up in Dundry, Bristol, Miss Pearce attended Chew Valley School and always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

She worked part-time for her father's scrapyard while pursuing various passion projects.

However, the Covid lockdown made her rethink her career path.

At the time, she was selling strip lashes but saw a gap in the market for affordable beauty solutions tailored to busy working mums.

"I was a busy mum with three kids. I didn't have time in the morning to fiddle around with putting my lashes on," she said.

This inspired her to create DIY lash extensions that could be applied at home in clusters, offering a salon-quality look for a fraction of the cost.

Investing somewhere between £500 and £1,000, she launched House of Amor in 2021.

The brand gained momentum when she began demonstrating her products on TikTok.

"At the beginning, I didn't know anything about marketing. I just ran with it because I had a product that I loved," she said.

Her lashes quickly went viral, leading to an overwhelming response.

Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol's John Darvall, she recalled her disbelief when she made 200 sales within six minutes of launching. "I sat and cried. I couldn't believe it. It was surreal."

House of Amor has since expanded to offer a full range of beauty products.

In 2024, House of Amors press-on nails was named "Best Beauty Product of 2024" by British Vogue, a milestone Miss Pearce describes as "surreal."

She now has a store in Winford, Bristol, in addition to her online presence.

Beyond beauty, Miss Pearce believes her brand empowers people and boosts confidence.

"We have customers message us saying our products have transformed their lives," she said.

"We've built an amazing community, and that's what we want to keep doing -empowering people and making a difference."

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