How this Black female business owner went from rags to riches

NEW YORK -- Clementina Richardson, founder of Envious Lashes never dreamed she'd be where she is today. A native Bahamian, she grew up poor but always had a dream of making it in New York City.

Today, she works with celebrities like Mary J. Blige and owns the number one lash salon in New York with a second salon in Long Island and the third opening in Miami.

I've had to privilege of getting to know Clementina through the years while producing Glam Lab. She quickly became my go-to expert when working on anything related to eyelashes and eyebrows.

Always dressed to impress and the epitome of a boss lady, it's apparent she was born to run the show. She's extremely talented and a natural leader.

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Aside from her humbling attitude, I was surprised to learn she grew up in The Bahamas with nothing.

"When I tell you we had nothing - we never had money to go food shopping," said Richardson. "We had no indoor plumbing, I had a bucket on the side of my bed to use at night. That's how I grew up."

With nothing but a dream and hard work ethic, Clementina pioneered the beauty industry as one of the first eyelash extension specialists in the state and went on to build her own empire, Envious Lashes.

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It wasn't an easy journey. From cleaning fast food bathrooms to facing racism from customers as a Black business owner, she shares every hardship she's experienced along the way.

Her story is mesmerizing and inspiring; she's certainly a role model for me.

For all the women out there that feel like the odds are stacked against them - I urge you to check out this very special episode of Glam Lab. This real-life rags to riches story does not disappoint.

Follow Jo on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes and watch Glam Lab each week for more beauty tips, tricks, and trends!