Young Dudley mum turned £300 into false eyelash empire using pink vending machines

A young mum who grew up on a Dudley council estate now runs a successful beauty business, employing 10 people. Entrepreneur Meggi Morgan has become a TikTok star while growing her false eyelash empire.

She launched Meggi Lashes while living in Spain back in 2020 - just before the coronavirus pandemic hit. She'd struggled to find affordable false eyelashes while residing abroad so decided to create her own.

She invested £300 in the company, a move that quickly paid off and sparked her move back to the UK. Within a year, the 23-year-old had installed her first Meggi Lashes vending machine at the Bullring in Birmingham.

The quirky pink machines can now be found at 20 shopping centres across the country, including Merry Hill. Meggi said installing the machine in her hometown was "everything", adding: "Growing up I only used to live 10 minutes away from Merry Hill and would go there so much after school with my friends.

"When I created my first lash vending machine I said that this was the goal and the one place I had to put it in, it was the best feeling."

The brand sells vegan and cruelty-free false lashes from just £2.99, plus mascara, lipgloss and beauty blenders. Although 70 per cent of sales are still online, the vending machines have proved extremely popular and have to be refilled each week.

In just two years, the business has grown to the point where Meggi is able to employ others. The busy mum, who is now expecting her second child, said: "I'm able to pay 10 members of staff a good wage, have my own office and be very financially stable, which is all I wanted coming from a council estate.

False Eyelashes Market is likely to witness a growth of 5.5% CAGR during the next five years, says Startview Research on a report. The ability of false eyelashes to add volume to one’s natural eyelashes and to transform the appearance impact in a beautiful manner when chosen correctly, and the rapidly growing popularity for customized and unique looks among people are the major factors driving the growth of the false eyelashes market during the forecast period.