Beautician celebrates ‘years of hard work, discipline and sacrifices’ after international judge status

A Northampton beautician is celebrating “years of hard work, discipline, continuous learning and personal sacrifices” to build her name and business in the town.

Lorena Dumitru is an eyelash extension specialist, beauty entrepreneur and most recently an international competition judge, having dedicated eight years to the industry.

What began as a passion has developed into a career with international opportunities, competition and recognition, and one of Lorena’s biggest milestones was being appointed as a judge at the Lash Global Awards 2026 in Dubai.

Lorena Dumitru Eyelash Extensions has been located within Divine Nails & Beauty Academy on Latchet Lane in Upton for the past four years, and it was eight years ago when the business was launched following the founder’s move from Romania to Northampton.

“I started from zero,” Lorena told the Chronicle & Echo. “I wanted to do something else with my life and have a great future. I worked in a lot of shops and did a lot of courses to make myself better.”

Having gone self-employed after working in a third and final salon, Lorena specialises in eyelash extensions and has made the conscious decision not to expand into anything else to build up her name as a well-renowned brand in the town.

“I use my creativity to help women believe in themselves,” said Lorena. “I play with the shape of the face using eyelash extensions and created my own technique called the signature. My eyelash extensions last up to two months using quality products and they are very popular.”

Lorena’s journey into competition judging began in Romania, where she demonstrated her signature technique, and she has since competed in London, Istanbul, Italy and Dubai. It was Lorena’s third place position in Dubai which resulted in her being invited back to judge.

“I want to continue to grow professionally and be more involved in international competitions,” Lorena concluded. “I want to open my lash academy in Northampton to share my knowledge and experience with other beauty professionals.

“I want to show people you don’t need to have everything secure from the beginning. If you have a dream, you need to wish and work, and I want to inspire other women. I’m very proud I didn’t give up on my dream and I want to show that anything is possible.”

For more information on Lorena Dumitru Eyelash Extensions, visit the business’ Instagram page here.