My Experience with Aven Designs Custom Lash Bed – And Timeline of Events
Aug 30
8 min read
When you spend $2,500+ on a custom lash bed (plus $300 shipping), you expect good communication and professionalism.
I want to share my experience with Aven Designs regarding the custom lash bed I attempted to order, as it was unfortunately very unprofessional from start to finish.
I was told that my bed was “finished and shipped,” but I don’t believe it was ever completed. Shortly after, I was informed that it had been “pulled from shipping” and my order was canceled on August 31st—this happened when I simply asked for photos of the finished bed before paying the final invoice. I even offered to settle for a final mockup, since I had never received one, but that was not provided either.
In talking with other beauty professionals, I learned that my situation is not unique. Several told me they also had issues with Aven Designs, and that their clients complained about discomfort, particularly their heads going numb during appointments. While I can’t personally confirm this (since my order never went through), I found the consistency of these reports concerning.
I also spoke with former employees of the company, as well as someone who had worked for the owner in a previous business. Their feedback was overwhelmingly negative. Out of everyone I talked to, only one person said their bed was comfortable. Another told me they returned their bed recently, and many others admitted they “swallowed their pride” and waited as long as six months for a bed that was originally promised within a four-week turnaround.
My own experience started with a missed consultation. No one contacted me or showed up for the scheduled Zoom meeting. That should have been my red flag, but I allowed the owner to reschedule. Even then, she was 15 minutes late to reach out—and rather than using Zoom as planned, she called me by phone instead. Not exactly the level of professionalism I expected.
If you’d like to see the full timeline of poor communication and customer service, I’ve included a dated record of our interactions below.
I’ll also be updating this post soon with screenshots and feedback from other professionals who have shared their experiences.
July 14 – Initial Consultation (Two Missed Zooms)
Paid the build deposit and scheduled a consultation.
Logged into the Zoom link I was sent. No one showed up.
Reached out on Instagram—the person managing DMs was great and got a hold of the owner.
Consultation rescheduled for later that day.
I drove an hour to my suite (the site says you need to show your room). I also had to reschedule an eye exam to accommodate the reschedule. Didn’t complain.
New time came and went… again, no one showed on Zoom.
15 minutes later, we did a phone call instead (fine by me—I sent the requested photos).
I was told I’d receive mockups and samples within 2 days.
July 21 – First Follow-Up
Texted: “Hey! Just checking in to see when I should be getting samples?”
No response.
Messaged Instagram—they said I should have received samples already and that Noah would reach out that day.
I was told the samples were shipped the day after our call (doubtful, but okay).
July 26 – Finally, a Response
Noah texted—said she had a family emergency (understandable).
Promised to send samples that day with tracking and also send mockups.
July 28 – Checking for Tracking
Texted at 3 PM asking for a tracking number (since two more days passed and no updates).
No response.
July 29–30 – Still No Tracking
July 29: Messaged Instagram for tracking and address confirmation.
July 30: Instagram replied:
USPS was used first (no tracking).
2nd time was FedEx &btracking would be confirmed that morning (never received it).
Later that day, Noah texted the first mockup.
It was what I asked for, but I didn’t love how it came together—requested changes. No fault of theirs.
July 31 – Second Mockup & Another Missed Call
Noah sent the revised mockup quickly—I loved it!
She asked what time she could call. I gave a time. She said “perfect.”
She never called.
That night, I texted saying I was still available and noted that had samples arrived (they said “next day air,” so they were clearly just sent the “3rd time”).
August 6 – Still Waiting on Design Details
Texted: “Checking in…” because we still hadn’t gone over options (she was supposed to call on the 31st).
She replied and asked when she could call the next day—I gave a time.
Next day? No call.
30 minutes ish after, she claimed a time zone mix-up (even though she had confirmed my time zone before).
Asked for a quick 5-minute call. I said I was unavailable since the agreed-upon time had been missed (my only gap)
August 7 – Frustration Boiling Over
I sent a long message asking if this was typical for Aven.
She replied:
Said this wasn’t typical.
Said the process changed since I purchased.
Asked for another 5-minute call.
August 8–11 – Small Progress
August 8: We talked on the phone. She apologized and discussed drawer options.
August 9: I sent handle ideas (per her request). Asked about painting one she had sent red or silver—she said she’d check with the designer. Never heard back (I still have no idea which they went with).
August 11: Told her I didn’t like the original drawer since the design changed (the new floral pattern clashes). She told me to create a design in Canva and send it.
We also discussed embroidery ideas (she keeps bringing this up as if this was the issue—it never was. It was a little back and forth because I was not provided with examples, just told to send an image. I sent images that had too much going on, she explained it was too bulky, no problem. I sent one that worked. This didn’t bother me at all, non issue).
August 14 –
I created the drawer design and sent it.
I did not receive a final mockup with all the changes.
I know what I asked for, but seeing the final design matters—especially for a $2,500 bed.
(Noah told me in the recent voicemails that this was basically because I provided all of the images and details.
Again, just as with the first mock-up, you don’t actually know until you see it.)
August 18 – Build Update
I texted asking for an estimated build date (the site says you’ll be updated on the process).
She said:
Frame and base were complete.
Projected ship date: Wednesday next week (Aug 27).
Promised to reach out the next day to finalize drawer details and have me sign off (website says you sign off on design, so that makes sense. Especially since I had not seen a mockup).
She never reached out.
August 27 –
I texted because I hadn’t signed off on anything so I was asking for an update.
She replied:
“We’ll reach out when everything is completed and we have delivery confirmation. Your bed came together beautifully! I’ll send embroidery photos.”
No photos were sent.
At this point, I assumed the bed wasn’t done and was delayed (so I was frustrated about missed communication again).
BUT, it was in fact finished (so I am told but I still have not seen a picture or anything to confirm that)
Why was this custom bed sent before I sign off on anything? Before I got an invoice? Before I even saw a final mockup??
Voicemails
I sent a long message expressing frustration- again, my first message was about being upset I was not contacted the day I was told I would be, and upset I was not updated on a delay (There was no delay, my mistake)
She called (I didn’t answer) and left voicemails saying:
The bed was completed and shipped on time.
She hadn’t sent the final invoice yet.
She could pull it from shipping if needed.
Then said it’s in their shipping terminal (not actually shipped?).
Biggest issue: Why ship a bed I haven’t signed off on or even seen? I am not paying for a bed I have not seen.
You are supposed to sign off on the design via document, but I still don’t know the drawer handle color. I don’t know how the drawer design looks with the bed. Best I have for an idea is what chat gpt sort of drafted up for me.
The apologies in her voicemails were: “I’m sorry you feel…” instead of owning the mistake. Bringing up the communication about the embroidery, and continuing to act as if my issue was that we communicated via text (Was no issue) and not all of the days she was supposed to call but didn’t, and everything else that wasn’t followed through on.
My Main Issues
Missed consultations and multiple missed calls after being told “I’ll call.”
Promised dates for samples and mockups, not delivered as stated. I don’t believe they were even shipped until the 3rd time, 2 weeks later.
No final mockup or photo of the finished bed before shipping (even though the site says you must sign off). I was positive they would not have started the build process until I at least approved the mock-up.
Lack of accountability (“sorry you feel” vs. “sorry I didn’t…”).
Being told it shipped Aug 27 with ETA being Sept 8–9 I was told shipping takes 5 days, so was it really shipped?
Still not sending any pictures or mockups per request.
This bed was a birthday gift to myself and my business, and if this order gets canceled, I’m out of luck—there’s no time to order another before then, at least not receive it. Making this even more frustrating.
I’m not asking for the moon. I just want to see what I’m paying for before paying the rest.
Nothing changes the experience I had, it can’t be undone, but I can still get the bed at LEAST or this was all for NOTHING.
She threatened to cancel the order (maybe she already has—I haven’t heard back in days).All I asked for: a picture or at least a final mockup. No response. Did I give a piece of my mind and let her know I was beyond unhappy? Absolutely. SO many people have come forward either through comments or dms. This was not a stand alone experience. I am not just difficult. This is the process for so many people.
Do I still want the bed?
Yes—if I can see it first. I am not paying $2,500 and over $300 in shipping for a mystery bed.
Do I hope this improves?
Absolutely. I believe the company is a great concept. I honestly think they grew too fast and weren’t ready. If that’s the case, they should have taken a pause, started a waitlist, or called it a pre-order system until the process is polished or they had more availability for scheduled calls, mockups, etc.
At this point, it is what it is.I told her: “I can either share that I had a poor experience but still got a beautiful bed… OR that the process was so bad, I had to cancel and it was a waste.”
The only reason I didn’t ask for a refund immediately? Other people said the bed was worth the headache.
I believe sharing my poor experience will (and has- I have been told) validate other’s experiences. It is hard to come out about a company in such a small industry.
I also know that if someone is having a poor experience and is about to cancel an order (like I was) seeing that someone went through bs and still loved the bed can prevent them from canceling.
I have not been offered mockups, images, nothing. She has threatened to cancel my order “unless” I say otherwise and tell her what I want. Which was mockups or photos, and that is it. I have not gotten those nor heard back. Has she already canceled? Idk. Will she? Idk.
I’ll update when I know more. For now? I haven’t heard back.
Please feel free to reach out with your experience with AVEN or comment below.
*** Update: I never heard from them but I did get an email notifying me of a refund. This was meant to be due to being told by multiple people the bed is uncomfortable for clients heads. One person said they have not had any complaints. Many people want to sell their bed but have issues because it is so branded.
This was a blog to share my experience since I had only seen positive reviews. I thought I was alone and a victim of circumstance. Thankfully, yet unfortunately, my experience has been validated by many people.
I will be sharing other's experiences anonymously on my podcast soon.
https://open.spotify.com/show/5rS8stvxtthtJIxDk6Ve5E?si=Wcv0boekSLGt16uBN0Esvg