Exploring Life & Business with Arroya Shepherd of The Brow Trap

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arroya Shepherd.

Hi Arroya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Around 6 years ago I studied esthetics & completed school at Paul Mitchell thanks to a full scholarship I was granted by Anastasia Soare of Anastasia Beverly Hills. She paved the way & birthed my passion for eyebrow artistry. I became her apprentice & during that time Anastasia taught me much of what I know about brows. Soon after my apprenticeship I focused on gaining experience as an esthetician and with time I became more & more skilled & I was given the opportunity to become a full time brow artist at her salon. In July of 2017 unfortunately I lost the woman who raised me since the age of 14 months. She was indeed the only mother I knew & blood could not have made us any closer. When I lost her I was devastated & due to the depressed state of mind I was in I decided to no longer work at the salon. With time I eventually was able to get into a better mental state & develop better coping skills to deal with the grief. I soon dedicated myself to pursuing my own entrepreneurial goals as a brow artist. Even if that meant starting The Brow Trap from the 1 bedroom apartment that I was living in at the time. I knew from the start that I wanted to offer quality service to the LA intercity community & surrounding areas. When working in Beverly Hills it bothered me to not see many people of color coming into the salon so I was certain that The Brow Trap would be made accessible to all people from all ethnic backgrounds. While grooming my business I made the conscious decision to gain as much clientele as possible until I could get a place to offer my facial waxing services outside of my apartment. Fast forward to today my business is located in Torrance, Ca. I’ve been at this location for almost two years now. I am a successful business owner with a consistent client base which I am beyond grateful for. I absolutely love my clients! THE BROW TRAP was the best thing I ever did. The name speaks for itself. Brows are my thing, beauty is my passion!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the greatest challenges I had to face within the three years of having The Brow Trap was being without work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having to close my business was a very hard thing to do considering I not only love what I do but it’s how I am able to provide for myself. It was definitely stressful not knowing when I’d ever been able to reopen. Days turned into weeks & weeks into months & it was pretty scary for me and most small business owners. However, I was able to sustain & keep my business afloat & since I reopened, I have gained so much more clients. The pandemic was definitely a test for most of us small business owners and I’m thankful I can say my business is still standing.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Business owner & Licensed Esthetician who specializes in Eyebrow Shaping & Mehndi Brow Sculpting also known as Henna Brows. In addition I am excited to announce that The Brow Trap will soon be offering Microblading as well. Brows are definitely my thing! One of the things that sets The Brow Trap apart from others is our most popular service, Mehndi Brow Sculpting. Mehndi Brow Sculpting is a natural harmless semi-permanent and efficient way to darken your eyebrows using henna, leaving them to look bold & beautiful up to 2 weeks or longer. There’s very few places to offer this service in the Los Angeles County area & this factor alone sets The Brow Trap apart from others.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Just a few things people find surprising about me is that my birthday is February 29th so I’m a leap year baby which means my birthday is only on the calendar once every four years. Also most are surprised when I share that I am a former foster youth who was separated from my biological mother as a baby & I grew up knowing only one biological relative who is my older brother. Since 2016 I have gradually been reunited with my biological mother, and 5 other siblings who I had never met & I’m sure there’s much more family I have yet to discover. God is continuing to unfold my family right before my eyes which I’m grateful for. I’m most definitely not your average cookie. My life story is one of a kind & it has definitely made a positive impact on the woman I am today. Life doesn’t always deal us the best hand of cards but it’s up to us to shuffle the deck and make the best out of what’s in our hand.

Contact Info:

• Email: Thebrowtrapla@gmail.com
• Website: https://linktr.ee/thebrowtrap
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebrowtrapla
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebrowtrap

Image Credits:
Personal photos by Will Utley Instagram @wutlife