Meet Anna Karganova

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Karganova.

Hi Anna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey in Los Angeles began at seventeen years old, when with all the money that I had saved, purchased a one way ticket from a small town in Russia to Los Angeles in search of the American dream. With very limited English knowledge, money and no network of friends my road to where I am today was not easy. It was hard to be away from home and family but I was determined to make a life here.

In the early days, I shared a place with two other roommates and worked three jobs to just make the ends meet: a barista in the morning, sandwich artist during the day and a restaurant photographer by night, all while taking English classes in college.

Now years later, I look back and I am grateful for my journey. It made me the woman I am today – resilient, assertive, Field Sales Executive at a Fortune 500 company and a true believer that anything you can conceive in life, you can achieve.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As any immigrant, the hardest thing for me was to master the language. I made sure to get out of my comfort zone daily and practiced speaking with anyone I could find, mistakes or not, just to gain confidence and knowledge. Later on, I took several English courses a the community college to perfect my speaking and writing skills.

As I concurred my first obstacle, I set my sights on my next goal – to get a job in the beauty industry.

I remember walking in the mall passing by Nordstrom where I would see make up artists transform women’s day, mood and confidence by simply doing their make up. I thought how amazing it would be if I can do the same for someone.

After gaining some courage, I applied to Nordstrom, although I didn’t get hired to the position that I wanted due to the lack of beauty experience, I got my foot in the door.

It took me five years when I finally found myself working at a beauty counter at a different retailer and from then on I knew I was home. I was fortunate to work with brands like Shiseido and Estee Lauder as a Make up artist and later promoted to their Sales Coordinator.

My passion for beauty evolved into haircare and now I am very proud to be a part of the Drybar family and also manage my own Instagram page where I share hair care tips and tutorials. One of my recent highlights was a feature on Sephora’s social media page when I was able to share my tutorial for a smooth and shiny blowout with their 20 million followers.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a wife, mother of two little children, the Drybar Field Sales Executive and your hair BFF blogger on social media. As the Hair-fluencer on Instagram, I post my tips and trick for styling and how to maintain healthy and shiny hair. I love sharing my working mom’s journey with my followers and help them with any hair problems they might have. I am the girl you can ask any questions about the best hair products for your hair type or how to achieve a long-lasting style.

During my career in the beauty industry, I have met so many wonderful women who have mentored me and recognized my passion, work ethic and helped me get to where I am today. Knowing how challenging my road to success was, one of my biggest passions is to provide a platform for others to shine and help them see their own potential. I am extremely proud of all the people within my teams that I was able to promote to the next level and now see excel further and further in their careers.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Ever since I was a little girl I had a lot of hair, it was the first thing you’d see when I walked in the room, but not in a good way. They were wavy and really really frizzy and for a young girl that I was -absolutely unmanageable. I never wore my hair down, I remember trying to tie it into a ponytail to only end up with a big ball of frizz. Clearly my go-to style was a bun since it was the easiest. My mom had a different hair type, and we didn’t have any hair tools to style at home either.

I think it was my 14th birthday when my mom took me to a salon to blowout my hair for the first time in my life. I remember that day like it was yesterday! Looking in the mirror at my long perfectly frizz-free hair falling down my face, I was mesmerized, I have never seen myself this way. I remember that moment because it was the first time I really felt beautiful. My hair has always been a huge part of me, and now, when I style hair on my clients or share tutorials virtually, I see women get THAT feeling that I remember having the first time at 14 and in that moment, I can’t be happier for them.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @anyastyleme

Image Credits:
Madina Kanzitdinova