Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Smith.
Hi Amanda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a 23 years old licensed esthetician born and raised in Reseda, in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. I started esthetician school in august 2019, graduated in February 2020, and got licensed in august 2020. Before deciding to go to esthetician school, I was working with my dad and brothers with our family tree trimming business. I was doing physical labor every day and did not enjoy it. I knew I wanted to do something else with my life but was lost on what direction to take. I had always been a creative, and I come from a family of entrepreneurs. Even when I was a young teen, I created my own business selling aquatic-themed accessories on Etsy. I always kind of knew the traditional workforce wasn’t for me, and I would truly thrive working for myself. I’ve always been inspired by all things beauty and decided I wanted to be a lash and brow artist. I enrolled in a school in Canoga Park and started my journey to become an esthetician. Before school, I knew nothing about skincare and was not interested in doing facials. Once I started though, that quickly changed. Now I’m fascinated by all things skincare and it is truly my passion. I thought I’d only be doing brow waxes and lash lifts, and now facials are one of my most popular services!
My plan straight out of school was never to start my own business right away. I planned to work at a waxing chain, or a brow bar in the local mall or something small to get my feet wet in the industry. Then covid hit and shut down the entire world and my new industry, a month after I graduated and 1 week before I was scheduled to take my state board test to officially get licensed. Like everyone else in the world at that time, I was devastated and felt stuck and unsure of my future.
Once things started to open back up again in the summer of 2020, I was able to take my test and get my esthetician license. I was one step closer to the career I wanted, but there were still obstacles. the beauty industry was still shut down in LA county. Nowhere was hiring, it was impossible to get even a small job. Once restrictions started loosening up again, I decided to change my original plan and leap into taking clients in my home studio on the side while still working my retail job. I had clients that came to me at school that were now reaching out and asking if there was any way I could give them a facial. And from there on out, everything changed for me. I continued to build my clientele from word-of-mouth and from my growing Instagram account. Now here I am in 2022, with a successful beauty business and a list of happy clients!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle was definitely covid19 hitting in March 2020. It happened a month after I graduated esthetician school, and the state board testing sites officially shut down one week before I was supposed to take my licensing exam. I remember thinking, “Did I make a big mistake? How am I supposed to work in an industry where it’s my job to touch people’s faces when suddenly every person I come in close contact with is now viewed as a threat to my health and my life?”
Even after getting my license, It was impossible to get a job anywhere because the entire industry was still shut down. On top of all the stress of the pandemic, I couldn’t help but feel stuck and hopeless.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Some services I provide are customized facial treatments, microchanneling, chemical peels, body waxing, brow waxing, brow lamination, and lash lifts!
I’d say my most popular service that I provide is definitely Lash Lifts. It’s basically like a perm for your lashes and makes your natural lashes appear lifted and full for 4-6 weeks!
I’m most proud of the way that I make people feel once they are finished with their service. I’ll never get over watching people’s reactions to their glowing faces, their fresh lashes, or their new styled brows. It really makes everything worth it!
I’d say what sets me apart my attention to detail, and my dedication to the service being a collaborative effort. I make sure I ask questions and listen to exactly what my client wants and expects from the service. When it comes to brows, I give my clients a mirror so they can see and show me exactly how they want their brows to be changed. This creates a trust between me and my clients, and ensure’s their happiness with their results!
How do you define success?
Success for me lies within. That’s definitely the cheesiest thing I’ve ever written down, but it’s true. If you find something you love to do every day that you’re lucky enough to call a career, something that you feel you’ll be content with doing for a very very long time, then I’d say you’re successful. I never had a “dream job” growing up, but now I have a fulfilling career that feels more like a hobby than a job, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world
Pricing:
- Lash Lift $95
- Deluxe Lash Lift $115
- Brow Wax $25
- Brow Lamination $95
- Customized Facial $135
Contact Info:
- Website: amandatayloresthetics.as.me
- Instagram: instagram.com/amandatayloresthetics
- Twitter: twitter.com/amandatician
Image Credits
Cici from GoodFilmX
