Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Rotellini
Hi Lauren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a firm believer in timing and things will happen when they are supposed to. I initially decided to pursue my first love of writing. I attended community college and received my BA in Communications with an emphasis in Print Journalism from CSUF. I worked in the publishing industry for about a decade before I had the opportunity to learn and dive into the mortgage industry. I am not a numbers girl – I have always been more of a wordsmith – so conducting calculations was never in my long-term career path. Esthetics continued to lurk in the back of my mind with a few instances of me beginning the enrollment process, but the timing was just not right. I stayed in the mortgage industry for an unexpected 5 years – which I also unexpectedly excelled in, but I just didn’t love it. It didn’t excite me and I wanted to feel fulfilled. In my late 20s and rounding into my 30th birthday, I experienced 2 bouts of adult cystic acne. It was awful and my confidence really took a hit. There were a lot of tears shed and frustrating moments of wanting to find a solution. We didn’t have all of the professional resources we do now with social media, so I did what I could with the information I had. This time period was a huge turning point and really cemented my pursuits for my future endeavors. I was at home with my husband one night having a glass of rose when I said, “I think I finally want to go to school to become an esthetician,” and he just said, “Do it.” Within a month, I put my notice in at work, enrolled in a full-time program and began my long-awaited schooling at the end of August 2019.
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?
Remember when I said “timing is everything?” … Because we all know what happened in 2020. If I could ever find a silver lining in the timeframe I chose to pursue my schooling: it was that I completed my hours and program right before Christmas 2019, and passed the State Board exam a month before the shutdown. So no, I wouldn’t say my new career was off to a “smooth” start – but a rather a humbling one. We were really all just flailing at this time trying to navigate a wild new normal that was unprecedented. During 2020, I was hired at a local spa, mostly providing facial services with some brow work here and there. I credit my time with this spa as a learning opportunity of how to not run my own business one day, but it also opened my eyes that facials is what I wanted to focus on and my niche to be. I stayed with the company until the end of 2020, and decided to go out on my own. My husband and I ended up moving into a 2-bedroom so I could turn the second room into a studio space for my clients. During this time, I returned back to an office job and took my clients at night. I was doing the best I could under the circumstances and pivoting/making adjustments when necessary. I was working 12-hour days between my desk job and taking clients in the evening. And although I was keeping my head above water, I wasn’t pouring into my esthetics business with 100% intention. I split my time between these 2 careers for another couple of years until Summer 2023. On another night out with another glass of rose, I said to my husband, “I think I want to get a commercial space for my clients and really go in full-time,” and he said, “Do it.” Within a month, I found a space in Costa Mesa, was no longer with my 9-5, and began truly building my business from the ground up.
We’ve been impressed with LA RO SKIN, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
LA RO SKIN is my esthetics practice where I provide an array of facial services. It’s a place of esthetic empowerment where individual beauty and intentional services honor skin and style both in and out of the treatment room. My mission and approach embody everything skin and beauty: from ingredients and best practices to targeted treatments and home-based regimens. I tailor each service to my clients’ specific needs by creating personalized experiences through in-demand services such as dermaplaning, anti-aging and nanoneedling facials. These include focused consultation and purposeful product use to ensure my clients are receiving the best short- and long-term care.
I am very grounded in providing individually-curated services to my girls. No two people will have the same skin type, tone, texture or conditions – so I don’t offer facials that have strictly regimented or premeditated product choices. Yes, you can book a facial that includes set-in-stone protocols like LED Light Therapy, high-frequency, dermaplaning or nanoneedling – but the in-betweens like cleansing options, exfoliation methods, masks and topicals to be used – those are intuitive choices backed by my professional knowledge and guidance – and my clients’ intake sheets. My number one and most-requested service is my Customized Facial + Dermaplaning, and the close second is my Customized Acne Facial. I can dermaplane in my sleep. I started practicing this method while I was in school, so it is well-engrained in my skill set. With skin, I am constantly preaching that consistency and patience will help you obtain your goals – especially if they require corrective measures. With dermaplaning, it’s one of the few services that you get immediate, tangible results from. And since 99% of people are instant gratification-driven, it’s an enticing service option. Since I remove dead skin cells, build up and peach fuzz, clients walk out with a radiant complexion that is both immediate and lasting – and everyone loves to see the hair and/or extractions that were removed. We’re all a little twisted in that sense – it’s like trophies for us to gawk over together.
The thing I am most proud of in creating LA RO SKIN is the authenticity and intention that goes into every decision I make for this business. It’s rooted in me, my standards, my values and my core as a professional. I’ve been in my client’s shoes with feeling defeated by your own body and skin, and their journey becomes my journey. I’m truly invested in my client’s and being a professional that they can invest back into as well.
Pricing:
- Customized Facial + Dermaplaning $145
- Customized Acne Facial $160
- Nano Infusion Facial $170
- Nano Infusion Facial + Dermaplaning $180
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.skinbylaro.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/la.ro.skin/
Image Credits:
Lauren Rotellini
