Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa.
Hi Alisa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Originally, I am from Honolulu, Hawaii and am of Japanese, Hawaiian, German, Portuguese, and Chinese descent. Growing up with a young, single, and immigrant mother from Osaka, Japan, I was raised in a very traditional Japanese household allowing me to become fluent in Japanese. Being from Hawaii and living in Japan (attended Kindergarten) I have been exposed to many different cultures from a very young age. Culture differences fascinate me because it’s interesting that each culture has its own ways of thinking, doing things, and to understand them. I took Spanish in both middle school and high school and have had the chance to travel to Germany, Switzerland, and Barcelona; studied abroad to Seoul, Korea and Rome, Italy during my undergraduate years in college. Being motivated, focused, and a hard-working individual, I was also able to pursue my personal interest in beauty. This not only allowed me to pay my way through college independently, but it also gave me the opportunity to be moved to LA from Seattle by one of my old employers to provide my professional lash/beauty services.
After graduating from University of Washington with my B.A. in Society, Ethics & Behavior in 2015, I furthered my studies on trauma, addiction and mental health and received my Drug & Alcohol Abuse Counseling Certification from UCLA Extension. In 2019, I graduated with my M.A. from Columbia University, Teacher’s College Clinical Psychology SMBI MA program, after coming up with a program proposal for adolescents in recovery and their families to promote resilience and overall wellness of the mind, body, and spirit I am currently the owner of Slay Beauty Lounge located in Beverly Hills. I have been in the lash industry for the last seven years since I became a licensed esthetician and nail artist in 2013. I started lashing at the age of 19, started my own salon at the age of 23, and have a lot of experience providing my professional lash services to both women and men of all ages to top celebrities. I believe that Self-Care is your greatest and grandest responsibility. I love what I do, to be of service to others and make them feel good about themselves and it has become one of my passions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road getting where I am today. While I first began attending beauty school to get my esthetician and nail license, I was also a full-time undergraduate student in college and working in retail, bar/nightclub until I was able to work in a salon. Time management has always been extremely crucial for me. After receiving my B.A. in Seattle, I was allowed the opportunity to be moved to LA by one of my old employers to provide my professional lash/beauty services in 2015. After moving to LA, I quickly realized how hard it is to survive here with the higher cost of living compared to Seattle. Although I worked for that company for over two years and I will forever be grateful for them for helping me relocate to LA by paying my entire move and my first month of rent, I was not able to stay in the LA location for more than six months because of poor management. The new management was extremely unfair – manager having more authority than she should by playing favorites and giving shifts to people she liked and taking away shifts to employers that she didn’t like. Due to unethical and poor management, I had to do what would be best for me and leave.
Luckily, it worked out for me and I found another lash salon to work within the couple of weeks of me having to quit on the spot at the last salon. This salon also allowed independent contract instead of an hourly wage, which allowed me to go back to school without having to worry about making sure that I work certain hours. I was at the new salon for about two years until they started to expand and they started to get unethical when they started to not pay their employees properly and not provide breaks. This was the last straw for me to begin on my own. After being on my own, although it made it easier for me to go back to school since I got to make my own hours, it definitely wasn’t easy. I still attended school full time, interned at a drug and alcohol rehab facility to get my clinical hours, and was learning how to run my own business while having to travel back and forth from LA to New York every week/every few weeks. Now with the pandemic and salons having to shut down, reopen, and shut down again, it has been a huge challenge. Thankfully I have gained a lot of supportive clients over the years who continue to show their love and support for both me and my small business. Although I have faced these obstacles and challenges, every part of this journey was definitely worth it because it has helped me to become stronger and grow not only as a person but also as a businesswoman.
We’ve been impressed with Slay Beauty Lounge, 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?
Slay Beauty Lounge provides professional, safe, and luxurious lash services. What makes us different from other lash salons is that the health of our client’s natural lashes is our priority; it’s not just about the look- it’s about what is best for each individual client and we only apply appropriate sizes that the client’s natural lashes can hold. We want our clients to feel good having their lashes done by enhancing their natural looks. Our professionally licensed (cosmetology or esthetician) artists go through our extensive lash training to provide each of our clients with the best quality service and experience!
How do you think about luck?
The role of luck (both good or bad) has played a significant role in both my life personally and professionally. I think that’s the part that you have to gamble with when you’re an entrepreneur and it’s important to stay focused, determined, and strong in faith no matter the risk or circumstances because that’s what is going to help you grow personally and professionally. They don’t say that the Universe falls in love with a stubborn heart for no reason and magic really does happen when you don’t give up. But in a spiritual sense, I’d like to say I have been more lucky. Even with the bad because I feel that it’s because you’re being guided to the right thing that aligns with you at the time. Everything that happens in life has a reason- the timing, the people you meet, everything. It’s so that we can grow and evolve to become better. For example, if I didn’t have my “bad luck” with my past employers, I wouldn’t have been able to be where I am today or know what it is that I would want to do differently with my company.
Pricing:
- Fullsets – between $140-$300
- Touch Ups – between $40-$80
- First Timer – $70 or $100
- Lash Lift – $90
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.slaybeautylounge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slaybeautylounge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slaybeautylounge
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/slaybeautyllc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3p3zdo2MudK_v4ADp2eEfA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/slay-beauty-lounge-beverly-hills
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/alisaa808
Image Credits
NJ Khan Alisa 808
