Meet Emilyn C. of Emilyn Designs in Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilyn C.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a second generation Japanese American born in Honolulu and raised in Tokyo. I have over 20 years of experience in beauty, cosmetics and fashion and am a licensed esthetician and nail technician in California, Hawaii and Japan.

Since starting in this business in the late 90’s, the industry has continued to grow and expand here in the U.S. Being Japanese by ethnicity, I always felt that the Japanese word “omotenashi,” to provide Japanese sensibilities and grace, has been my mantra in everything that I do. I like to provide excellent customer service in both English and Japanese which has been a strength of mine in serving both Japanese and non-Japanese clients.

I perform eyelash extensions, refills, and removals, nail manicures, acrylic nail extensions, gel designs, maintenance and removals. I also teach and instruct eyelash extension and gel nail design techniques.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road for me has been relatively smooth. I was very fortunate to catch the wave of this industry from inception to the very advanced stage that it is today.

Despite that, there were times when gel nails and eyelash extensions were very new to the U.S. market. Customers sometimes did not understand the high prices relative to the quality of products, especially those used on your face. Over time, other outfits started to pop-up with exorbitant prices and using lower quality materials. I have tended to shy away from that practice and my prices and materials have not changed much over the years.

Emilyn Designs – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At Emilyn Designs, we are known for eyelash extensions, refills and removal; manicures, acrylic extensions, gel designs, maintenance and removal, all performed with the utmost care and with our customer and our customer’s image in mind.

I am most proud of the fact that our customers continue to refer me to others and some have connected with me many years after returning from stints abroad. Because they always come back to me even after a long absence, I am hesitant on changing my contact information. My customers never forget about me and for that I am truly grateful.

It is not in my character to say that I am better than others. What I do believe is that if I care about my customers and listen to their needs and desires, they and I can continue to be happy. And, happiness is the true measure of success.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have several proud moments during the course of my long career. However, one of the proudest was when I was teaching others how to apply gel nails and eyelash extensions. To think that I am influencing someone’s future career and well-being made me proud to do what I do.

Pricing:

• Eyelash Extensions (Full Set) $70
• Eyelash Extension Touch Up (within 3 weeks) $50
• Gel Nails Starting from $40+
• Nose Hair Waxing (a customer favorite!) $15

Contact Info:

• Website: EmilynDesigns.com
• Phone: 808.352.3951
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilyndesigns77/?ref=bookmarks
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/emilyn-designs-costa-mesa

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.