Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathalia Clariesse.
Nathalia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As the end of my senior year in high school rolled in, I was just like any typical teenager trying to figure out what she was going to do with her life. Growing up, I wasn’t the most fond of school so college wasn’t going to be an option.
So I bit the bullet and made the choice of following what I was passionate about and enrolled to Bellus Academy to be a Licensed Esthetician September 2017. I went to school for seven months straight without missing a day of school and just dedicated my time learning the industry, all while working two jobs at the same time.
Fast forward to March 2018. I passed my state board to be a Licensed Esthetician and started working on clients to do their lashes, for as low as $15. I didn’t care if I was selling myself short, because I knew I had to start from the bottom and practice on whoever I could practice on to get my portfolio up and get my name out there. I hustled for months straight and mastered the craft of lash extensions and later on raised my prices to as high as $195 per full set now.
Aug 2018 came along and I actually had a miscarriage and lost my baby. It broke me, and frankly ever since that day I never felt the same. A part of me left as I was recovering the lost of my child. But with the sisterhood I created with my clients, they were my way of venting and coping. Through my recovery, women have opened up to me about their struggles and It just became natural for my business to be a safe place for women to feel that they are valid for whatever emotions they might feel. I want to use my platform to empower women and make it known that powerful women can also be vulnerable women. It’s okay to know struggles and grow from it.
I read a quote once, that said “Every single person has to go through something that absolutely destroys them so they can figure out who they really are” & losing my baby was definitely just that, but if it wasn’t for that experience last year. I wouldn’t be as goal-driven as I am now to be the best version I could be for my future babies.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Just like any self-made businesswoman, nothing was handed to me overnight. Growing clientele was probably one of the biggest challenges I had to overcome, because if there were no clients to practice on.. I wouldn’t be making anything. That’s why I kept Sephora as my second job to get amazing connections while still working on the industry I was in. I can honestly say, I’ve met half of my clients from Sephora.
Please tell us about your work.
Looksbyalia was originally a makeup page when I was in high school, but I felt like I wasn’t artistic enough in a sense that I would be doing some Picasso artwork on my eyelids like how some girls are doing nowadays, which is insane! So, I became an esthetician to open different avenues for myself. I’m mostly known for lashes specializing in Volume ones. Most of my clientele are Asian girls because almost half the time they tell me that the past lash artist they’ve been to would deny them of service when they wanted long lashes.
There’s a huge misconception that Asian girls have weak lashes and should be kept on the shorter side, so I obviously don’t believe in that because I myself LOVE long voluminous lashes and there is absolutely no difference at all. I’m mostly proud of the diversity I have clientele wise. I never turn down or charge a client more just because their service is gonna be more complex than the next. So I definitely am proud of that.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would do what I did all over again honestly. I felt that the choices that I made the beginning of everything are what led me to be successful as I am now. Those learning curves and little accomplishments are what shape you. So there is no such thing as doing it perfect, you just learn as you go.
Pricing:
- Blush Classic Sets are $120
- Wispy Blends are $150
- Bombshell Volume $175
- Hollywood Glams $195
Contact Info:
- Website: looksbyalia.com
- Phone: 8583299947
- Instagram: instagram.com/looksbyalia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/looksbyalia/
Image Credit:
©️ Jedd Ong
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