[00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:07] And welcome to the Beyond Beauty School podcast. This is a really special one because normally I'm doing my podcast by myself, but this is my first one with a friend.
[00:18] I'm interviewing my friend Shinashi, who is an esthetician and aesthetics educator. I'm going to let her introduce herself in a second, but this is going to be kind of the format beyond just the little mini episodes.
[00:29] We're going to have some longer episodes where I chat with other estheticians in the industry and ask them about their beauty school experience,
[00:37] which is going to be super fun, I think. So first, I'm going to have Shinashi introduce herself. Hello.
[00:42] Speaker B: Hello. First of all, I'm so grateful to be here. Thank you so much. You're my first guest. Oh, I'm so proud of you. I adore you.
[00:49] Speaker A: I adore you. You're my SD bestie, so it made sense.
[00:51] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. So my name is Shinashi. I am an esthetician and esthetics educator at Aleband Makeup in Los Angeles, California.
[00:58] Sarah and I work together again,
[01:00] and I'm so glad to be here.
[01:02] Thank you so much.
[01:03] Speaker A: Of course. So just a little background. Shinashi and I work together as instructors at the beauty college in Los Angeles here, and we worked together for two years,
[01:14] and we became fast friends and stayed friends, and we always said that we were going to open up our own beauty school together. And then we had a little hiatus where I stepped away from the school that we were at, and then now we left you,
[01:28] and now we are back to working together at another aesthetic school in Los Angeles,
[01:33] and a little different this time. I'm not in the classroom. I'm on the kind of operations side in the advertising and marketing part of it. And you are still educating in the classroom.
[01:43] But this is going to be special because I think the interviews that I'm planning to do with other estheticians are going to be more about their beauty school experience. But I wanted to have you on first because I wanted your perspective not only as a student in beauty school,
[01:55] but also as an educator, because I think that those two perspectives bring a lot to what I am doing, doing for Beyond Beauty School. I know we are educators that genuinely care about our students, and we genuinely care about what we are teaching our students.
[02:11] And I know from the experience of teaching students all over the country and mentoring them through Vergaro and my Vergaro mentorship that there are a lot of people out there who don't get the education that our students got.
[02:23] And so I think and that's not to toot our own horn, but also toot.
[02:28] And so I wanted to hear your perspective on school, but also, you know, as a student, but also from the institution instructor point of view. And so I'm gonna do, like, inside the Actor studio where he has, like, the questions.
[02:39] Oh, man.
[02:40] Speaker B: And.
[02:40] Speaker A: Okay, same questions for everybody. But I'm interested to kind of keep that consistent and hear everybody else's experiences and see kind of how everybody's are the same and everybody's are different.
[02:50] And so we are going to just chat a little bit based off of that.
[02:55] I can talk, you can talk.
[02:57] We can talk. Like, we have our own language. We. We can tell.
[03:00] Okay, so my first question that I want to know is,
[03:03] I want to know what made you decide to go to beauty school.
[03:08] Speaker B: So, starting off, I always was really interested in makeup. Right. I loved makeup. I worked at my family's business, though, like, restaurants and markets, but I loved makeup. But I always.
[03:17] I never had the understanding of how to remove makeup properly, so I always had acne. Right. And so what do you do when you have acne? You put more makeup on?
[03:22] Speaker A: Yep.
[03:23] Speaker B: And so it was a vicious cycle of just, like, acne and makeup and pain and acne and makeup and pain.
[03:28] And it wasn't until I actually started working at a spa, and I realized I'm like, this is what an esthetician is. And I'm like, this is fun. Because I was in school to be a child psychologist.
[03:37] I was taking my prereqs at smc,
[03:40] and I was like, well, what can I do that's somewhat involved in the beauty industry, but also somewhat where I can use what I've learned so far. And so I thought aesthetics was, like, a fun way to go about it.
[03:49] And I met a really incredible, inspirational esthetician.
[03:52] Really saw how she ran an incredible ship in just, like, the sea of chaos. And I said, I could do this. I can totally do this. And I was inspired to help people the way that I was able to be helped.
[04:04] Helped by that esthetician helping me and kind of like, learning how to, like, properly wash my face.
[04:08] Speaker A: Yeah, right. And also, like, we're literally therapists, so. Oh, yeah.
[04:12] Speaker B: I know some people confess some really intense things.
[04:14] Speaker A: I know it's. It's a very vulnerable, like, sacred. It's a very sacred space, which is why we, like, cleanse the energy after we have to cleanse the energy on ourselves. Like, we'd be really, really careful because it really is essentially, like, it's.
[04:26] You're A skin therapist. They call it that for a reason.
[04:28] Speaker B: Music, love.
[04:29] Speaker A: They feel very, like, say it's interesting.
[04:32] Speaker B: It's like, yeah, yeah. What does Jane say? She's like, it's the only profession where you can approach people in the dark room from behind. And they're paying you to do it.
[04:39] Speaker A: Exactly. I mean, it's not the only profession, but it's the only acceptable profession by daylight. I'm so excited about this, too, because I feel like being friends. We. We know a lot about each other, but there are things in this that work that I'm gonna learn about you that's like,
[04:53] I didn't know that about the child psychology. I mean, maybe you told me and I just kind of forgot. But that's just so fun. Fun to know. I feel like a lot of people.
[04:59] Speaker B: That I've been reading you since I've.
[05:00] Speaker A: Known you,
[05:04] I want to know. And so this is going to be double. This is going to be as a student and as an instructor. But what were your expectations of beauty school before you started?
[05:12] Ooh. So as a student, what were your expectations when you started?
[05:16] Speaker B: Honestly, I didn't really have too many expectations. You go in, you take the tour. Right. You see people working on facials. You see people in their books. Honestly, my main thing when I was going into school is I just need to get in and get my license.
[05:28] So I was like, what? Whatever I need to do, I'm just gonna go in and get it done. I was in the day class, and so I maxed out my hours.
[05:34] I finished in, like, four months. 600 hours in four months. That's, like a lot of hours. But, I mean, I felt really comfortable and confident after that.
[05:39] Speaker A: Yeah.
[05:39] Speaker B: So I feel like what I was gonna get out of school was my license.
[05:41] Speaker A: Yep, totally.
[05:43] Speaker B: And I got so much more out of it, though, you know, I was really fortunate to have really incredible instructors. Ms. Alicia, who really ran that ship tight, knew where everything was, how to do everything if something was ill labeled.
[05:55] She sent me home before because my pants were blue instead of black.
[05:58] I. You know, it is what it is. And I had other instructors that were really kind of, like, knowledgeable about anatomy, knowledgeable about aromatherapy, and, like, I also had other instructors that focused on, you know, if it looks good, it feels good.
[06:09] You know, it's like, if you're having a pleasurable experience, your client's also having a pleasurable experience.
[06:13] Speaker A: Yeah. And so going into school as an instructor, then what were your expectations? Because I know that you had amazing instructors and so Was it their example that you.
[06:25] You went in trying to emulate, or was it something that you kind of wanted to make your own or what? Very good question.
[06:30] Speaker B: So I think the thing with that is I was an instructor a couple of times. Right. The first time I was an instructor, I was fresh out of school. I was maybe, like, a year out.
[06:37] Should I have become an instructor? Probably not.
[06:40] Speaker A: That's a whole nother episode.
[06:41] Speaker B: That's a whole nother episode.
[06:42] Speaker A: Okay.
[06:42] Speaker B: It was dire situations. I was needed.
[06:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[06:46] Speaker B: And so I went in and I think of being fresh. I was. I realized now I was like, there's a lot of things I did incorrect. I really just tried to run by the book.
[06:53] I didn't really understand, you know, how to do.
[06:54] Speaker A: You didn't have the experience I didn't have. It was just the textbooks.
[06:57] Speaker B: Yeah. Now I'm like. I'm, like 10 years deep, uncomfortable.
[07:01] So now I'm kind of, like, approaching it where,
[07:03] like, you say, it's like, we approach it where our students are, like, a whole person. It's like, we want them to have the education, but we also want them to feel comfortable, and we also want them to be able to communicate with their clients, and we also want them to make sure they're hitting their retail sales,
[07:13] and we also want to make sure they know how to, like, run a business, which is, like, what your focus is. And I think that's, like, so incredible because it's like, so many times, it's like, you get out of school and, like, what are you gonna do?
[07:21] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I don't think they know either.
[07:23] Speaker B: I don't think they know either. We're all. We're all learning. We're all learning.
[07:26] Speaker A: I think there are a few chapters missing in the textbook when it comes to that kind of stuff, which is kind of where beyond Beauty school comes in, is, like, kind of filling in the gaps of the things,
[07:35] you know? It wasn't until I was an instructor that I realized, like, oh, you guys need to know this stuff. Because then students would start asking me questions that were beyond kind of the textbook stuff.
[07:42] And because I was working as an employee and building my solo business at the same time. And I had an amazing instructor wax that Ash. And she was creating her own business at the time, and I worked for her doing admin, and so she taught me so much about the business side of things,
[07:59] and she was kind of learning as she went along and was, you know,
[08:02] explaining things to us, too, and. And I had a lot of business experience from My former life before becoming an esthetician. But I think that, you know, the business side of things, I didn't realize the amount of business education that I was getting just by having her as an instructor.
[08:18] And so when I became an instructor and people were asking me questions, I was like, why are you asking me?
[08:23] Oh, oh, I'm the instructor. Like, I'm supposed to.
[08:25] Speaker B: I gotta step.
[08:26] Speaker A: Exactly. But then you think about the instructors who are going into this, and they don't necessarily have that experience or they don't exactly know.
[08:31] And so I think that bringing that into the classroom been really valuable to our students. But there are a lot of students who aren't getting that education. And so that's kind of where this comes in.
[08:40] But.
[08:41] Speaker B: And that's what, to me, it's like, you really do curate what people need for their business. And I think that's incredible.
[08:46] Speaker A: I try. So what is one thing that beauty school absolutely did not prepare you for as a student?
[08:58] Speaker B: What's one thing that beauty school did not prepare me for?
[09:00] I'm not gonna lie. I felt like I was pretty prepared.
[09:04] I don't want to be cocky, but I was pretty. Honestly, I think the one thing that they probably could have pushed was continue continued education. Like, keep learning, keep learning.
[09:11] I think that was always just in me. And then I was fortunate enough where I was able to work at a job at Ulta, right in the dermalogica pod, where I was able to be paid to go take dermalogica classes.
[09:21] So even if I felt like there was something I was short on, I was like, it wasn't long before I collected all that.
[09:27] Speaker A: And I think you get what you put into it, right? Because you're saying you maxed out at four months. Like, I did the same thing when I started.
[09:33] I was a mom all day, and then I was going to school from five to ten at night. And I got out of six months. I only missed two days of class.
[09:41] And I took every class, every free opportunity. I was there for every demo. Even if I. So many people will be like, oh, my God, we've already seen this demo before.
[09:50] And it's like, I didn't care. I'd watch it a second time, I'd watch it a third time. I build relationships, all of the education.
[09:55] And I think that one of the biggest, biggest tips that I have for students who are in school is,
[10:02] this is school, and this is your education. But operate it like it's your business.
[10:06] Pretend like it is just as serious as if you were Making money off of it. Make it so that way, every single thing that you are doing, like, you paid for it, get what you paid for, get the education that you paid for.
[10:17] And don't miss a class, don't miss a demo, don't miss a dermalogica day, don't miss any of the opportunities that school has for you.
[10:23] Because even if it's just a teeniest, tiniest little nugget of information,
[10:27] sometimes those are the things that stick, right? All of those things are important. And learning from different people in the industry, it also opens up the ability to learn all the different career pathways that you can take in the industry.
[10:37] Because everybody thinks, like, oh, I'm going into school, I'm just going to do facials or I'm just going to do lashes. But there are aesthetics educators, there are people who work for skincare lines who are educators.
[10:46] There are all kinds of opportunities. And you don't really realize until you're in school and you're experiencing all these things and you're showing up to all these different opportunities that you can see, oh, it's not just facials and waxing and lashes.
[10:57] I can do other things too.
[10:58] Speaker B: That's the thing, right? It's like we always tell people, you shouldn't have to work for everybody. Every dollar you make, you have to diversify. You have to have, like, other outlets for, like, yourself, like, exactly.
[11:06] You are your business. Invest in yourself.
[11:08] Speaker A: Yep, exactly. Yeah, no, totally.
[11:10] So was there a moment in school or maybe even after school where you thought, like, oh, I'm not cut out for this? Like, this is not.
[11:18] Speaker B: I mean, definitely. I think my situation was always retail. But I think it's because we were saying before, if you work somewhere where you don't feel 100 for the retail, you don't have the option to kind of like pick and choose what you think is curated perfectly for this person.
[11:29] It's a little bit hard. So I definitely did struggle a little bit with the retail. I'm like, was it a strug or was it more? So I was just withholding the words.
[11:36] Speaker A: Yeah, that's true. And I think it comes. It comes with experience and confidence, too. And I explain all the time that we have this idea that confidence happens first and then you can do the thing when in reality you do the hard thing and then you build your confidence.
[11:49] And so I think that right when you're out of school, you're thinking, oh, I should just be good at all this. And it's like, well, no, you really haven't done it enough times to be confident yet.
[11:56] So you need to practice, and you need to continue to do it.
[11:59] Luckily, where I was an employee, the spa that I was working at, I loved my boss. She was an amazing mentor to me, and she had her own skincare line, and that's the only thing that we used and the only thing that we sold.
[12:09] But I really believed in her product. Everything that she had was, like, so beautifully developed and formulated, and so it was easy for me to sell product. But even then, even though I believed in it, there were still times where I felt unsure of myself or I wasn't feeling as confident selling retail.
[12:22] And that comes with time and experience.
[12:24] Speaker B: Because then you see the results and you're like, oh, that did work.
[12:26] Speaker A: Exactly.
[12:26] Speaker B: And they text you and they're like, I can smile. It doesn't hurt anymore.
[12:29] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So I think that,
[12:32] you know, the confidence thing right out of school, like, it's. I know people don't like the fake it till you make it mentality do it, but you have.
[12:39] You have fake it. How do you make it?
[12:42] You. It's the only. It's the only way to do it, because especially when you're competing with people on social media like we are now. It's like all these people who are getting out here on podcasts with Mike, that's intimidating, right?
[12:52] You're like, oh, I could never. Oh, I don't know as much as them. As long as you're not spouting off misinformation, and as long as you're informed enough to be telling them stuff that is true, that is accurate, that is responsible, with conviction, with conviction, with intent, integrity, right?
[13:04] Then you are the expert. You are the professional. They should be listening to you. So you have to make sure that you are coming off with the kind of confidence that we did when we went into school.
[13:13] It was like, oh, no, I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do this well, and I'm gonna be the best that I can at this. And if you're unsure about it, that's okay, too.
[13:20] But you still need to do the absolute best that you possibly can,
[13:24] because otherwise it's just a waste.
[13:26] Speaker B: That's the thing. Even, like, when you're in your own treatment room, nobody's watching you, making sure that you're disinfecting and sanitizing everything.
[13:30] Speaker A: Right?
[13:31] Speaker B: They tell people, this is the job that you take on with the license you're committing to state considered negligence and a valid excuse. You know, it says it in the book, it says it everywhere.
[13:39] Speaker A: It's like, just because you don't know.
[13:41] Speaker B: Doesn'T mean you're not supposed to be doing it.
[13:42] Speaker A: Exactly. And when they show up, you can't play dumb because they might cut you.
[13:46] Speaker B: Slack if it's your first time.
[13:47] Speaker A: Exactly.
[13:48] But also. And I. I like to remind students of this all the time, too, that your violations follow you, your violations stick.
[13:56] Just because you pay the violation, you pay the fine,
[14:00] does not mean that it goes off of your record. So then if you're trying to move states, states,
[14:05] your violations follow you. So if you try to. If you move to a different state and you have violations in California and you're trying to move to New York, they can not approve your license change if you have violations on your license.
[14:18] So you have to be super careful because it's not something that you're just like, oh, I'll just pay the 500 bucks. It's no big deal. And, like, still offer a micro needle.
[14:25] It's like, they're serious about those things, especially the sanitation and disinfection. Like, they don't mess around with that 100.
[14:31] Speaker B: Nor should you.
[14:32] Speaker A: You absolutely. If you. If you could go back and tell yourself one thing on the very first day of beauty school, what would you tell yourself?
[14:44] Speaker B: You will prove your parents wrong.
[14:48] Speaker A: You haven't had.
[14:48] Speaker B: You haven't had to look for a job in many, many years.
[14:51] Speaker A: Very looking forward to you becoming a doctor, I'm sure. Very much. Very much. Immigrant parents. I'm sure that's all they wanted for you. Right. So.
[14:59] Speaker B: Yeah. So, no, obviously. Right.
[15:01] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[15:02] Speaker B: I think. I think if I did have go back and tell myself one thing of beauty school, it would all be worth it. Like you were saying, you commit so many hours.
[15:07] I was very fortunate. Like, the time where I was going to school, I was. I had a flexible schedule at work. I was able to do the hours that I could,
[15:13] but if not, it's a sacrifice. And imagine, like, we were teaching high class and we tell the students all the time, it's a sacrifice. Oh, my gosh.
[15:19] Speaker A: But it's temporary. Is. Yeah. That's so hard. It's brutal. You think that, like, going for six months is brutal? Imagine teaching it.
[15:27] What was the biggest. Like, what was the rudest awakening for you when you graduated? And beyond that, what do you think is the biggest, like, the rudest awakening for students who are graduating out of school?
[15:44] Speaker B: I think the thing that usually happens after people graduate is they usually tend to linger. They come back because for so Many days you've had for so many moons, you've had this place that you've gone to, this community that you have these instructors that you're able to chit chat with and you think that this was,
[16:00] this will continue. You know,
[16:01] some people, it's like, this is your college, this is your school. This is like the last group that you'll like sometimes make friends with as close as you possibly can.
[16:07] It's like we tell people all the time, it's like start your Instagram while you're still in school. That way people are kind of like able join you on your journey and you're able to like talk to them and show them all the fun stuff that you're learning, all the fun stuff that you're like participating in and all these things.
[16:17] Speaker A: So I called that the beauty school drop off.
[16:19] Speaker B: That's what it is.
[16:21] Speaker A: So they have all of the support, they have the schedule, they have the expectations in school with the instructors and with just kind of the curriculum and the testing and all those things.
[16:31] And then you graduate and then there's that, that gap between graduation and your test date and it's this weird,
[16:38] like I don't know what to do with myself anymore. One of my clients was getting a new job and she calls it fun employment. Oh yeah. So I think you have that first like little week of like fun employment where you're like, oh, I don't have to go to school,
[16:48] you know. Exactly.
[16:50] But then it starts to get quiet and you start to realize that you don't have the support anymore. You don't have the community, you don't have your friends that you spent every waking moment with for six months or four months or however long it took you.
[17:01] And so I think that that is where the continue to study for your test.
[17:05] Speaker B: Your test is still coming.
[17:06] Speaker A: Exactly.
[17:07] Speaker B: You still have to be on top of you.
[17:08] Speaker A: And a lot of the schools just kick you out. They're just like, see ya. Like they don't have hours, they don't have continued education, they don't have support and you know, and you can come back and visit.
[17:17] But you know, a lot of times, especially here in la, people are living far away from the school. So it's not like they're going to come all the way back in just to visit.
[17:23] Right. So I think that is the importance of continued education and kind of figuring out what you want to do as far as like specializing and finding other estheticians who are like minded.
[17:32] You're saying with social media, finding people who are specializing in what you're specializing in and doing what you're doing is really important.
[17:39] And I think also why I created this community with Beyond Beauty School is you can follow me on social media, you can see Instagram and TikTok, and you can learn in little micro lessons in between those times or when you get your license and doing something that keeps you in a community and with the support.
[17:57] So for California, we have the California Estheticians Advocacy group on Facebook. It's a Facebook group that you can join if. And if you're a student, you just say, hey, I'm a student.
[18:06] And it is a private, private group. It's a private group and you can join in and you will learn so much. Just going through the thread and the different questions and the different posts and the different comments and like, hey, I'm looking for an SPF that blah, blah, blah,
[18:17] and then just read the comments and everybody's like, oh, try this. This is the viscosity of this. And oh, I'm looking for this kind of appeal. Oh, so and so has an amazing appeal for this.
[18:25] And, you know, so having that community where you can ask questions and feel like you're a part of something, because I think that is the biggest thing that I think shocks people is that you.
[18:37] You don't really realize the community that you're in when you're in school. And then all of a sudden, like, you're by yourself. And then if you become a solo esthetician, like, you're really, really by yourself.
[18:46] You're your own boss, you're in a treatment room, you're lonely, it's dark. Like, you see your clients and you chat with your clients, but it's like, it's not the same.
[18:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[18:53] Speaker A: Is having that community and those friends at school that get the lore at the school, right? They all know, like, what's going on and they all know, like, oh, they're this so and so happened or this happened or, you know, whatever.
[19:03] It's like you feel that sense of community, and then all of a sudden you have to feel that loss and that grief. And so making sure that you're connected, making sure that you're plugged in somewhere, making sure that you have the resources and the community to not fall off.
[19:16] Because I feel like a lot of people, that's when they give up,
[19:19] when they get lonely and they realize, like, oh, no one's here to hold my hand.
[19:22] I have to do this on my own. And then they get scared and they're like, well, like, I'M just gonna keep doing my 9 to 5 for now, and then I'll figure it out later.
[19:29] And then they have a license, and then they don't use it because they didn't get plugged. A community that's supportive and encouraging.
[19:36] What is one mistake that you made early on in your career as a provider that made you.
[19:43] That. That just kind of changed things for you in how you approach being an esthetician?
[19:47] Speaker B: Ooh, it's one mistake.
[19:49] Speaker A: It doesn't have to be a mistake. Maybe it's just something that you just, like, realized.
[19:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
[19:53] Speaker A: And that is a different idea. Or you changed your mind about something.
[19:57] Speaker B: Maybe. Like protocols.
[19:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[19:59] Speaker B: Cause it's like, when you're learning, right? When you're learning, you need to know.
[20:01] Speaker A: You need to know what to do.
[20:02] Speaker B: You need to know what to follow, because it' like, you based off of your analysis is what you're supposed to do. But I think at some point, you do become that detective.
[20:09] Right. And you're able to mix your protocol. You're able to customize this, you know.
[20:13] Speaker A: Ingredients well enough to be able to mix lines. Instead of just sticking to the different lines, you can mix different skincare lines.
[20:19] Speaker B: As long as the PH allows it.
[20:21] Speaker A: Exactly. PH is everything.
[20:23] Speaker B: PH is everything.
[20:24] Yeah. So I think that's. That's one thing I.
[20:27] Thankfully, with time developed, the comfort and knowledge to do is, like, play with your protocols unless the company tells you not to, you know, play with the protocols. Have fun with it.
[20:35] Create what you want.
[20:36] Speaker A: Want to make sure that you're reading those protocols.
[20:38] Speaker B: Make sure you follow manufacturers instructions also.
[20:40] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. How long did it take for you to feel confident as a provider? O. Or as an educator? Like, as a private.
[20:49] Speaker B: Probably gonna say after, what, about three cycles of, like, the repetition? Right. Because the first one, you're finding your words. You're like, I don't know what to say.
[20:56] You're creating your lesson plans. You're drawing your pictures. Second one, you're like, okay, I kind of know what to do now. I have to put a little bit of the charisma into it.
[21:03] By the third time, you're like, all.
[21:04] Speaker A: Right, this old hat.
[21:05] Speaker B: I got this.
[21:06] Speaker A: Yeah. And that's why I tell people, too. I think that the best thing that you can do once a year is read through your textbook. Yeah.
[21:12] Like, read it like a novel. Like, once a year, get out your textbook.
[21:16] And there's going to be a lot of things. You're like, oh, I've already read this. Or, oh, I don't need It. But it's like, especially the disinfection and sanitation. Like.
[21:22] Like, go through your textbook and reread the textbook and reread your test booklet and all those things with the answers in it. So that way, like, you can refresh your knowledge because it's right.
[21:32] Speaker B: See how many versions of the malady book has there been since your book?
[21:35] Speaker A: Exactly. I have the green one. One.
[21:36] Speaker B: The green one.
[21:37] Speaker A: See, I bought the green one on ebay. And it's like, it's so different, but it's like you,
[21:41] like, having that knowledge will make you more confident. That's where you have the pictures of.
[21:45] Speaker B: The oranges and lemons on the face.
[21:48] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Like, and the potato and the pot, the potatoes.
[21:53] Looking back, what do you think,
[21:55] beauty school or so what do you wish that beauty school would have focused more on? And what are you as an educator focusing more on that you didn't really get an opportunity to learn?
[22:09] Speaker B: I'd say more so, like,
[22:10] the fun aspects of it. Right. Because it's like, when you're in school, you really are focusing on. Okay, what do I need to do? I need to focus on the disinfectant, sanitation.
[22:16] I need to focus the test, the protocols, like, everything, everything, everything. So I think I, as an educator, like, I'll have them waxing within the first week. I'm like, all right, let's.
[22:24] Let's do a strip. Let's have fun. You don't know about the layers, you don't know about the, you know, the levels. Additive, intelligent, that's fine, but we're gonna have fun.
[22:32] Speaker A: Do you remember when I had that group of freshmen come in and I made them wax on the first day?
[22:37] Speaker B: I do. I do.
[22:39] Speaker A: The terror. Their hands were shaking and I made them, and it was really mean. I should not have done this. And I regret it now because I feel really bad. But I had them waxing a senior, and I was like, oh, if this goes bad, if you take off this girl's eyebrow,
[22:52] like, and it was just pulling the strip. It wasn't like, you know, doing the whole thing, but it was like an initiation. And then I felt bad after, but it was so bad, like, on the very first day.
[22:59] Speaker B: You gotta make them break.
[23:00] Speaker A: Let's go.
[23:00] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, you gotta.
[23:01] Speaker A: You gotta do this.
[23:03] Speaker B: You can't rip off that bandaid.
[23:04] Speaker A: It's that wax trip with force parallel to the skin,
[23:11] full movements.
[23:13] So what does your career look like today compared to what you thought it was going to look like when you first got into school?
[23:23] Did you did you see yourself being an educator,
[23:26] low key? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[23:28] Speaker B: I think towards the end of school,
[23:30] if I think back, I think about beauty school, I think the one thing that my poor instructor did struggle with is she needed more help.
[23:35] So I think the fact that she saw something in me where I could kind of pass on the knowledge to other students, she would focus on me a little bit more so that when she did have to step away, I could step in and help for her.
[23:48] So I do think I've always had that. I've always had the knowledge that everybody learns differently, right?
[23:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[23:53] Speaker B: And I think that's one of the fun aspects of being an educator is you can really see how everybody learns differently. And then the second they get that topic and the second that twinkle hits their eye, I'm like, ooh,
[24:03] yep.
[24:04] Speaker A: And I think that's like what we were talking about earlier, how showing up to all the demos, showing up to all those things, because it's like, you never know the best way for you to learn an aesthetic school until you do it.
[24:14] Is it hands on? Is it listening to information from somebody doing a demo? Is it watching somebody do it over and over again? Is it like, what. How do you learn the best?
[24:25] And you can't know that if you're missing bits and pieces of the school. Like, if you're like, oh, this isn't really that important, or I'm not going to show up to this, or, you know,
[24:32] like, you need to know, because then once that clicks, that's it.
[24:35] Speaker B: Yeah.
[24:36] Speaker A: And then that will also filter into your specialty.
[24:38] Speaker B: Yeah, that's true.
[24:40] Speaker A: So if you could build a dream beauty school. If we could build a dream beauty school, what would be important to you to really focus on and highlight?
[24:50] Speaker B: Ooh, quality.
[24:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[24:53] Speaker B: Quality of the facility.
[24:54] Speaker A: Cleanliness.
[24:55] Speaker B: Cleanliness. Oh, my gosh. Cleanliness. Gosh. Let's just. Let's just.
[24:59] Speaker A: Let's take it back. Cleanliness.
[25:01] Speaker B: Let's put a hard, hard C on the cleanliness.
[25:04] Speaker A: Yeah. What about as far as education, do you. What would you.
[25:07] More of that you don't necessarily see now that you kind of have the freedom to do that? Like, is there something that's. That you're doing more now than you were a few years ago?
[25:15] Speaker B: Ooh, I think definitely not pushing people more, but encouraging people more. It's like, I know a lot of people go into beauty school and they're like, I only want to do facials or I only do want to do waxing.
[25:26] I'm like, you could have a very natural Talent to waxing. Because I have seen some people can lay a strip down the first time they've ever done it, and it's beautiful and immaculate at that 45 degree.
[25:34] I'm like, spectacular.
[25:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[25:36] Speaker B: And I'm like, if you don't give yourself the opportunity to try it, you could be short changing yourself.
[25:40] Speaker A: Totally.
[25:40] Speaker B: So I'm like, I definitely think that encouraging people a little bit more, even if it's outside of your comfort zone, I'm like, I'm never going to make you do a Brazilian if you don't want to do Brazilian.
[25:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[25:46] Speaker B: You know, but I'm like, try that arm wax. Try that leg wax. You know, try that back facial. If you don't want to give somebody a face facial, you're going to have to for points anyways.
[25:53] But regardless, you know, do do things that you might not think are things that you want to do.
[25:59] Speaker A: Yeah. Because like, I always tell people, when I went into school, I was going in for microblading and. And lash extensions. I was like, oh, this is what I'm going to be, a lash extension artist.
[26:07] I'm going to do microblading on the side and got in there and fe love with skin. And I was like, wait, what?
[26:13] And then I, like, fell in love with lash lifts and realized that I didn't want to do lash extensions. And I was like, wait, this is like, what happened to the original plot of the movie?
[26:21] What happened? Because I. It was so unexpected for me to, like, it was a complete career pivot. And so I think that that's. That's the part that I love the most as an educator is watching someone come in with this idea of what they want to do and falling in love with something or being really,
[26:33] really talented, really, really amazing. Something that they didn't even know existed. I didn't even know lash lifts existed. And at the time that I was in school, lash lifts are technically illegal, so we weren't even supposed to be doing them.
[26:42] So it,
[26:43] like, I fell in love with doing something illegal. My gosh. And me being the rule follower that I was, I was like, oh, my gosh.
[26:48] Speaker B: Like, please don't, like, give me a fine.
[26:50] Speaker A: Please don't.
[26:50] Speaker B: I don't want to. I don't want to ding on my license.
[26:52] Speaker A: But I think that, you know, watching someone come in with this idea or this expectation of, like, what they want to do and then actually falling in love with something else is, like, the coolest thing ever.
[27:03] Yeah. And then watching them just, like, take off with it and, like, run it's like. And. And you have to push them, like you said. Like, you have to really get them outside of their comfort zone, because some people will come in and they'll have previous experience or they'll have that idea of what they want,
[27:15] and they'll just stick with that. And it's like, no, like, branch out and try other things. Like, at least try it.
[27:18] Speaker B: Maybe one thing above the faith.
[27:20] Speaker A: Exactly, Exactly. I've had people who.
[27:23] They're like, I'm never doing Brazilian. I'm never doing a Brazilian. And then they do it, and they're like, oh, my gosh. Like, I'm so good at this. And then it's like, the doing is what then makes them realize that they're good at.
[27:32] And then they want to specialize in it, and then they can make a lot of money. And then all of a sudden, they're just Brazilian wax artists, and they're just like, you know, hustling.
[27:39] And you're like, yes, that's awesome, because you came in thinking that you were going to do something completely different.
[27:44] And I think. Or also the things we were talking about earlier, the care pathways, like, you don't know the other things. You can be a spray tan artist. Did you know that?
[27:50] Did you know that? You know what I mean? There's all these different, like, opportunities based off of the demos and the people that are coming in or the connections that you're making in the industry.
[27:58] And. And I think that's, like, so fun and so cool to find out when you're in there. Yeah. Going in with one idea and coming out and being like, huh, this is completely different.
[28:06] Yeah. Yeah. So if you could give student or new esthetician any advice. Advice.
[28:13] What would your advice to them be as an esthetician and.
[28:17] And also as an instructor, since you have both of the. The experience from both.
[28:22] Ooh.
[28:23] Speaker B: I think at the end of the day, it's like,
[28:25] for me, it kind of comes down to your morals. It's like, you really have to have a solid moral compass. If not, it's very easy to be swayed with the pretty lights and the pretty products and the pretty parties and all this fun stuff.
[28:39] At the end of the day, it's like, we go back to, are you giving your client a product that they can't afford? It's not sust.
[28:44] It's not realistic for them. Are you providing services for people that maybe aren't able to afford the $300 facials? $500 facials? Right. Come from an immigrant family. My mom like, the first facial she ever had was from me.
[28:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[28:56] Speaker B: You know, and so it's fun for me to be able to give her friends facials, and it's fun for me to have friends that are also like me, from immigrant families who have never had facials and people to give them facials.
[29:06] So I think the advice I would give is go in with your idea of what you want to bring to your face business.
[29:12] Really stick to it, and don't let yourself get swayed by everything that's out there for you.
[29:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Have blinders on. I think integrity is the biggest thing. And. And, you know, I posted something on my TikTok yesterday about a client who came in, and she had mentioned that she got the DMK service from someone, and I immediately got jealous, and I immediately went into this.
[29:33] Oh, my gosh. Like, I've been thinking about gmk. Like, do I need to start.
[29:37] Do I need to do the courses? Do I need to bring in this line?
[29:40] Exactly. And I. And I started to panic, and I started to kind of spiral a little bit, and I did stop myself and be like, no, that doesn't align with what your specialty is.
[29:47] It doesn't align. And it. Maybe it does, but as far as I know, it's not something that I need to do right now. It's not a priority. And.
[29:53] And I have everything really dialed in, and I don't need to disrupt what I have right now with something new and shiny.
[29:59] And I know a lot of people swear by it, and they love that, and that's amazing, but it's okay for someone else to offer something else that I don't. And the industry can be very, you know, pay to play.
[30:07] And it's like, oh, if you don't have the fancy, actual HydraFacial machine, then you aren't as cool as the rest of us. And it's realizing that as long as you getting amazing results with your clients and you're doing it in a way with.
[30:20] With integrity, then that's all that matters.
[30:22] Speaker B: Then I think there's room for, like, everybody. That's the thing, Right?
[30:24] Speaker A: Exactly.
[30:25] Speaker B: There's room for everybody at the party, so.
[30:26] Speaker A: Right. Yeah.
[30:27] Speaker B: There's so many faces out there. There's faces, there's backs, there's butts, there's everything.
[30:30] Speaker A: And we've seen hundreds of students, and, like, every single one of them is different. And even if they all have the same specialty,
[30:35] they're all doing different things. They're all. You know, there's some that work as employees. There's some that are solo. There are some that are in solo salons. There are some that are working in business offices.
[30:44] There's some working out of their home, some that are mobile. Yeah.
[30:47] Realizing that it's okay to be really good at just one thing or just two things or, you know, they don't have to have 30 or 50 things.
[30:57] Okay, well, thank you so much. This is so exciting. This is so fun.
[31:00] Speaker B: I love you so much.
[31:02] Speaker A: You did amazing.
