We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adriana Lara. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adriana below.

Adriana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I think the kindest thing anyone ever did for me when I was first starting out was when my first boss in the beauty industry reached out to me directly to ask for my help at her salon. I want to say she found a picture of my work on craigslist or instagram and she reached out even though I explained I was such a fresh new artist. I really find it to be the kindest thing because she really didn’t need my help. She was such a hustling mom & insanely slammed with nonstop clients every single day and even though many of them were hesitant to give me a chance, many of them eventually did and I actually still have a few of those clients to this day 6 years later. It’s something I always think about honestly!

Adriana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into the industry not really even knowing what I was coming into it for if I’m being completely honest. I’ve always been a huge beauty lover since I can remember so I just knew since school wasn’t natural or clicking for me, this was a place I could truly shine. I actually ended up working for myself accidentally in a weird way! My mom actually encouraged me to rent a room out straight out of school before I even had one reoccurring client. I was terrified, but my insanely supportive parents believed in me so I went for it! The discipline it took to get everything going was honestly pretty nuts, but I definitely thrive when I lock in! I was working as early as 5am in SB driving all the way from Oxnard multiple times a week and making back in time to my 10×10 room at the beach by 12 to get to the rest of the clientele I built there as well. So juggling two clienteles was challenging, but I would do it again if this part of my life allowed for it. Deciding what service I wanted to specialize in eventually became a no-brainer in school once I got going. I truly loved the idea of lashing because not only did I get to enhance someone’s natural beauty, but I also got to know them & create connections. I traveled & invested a lot to dial in my craft, and it’s something I’m very proud of and recommend to any new or long term artists, never stop learning.
At my salon we carry tons of retail from eyelash extension safe makeup, aftercare, local woman owned business products, and so much more! It’s really important for me to have tons of female representation at my business especially because I know so many insanely talented women & I feel blessed to be able to retail them within my own establishment.

When it comes to problem solving in my work it can go many different ways, but I never backdown from it. It is always of the up most importance to me to make sure every client leaves happy & knowing they can communicate with me at any point for anything. Whenever there have been issues, I’m proud to say that I know I go absolutely above and beyond to correct it & reassure my client that will always be the case. I take a lot of pride in my work & I want to always respect those who spend their hard earned money with me. So it’s very personal for me to right any wrongs. As far as what I think sets me apart from others is just really that I am just my own person. I don’t think I’m better than anyone. I’m in my own lane, I created an amazing, welcoming, and safe space for my clientele and that’s all I could ever want.

Outside of my literal lash work, I think what I’m the most proud of when it comes to my business is all the relationships I’ve been able to maintain for 6+ years with so many of my clients and the trust we have in each other. That isn’t something that can be taught & I am truly just so blessed with such a dope selection of human beings as my clients. What I would want someone to know about me & my business if you’re unaware or haven’t been serviced by me yet, is that I love people, I love listening, and I love to create an amazing experience for my clients where you leave your troubles at the door for the time that you’re with me and I will do whatever I can to make sure of that.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A story that I can really say illustrates that would probably be when March 2020 came and the whole world shut down. I had just made a pretty big investment the year before on 2 classes to bring on a new service & moving into a salon suite for the first time and this unfortunately set me back tremendously like so many others. We were obviously classified as nonessential workers so we had to put a halt on absolutely all work in the salon. As devastating as this was for me I did anything I could to ensure I was going to be okay financially. Thank god through all the marketing I did all on my own, prebookings & many other things I did to make extra money really helped me stay afloat & later that year I actually ended up having just enough money to open my salon & so I did.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I guess my biggest goal has truly always been to just see how much I am truly capable of. A lot of times so many of us women doubt ourselves & our abilities because they constantly get overlooked. So honestly with that being said, my journey has changed a lot and inspiring other women has become a huge motivating force for me. I see how many amazingly talented, and strong women have impacted me, and I can honestly only hope to do the same even if it’s only for one person. My overall goal in life really is to just inspire other women to always reach for the stars.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://adrianajesthetics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrianajesthetics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianajesthetics/