We were lucky to catch up with Alicia Aragon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alicia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to help women, men, and everyone in-between to feel their best and most confident in their own skin. Growing up my issues with my skin were a lot different then most my age well everyone else was learning to mange acne I was struggling with eczema and had no clue how to manage it, making me very insure especially when other would ask about it or point it out. My issues with my skin definitely pushed me towards going to school to be part of the beauty industry and to help people with any concerns that they have. I love every moment I get to see my clients walk out a little bit taller with a smile absolutely more confident and comfortable in their own skin.

Alicia , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into the beauty industry 10 years ago right after I graduated high school. Originally I wanted to do it all hair, nails, skin, but I quickly realized wanted to focus on skin and specialize in just that. Over the 10 years Ive worked at a few different spas before making the decision last year (2023) to open my own studio and become solo esthetician/ pmu artist. Ive also made it point to always continue my education with new technology and techniques to make sure I can provide the best treatments that will benefit my clients. Some of the treatments I offer are dermaplaining, chemical peels, and microneedling and focusing mostly on Korean techniques/ medical grade techniques. I am also a pmu artist specializing in lip blushing and powder ombre brows. Ive been tattooing over a year. My motivation for getting licensed to do the cosmetic tattooing is the same for why I got into skincare, I want to help anyone who just wants to feel their absolute best in their skin. A lot of my clients who come to me for the tattooing just want to spent less time getting ready in the morning but still feel like they’re done up enough for work/ going out. I am most proud when I can educate clients about their routine and finally getting them to their goal with their skin. To any potential new clients thinking of coming to me I want you to feel the most comfortable asking anything I always make it a point to explain what we are doing with any serve that way you know exactly what to expect during the treatment and with aftercare.

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

If you would have told me 10 years ago when got first got into this industry that I would be running my own business I would’ve laughed and defiantly not believe you. What made me finally decide to become a solo esthetician was that the few spas I worked at I never felt like I had the best support from the owners and I never felt like I could grow as much as I wanted to. The first spa I was ever at I was there for 3 years managing everything from scheduling appointments, answering the phone, social media, and taking clients just to be let go with no explanation for why. After this happened I was devastated I felt like I had lost everything, I had no clients and I didn’t know what I was gonna do. I found another spa after this that I hoped would be a way better situation but being there I couldn’t grow a clientele at all because the owners were stealing client from me almost every time I was suppose to be working. Very quickly I left and went to a third and final spa before opening my own, This spa was great in the beginning I was able to build a great clientele form day one but slowly over my time the owner kept decreasing my commission well increasing the cost of services, needless to say this was very frustrating for me. Then one day a friend of the owner saw me at a hair salon and told the own I was going behind her back and the owner should watch out for me. That same day the owner texted me to let me go. After this I was done and determined to go solo and open my own business.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I have been fortunate enough to work with different directors, fashion designers, and models on photo shoots and live shows doing makeup which has continuously help to build my reputation and clientele. A lot of the people I get to meet doing these projects end up becoming clients and even friends of mine. This has been my greatest way to grow in this industry as well as being consistent on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mystie.vagaro.com/liegebeautybar
• Instagram: liegebeauty_bar