We were lucky to catch up with Lawtoinette DeWanna recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lawtoinette, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The L’Aesthetic Enhancement Lab was created as an inclusive beauty boutique that provides transformative beauty services that allow clients to experience life the way they see themselves. It started with myself, I was my very first client. After facing self-esteem challenges in a society that constantly wanted to decide my look for me, I spent time with myself in the mirror creating looks that best suited me and it was definitely transformative. Shortly after that, friends and family began asking me for beauty and style advice. After a while, I recognized that God gave me a gift for making people feel confident by way of beauty. It’s those moments with myself that consistently drives my passion to do the same for everyone that books services with me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Lawtoinette DeWanna, a woman with a strong faith in God, a belief in the beauty of humanity, and a very outgoing personality. I have a strong overcomer mentality and believe that life’s experiences lead us to our divine purpose, if we have the right perspective. Serving others was instilled in me growing up, and as I got older, I started to truly understand just how much of a gift it is.

I like to say the beauty industry found me. I needed to express my look the way that I wanted to. After practicing different techniques on myself and beautiful people along the way that believed in my talent, I became a self-taught make-up artist and was given a chance to be a member of the glam team for a fabulous designer’s fashion show in 2009. I kept practicing my craft, and the opportunities grew from networking with other creatives. I initially wanted to become a Dermatologist, but medical school intimidated me and at that time was highly competitive, so after graduating with a Biology degree, I landed the typical corporate job, while continuing to take clients here and there. The beauty “itch” remained and after some research, I enrolled in esthetics school part-time and attended evening classes until 2016, when I became a Licensed Esthetician. I landed my first job as a Skin Therapist for a major beauty retailer, working part-time in the evenings and weekends. While there, I soaked up every opportunity to become more educated about the beauty industry, listen to and educate people from all walks of life on their skin, customer service, advanced techniques, and prescribing skin and make-up regimens. The best part of it all was providing real-life solutions to people and hearing them express their gratitude and appreciation for the care I provided to them.

Fast forward to today, The L’Aesthetic provides services to men and women and was formally established in 2021. However, the foundation was being laid in the years prior. Today, I have transitioned into providing transformative and semi-permanent brow services in a professional and meticulous manner, such as Microshading/Ombre Powder Brows & Brow Lamination, which are solutions for clients that suffer from hair loss or who are seeking to transform their brow appearance. For the client on the fence, I also offer semi-permanent brow tinting services. Also on the menu, are glam services and face and body waxing, which is a hair removal service for those that deal with hirsutism and desire longer-lasting results than shaving provides.

What I am most proud of is when a client looks at themselves in the mirror and are excited at their results! My clients are the heartbeat of The L’Aesthetic and how they feel on the inside matters just as much to me. Their beauty and light will be affirmed and highlighted through the services provided and they will also leave with the motivation to continue affirming themselves daily.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As a result of the pandemic, I became unemployed. It frightened me to not have the stability, but I also knew it was God causing me to become uncomfortable enough to do something more. During that time, with support and encouragement from my close circle, I used my resources wisely and become a certified permanent make-up artist and educated myself on what it would take to start my own business.

From there, I gave my full attention to manifesting everything I’d written down over the years and spent countless hours creating my logo and designing my website, ultimately creating a space in the living room of my one-bedroom apartment and began seeing clients on a small scale. Then on to a two-bedroom apartment, where I transformed my spare bedroom into a mini-salon suite. From there, I was blessed with the opportunity to have my first on-site location in 2021. In 2022, The L’Aesthetic has a beautiful new space in Dunwoody, GA, where I now serve my clients.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Fear and self-doubt! I struggled with wondering if I was good enough to go at it on my own in this very saturated industry. I had to learn how to trust God, myself, and the talent and skill that I brought to the industry. I also had to remind and affirm myself of my story and that there is a uniqueness to how I got to this place and it would require me to channel those experiences in a positive way to be successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thelaesthetic.com
• Instagram: @thelaesthetic
• Facebook: @LaDeWanna
• Other: [email protected]