We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Mckenzie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share an anecdote or story from your schooling/training that you feel illustrates what the overall experience was like?

While attending Aesthetician School in 2010, I had a fabulous instructor who instilled something in me that I still practice to this day. Every morning the class had to practice our “O.P.O.’s”. Ms Martha calls it being Other People Oriented. We’d have to stand up and greet each other with a handshake while looking eachother in the eyes & say “Good Morning or hello & how are you?” and wait for the response. That daily practice became something that I naturally do while grocery shopping or walking down the halls at work. Pleasantly greeting each other with a genuine smile should be a daily practice in all of our lives.

Michelle, 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’m a caregiver by heart and nurturing by nature. I became interested in the skincare and beauty industry at a young age. I struggled with acne at the age of 10 until adulthood. I was always eager to learn more about skincare and having clearer skin. That curiosity peaked when I was a distributor for a cosmetic company in 2009. In 2010 I decided to enroll in Esthetic school and in 2011 I was licensed and working at a spa. It was in 2019 when I realized that my calling in the industry is to help others achieve and maintain healthy skin from the inside out. I now specialize in acne and love seeing my clients experience clearer skin and maintaining those results through education and self awareness.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I learned from early on to never say no for a customer. As an Esthetician, there’s an aspect of sales associated with it. I learned when suggesting services or selling products to never decide “no” for that customer. You’d be surprised as to how many customers will say “Yes” when you honestly tell them what it is that they need, and why they need it.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

In 2011,Liz was the Esthetic Manager at a spa that I worked at when I first started out . She trained me and helped me hone my skills. In 2013 Liz parted ways with the spa but her and I maintained friends and I took on a large part of her clientele. In 2019 Liz asked if I could work with her for a couple of days a week. She had built an amazing business and needed someone to help with the overflow of clients. Of course I said Yes!! I worked with Liz part time, while still maintaining a full time job in healthcare. I love everything about Liz and the brand that she built so in 2021 I joined Vivid Skin Wax Lash as full time contractor!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vividskinwaxlash.com
• Instagram: @michelle_vividskinwaxlash
• Facebook: @Michellevividskinwaxlash
• Other: Tiktok @Michellevividskinwaxlash

Image Credits
Remyandrinaphotography.com