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

Vanessa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My greatest risk was in believing in myself when the bottom was ripped out from beneath me after an unexpected divorce and battle with severe depression. I pivoted and left my home state of Michigan and everything familiar that I knew and loved to challenge my abilities as an Esthetician and Makeup Artist in Los Angeles. I didn’t know any one in the industry, and within a year I was working head makeup artist on a feature film which relied on special effects that I had to learn on the fly. Because I taught myself makeup in the late 80’s, I had the confidence in myself to rise to the occasion and many more since. I came from a blue collar family of immigrants (my father’s parents were Armenian Genocide survivors) and because of knowing what it took for them to survive and for the sacrifice my father made to come to Michigan and not speaking English and with only 50 dollars to his name, I knew I could do anything with my talent and grit.

Vanessw, 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 industry before it was an industry. I was the first graduate out of 5 from a brand new Beauty school in Michigan. They had just added the esthetics program.

This was 2002, and I wanted to do professional makeup, which I had taught myself by deconstructing the looks on movie stars and practicing on myself and friends since 1989 and in order to do this, I needed a professional license. Hair wasn’t my thing, but esthetics was a new program, and even though I didn’t even know what that really was, it would help me reach my goal of being a professional MUA.

I had always been creative, obsessively perfectionistic and detail oriented since I was a child. Even as young as 7, I would manicure my mechanic Dad’s rough hands and broken nails to perfection. He would encourage me and say I had good eyes and steady hand like him. I was also the only one to be able to pull out the tiny, nearly imperceptible metal slivers from my dad’s job working with steel and would try to cause the least amount of pain possible, as I was already highly empathetic to the suffering of others.

So the artistic, empathic, and perfectionistic side of me all seemed to converge in due time when I enrolled in esthetic school. My mom tried to discourage me because she always saw me as a teacher, and I had a degree in English, but the artist in me kept a slow burn in my heart that every time I would see makeup or brushes in the store, my heart would skip a beat. I tried to ignore it because back in those days, it was hard to make money with makeup, especially in Michigan, so I put it aside for awhile, until I did my own makeup for my wedding, as I was disappointed in other artist’s technique.

I specialize in using color and precise technique to enhance one’s unique, natural features. Not using technique to alter features, which was the trend in the late 90’s, when I got married. I abolsitely looked,like the most glowing version of myself with using the right color on my eyes and lips and stunner everyone, who remember how beautiful I was to this day.

The response I got from my simple makeup convinced me that I could do it professionally. I had done many friends for special occasions, and got rave reviews stating that they never felt so gorgeous and yet still looked like themselves.
that became my calling card, and word of mouth spread organically. From there on, my business built.

After esthetic school, I was so passionate about learning about skin care once I realized how much makeup looked better after a facial. So it complimented my makeup applications to learn to do extractions, which I learned on my own on myself as well, as it is generally not taught in school..

Over the years, extractions became my obsession, then acne as I saw how much heartache and embarrassment it caused clients. I was working in a library at the time so I read and researched every book I could get my hands on about skincare. A few years after I graduated esthetics school, I was asked to be an instructor as the staff remembered how much passion and ability to retain and understand information, as well as how patient I was with my fellow students when it came to helping explain the more difficult aspects of theory and so they paid for me to go back to school to instruct in Michigan.

This opportunity made me an even better esthetician as I knew I absolutely had to know my subjects if I was going to be responsible to pass on accurate information to future students. I wanted o make sure both students and clients had the facts and were always well informed on the latest treatments that actually produced results. I wanted to make sure the future estheticians had integrity and as much knowledge as they would need to succeed. Not one of my students failed the exams and after 3 years of instructing and creating curriculums for the 3 private academies I worked in (Michigan and California). I felt I fulfilled another desire of mine and my mother’s, which was to teach, something I loved.

This absolutely challenged me to be a better esthetician, and to think on my feet and have a correct answer for virtually any question. So never stopped learning, which is what makes my career consistently interesting and challenging.
Ifor the past 22 years, I have consistently worked in some aspect of the beauty industry, alternating from multimedia MUA, esthetician at top rated LA spas since 2012)., consultant for a skin care line and starting my own esthetics and makeup business in 2002, which has become mobile over the past decade.

Currently I am working at Spa Sophia in Venice, which is my home away from home. The owner, is a legend, and she and O have the utmost respect for each other as she is brilliant, gifted, a visionary in the industry and deserving of her own article. She has always trusted me and the other staff to be ourselves and consistently encourages us in our own unique approaches to skin care, all the while maintaining a unified, curated business model. She knew my main passion and specialty is treating resistant acne in all ages, and performing thorough extractions in a virtually painless manner with a technique I developed myself as I had a strong preteen and teen following. This age group is especially challenging and rewarding because it requires a lot of patience with treating them, earning their trust (and the parents’ trust), as well as making it as comfortable and pain free an experience as possible. Iti is also imperative to know the comedogenicity (pore clogging) rates in ingredients, so as to no not exacerbate their acne.

I am so grateful that Sophia is allowing me to focus on this at her spa, she is giving me the opportinityto have access to so many more clients, beyond my personal clientele which grew from word of mouth as opposed to having access to her eponymous, cult favorite space as well as the all important support and exchange of ideas, knowledge, and new techniques that is essential in any career’s growth. I am blessed to work with the top professionals in the industry, using results oriented products and modalities.

I had always secretly hoped this is where my life and career would end up, but I never thought it possible and couldn’t conceive of achieving all that I have. I exceeded my own expectations and can honestly say that I knew deep down what I was capable of, it was all the support of the wonderful visionary people around me who saw more in me than I noticed in myself. And that is what moves and motivates me to push myself to excellence every day.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Integrity, the willingness to maintain that with clients and colleagues at all times.
To never deceive anyone for personal gain under no circumstances. Our clients are trusting us with their time, hard earned money, and for guidance. Also, they are vulnerable the moment they lay on our table. They are coming to us with issues that affect their self image and psyche, we must put in our best effort to give them the realistic results they’re looking for and always with truthfulness of what is achievable in our field. If it is out of my scope I always direct them to reputable practitioners who can meet their needs. I go so far as to vet them on their behalf, as I know how difficult it is to navigate all the treatment options and products out there.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Essentially this has happened on several occasions throughout my career. I have had many false strata as a result of personal life changes which were beyond my control, including a divorce, cross country move, businesses I worked for closing, and certainly the pandemic.

VI was raised to be adaptable and resilient and learned to go with the flow. Because I know have diversified my talents, I have always been able to bounce back. I could teach, consult, work either as an esthetician or a makeup artist, I also have other creative talents such as writing, editing, and styling. I worked as an organizer for private clientele before (one has to be extremely organized as a mobile esthetician and MUA, implementing systems for them to be able to maintain their spaces. I have also worked as a scare actor at Six Flags just to try something different and be around wonderful creative energy for the past two years. I put my all in that as well and won an award for best actor in my maze, which was a surprise. Again, that was very much thanks to the people who surrounded and encouraged me. This is essential to being able to pivot, support from others, people taking the time to teach you the ropes and help you thrive.

What I realized mostly about myself and other creatives is that all we really need is a platform,to express, it doesn’t matter what or where, but we can pivot and step up to try anything new so long as we are allowed to be free to express and be ourselves and encourage one another.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Vanessaalexisagopian
• Linkedin: Allireesthetics

Image Credits

Last photo Tomasz Raczek.