We were lucky to catch up with Vani Leon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Vani, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always loved any thing artsy since I was a child! Whether it was painting, drawing, creating collages, jewelry making, sculpting, and many other forms of art. As I grew, I started experimenting and “playing” with hair and makeup on my friends whether it was doing really fun and shocking special effects makeup for Halloween or glam makeup for dances and special events. After high school I went moved from the Bay Area to Long Beach to attend Cal State Long Beach. During college I met some friends who majored in Fashion Design and had the opportunity to work with them during projects where they needed a makeup artist. This sparked something in me and I realized that my passion for makeup artistry was something I could share with others in a different aspect than just “playing” with my friends. When I graduated college in 2010, life kind of took a turn. As a first generation undocumented immigrant, I wasn’t able to pursue a career in what I went to school for, and in general wasn’t able to be legally employed because I didn’t have a SSN. I did however have a Tax ID number. Aside from being a nanny, and other odd jobs, I realized that I could use this God given skill to generate income for myself. Being that I had a Tax ID Number, I was able to be work as an independent contractor in addition to taking on my own clientele or working gigs that did not verify my employment authorization. In October 2013 after President Obama implemented DACA, I was approved and obtained a SSN and a work permit. From then on, I pursued another career to be able to support myself financially while building up my business and clientele. This has always been my mindset; have a career that offers me flexibility and good pay to pursue my passion and in essence be able to have a security blanket while I grow my business. It wasn’t until August 2021 that I was able to leave my career in Construction Management and venture out to run my business fulltime. I had the opportunity to go through Esthetician School and get my license in order to expand into other areas of the beauty industry.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Vani Leon and I’m a Licensed Esthetician and Makeup Artist. I have over 10 years of experience in TV/Film/Production, Print and Beauty/Bridal artistry. I pride myself on the ability to work with a diverse clientele from all cultures and backgrounds. I believe communication is key to executing my clients’ visions and bringing them to life, which is why I strive to create a positive and meaningful relationship with every person I work with. Being that the majority of my clientele are women, I feel that there’s so much societal pressures put on women to look a certain way in order to feel valued or feel seen. Often times, I have clients who have never had their makeup done before by a professional. I want to make sure they’re comfortable so yes, I will ask many questions. It’s a very rewarding feeling seeing and hearing the emotions of my clients once they see themselves in the mirror. I want every person to feel as beautiful on the inside as the outside.

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

I would say the long term goal that drives me is the opportunity to build my financial freedom from the ground up as well as doing something I love while helping other love themselves more.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love the feeling of making others feel good about themselves and it’s something we sometimes take for granted. We don’t always know what other people are going through in their daily live and something as simple as boosting one’s self-esteem can have a huge impact on the trajectory of their life. I’ve had clients who haven’t had a good experience in the past for many reasons and it makes them feel down or self conscious. As a Licensed Esthetician, I also am thrilled to share my knowledge with everyone. Our face is the first thing people see and if you’re not feeling good about your skin it can take a pretty big toll on you psychologically. I love hearing back from clients how happy they are with the results of their treatments and the confidence they have regained.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vanileonbeauty.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/vanileonbeauty