So How is MY Life as an Esthetician?

Fun. Busy. Challenging. Exhausting. Exciting. Scary. Fulfilling. Crazy. Hectic.

These are just some of the words that come to mind when I think of how my life, as an esthetician, has been lately. As many of you know, I have been training to be a Wax Specialist at the European Wax Center for the past two weeks. In the midst of working full-time (along with a bunch of overtime) at Sephora, I've also been waxing models for free under the watchful eye of my trainer, three days a week.

I know some of you think I'm crazy. The people who know me in real-life know that this is just who I am and what I do. I'm a hard working, workaholic. Work-life balance is my biggest challenge. I mean really? Who in their right mind has a full-time day job and then works a part-time job on their two days off? If you're someone like me who loves the industry you work in and loves the work you do, then it doesn't really feel like work. It feels more like a career. Putting in the extra time and energy to improve my own skill level and build up a clientele is what I felt like I needed to do to get to where I want to go within this amazing industry.

When I first started school over two years ago, I wanted to be a wax master. Half way through my program, I shifted gears and realized how much I really loved the business side of the industry. I discovered that I was truly a product junkie. Not only did I love using products, I also loved educating my clients on the salon floor about products. This became obvious with my hefty take-home percentages during my time on the salon floor at school. That's why it wasn't a huge surprise when I landed a full-time gig at Sephora educating and selling products to clients, within a couple weeks of graduating from school.

Even though I was still happy with my job at Sephora and doing quite well in my position a year and a half later, I couldn't help but think that there was something missing from my career. Here I was surrounded with products and an endless opportunity to talk to clients about products all day long. In the back of my mind, I knew there was still a void I wanted to fill. I missed touching skin. I missed being in the treatment room. The little wax master inside of me was starting to get restless.

Over a month ago, I took an advanced waxing class at Eve's Esthetics, just to see how I felt about waxing in general. I hadn't waxed a single body part since I'd graduated from school in 2010. I figured taking the class would be a great indication of how I really felt about waxing. In school, waxing kind of scared me. Not that there was anything scary about waxing. I just didn't have a whole lot of experience waxing outside the comforts of my school's waxing room with my learning leaders. I knew the proper techniques that helped me pass the State Board exam, but I wasn't confident in my own skills to consider myself a waxing licensed professional.

The class I took ended up sparking my "waxing" fire. I forgot how much fun waxing could be. I decided right after I finished my class that I wanted to pursue a part-time job as a Wax Specialist. I've always been one of those people who has always worked multiple jobs at one time. Having a part-time job and a full-time job at the same time was nothing new to me. When I was a bartender, I always worked at two bars at one time, sometimes even three and four. Why should it be any different now that I had my esthetician license? Instead of slinging drinks behind the bar, I want to use the skills I developed in school and in my recent waxing class, but in my own treatment room with my own clients. Since I already knew that I had a passion for waxing, I decided to find a place that specialized in just body waxing.

As much fun as this whole experience has been, its also been quite exhausting. I haven't had a day off in three weeks! There are days where by the time I get home, I'm too tired to blog, let alone even eat dinner. I am enjoying being challenged both mentally and physically every step of the way. Even though my days and nights are action-packed and non-stop, they are extremely satisfying. I feel such an amazing sense of accomplishment not only in my daily productivity, but seeing and feeling my waxing skills improve with each shift I train. There was a time in school when waxing kind of intimidated me. Now, I feel like the act of waxing kind of relaxes me. As I start my third week of training, I'm finding that I can get into a groove of laying down strips of wax in a pattern and removing them with ease, all while chatting up the client on the table.

This has been quite the hectic and fulfilling journey. At the end of the day, I can honestly say that I am truly happy. I now know that I am now on the right path.

Next stop: starting my brand new full-time day job at SFIEC on Tuesday, April 17th. Stay tuned!