Meet Alice Yoon of Boulder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Yoon

Alice, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Korea, raised in Hawaii. I’ve always had an artistic skill & interest. At one point in my life, I was an aspiring art student, applying to colleges for a fine arts degree. Reality, or cynicism, set in and I decided to major in Public Health at the University of Washington. While I loved my education and my time at the school, I kept dabbling in art, mainly drawing and painting, as a hobby.

Fast forward to 3 years ago, I found myself working in tech sales and making good money. But I missed being an artist and creating with my hands. I couldn’t help but reflect on how I had gotten here and why I was living a life that I was not excited about. I thought, I can either keep climbing the ladder, paying the bills, feeling safe and unhappy. Or I can take a risk on myself, invest in my talents and see if I can make something of it.

I had been following quite a few of the most prominent permanent makeup artists at the time and got hooked into the creativity, evolution, and individualism of the techniques. It started with studying brow shapes and patterns. I then saved enough money and took a permanent makeup course. I practiced day in and day out, refined my skills before even working on a real model.

Even with almost 2 years of practice and working on a handful of models who were in my close circle of friends & referrals, I was still afraid to take a leap. The real turning point for me was the inspiration that my partner gave me. While I was (slowly) working on a way out of my corporate job, my fiancé had done the deed himself! He launched his own company this past year and we decided to settle down in Colorado.

With this, I made up my mind to finally just go for it. We made the decision to stay in Colorado, got my Esthetician license, took the 132-hour permanent makeup course to get myself fully licensed & certified in the state of Colorado, and launched my studio.

It’s been one crazy journey but I’m loving every minute of it!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This journey has definitely not been the smoothest road but it’s the most exciting and gratifying thing I’ve done. I’m sure most small business owners can relate but the biggest struggle has been to build my own blueprint for my business. In the past, I’ve worked in corporate. When there were issues, I had colleagues and managers to turn to and ask for help. Being a small business owner, I have to pave my own way to success. Although there are mentors, friends/family, and community that you can reach out to, no one is telling me whether choice A or choice B is right for my business. You are the marketer, operations, sales, artist, and also the CEO. You’re ultimately in charge of your own decisions and that can sometimes be overwhelming. That said, this exact struggle has also helped me to trust in myself more. I do my research and seek help outside when needed. I am open to ideas and guidance but I’m also learning to trust my decisions and choices.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I provide permanent makeup services, including eyebrow, eyeliner, and lip blush tattoo. Permanent makeup services offers variety of techniques to implant semi-permanent pigment into the outer layers of the skin to mimic makeup.

My most popular service is the eyebrow services and we provide 3 different techniques to cater to everyone’s individual needs – 1) nano brows, 2) ombre/shading, and 3) combo brows. In my line of work, it’s extremely important to provide unique and customized approach to each client because everyone has a different brow shape, arch, curvature of the face, hair color, etc. I use my time with clients to really dive into the consultations and get to know their natural features and desired outcomes. This helps me to create the most beautiful work that enhances my client’s natural beauty.

My ability to really listen and empathize with what my clients are looking for, is what sets me apart from other artists. I want my clients to not only love their results but to feel comfortable and confident in their decision to include me in their permanent makeup journey. I love what I do, and I take pride in what I create so being able to help people feel their absolute best in their own skin has been the most gratifying part of my work.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
As Nike said it best, just do it.

The only thing I wish I knew is that I should have started when I had the idea.

Having the courage to start your own business is already half of starting a business. If you can put in the work and have the dedication, you can figure it out even when the roads may be rocky!

Pricing:

• Nano Brows – $500
• Combo / Ombre Brows – $500
• Eyeliner – starts at $300
• Lip Blush – $500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miaebeauty.com
• Instagram: miae.beauty.ay