I came to the United States in 2004. During that time, I was married and a mother of 2 girls under the age of 3. I found myself in a very abusive relationship for almost 10 years. This led me and my daughters to live in a women's shelter. I was scared, felt alone, had no job…but I knew there had to be a better way. I eventually left the women's shelter but had to live on welfare since all I had was some change in my wallet and an old car. I was grateful for the help, but I wanted to set a better example for my kids.   

 

To improve the quality of my daughters’ lives, I learned to do nails, facials, and massage therapy.  Ultimately, none of these jobs was a good enough fit for me.  

 

My friend was doing eyelashes, but the course investment was too expensive back then and I couldn't afford it.  So I taught myself using YouTube videos and practiced with friends and family.  Soon, through word of mouth, my reputation began to grow. I said ‘yes’ to all of the appointments at any time of the day. I worked out of my apartment until I had enough money to rent a room.  I was very blessed that I was so busy that I hired someone to help me.

 

One day I noticed a pawn shop that was going out of business.  I took over that space, remodeled it, and started my Sugar Lash Beauty Bar business.  The company grew fast, and after 2 years, my customer base had grown to 50,000 people, with 250 5-star reviews on Yelp, and I expanded to a second location in 2018.

 

Today, my daughters and I live our best life in the home that I own in California.