about me
My story & mission
I started my journey as an esthetician in 2000 at The International School of Beauty in Palm Springs.
Like many in my field, my journey with skin health started from a struggle to heal my own skin. At just 11, I developed severe acne: cysts, oily skin, clogged pores, sensitivity- you name it. To make matters worse, I was teased mercilessly because no one my age was plague with acne just yet. My parents are European hippies who saw my acne as natural part of development, and did not see the need for professional intervention despite my pleas. I stopped at nothing to figure out how to remedy my acne on my own, and fortunately, these same nature-loving parents grew an extensive garden larger than our house itself, and I soon discovered that making treatments with certain plants along with their stems and barks (salicylic acid, one of the leading acne ingredients, is made from willow bark!) was actually helping me manage my own skin issues. By the time my friends started suffering from hormonal break outs too, I started bringing concoctions to help them as well. As a young teenager, everyone is so self-aware of every single change, so I took great joy in helping my peers feel more confident about their appearance, because I knew what it was like to feel like everyone was judging your skin.
I began to study make up art as well, and was scouted by Sephora before they opened in Los Angeles when I was doing make up at a small drag show in West Hollywood. When I wanted to pursue becoming a Medical Esthetician, I fatefully met my future business partner, who wanted to start a skin spa in Palm Springs at a property she owned, so I moved to Palm Springs and worked on About Face Day Spa in Palm Springs.
I missed my home town of Los Angeles, and I wanted to focus on acne and challenging skin conditions, so I moved back in 2002 and have been working ever since. I became a surgical technician in 2006 so I could assist in cosmetic surgery, and deepen my understanding of medical esthetics. 20 years later, I am now incredibly fortunate to have a private practice that focusses on medical grade treatments and peels, while incorporating Ayurvedic formulas and custom blends with fresh healing herbs and the effects of diet, nutrients, and lifestyle on the skin as well.
I am always learning. I think it’s crucial to always be evolving and open to new information. I love to study related biological systems to the skin, such as nutrition and endocrinology, as these all play a part in creating heathy skin.
I believe in a quality over quantity. Skin care routines get over complicated by marketing and the misinformation. As someone who has developed two skin care companies and worked for thousands of others, I value transparency and results. My days are long, but I space out my clients so I can truly focus solely on their needs and be present with them.
I enjoy having an ongoing relationship with my clients, and helping them empower themselves to treat their skin properly outside of our treatments. My clients can always text or call me for advice.
My skin care company Green Chemistry was created when I was frustrated with the lack of quality ingredients in skin care products, and wanted to create a serum for my own clients that worked for extremely sensitive skin types but also delivered results. I started working with small organic farms to create high quality plant extractions, and continue to always seek out the best ingredient sources possible. We also contribute 3$ of each sale from our website to the Los Angeles Beekeepers Association, as bees are vital to all life on Earth and I personally hold them dear in my heart.
When I’m not working: I have been obsessed with exploring nature since I was a child. I love camping, and met my husband while I was camping with my family at Kern River, which I have been going to every year since I was 10. We travel all over the world with an emphasis on great food and incredible natural sites, and plan to visit Peru and Vietnam next year. We are both very much into fitness, which was not always the case for me: I spent most of my 20’s very overweight. A big life event prompted me to commit to making a change, and I got into Mixed Martial Arts and long distance running, which truly changed the course of my life. I began eating mindfully, and this prompted me to study nutrition and Ayurveda, and eventually heal my thyroid after being diagnosed with Hashimotos.
Now, I live in Cheviot Hills with our two rescue cats and bearded dragons, and spend most of my free time traveling and camping with my husband and our closest friends, as well as exploring hiking trails in and around LA. The health of the planet and our my own body will always be my top priority, and I carry those values into my work as I work with sustainable, fresh herbs, ingredients, and botanicals in my facial treatments, for not only my health, but the health of my clients and the planet.
In my many years of practice, I’ve been fortunate to have appeared on shows and magazines I grew up adoring. I have appeared in Best of ALLURE and Vogue Magazine, and have been interviewed on Things Green on PBS, as well as local magazines like Voyage LA and Los Angeles Magazine. My goal is always to be improving and learning, and I aim to find the absolute best treatment path for each client’s individual needs and goals. I love writing about skin and health as well, and you can read my articles here.
