Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaime Carson.
Hi Jaime, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began my beauty journey as an opera makeup artist. From there, I was hired by RENT the Broadway musical to go on tour as the wig, makeup and wardrobe Assistant. While I was on tour my skin was a disaster. I was in my early twenties and for the first time in my life was experiencing major acne breakouts. Many of the performers I worked with were also struggling with their skin. I decided it would benefit my makeup career to learn more about the skin so I enrolled in esthetics school in New York City and became a Licensed Esthetician in 2007. It was during Esthetics School that I realized my passion for caring for the skin. Makeup gets washed off, but healthy skin is a true confidence booster.
I’ve heard people say that when you are on your correct path opportunities present themselves to you. This was my experience. I was in the right place at the right time as I was finishing my program and was hired to work at an elite facial studio owned by Master Esthetician Jillian Wright before I had even graduated. This is very rare in my industry and usually a high-caliber facial practice will not hire a new Esthetician without them having at least two years of experience.
After a few years working for Jillian, I moved into the Med Spa world and became certified to perform various laser treatments and more aggressive skin treatments under the supervision of a Doctor.
After a few years of being in that world, I tried my hand at working for a larger corporation and accepted the role of Elite Esthetician with ReVive Skincare. This gave me the opportunity to dip into the world of luxury skincare and host beautiful facial events at high-end department stores like Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. As beautiful and grand as this luxury skincare world was, I missed working one on one with clients on a regular basis. Coaching clients on how to care for their skin and watching their skin thrive and their self-esteem improve is tremendously gratifying for me.
I started Carson Skin Rejuvenation part-time while working for ReVive thinking I would take a couple of private clients each month to fill that void I felt not being able to perform the styles of facials I love to do. I started with no fancy equipment. Just my hands, a massage bed and a fantastic product line. To my surprise word of mouth spread and new referrals kept coming my way. Soon my part-time venture was feeling like a second full-time job and I had to make a choice – take a gamble and go out on my own full time or stay in the comfort zone my day job offered me and stop growing my own practice. At this point, I as working around the clock juggling these two jobs. I made the choice to resign from ReVive, found a space to rent by the month on the upper east side of Manhattan and plunged into building Carson Skin Rejuvenation. That was ten years ago and this venture has been the most creatively fulfilling project I’ve ever been a part of and the relationships I’ve developed over these years are some of my deepest connections.
At the start of 2020, my practice was fully booked and I was contemplating how to expand my business beyond myself. Then March came and my business was mandated closed for five months. During this time, I had more than enough time to think. My husband and I have loved Austin, Texas for years and had become regular visitors. We had talked before about moving there, but with my business being fully booked and knowing how long it took me to create that kind of stability, I was too intimidated to start over somewhere new.
It was the pandemic shutdown that gave me my YOLO moment and gave me the courage to feed my curiosity and move to Austin. I closed my NYC practice and was able to reopen Carson Skin Rejuvenation in Austin in May of 2021. What a fantastic choice this has been!!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My road has definitely not been smooth. Thankfully I didn’t know what obstacles would be put in my path before they arrived so I was able to deal with each one as they came my way. Had I known about them beforehand, I may have never started my business.
I’ve dealt with everything from naively signing a bad business lease and having to find a new office within just two weeks time to breaking my ankle and learning how to perform facials while being on crutches.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Though skincare is typically a sterile, technical job that requires an understanding of the skin’s physiology, for me it is highly artistic. My love of beauty, makeup and theater are entwined in the way I view skin. I see the skin my canvas and feel such a delight watching it heal and come to life with new vibrance through the treatments I perform. I consider the skincare products, tools and techniques I employ to be like paints in an artist’s paint box and since no two people’s skin will respond the same way, I am able to be very artistic in the way I customize and perform my bespoke facials.
Because of my artistic nature and love of a good laugh, I tend to attract a deeply soulful and very fun clientele. Not everyone I know loves going to work everyday so I count my blessings that I am someone who does.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’m a believer in the saying that we can’t control what comes our way, but we can control how we respond to things. I’m sure I’ve had both moments where people could say “look at what bad luck she’s having!” and alternatively moments where they would say “that girl is seriously lucky!”. I always count my blessings as they come my way, but I don’t get stuck in the trap of feeling unlucky if obstacles come my way. I just take the next right action one day at a time and keep moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Email: admin@carsonskin.com
- Website: https://carsonskin.com
- Instagram: @carsonskin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarsonSkinRejuvenation
- Twitter: @carsonskin
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/carson-skin-rejuvenation-rollingwood
Image Credits
Robert Cameron Connelly
