Today we’d like to introduce you to LeTishay Trotter.
Hi LeTishay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always thought that being beautiful was something you were just born with. I mean, right? The girls who always looked put together with stunning hair, perfect outfits, and just the right amount of makeup for the occasion. You’d think they never planned it — they just woke up and “knew.”
I grew up in a small town in Virginia, and I loved sports. Consequently, I leaned pretty hard into my tomboy era.
Fast forward to young adulthood, and I decided to head to esthetician school during the initial craze of lash extensions. After serving seven years in the military, I was ready for a very different change of scenery. The block was hot, and everyone seemed to be wearing lashes.
I was obsessed with skincare at the time, and I had this master plan to “just do lashes” while I built my resort-style esthetics empire. Turns out, I didn’t really love facials — but I became obsessed with the art of lash extensions.
I loved the challenge and being able to show off my work on a living canvas. I always leaned toward more natural, wispy, airy looks. That became my signature, although I was able to achieve just about any inspo picture a client showed me.
Five years after graduating, my business has now completely pivoted away from lash extensions, and I specialize in lash lifts — particularly the Korean Lash Lift. It’s almost like my initial dream and the obsession that followed had a baby.
The funny part is, lash lifts were something I swore off in school. I never wanted to take lash lift clients. I hated that nearly every client who came in seemed to leave with red, watery eyes, and to top it off, the results just weren’t there. At the time, I honestly thought the service was pointless and a waste of their money.
Earlier this year, one of my lash extension clients asked if I had seen the new craze around Korean Lash Lifts. I immediately dismissed the idea and thought, How different could it really be?
Curiosity killed the cat that night, though, and I ended up researching just how different this new technique could be. My mind was blown. The results were amazing, consistent, healthier-looking, and the service took less than half the time it took me to complete a full set of lash extensions.
I was intrigued, so I bit the bullet, bought the supplies, and took my first model. Seven months later, my business has completely shifted from the service that made me dive headfirst into the beauty industry to a service I once swore I would never offer.
There is something about enhancing what someone already walks in with, rather than applying something to make them feel more beautiful, awake, or put together, that scratches an itch I didn’t know I had.
I’m a mom now, and I love that, as an esthetics business owner, my daughter gets to watch me get ready for work, love what I do, and care for us well in the process.
I want her to grow up exposed to the idea that beauty does not have to mean becoming someone else. I want her to understand what it means to feel beautiful naturally and, more importantly, what that looks like for her individually.
This industry not only allows me to help other women feel even more beautiful in what they already have, but it also gives me the opportunity to model that for my daughter if she ever decides to lean more into her femininity outwardly.
Looking back, I think that may be the biggest shift of all. I started out believing beauty was something certain women were simply born knowing how to do. Now, I get to spend my career showing women — and hopefully one day my daughter — that beauty can look a lot more like recognizing, caring for, and enhancing what was already there.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been the rockiest road I’ve taken, but hey — path less traveled.
I transitioned from athlete to military and somehow landed in beauty. This was a whole new world for me. I was offering services I didn’t even receive myself, and in the beginning, I was mostly led by this desire to make other women feel good. So much so that I often forgot I was supposed to be my own billboard.
In my experience, the military wasn’t necessarily an environment where femininity was something you were encouraged to explore. I learned pretty quickly that the less feminine I appeared, the easier it was to blend in with the boys and, in many ways, the more seriously I felt I was taken.
Looking back, I feel like I lost a part of my femininity before I ever really had the opportunity to discover what it meant to me.
That has probably been one of the more unexpected struggles of building a career in beauty. I’ve had to peel back some of those harder layers while simultaneously learning that softness and strength aren’t opposites. I can be both.
And in a strange way, that personal journey has become part of the work itself. As I continue discovering what femininity, beauty, and confidence look like for me, I get to create a space that encourages other women to discover what those things look like for them too.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Eden’s Aesthetic & Co.?
Eden’s Aesthetic & Co. is my little corner of the beauty industry built around one idea: beauty should feel like an enhancement, not a disguise.
I specialize in natural lash and brow services, particularly Korean Lash Lifts. My work is for the woman who wants to look polished, awake, and put together without feeling like she has to completely change what she naturally looks like to get there.
What sets Eden’s apart is the combination of results, education, and experience. I never want someone to leave my studio simply thinking, “My lashes look good.” I want her to understand what was done, why it worked for her, how to maintain her results, and what actually makes sense for her long-term. I think women deserve to make informed beauty decisions instead of feeling like they have to blindly follow every new trend or service that hits social media.
That educational piece has become a huge part of my brand. I’ve always been curious about the “why” behind things, and over time that naturally spilled into the way I communicate with my clients and my online community. I want beauty to feel less intimidating and less like there is some secret language everyone else understands.
Hospitality is also incredibly important to me. Eden’s is meant to feel like a beauty sanctuary — a place where you can come in, exhale, be cared for, and leave feeling like a more polished version of yourself rather than a completely different person.
Brand-wise, I’m probably most proud that Eden’s has continued to evolve with me. I originally built my reputation around lash extensions, and walking away from something I was good at and known for wasn’t necessarily the easiest decision. But I’m proud that I allowed the business to grow in a direction that feels more aligned with who I am now instead of staying attached to what initially worked.
Today, Korean Lash Lifts are at the center of what I do, but I think the bigger vision for Eden’s is about helping women become more confident beauty consumers. Whether someone is sitting in my chair, watching one of my educational videos, or eventually learning from me as another beauty professional, I want her to leave knowing more about herself, her options, and what actually works for her.
That’s really what I want people to know about Eden’s: we’re not here to make you into someone else. We’re here to help you recognize and care for what was already there.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I think the best networking has happened for me when I stopped treating it like networking.
I’ve always had better experiences when I approached people with genuine curiosity instead of immediately thinking about what the relationship could do for me. Asking thoughtful questions, supporting someone’s work, staying in touch, and being willing to learn has taken me much further than trying to force a connection.
When it comes to mentorship, I also don’t think every mentor has to formally call themselves your mentor. Some of the most valuable guidance I’ve received has come from watching how other people move, asking a specific question when I need clarity, or having one conversation that completely changes the way I look at something.
I think it also helps to be intentional about who you learn from. Someone can be successful and still not be the right person to model. I pay attention to whether I actually want the life, business, or values that seem to come with the success I’m admiring.
My biggest advice would be to lead with genuine interest, bring something to the relationship besides an ask, and don’t underestimate consistency. Sometimes networking is simply being someone people remember positively because you showed up, supported them, did good work, and stayed connected.
Pricing:
- Korean Lash Lift + Tint – $129
- Brow Lamination + Sculpt (Waxing) – $129
- The Eden Effect – $239
Contact Info:
- Website: https://edensaesthetic.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edensaestheticandco
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@letishaydior?_r=1&_t=ZP-970z4n4CPxn
