Why 11 Asian and Pacific Island-American Beauty Pros Started Their Careers

I grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains [in California] in the '70s as a fifth-generation Japanese American. I was surrounded by all kinds of beauty, brought up with animals, music, nature, gardening, art, and my beautiful artist mama. She showed me the beauty in everything. My introduction to makeup and hair was watching her apply her makeup every morning, and once a week, she would wet set her whole head of hair. It was a ritual for her. It wasn't even like she was looking at herself, but more like painting and sculpting.

My auntie Janet Kaneko Loo was a big influence too. She was a wearable-art designer in the '80s, and her pieces were in the front windows every fall at Bergdorf Goodman. She pieced together old kimonos in a new way, creating a new form with big shoulder pads — very ’80s. Many celebrities at the time wore her pieces, including Diana Ross, the Jacksons, and Fred Astaire’s wife. She opened my eyes to another world of fashion.

I studied art my whole life. While putting myself through school, I worked in a department store and ended up at the makeup counter. It was challenging, being shy and feeling intimidated by all these women of all ages and giving advice on makeup, but it forced me to overcome my fear, and also use all kinds of products and colors that I would not normally go for. I learned so much every day, working with so many different faces. I realized that I loved people as much as I loved creating an expression of them that [allowed] them to shine through and beam out even more!