Threads of Grace: A Beauty Journey Inspired by Mom

I grew up with beauty and fashion woven into my life like threads in a tapestry. My mom, a woman with a knack for blending classic beauty rituals with timeless fashion, was my first teacher. While other kids might have been learning to bake or sew, I spent my childhood watching her smooth on rose oil after her evening baths and meticulously iron her favorite scarves. My job, even as a young girl, was to pass her the next brush or polish—a job I took very seriously, holding my breath with each hand-off.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved those moments with my mom, but there were days I just wanted to run outside, get my hands dirty, and join the other kids in games. Still, every evening, like clockwork, my mom would call me back in to “help her get ready,” as she called it. In her world, beauty and fashion weren’t about vanity; they were rituals of self-respect and pride, and she took them as seriously as any job.

My favorite days, though, were Saturdays, when my mom let me try a “grown-up look.” She’d hand me a spool of thread and teach me to mend a button, or let me pick out a ribbon to tie my hair. She called it “practicing elegance,” but to me, it felt like a secret adventure. I’d watch as she put on a little perfume and told me stories about how a beautiful outfit or a little lip color could make a person feel like they could conquer the world.

As I got older, I became her assistant, helping friends and family with little beauty tricks I’d picked up, sometimes doing their hair or even suggesting outfit ideas for big events. Soon, I was drawn into a world I’d been dancing around all my life. My path led me to study at the Aveda Institute and then to the Fashion Institute of Technology, and it was there that my journey truly began. I started helping clients, sharing beauty tips, and styling them in ways that brought out the best of who they were.

Years later, I look back at those moments with my mom with so much gratitude. What began as “helping mom get ready” turned into my life’s calling. And now, every time I offer advice to a client, I see a bit of that little girl in the mirror, ready to conquer the world with a ribbon, a brush, and a touch of grace.