about ME
NOT YOUR
EVERYDAY
HAIRSTYLIST
Doing hair and makeup has given me the gift of the world.
What started at a MAC counter in 2004 turned into a career that’s taken me across cities, stages, and continents. Working with brides, talent, and high-performing professionals who expect nothing less than excellence.
From my first studio in Campbell to my last, Cut & Color Collective,
awarded Best Salon in 2023 and 2024.
Now based at Above First in downtown San Jose, I specialize in seamless extensions, elevated color, and polished makeup and styling for those who want to look powerful, not overdone.
If we haven’t met yet, this is your sign.
follow your heart
love what you do
live passionately
The feeling i get when my client's walk away glowing with confidence
has kept me going since 2004.
My first experience working on-location and on a team was for a beauty pageant, Miss Vietnam Global 2007. It was an amazing week-long experience that happened to fall on my birthday. It was perfect!! My client flew me and 3 of my friends out to help her do hair and makeup for the pageant contestants. I learned so much and realized there was way more to the industry than doing makeup at a store. I wanted more!
Just after that, I enrolled in the Cosmetology Program at San Jose City College. MAC wouldn't accept my part-time employment. So I kept afloat freelancing and doing weddings on weekends. I had the privilege to work very closely with a star in the industry. My cousin, Armando Sarabia of Get Your Do Up. Over 10 years later, I'm also proud to have him on my team today!
After completing school, it was important for me to enter a salon that believed in continued education. I found JoJo Hair Studio, where I assisted JoJo for a year and a half and completed his Vidal Sassoon ABC haircut course before entering the floor as a hairstylist. This was one of the best decisions I made at that point in my career, as I learned to polish my skills and work as a team in a salon environment. Three years in I studied and practiced hard. I flew to New York City and tested to become a Redken Certified Colorist.
I enjoyed working in the salon, but I was hungry to get out again. I opened my first makeup studio in downtown Campbell while still working at JoJo Hair Studio. I found traveling, makeup, and styling outside of the salon were my passions. From doing fashion shows locally to beauty pageants nationally and weddings internationally, who could blame me? I loved what I was doing!
People used to tell me I needed to move to Los Angeles if I wanted to make it as a makeup artist. I've learned that though there is work down there, opportunity lies everywhere! I continued on and got to work with some of the most important people, today, including the COO of Instagram, Marne Lavine, and even Sheryl Sandberg when she was the COO at Facebook. I've worked with many CEOs, COOs, and executives of many startups and large corporations. Regarding them, I've never asked to take a photo with them or to post the work I've done with them. This was probably my biggest mistake. But everything happens for a reason.
Hair and makeup have given me the opportunity to see the world, and I am eternally grateful for this industry! I offer my services locally in The Bay Area, nationally, and internationally. I'm currently represented by RAE Agency in San Francisco, which gets me cool gigs, so cool I can't even tell you about them! But my latest and most exciting ongoing gig since 2017 has been in ballroom, doing makeup and sometimes hair Snow Hair & Makeup, for Arthur Murray competitions nationally and internationally. I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing people in the industry. And I'll never forget when I got that call from my friend saying, "Can you go to Cancun next weekend with me, to be part of the hair and makeup team for Snow Urbin, from So You Think You Can Dance?" What?! Yes, please!!!
When I'm not traveling, I take my clients for hair AND makeup at my studio along with my team in San Jose, CA. I'm proud to have a team that I love and respect with all my heart. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. Together we continue to learn, grow and live life passionately.