Elevate your Aesthetics with Mabel Lopez

One thing certain in life, is that life is filled with uncertainties. We go through life with goals and plans and from one day to the next, everything can change. You’re nowhere near where you were and maybe you’re closer to where you’re supposed to be.

This is one truth that has become of significant importance for Mabel Lopez. Mabel faces life just like many others, wondering what her career path is “supposed” to be and what she is meant to do. Often times we fail to look internally and reflect in order to get us to move on or to take a step. Mabel went from working in the corporate world, to studying esthetics and finally pursuing entrepreneurship and starting her own business – Elevated Aesthetics.

Mabel graduated from Manhattanville College ’15 with a degree is Marketing. Having pursued sales throughout her work experience, she figured marketing was where she wanted to be and was ready to take on the corporate world as she got a job in a recruiting agency in Manhattan. “I thought I would really enjoy the fast paced lifestyle of NYC; I’m always on the go and thought I wanted it to be part of my business/professional life as well but it turned out to be different than what I expected” she said. Working 12 hour days with constant stress was not something that she saw herself doing. “For me it became a question of happiness…” Mabel shared. While being grateful for the work opportunity, it became an eye opening experience that showed her money isn’t everything. She could have stayed working and made a great deal of money because she was good at what she was doing, but ultimately was not happy or content with the lifestyle she was living.

It was here that esthetics came into play. Mabel thought to herself about things she cares about and is always doing, and for her, all those things were in the esthetics field. It became a matter of acknowledging she wanted change and simply doing something about it. For her, that moment came when she was on her computer and noticed an email for a School of Esthetics, something she doesn’t even remember signing up for, yet there it was, right in front of her. After inquiring and doing research into different programs, she ended up in an esthetics school in White Plains in an accelerated full time program. From there, she took her first step, and quit her job. “Leaving without a job lined up was probably the scariest and biggest leap of faith I’ve ever taken but I was determined” Mabel says. Even though seemingly she was taking a step back by leaving a well-paying job in the corporate world, for her it was a step forward as she was on her pursuit to happiness.

Mabel began her journey into learning all about esthetics. She describes it as “skin care therapy”. In her education process she was able to learn about the health and wellness of the skin but further than what is on the surface. She’s had to learn chemistry, anatomy, biology, and a little bit of everything to tackle on the complexities of the largest human organ. She was tested weekly on these subjects, followed by practices where she learned more hands on techniques to practice on her classmates, and lastly she participated in clinicals where students were given the opportunity to work on real clients.

In life there are steps that lead us to where we are meant to be. For Mabel, she always knew whatever she wanted to do would incorporate helping people. While she already does contribute to the well-being of her community, she’s always loved working with people and making sure that was part of her career. In sales, she realized that wouldn’t be the case, because she was often selling things to people that they didn’t need. While in esthetics, it’s still very easy to be unethical, Mabel’s goals are to always be ethical when it comes to her work. Being ethical to her means asking all the right questions, giving individualized attention, and always learning, because clients put their trust in their esthetician and trust is not something she takes lightly.

After graduating from esthetician school, the opportunity to work in a medical spa in NYC arose which is where she currently works. After getting the job, she questioned opening up her own business and whether it was something she really wanted to do. But then she realized the goals she set for herself included entrepreneurship and working for herself. Working in the medi spa is important to her because she is able to learn from professionals who have been in the industry for many years. She is able to learn about small business practices by working with the owner on a daily basis.

Mabel set out to do what she determined and opened up Elevated Aesthetics. The experience for her has been challenging yet rewarding as she has learned so much not only about the field but about herself. Despite feeling apprehensive, she put herself out there on social media to attract clients and the feedback has been nothing short of wonderful. Many clients have given her feedback saying how cozy the space feels and how much they've enjoyed their experience and this motivates her to continue to push forward and work hard. Because she is just getting started, she transformed the living room of her apartment into her spa space and everyone loves the feeling they get when they go, which motivates her to know that one day she will have a brick and mortar space hopefully in downtown Yonkers. Being very proud of where she grew up, she knows she will be proud to have a successful business in Yonkers and be able to say, “I grew up here, I started here, and this is where I chose to stay and grow”. Mabel aims to have a social impact with her business goals and be able to help people in ways they may not realize. Her next venture is to promote her self-care workshops where she sets up meetings with groups of people in a social way and provides shortened treatments for them but aside from this, she opens up the conversation about self-care and provides personalized tips on do’s and don’ts for particular skin types and anything that can help people be more conscious about their skin.

Helping people means more than just providing health and wellness for the skin at a spa. It also means giving back to her community and that’s how Mabel sees herself and her business as being sustainable. She sees far beyond doing treatments for people, but also providing educational resources for young girls in her community of Yonkers. Her plan is to go to different schools, starting where she went to elementary and middle school, Hawthorne Pearls, and talk to girls about skin care, hygiene and beauty. She feels that these ideals are often not spoken about in general, and creating a curriculum that students can be involved in would provide a great asset to their education. Mabel aims to foster a message about beauty revolving around the idea of esthetics and self-esteem combined.

For anyone taking their first step, Mabel's advice would be to “follow your heart”. She feels that often times, we get stuck because we get comfortable and believes you shouldn’t settle with what you’re doing especially if you know deep in your heart you should be working on something else. “Having the courage to take your first step is what’s going to open the doors for you and give you the following steps you need”. One of the biggest lessons Mabel has learned throughout this whole process is not to compare herself to others; she is surrounded by successful people pursuing their own endeavors but comparing herself to them can be detrimental. “Your life was created just for you. You’re the only person and greatness can come at any time for different people” Mabel believes.

Mabel is very firm on accepting her present in order to work towards her goals. Elevated Aesthetics is just the beginning of the greatness in store for her. She had the courage to take her first step and launch her own business and now on her pursuit of happiness, Mabel hopes to not only grow herself, but grow and elevate those around her.

For more information about the services offered by Elevated Aesthetics, take your first step and visit the website at elevatedaestheticsspa.com