Meet Nathalia Clariesse | Master Lash Artist & Lash Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathalia Clariesse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathalia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I was just a sophomore in high school back in 2015 I already had 3 jobs. One in my high school cafeteria, Subway & Baskin Robbins. I’ve experienced every kind of 9-5 horror stories.. from customers fighting a minor over a sandwich, leaving me alone in the store as a minor working by myself for long shifts, you name it!! But I didn’t know any better though since I was just a kid that was willing to work just to make money & they over worked the heck out of me until I graduated High school and pursued my Esthetician License. I think that’s when my passion really started and it opened my eyes how my 9-5s were holding me back to freely express my creative skill.

So I compromised, I quit my 9-5s that had nothing to do with the industry I wanted to be in which is the Beauty Industry, & found Sephora as a great opportunity to continue a 9-5 while taking my personal clients on the side.. Sephora also allowed me to network my business with the clients I would come across at work, and I am happy to say I’ve made life long client relationships because of that.

I’ve been successfully running looksbyalia for 5 years now, and it literally just felt like I just started yesterday. If there is anything I can tell a business owner who’s just starting.. have intentions with how you move with your business. Don’t just follow the crowd you’re in & master a skill in your field that makes you stand out than the rest. As long as you’re passionate about what you do, I promise you’ll find an audience curated for you.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
So looksbyalia was created to include everybody that wanted to have Lash Extensions, when I was just a client before and didn’t have my license back in 2017.. As an asian woman with a certain eye shape, nobody really knew how to do lash extensions on me or they would do certain lash styles that didn’t really flatter my natural eye shape. It was disappointing that nobody wanted to adapt to different eye shapes, styles & curls.. it was kinda like a one style fits all situation & I truly believed that I could change that..

So the following year after I graduated high school, I enrolled for my esthetician license & started mastering Lash extensions. 5 years later, Looksbyalia can proudly offer services to anyone with any kind of lash styles they want while customizing it to their natural eye shape. I never turn down a client & when I can’t do a certain style because of the state of their natural lashes.. I educate my clients about options they can start with, instead of just telling them “No, I can’t do your lashes” I let my clients be heard and I make sure their hard earned money doesn’t go to waste. Lash extensions are a Luxury Service & it is not for everyone… but that girls that have been coming to me for years understand how lashes makes them feel more confident and stress free when it comes to their busy daily lifestyles. I have clients that are full time moms, business owners that can’t catch a break & even medical field professionals that need to look/feel alive somehow under their protective gears for their 12 hour shifts! They really do make a difference, and I am so happy to be the one providing this luxurious service for them.. I think its mostly my massage bed that heats up & my cute corgi that’s always in my studio that keeps them coming back, but hey, I’m not mad about it because I take my clients self care days very seriously.

I definitely am the lash artist I’ve always wanted & that’s kind of how I base my business, I always like to ask myself “If I was my own client, would I want/need this?” & it’s definitely come a long way!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We are so spoiled when it comes to San Diego, we’re literally not too far away from a lot of places.. I would start my day in Morning Glory it’s such a cute breakfast spot with IG worthy food and the aesthetic for the place is such a vibe.

After I would hit up UTC Mall in La Jolla, do a lil window shopping.. that mall is so beautiful and they have so many stores to choose from, they also have an Ice skating rink & a dog park there, most stores are very dog friendly so I love taking my corgi there whenever I can.

In that same mall they actually have a speakeasy called Raised by Wolves, definitely something worth checking out & it feels like you’re in the Great Gatsby movie.

Little Sakana in Mira Mesa is also worth mentioning if you’re into All you can eat sushi!! The price is right and will satisfy any sushi craving you have.. they offer rolls, sashimi & nigiris and sooo many appetizers!

These spots would be my most mentioned to anyone visiting San Diego.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This shout out goes to my partner Martin Clarke! My long term long distance partner of 8 years!! Honestly if it wasn’t for my unique love story with this dude, I would probably just accept a basic 9-5 life.

Let me quickly explain,
Clarke and I have been long distance since 2014 & I live in San Diego while he’s all the way in Canada!! I know, insane! But that dude is really my person.

As we got older I realized how limiting my 9-5s were and how life/work balance was never a thing because I was always required to be at work.

That’s when I decided to go full time with my business so that I can have the freedom to create my own schedule and be able to maintain my relationship with my partner with no limitations.

He has pushed me to be where I am today.. He believed in me from the very beginning and has supported me when I was just starting.. He even got me lash supplies and furniture for my studio! He has always rooted for my success and I am so grateful to have a partner with the same goal driven personality. I pray for both of our success one day, we always told each other since we were young that we would be the ones starting generational wealth in our family because we both were raised in the Philippines.

Website: looksbyalia.com

Instagram: @looksbyalia

Facebook: Looksbyalia

Yelp: Looksbyalia

Other: TikTok: Looksbyalia