Meet Kimberly Rosenberg: Founder of Virtue & Vixen

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

Hi Kimberly, what do you attribute your success to?
There isn’t one magic serum or lotion to create radiant skin is what I communicate to my clients. It takes commitment of effort to consistently care for yourself with a regimen to create a desired effect. Similarly, my success in my business has been the effect of my purpose, commitment, effort, consistency, patience and determination. 

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?

My business is beauty. In short, I provide traditional beauty services specializing in eyebrow shaping, makeup artistry for weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and red carpet events. I also represent Virtue & Vixen as a brand of skincare and cosmetics.

By trade I am a certified Makeup Artist of 22 years and Licensed Esthetician of 18. In 2012 I acquired my first Yoga Teacher Training certification with Eric Paskel and another through Prison Yoga Project with James Fox in 2014. I volunteered as a Crisis Intervention Counselor on The LA Rape & Battery Hotline and I was a Coach/Mentor for Peace Over Violence for other trainees. Currently, I volunteer for A Walk On Water providing surf therapy for kids with special needs.

My personal story is long and full of details, however, it is because I spent years past being uncomfortable in my skin for so long, comparing myself to others, caring the weight of a poor self-image, body dysmorphia and an eating disorder that I take a WHOLEistic approach with my clients to enable and support them to live more peacefully in their bodies and connect with beauty in their terms, defying traditional beauty standards. My clients not only have a safe space to come to me for traditional beauty services, yoga, fitness and lifestyle coaching are services I offer as well.

What sets me apart from others is my well-rounded approach to beauty. It is an approach of beauty from the inside, out—nutrition, fitness, mental health and esthetics. I am transparent about my struggles of my past body image issues and committed to healing and evolving in all aspects of my life. I continue to commit to approaching my 42nd birthday without ever having had plastic surgery, fillers, Botox, laser treatments or anything invasive. It is important to me to live this way in hopes of being a role model for women so they understand they don’t need to attempt to live looking like an Instagram filter to believe they are beautiful.

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?
I have an eclectic group of friends—city and surf. I spend most of my spare time surfing the north end of Malibu to Ventura and Oxnard. When it comes to dining, you will find me in my kitchen or all over various cities. The first group of restaurants are some post surf spots. The Little Cafe in Tarzana, Jinky’s in Studio City, Rincon Brewery in Ventura, Duke’s and Neptune’s Net in Malibu. I’m always on the hunt for the best brussel sprouts and there are 3 restaurants in the valley that have my seal of approval. The Village in Studio City, Pearl District in Sherman Oaks and Westlake Village and, believe it or not, Dojo Sushi in Sherman Oaks. I’m pretty sure I may turn into a brussel sprout with the absurd amount I eat. The Village has a great menu—something for everyone—including great vegan options. Pearl District has an eclectic menu and their hand crafted cocktail “Wildwood” is incredibly light and refreshing. The Local Peasant has always been consistent with great food and service. Two Mexican restaurants I love are Don Cuco in Toluca Lake and El Tecolote in Camarillo. Whole Foods and Erewhon markets are always great choices for picking up high quality, fresh food from salmon to vegan pizza and everything in between. Delish! Firefly in Studio City continues to be one of my favorites for sexy ambiance, people watching and food that never disappoints. What I’m most excited about is my buddy’s restaurant currently in the works of being built and set to open Fall of 2020. I have no doubt Taisho Sherman Oaks will deliver impeccable service, craft cocktails, sake, sashimi, robata and more.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For starters, my Mom, Dad and Sister deserve the biggest shoutout. They have given me space, through and through, to to follow my curiosity and dreams, living life in my terms. They’ve caught me when I’ve fallen and have been my biggest cheerleaders as I succeed. In addition, if it wasn’t for my loyal clients who not only put their trust in me with their esthetics, but share their inner world with me, I wouldn’t have the business I do and feel successful. Eric Paskel, my Yoga Teacher and mentor continues to pass on words of wisdom from Vedanta philosophy, coaches me through various aspects of all relationships in my life, including the one I have with myself. He has been my rock since the evening I first took his yoga class on August 20th, 2012. Outside of yoga, surfing has been my lifeline. It’s my outlet to not only experience true beauty, serenity and fun, I continue to utilize surfing to build confidence and physical strength, develop critical thinking skills, nurture my competitive nature and learn from one of life’s greatest teachers—mother nature. A few audiobooks that have made an impact on me are: The Complete Works of Swami Parthasarathy, Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself by Dr Joe Dispenza, The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, and Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee. To begin to close this out, my life would not be complete nor would I believe myself to be successful if I did not volunteer. What feels like one of my greatest accomplishments is to volunteer for A Walk On Water, a nonprofit organization that provides surf therapy to kids and families with special needs. Last but not least, I have a number of friends who have been on a ride with me through thick and thin. In times when the world appears dark, they have been my light.

Website: www.virtueandvixen.com
Instagram: @virtueandvixen
Linkedin: Kimberly Rosenberg
Twitter: @virtueandvixen1
Facebook: Virtue & Vixen

Image Credits
Ericka B. Photography, Katie McGhie, Kelli Hayden