Meet Nikki Son | Permanent Cosmetic Artist & Educator

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

Hi Nikki, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Initially when I started my business, I didn’t think of how much money I would make or how “successful” I would be. Rather, I wanted to find something that I enjoyed and was fulfilling. I needed a change from my corporate job and figured this was something I could potentially be good at.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a cosmetic tattoo artist, I strive for natural -looking enhancements. My clients love that their healed brows or lips look as if they just did their make up well that day versus like a tattoo.

Starting out, I kept my corporate job and sacrificed time away from my personal life to build my clientele. I took clients late on weekdays and worked every weekend. I hustled for two years in the beginning and reinvested almost everything I earned back into my business.

Some challenges I faced were imposter syndrome, perfectionist tendencies, and trying to keep a consistent clientele coming through the door. The cosmetic tattoo industry can be rough on your confidence as you’re constantly trying to improve, but not compare. With time, you learn that there is enough business for everyone & people will come to you, for you, if they love your work.

I never thought I would be as busy as I am. My approach to building my business was a “just do” attitude and figure it out along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Orange County, there are so many neighborhoods with their own hidden gems. In Garden Grove specifically, they have a container park with food, drinks, and sometimes live music. My all-time favorite bar “Barcode OC” is just a few minutes down the road. I would then probably finish with dinner at Tsuruhashi in Fountain Valley.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Alongside my family and friends, I would actually like to thank my first landlord. Le was the owner of the facial salon I rented my first studio from. It was a 100sq ft room. She let me rent at a very affordable price from what she was asking in her ad since I didn’t have any clients yet. She told me she liked my character and believed I would do well. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to have a professional place to start my career. Because she gave me an affordable rent, I didn’t have to worry about getting “enough” clients, I just had to worry about improving my work.

Website: Beautybynicksz.com

Instagram: @Beautybynicksz

Facebook: Facebook.com/beautybynicksz

Yelp: https://yelp.to/IUOEHbo4wqb

Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdvMVy6w/