MY FIRST CLIENT
Coming from a family of hairstylists, at the tender age of five I fell in love with hair. It all began when my cousin came over to cut my mom’s hair. I was so intrigued that I knew I had to try it out! The next day my friend LaShawn came over and I asked her, “Do you want to play barbershop?” And she said “Yes, what do we have to do?” I said, “I’m going to cut your hair and give you a bob.”
I took her into my mom’s closet where she became my very first client and I started cutting her hair. Once I was done, all of her hair dropped to the floor and we switched places where I let her trim my hair. Needless to say, my mom was crying hysterically in shock which led to us getting in trouble with our parents. Our moms drove us to a local barbershop to fix our hair. To this day, Lashawn is still my client and our parents have yet to live it down!
I grew up in the inner city of Richmond, California where I was exposed to diverse nationalities which gave me the ability to service all kinds of people. At twelve years old, I fell in love with the beauty industry as I frequently performed services on my friend’s by doing their hair, nails and makeup for fun.
In my senior year of high school I interned at a Richmond, California salon called Cuttin’ Up where I serviced multicultural clients where it allowed me to work on all textures of hair. It gave me enough experience that I knew that working in a salon was what I wanted to do! I sought sound advice from some of the best beauty mentors, India Johnson and Kim Rice. I will forever be thankful for the support and education they provided me.
From there, I enrolled in Paris Beauty College in Concord, California while working at one of the top salons in the Bay Area, Jovance Salon & Spa in Vallejo, California. Once I graduated in 2003, I received my license and became a stylist full time at Jovance Salon where I gained tremendous experience and skills.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, I reinvented myself and discovered that I not only wanted to do hair but also provide other services that I was passionate about including makeup, nails and waxing. From there I built my salon Paradise Luxe Beauty with the hope of integrating a luxurious and soothing salon and spa experience. My mission is to provide every client with personal pampering services tailor made for you!
I married my long-time childhood friend, Darnell Richardson in 2011. We have three beautiful daughters who I hope to inspire to be the best women they can be. My family is very special to me and motivates me every day.