Esthetics Student Success Story: Mackenzie Barrow

About Mackenzie Barrow

Mackenzie Barrow’s relationship with her skin started during turbulent teenage years with breakouts, but she developed a stronger relationship with it after the pandemic hit in March 2020. “I knew a lot of things were going to change, I adjusted to it the best I could.” After wearing a mask everywhere she went, “maskne” started to make an appearance, like it has on a lot of our faces. Mackenzie suffered from breakouts when she was younger, but when wearing a mask all of the time, she noticed her skin was suffering.

After it started to negatively impact her self-esteem, she decided she wanted to do something to change it. Mackenzie turned to quite a few resources to figure out some things she could do for her skin, and began learning and absorbing whatever knowledge she could for her skin. “I began to learn everything I could about skin. What causes acne? What is my skin type? What ingredients should I use on my skin to get the results I want? What ingredients are harmful for my skin that I should avoid? What is a skincare regimen? What is a ten-step skincare routine?” After asking herself all of these questions, she went on a journey of research and experimentation. “I learned to identify my skin type. I became versed in ingredients and how they could help or harm our skin. I tried many products and religiously scoured ingredient lists to determine if they were what I wanted. I started a morning and night skincare routine, and the results were so much more than I expected.”

It was this journey that led Mackenzie to find her new passion. “Skincare, it turns out, is a fascinating subject. There are so many incredible ingredients and so much you can do for your skin at home without a prescription.” Mackenzie learned that she was having a lot of fun learning about ingredients, and what something can do for your skin. She learned about self-care, saying, “We hear that term a lot, but until I truly lived that principle, I didn’t understand how good it could feel to do something totally loving and nourishing to yourself on a regular basis.”

After starting her self-care journey, Mackenzie says, “Beauty can often be seen as frivolous and unimportant, but this experience taught me that even doing the smallest things to care for our appearance can have a massive impact on our feelings of self-worth. It was then I realized that I want a job where I can make other people feel this way. We all deserve to feel good in our own skin, and it would bring me so much joy to help someone feel better about themselves in that way. Beauty is vital to our individual well-being as it allows us to feel like our true selves. I want to help my future clients realize that desire.”

Before starting her journey at Evergreen Beauty College, she was working in marketing at a massage company. “I’m just not passionate about sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. I want to work with my hands doing something I find mentally stimulating. So, I made the decision not to waste any more years of my life in an unsatisfying situation and make my career something I’m passionate about.”

Mackenzie found Evergreen Beauty College long before she knew she was going to be going to beauty school. After considering different Esthetics schools, she found that Evergreen stood out for several reasons. She found, “It has good value in terms of education to cost ratio, I could choose from different schedules, I could get hands on learning from experienced instructors, and it’s only about twelve minutes from my house!”

 

The Evergreen Experience

Mackenzie found her way quickly in her Esthetics program. After starting, she found that she loves doing facials, and that they are the bread and butter of what she does. “It’s a privilege to be trusted with someone’s face so I take full advantage of that. I love doing an in-depth skin analysis, picking custom products for my client, and giving them at-home recommendations to continue to see progress on their goals.

It’s the best feeling when I’m able to make someone else feel beautiful and pampered.” Microdermabrasion is something she loves being able to include into her facials, because she finds facial machines fascinating.

Another thing that she found strengthened her knowledge was learning about the different diseases and disorders of the skin. “In my first phase, my instructor, Miss Alicia, gave us a project to define a ton of different diseases and disorders of the skin. I decided to make a book for my project that contained definitions of all the diseases and disorders, as well as picture examples. I was able to find pictures for them on a variety of skin tones. It’s important to be able to identify these on my clients because there are some clients that get overlooked in this area. This is something I will be able to refer to throughout my Esthetics career.”

The Next Step

After Mackenzie graduates, she has firm goals. “I’d like to find a job working in a spa environment where I can get hands-on experience in performing facials.

Beyond that, I want to get my Master Esthetician license and specialize in medical Esthetics. It would be such a privilege to be able to work with a dermatologist or plastic surgeon to provide cosmetic improvements to patients.” Inspired by Nurse Jamie, she is also considering becoming a registered nurse, so she is able to offer even more to her clients. “She and a plastic surgeon consult clients with severe skin issues to find the best solution for them. She blew me away with the incredible before and after results she is able to give her clients just using the tools and skills that we as Estheticians have access to.”

Mackenzie is bound to succeed in the Esthetics world and knows that she has what it takes to set herself apart. “I come from an extensive customer service background, so I incorporate those customer service elements into my services. No detail of my client’s comfort and well-being will be missed, from the brightness of the light in the room, down to the temperature of the treatment table. I’ve had clients tell me that non one before me had ever asked them if they needed to use the restroom or remove any jewelry before their service. In my treatment room, no important detail like this ever goes unnoticed.”

When asked if she had any advice for incoming Esthetics students, Mackenzie shared, “You’re only in school for a short time. For Esthetics, it’s only six months. During that time, give it everything you’ve got. Show up every day, study hard, learn everything you can, take every opportunity you get to practice a new skill. It’s a lot to take in all at once, but you won’t regret anything if you do the very best you can. I guarantee you’ll succeed!”

Miss Mackenzie Barrow is slated to graduate this upcoming April. If you’d like to follow along on her journey, you can find her on Instagram @barrowesthetics. We truly cannot wait to see how Mackenzie goes out and thrives in the world of spas and are truly excited to share her story.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the beauty industry you can check out our different programs or Schedule a Virtual Tour, at one of our six locations: Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, North Seattle, Renton, and Yakima.