Today we’d like to introduce you to Destiny Smith.
Hi Destiny, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always loved beauty, but makeup was the service I started with before I even knew how far this business would take me.
I decided to go to esthetician school in 2024, and while I was in school, I got pregnant with my second child. After having my baby in December 2024, I made a decision that changed everything for me. I told myself it was either all in or nothing. I had a vision for my business, and I knew I couldn’t keep treating it like something I did on the side.
I started taking clients in January, specializing in makeup and brows. I was self-taught, and I remember there were times I wanted to quit because building a clientele from the ground up was not easy. I was thinking to just settle for a job, but there was always a conflict with my schedule due to the fact that I have babies. But I kept showing up, learning, and perfecting my craft.
I started with maybe 10 clients. Then I posted a video of my work on TikTok, and it went viral. That moment showed me that people were paying attention to what I was building. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work on over 500 faces, and I’ve continued expanding my services.
Now, I’m a year into being a service provider, and I’m not just doing brows. I’m doing makeup, lashes, and all things beauty. I’m also preparing to teach my first brow class because I want to help other women learn a skill, build confidence, and make money for themselves.
What started as a love for makeup has turned into a business, a career, and a vision for something much bigger. I’m building Pure Lavish Beauty by Dess into a brand that represents beauty, growth, and opportunity.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, it has not been an easy journey at all. I started my business during a time when I was broke, depressed, and going through one of the hardest seasons of my life. I had just left someone I genuinely thought I would spend the rest of my life with, and mentally, I was at a point where I wanted to give up on everything.
My mental health started affecting my craft. I wasn’t showing up as the same person I knew I could be, and that scared me because beauty was something I genuinely loved.
But I kept showing up.
Even on the days when I didn’t feel like myself, I had clients who were counting on me. So I learned how to put my feelings under my arm, walk into that suite, take care of my clients, and keep pushing. And honestly, some of my clients probably had no idea what I was dealing with behind the scenes because I made it my mission to still give them the experience they deserved.
I started with very little. I didn’t have a huge clientele, a big team, or everything figured out. I was learning as I went, teaching myself, making mistakes, improving my craft, and figuring out the business side at the same time.
Eventually, I started seeing the fruits of simply refusing to quit. My clientele grew, one of my videos went viral, and I started realizing that what I was building was bigger than just doing beauty services. I was building something for myself and for my children.
Today, when I look back, I’m proud of the fact that I didn’t wait until my life was perfect to build my business. I built it while I was healing, while I was figuring life out, and while I was learning to believe in myself again.
So when people see the business I have now, they see the finished product. They don’t always see the woman who had to fight through a lot of personal battles just to keep showing up. And that’s probably the biggest part of my story…I didn’t have to feel okay to keep going. I just had to keep showing up.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Pure Lavish Beauty by Dess is a beauty brand built around helping women feel confident, polished, and beautiful in their own skin. I’m a full-service beauty provider specializing in brows, lashes, and makeup, but I’ve become especially known for my brows and customized brow transformations.
What sets me apart is that I don’t believe beauty should be one-size-fits-all. I pay attention to my clients’ face shape, features, skin tone, personal style, and what they actually want before I create their look. Whether it’s a custom brow tint, shaping and sculpting, lashes, or a soft glam makeup look, I want my clients to leave feeling like the best version of themselves…not like they’re wearing somebody else’s look.
I’m also very intentional about the experience I provide. Sanitation, precision, communication, and making my clients feel comfortable are extremely important to me. I’ve built my clientele from the ground up, and a lot of my growth has come from word of mouth, repeat clients, and people sharing their experience with others.
One thing I’m especially proud of brand-wise is that Pure Lavish Beauty has grown with me. I started with very little and had to figure out so much along the way…how to perfect my craft, build clientele, market myself, create policies, price my services, and actually operate a business. Watching something that started as a passion turn into a real brand has been one of my biggest accomplishments.
And now I’m entering another chapter of my business: education. Through my Brows Over Brunch training, I’m teaching other aspiring beauty professionals the skills, techniques, customer service, and business knowledge they need to create their own opportunities. I want to create something that can teach, inspire, and open doors for other women too.
I want my readers to know that when they support Pure Lavish Beauty, they’re supporting a woman who built this from the ground up, a mother creating a future for her children, and a brand that is constantly evolving. This is only the beginning.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My mom has been one of the biggest people behind my journey. She was always telling me, “Stop stressing about finding a job. There’s money in your hands.” At the time, I honestly didn’t take her as seriously as I should have. I was so focused on what I didn’t have and everything I was going through that I couldn’t see what she saw in me.
It wasn’t until I started putting my hands to work and actually seeing the money come back to me that I understood what she meant. I started realizing, “Wait… I really can create something for myself.”
And of course, I have to give God all the glory. There were moments when I was mentally and financially at my lowest, and somehow I kept getting the strength, opportunities, clients, and connections I needed to keep moving.
Danielle, Kimyona, and Kae Orr, along with suite mates, have also been part of my journey and my growth. Every person who has supported me, referred someone to me, encouraged me, allowed me to grow in their space, or simply reminded me that I could do this has contributed to where I am today.
Pricing:
- Brow Tint – $55
- Brow Lamination – $85
- Makeup – $100
- Brow and lash (most booked service) – $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://purelavishco.as.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purelavishbydess?stkn=YXNicjRwcm1qdWhp&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ZyT8GF5pM/?mibextid=wwXIfr
