Meet Aimee Claire
Experienced Esthetician
I’ve been a licensed esthetician for more than 20 years, working in almost every type of environment an esthetician could possibly experience. I practiced for four years in the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, which is a top 5 plastic surgery residency program in the United States. There, I had the privilege of working with both cosmetic and reconstructive patients alongside an amazing group of doctors, nurses and administrators. I call my experience there my “grad school” because I was able to observe so many surgical procedures, and participate in research developing cutting edge laser procedures, injectable fillers and neurotoxins.
From there I went to the opposite end of the spectrum and worked for 5 years as an esthetician in the Bellagio Spa in Las Vegas. Their mission is to provide the best of everything, and they mean it. I trained on all the most luxurious treatments in the most beautiful environment imaginable. My favorite part of working there, as well as anywhere else, is all the interesting people I got to meet from around the world. And yes, that included lots of celebrities, but we aren’t allowed to share those details. Eventually I began to miss the pace and tone of the South. I moved to Little Rock, Arkansas and started a family. I’ve been in private practice here since 2010, but my passion for esthetics truly began much sooner than my professional career.
I’ve been giving my friends facials and brow designs since the 6th grade. It was on the agenda at every sleepover. My oldest sister was in charge of looking after me whenever she came home from school in Tuscaloosa, and she would take me to her esthetician appointments. I was immediately obsessed. Her esthetician Melissa would let me come in the room and she would show me how all the machines worked and how to perform extractions and waxes.
I saved all my babysitting and birthday money to buy fashion magazines and the latest Kevyn Aucoin books. I begged to be able to go to esthetics school instead of college. My parents finally relented and I went to Guy’s Academy in my hometown of Shreveport, LA. I was the only student in my class because my instructor, Mrs. Sue Burch, had just returned from cancer treatment. She gave me so much hands on instruction, and open access to her extensive esthetic library. I hate to think of all the money I could have saved on books and magazines if I’d had the access to information that is online today, but it’s a double-edged sword because there is so much false information being spread. Anyone can claim to be an expert and post whatever skincare “facts” they want without citing their sources or being held to any sort of professional standard. With so many options and opinions in today’s esthetic market, I can’t imagine trying to navigate it all on my own as a consumer.
The goal of ACQ Beauty is to be a concise, easy to navigate resource for anyone interested in skin health and beauty. I will do my best to break down the information on every product, ingredient, treatment, and skin condition relevant to anyone interested in the health and beauty of their skin. I will be drawing on my 20+ years of experience as a licensed esthetician, as well as that of other esthetic and medical professionals. You will get to watch my personal experiences with several products and procedures to help determine if they would be of benefit to you.