Tabitha Santiesteban

Hey there! 

My name is Tabitha, but you can call me tabby… yes, like the cat! 

I’m 26 years old. I have a beautiful 6 year old baby girl who has been my life other then being a beautician! This right here is my LIFE! 

I currently attend Aveda institute south Florida, graduating in February 2022. I’m blessed to be surrounded by talent and continuously educated on varied subjects not only on hair, but also business start up, how to build connections by networking, creating trustworthy rapport with clients, and,of course on downtime finding friendships that can last a lifetime.

My passion for cosmetology stemmed from my mother. Since I was a little girl I watched my mother do her makeup and fix her hair before work every morning. I would sometimes sneak into her makeup box trying on some bold lipsticks and eyeshadows that of course never matched. My mom saw my interest in hair and makeup and bought me toy hair & makeup kits on holidays.

As the years went by, interest in the beauty industry grew and I started to purchase REAL makeup and hair tools. Including my first pack of hair extensions from Sally’s at 15! INSTANT LENGTH! 😂 

From there on out it was over! My love for the craft blossomed like a rose given to someone with love ! As a kid/ teen I was always insecure about myself. The way I was able to cope was by creating myself through hair and makeup. It was something that made me feel beautiful. It was a way to build up my self confidence when I had none. At 17, I enrolled in a dual enrollment program through my high school to obtain a cosmetology degree. While enrolled, I then began freelancing and building a book from close friends and family who needed hair and makeup done. Unfortunately, the program I was in was not made for me at the time. I was also told beauticians couldnt make enough money to sustain themselves independently. That finding myself a career path that provides “more security” would be better. So my priorities went mostly to school and just doing my own hair and makeup for a hobby. 

By 20, I decided to follow a different career path by majoring in occupational therapy and decided to pursue that for a while. My passion for helping people build the confidence they need to feel was always the goal and had been embedded in my core. So giving back to veterans was my security career path until March of 2020. 

In 2020, during COVID-19’s finitial breakthrough, I was able to pick up more colorful makeup pallets also, like many others experiment with my hair. I made mini tutorials for makeup applications for friends and, just for fun! I mean seriously we had all the time in the world! That is when I realized that spark that faded away due to fear of job security, had quickly reignited the fire that I once had. Cosmetology as a whole- hair, makeup, skin, nails, I love it all! It was a way to dive into my creativity. I realized that maybe I can still help people feel good about themselves, but incorporate what makes me feel good too. By doing what I loved most and what I was great at!