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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Pineda-Ibarra
Hi Jenny, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My family has been my motivation to never give up and has helped bring me to where I am today. My name is Jenny Pineda and I’m a Mexican American hairstylist & makeup artist. I come from a family that has never had much, but my parents always made sure my siblings and I had food on the table and a loving home. My parents left their home country of Mexico with the sole purpose of giving their future children a better life. They didn’t want us to struggle in the same way they did when they were young. This motivated me as a young adult to go to college and eventually go to beauty school. I didn’t want their sacrifice of coming to the US to be in vain. I wanted them to feel proud, while also setting a good example for my younger siblings. I have always worked as hard as I can to hopefully give back to my parents one day for everything they have done for us.
My love for beauty began as I was growing up. As a little girl I always loved everything beauty. My mom even tells me stories of how I would always grab her makeup and put it on myself for fun. She says I would even grab a pair of scissors and cut my own hair, thinking I knew what I was doing.
I have also always felt that my interest in beauty was, to some degree, inherited from my mom. I remember my mom’s interest in beauty throughout my childhood. She would always cut my and my brother’s hair and would always purchase makeup and other beauty products. It didn’t matter where she was going she would always have makeup on and would always carry extra makeup and hair accessories/tools for touching up. I think in part, it was because of her that my interest in the beauty world came to be.
As I got older and entered my early teenage years I wanted to start wearing makeup but my parents never allowed me to do so. They believed it was best to follow our Mexican tradition. This meant I couldn’t wear makeup until I turned fifteen (quinceañera). In Mexico this is the defining age, where young girls become young women and become old enough to start wearing makeup. I respected their decision and waited eagerly for the day!
I always felt that my passion laid in beauty and by the time I entered high school I knew I wanted to go to beauty school after graduating. I remember when I first told my parents, I could truly feel their excitement for me and they agreed to support me in any path I chose. My dad would always tell my siblings and I to follow a career path that wasn’t just about good income, but also something we would enjoy and love doing.
A few years into high school and my school began to offer a new program where you could experience a specialized class on a career of your choosing. There were many options available, from construction to nursing, but only one stood out to me, cosmetology. I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity, since I knew it would help me figure out if it was truly what I wanted to do! When I started the class, I fell in love with everything that we had to do and I knew pretty quickly that it was meant for me!
As I finished high school I was tasked with a senior career project where we chose what we dreamed of becoming. I, of course, decided to do mine on cosmetology and provided 3D items that represented my career. After I graduated high school, I decided to go to college first and double majored in accounting & marketing. I felt it would one day help me when I decided to start my own business as a stylist. While I was in college I continued to practice doing hair and makeup on family and friends, slowly becoming better and eventually good enough to charge for my services. I was in college for almost five years and after graduating with my two degrees, I decided to go straight to beauty school.
I toured three or four beauty schools in the area, but only one truly caught my attention, Keune Academy. I decided to apply and start my beauty journey there! I wanted to become licensed and practice in full what I always loved doing. It took me about a year to graduate, after which I took my state board exam; thankfully passing both parts on my first try! Once I became licensed I began to look for a salon that truly made me feel at home. I soon started working at a salon in Duluth and loved everything about it, but the drive. It was 45 mins away, but with traffic it always took me an hour. I then decided to look for something closer to me and I found The Hair Studio. I decided to talk to the owner and after a week of shadowing her I started working as a stylist.
That’s where I am today. I am now doing what I always saw myself doing and enjoy every part of it. I love doing hair and makeup and I love making people feel beautiful and confident about themselves!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In truth, I have not had it easy to become what I am today. I had to go through a lot, but I have always had faith and have never gave up on what I have always wanted to do in life. Little Jenny would be so proud of how far we have came. One struggle I had to deal with was how when I first applied to go to beauty school I had to pay out of pocket due to the fact that all of my financial aid was used for college. I don’t regret my decision of going to college and I’m so grateful to have been able to have the opportunity to do so, but it did complicate things financially. I had to work weekends and holidays while in school just to be able to make my monthly payments on time. Not to mention that I had to study for exams for the first few months of beauty school, so everything was so draining and tiring for me. I always told myself though that I wouldn’t let that stop me from following my dreams.
Beauty school is not as easy as people may think it is and definitely not as easy as I thought it would be. The good thing of doing what you really love, however, is that it won’t feel as challenging at the end of the day. I definitely had my ups and downs while in school, but I never gave up and always pushed through. I met people that didn’t really help when I needed it, but also many more that supported me day after day. I always woke up extra early to have enough time to eat breakfast and get ready; leaving extra early to not catch traffic as it was a drive of 45 mins to an hour everyday from Tuesday to Saturday. I always put effort into arriving to school on time and never missing a day because I really loved, and still love, the beauty industry! I was always excited to go to school and learn something new. I consider myself a very responsible person and I always try my best to look and feel up to par!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a Hairstylist and MUA. My business name is Jeypi Beauty, with the name Jeypi coming from the nickname my mom used to call me when I was a teenager, JP. It’s a combination of my two initials for Jenny Pineda, but actually being spelled out. My mom spelled out my nickname and I decided to use it for my business. I felt it described me and decided to signify the love I have for beauty to also play a part in my business name.
If I had to pick something I enjoy the most doing behind the chair would be balayage ombres. I love the dimensional look it gives from the root to the mids and the contrast of the solid look from the mids to the ends. Despite this, I truly love & enjoy doing everything else beauty related!
What sets me apart from others is that I am a perfectionist & detail oriented individual. I pay attention to the smallest of details when doing anything, but especially when I am doing hair. I want my work to be as perfect as possible for my clients, sometimes being the reason bleaching/coloring services can take so long. It is really important to me for my clients to feel happy and content with their hair when they leave my chair.
I offer a variety of services, from coloring & regular hair services to makeup and other small hair services like haircuts & hair treatments. I love to see my regular clients come back but also love to see new faces and meet new people. It’s so heart warming to be able to connect with my clients and it feels amazing when they trust me, not only with their hair, but also with their life stories. I hold all my clients and their stories close to my heart!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Outside of my professional career and during my free time I enjoy cooking & baking. I love trying new recipes I find interesting and I love trying new foods. I also enjoy working out and going hiking! It helps clear my mind and relieves any stress I may have. Something that I feel is very surprising to many people, is that I am religious. I always try my best to go to church every Sunday and during the week I also go to bible study classes. As a Catholic, I love and enjoy learning more about my faith. While I was in college, I even used to be a catechist and taught children in kindergarten and first grade about the basics of the Catholic faith.
Aside from everything I love to go to beauty events and take classes to further my education as there is always something to learn and always something new trending! I know that behind the chair I’m not just creating art but also changing people’s lives and that’s what’s so rewarding to me as a stylist. I hope to inspire and motivate people with my life story, so that they also don’t ever give up on their dreams!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vagaro.com/jeypibeauty
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeypi.beauty?igsh=MWFpNTRudXd1bWx5Mw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeypi.beauty?_t=8p92vu02vbW&_r=1
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