Lovelyy Faces owner seeks to inspire and teach community

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Before she was old enough to do her own makeup, Ashley Pizarro loved watching her mother and older sisters put on theirs.

Growing up in Whitehall Township, she would sit and watch, enraptured, as they dusted their cheeks with blush and painted their lashes with mascara, she said.

As a student at Allentown School District's Dieruff High School, she said, she began doing her friends' and sisters' makeup, and soon realized she was better at doing other people's makeup than her own.

Pizarro harnessed her love of beauty in the creation of her business, Lovelyy Faces Spa Lounge & Master Academy, an esthetic salon that opened in 2021 at 813 Linden St.

Since its opening, Pizarro has made efforts to affect the community through beauty services, mentorship and education.

Years before the Lovelyy Faces storefront opened, Pizarro began her business as a makeup artist, going to people’s homes to do their makeup for events.

Back then, it was called Colored Faces.

“I wanted to let people know that I service everyone and every skin tone,” Pizarro said. “There's people who are great with darker skin, and there's people who are great with lighter skin, but I wanted them to know [my skillset] was more diverse.”

But when a YouTuber started a makeup business by that name, Pizarro changed it. She took “lovely” from her Instagram handle and added the extra "y," which she says stands for “you.”

'I borrowed her belief in me'

Carter McKinney, Pizarro’s boyfriend and founder of McKinney Media, does marketing, photography and videography for the company. He said Lovelyy Faces makes an effort to give back to the community.

“It's great to be able to know and support a woman and Latina-owned business,” McKinney said.

“Because people of color are historically and systemically suppressed and underrepresented at times, we want to give back to those communities and support them to the best of our ability.”

In addition to offering services such as facials, lash extensions and waxing, Lovelyy Faces also offers day courses on lash extension application and eyebrow sculpting.

Pizarro said more than 250 women have taken the courses, called the “Brow Sculpting, Lamination, Henna and Tint Class,” and the “Classic, Hybrid & Volume Lash Class.”

Inside the bubblegum-pink walls of Lovelyy Faces, they learned proper application techniques under Pizarro’s watchful and encouraging eye.

Sheena Montgomery, the founder of She Loves Beauty at 940 N. New St., Bethlehem — an esthetics salon that specializes in lash extensions — was in beauty school with Pizarro.

Before she became an esthetician, Montgomery said she struggled with low self-esteem. After she received her first facial, she knew she wanted to go into esthetics.

“I just want to make everyone feel beautiful,” Montgomery said, “because it was the first time I felt so good about myself.”

She said she decided to take Pizarro’s lash course to expand her skill set.

Montgomery said that taking the course gave her a much-needed confidence boost.

Though Pizarro taught her the basics of lash extensions, including the health and sanitation of the lash and different curl diameters and dimensions, she said her biggest takeaway from the class was Pizarro’s encouragement.

“I borrowed her belief in me,” Montgomery said. “I feel like I had to borrow it from her to gain it on my own.”

Montgomery said she began offering lash extension services immediately after completing the course.

'I didn't want to give up, too'

Pizarro said she helps other women launch their own businesses in the Lehigh Valley, and never views anyone else as competition.

She said to her, it’s more important to support women-owned businesses.

On her website, Pizarro offers two free e-books, including one titled “How to Open a Brick & Mortar Storefront.” She said she hopes that by her sharing the e-books, aspiring entrepreneurs can gain the insights they need to start their own businesses.

At the start of her journey, Pizarro said, she felt like she had no one to whom she could turn. She said she felt unsupported, as if no one believed in her.

“I didn't know anyone in my family or friend group that did what I do, or even had a business, period,” Pizarro said.

“I have had people in my life who started businesses but never finished it or went through with it. I couldn't really lean on them because I didn't want to give up, too.”

Going online for impact

If people still are confused or have questions about entrepreneurship after reading the e-book, Pizarro offers a free consultation at which they can address them.

In her own experience, she said, she remembers and appreciates those who helped and offered her advice. She said she wants to be that person for other people just starting out.

“I would love to be that person for other people because I know how hard it is,” Pizarro said. “Not a lot of people want to share things. Not a lot of people want to be open.”

Pizarro said she doesn’t see a reason to “gatekeep” information from others. She said everyone in the beauty industry has his or her own style.

With McKinney’s help, Pizarro is working on developing a virtual version of her lash class. With it, she said, she hopes to reach a wider audience.

“Our name of the game has always been impact — and in trying to impact as many people as possible,” McKinney said. “So that's what we're going to do with online classes.”

Looking ahead, Pizarro dreams about opening her own beauty school in the Lehigh Valley.

She said there are three beauty schools that service the region, but only two of them offer an esthetics program.

None of the schools offer advanced courses in areas such as lashes, brows, body waxing and permanent makeup, she said. Pizarro said she wants to fill that gap.

Opening her own school may be years away, but Pizarro said she is focused on collaborating with beauty schools in the area now and teaching the courses at Lovelyy Faces to the best of her ability.