hi, i'm Aneesa.

My story begins in my childhood bedroom in 2014 when I stumbled across YouTube makeup tutorials one night at 2am. Instantly, I became obsessed with makeup and cosmetics. I watched tutorials every night for months, taught myself how to do makeup, began making my own YouTube videos, practiced on friends and family and created an Instagram page to start sharing my work online.

I dedicated all my time to learning technique, product and application. I quickly learned my makeup style: soft, romantic and radiant. I loved making women feel beautiful, but most of all making them still feel like themselves. I always say, “you, but elevated.” I started marketing myself as a Bridal Makeup Artist and I worked for both MAC Cosmetics and SEPHORA during my first two years of doing makeup professionally.

During this time, I was also in school full-time at a four year university, studying Communication with an emphasis on Media and PR. After I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in 2018, I accepted a full time job and moved to San Francisco, CA. I landed an incredible job working as a beauty content creator, something that had always been a passion of mine. 

I was still taking weddings on the weekends during the two and a half years I was at my full-time job. I averaged anywhere from 35-40 weddings a year, traveling almost every weekend. My work-life balance was definitely challenging, but I didn’t care. I loved what I was doing and my friends and family were always understanding and supportive.

Then in 2020, the pandemic hit. I lost my job that I loved and didn’t know what to do. And people weren't having many weddings I could do makeup for. I felt confused and stuck. But I knew one thing for certain: I still wanted to work in the beauty industry more than anything. 

After years of talking about it, I decided to enroll in beauty school to get my esthetician license. I began my full time program in Sacramento, CA in August of 2020. I was even asked to teach the makeup portion of my curriculum because I already had five years of professional experience under my belt - it was so cool. I went on to graduate at the top of my class in early 2021. I became a licensed esthetician on May 05, 2021. 

Fast forward six months, I was working for a small Venture Capital Company in San Francisco because service providers and the beauty industry as a whole, was struggling. I wasn’t thrilled about the work I was doing, so I began searching for other opportunities. I came across a part time job as an esthetician not too far from where I lived in the city. I thought… “why not?”

I applied and got the job. I worked my full-time job at the VC and my new part-time job for about three months, until San Francisco underwent a huge job layoff period, and I was unexpectedly laid off from my full-time job... again. If you’re keeping track, that had been my second unexpected lay off in two years. I didn’t think it was ironic - I knew it was God’s way of saying: “go and do what you’re meant to do.” So I began working as a full time esthetician in San Francisco in September of 2022. 

Around this time, my best friend and I discovered country western line dancing. We began going dancing every weekend and loved the community we became a part of. We were both eventually asked to work at the bar that we began line dancing at - her as a line dancing instructor, me as the DJ. We became a dynamic duo!

In March of 2023, her and I started working at our second location - a country western bar in San Francisco called “Westwood.” About a year later, we were asked to help open Westwood’s second location in Orange County, called “Westwood Coast” in Costa Mesa. We both had individual desires and dreams to live in Southern California but we didn’t know which part of SoCal we’d ever live in. We took it as a sign! After six years of living in the Bay Area, I was eager for something new and decided it was time to pack my bags and try a new city. 

I moved to Orange County, CA in May of 2024. I was hungry for new adventures, new business opportunities and new connections. But the move was hard. I was far from home for the first time, missing my friends and family and unhappy at the salons I was working as an esthetician at. So, in May of 2025, I decided to take a leap of faith and open my first solo studio in Huntington Beach. I didn’t totally know how I was going to make it work, or even if I could - but I believed in myself enough to try. 

I named my studio Five Five Beauty which stands for 05/05, which signifies the date I got my professional license. It was when I decided, wholeheartedly, to make being a service provider in the beauty industry my lifelong career. At Five Five Beauty, I specialize in eyebrow shaping and spray tans. I also offer brow laminations and lash lifts.

I have now been working as a makeup artist for over 10 years and have been working as a full time esthetician for over three and a half years - and I also still teach line dancing! But now, I’m ready to dive into weddings again, in my new city. Makeup, specifically bridal makeup, has always been my number one passion. I’m shifting my focus back to connecting with women, making them feel beautiful, important and pampered on their wedding day or any special day they have in their life. 

I believe everything happens for a reason. I am extremely fortunate to have been given all of the opportunities that I have and I'm proud of myself for always working hard and never giving up. I'm grateful for everything that's happened in my journey, even when it didn’t make sense. I thank Jesus every day for allowing me to continue to learn more about myself and chase my dreams. 

So just know that if ever we cross paths, I know it will be because we were supposed to. If you’re looking for a makeup artist, for your wedding or your event, I hope you’ll consider me. 

Thank you for visiting my site and I hope to see you in my chair soon.

- Aneesa