Today we’d like to introduce you to Lyssa Pfauth.
Hi Lyssa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been around beauty for as long as I can remember. I was always doing my friends’ and sisters’ makeup, and when I was 11, I actually got the chance to do makeup for my first bride. I obviously had no idea at that age that it would turn into a career, but I loved it. I loved the creativity, but I think I loved even more how makeup could make someone feel.
I went on to attend the Aveda Institute of Atlanta and became a licensed aesthetician in 2010. From there, I worked in different parts of the beauty industry, from skincare and aesthetics to makeup. I also started doing makeup for friends, family, and eventually more and more brides. I really fell in love with the bridal side of things and with being part of such an important day for someone.
Over time, I started noticing that there was something missing in the way a lot of women experienced professional makeup. I would hear women say things like, “I love it, but I just don’t feel like myself.” That really stuck with me. I never wanted makeup to make someone feel like they were looking at a completely different person in the mirror. I wanted it to still feel like them, just the best, most confident version of themselves.
That was really the idea behind Evergreen Beauty when I started it in 2016. And honestly, building the business has been a lot of figuring things out as I go. There have been plenty of mistakes, pivots, and moments where I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I’ve had to learn how to be a business owner while also being an artist, how to build a team, how to delegate, and how to trust other people with something that I care so deeply about.
I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you don’t have to have the whole path figured out. I definitely didn’t. A lot of where I am today came from simply saying yes to opportunities, learning from the things that didn’t work, and paying attention to what felt right.
Today, Evergreen is so much more than hair and makeup to me. It’s about the experience I create for people. I get to be there for some really meaningful moments in my clients’ lives, and I don’t take that lightly. At the end of the day, I just want someone to look in the mirror and still see herself.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. I think there’s a misconception that once you have a successful business, you must have known exactly what you were doing from the beginning. That definitely wasn’t my experience.
There have been a lot of highs and lows along the way. In the beginning, I was trying to figure out everything at once: how to grow the business, how to build a team, how to be a good leader, and how to still be an artist and stay connected to the part of the business I loved in the first place. I’ve made mistakes, hired the wrong people, trusted the wrong things, and had to make some really hard decisions. There were definitely times when I questioned whether I was on the right path.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve spent most of my career working with women, especially brides, and I think one of the things I’ve become known for is creating a really natural, elevated look. I want the makeup to photograph beautifully and the hair to feel polished, but I never want it to feel overly done or disconnected from who someone actually is.
I’m also very relationship-driven. I genuinely enjoy getting to know the person I’m working with and figuring out what makes her feel the most confident. Everyone has different features, different insecurities, and a different idea of what “beautiful” looks like. I don’t think there’s one formula that works for everyone, and I’ve never wanted my work to feel cookie-cutter.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to turn something I’ve loved since I was a kid into a career and a business that has continued to grow over the years. I’m proud of the risks I’ve taken, the mistakes I’ve learned from, and the fact that I’ve stayed true to what I believe beauty should feel like.
I think what sets me apart is that I care just as much about how someone feels as I do about how they look. Anyone can create a pretty makeup look, but to me, the real success is when someone looks in the mirror and thinks, “Oh, this is me. I just feel really good.” That’s always what I’m chasing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I definitely think luck has played a role in my life and in my business. I’ve been lucky to meet the right people at the right times, to have opportunities come my way that I never expected, and to have people believe in me before I always believed in myself.
But I also think a lot of what we call “luck” comes from being willing to say yes and putting yourself in situations where something good can happen. I’ve taken a lot of chances in my career. Some worked out and some absolutely did not. I’ve followed opportunities that scared me, changed direction when something wasn’t working, and sometimes just figured things out as I went.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beautyevergreen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evergreenbeautydmv
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evergreenbeautystudio
