Since her time as a competitive dancer in high school, Lizzie Schneiderman knew that she wanted to work in the beauty industry. She had always wanted to pursue a career in making people feel beautiful and confident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn high school, I was in dance so I did my teammates’ hair and makeup,\u201d Schneiderman said. \u201cI’ve coached dance for 10 years, and have done the hair and makeup of my students. I’ve done hair and makeup for prom! It was very clear to me that I should be in the beauty industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A licensed esthetician at Opal Beauty + Wellness, a facial spa in Madison, Wisconsin, Schneiderman provides a wide range of services for her customers. These include brow waxing, tint and lamination, lash lift and tint and skin care services such as facials and exfoliations. Schneiderman loves providing all of these services, but she is partial to some of them in particular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of my favorite services to provide is facials,\u201d Schneiderman said. \u201cThey\u2019re so customizable. If you do, say, three facials a day, you can mix and match products just to make it more interesting for yourself. It\u2019s fun!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schneiderman understands the importance of self-care services and what her career can do for others and how they feel about themselves. Self-care is essential to one\u2019s wellbeing, allowing someone to look good, feel good and then perform well in their everyday life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSelf-care services just help you feel confident and bring out your inner beauty. It’s great relaxation,\u201d Schneiderman said. \u201cWith the services I provide, there’s always a massage included, so that’s really nice. It\u2019s important to do things for yourself.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For college students busy with schoolwork, internships, job searches and extracurriculars, self-care can sometimes fall behind in their long list of priorities. It remains incredibly important, but due to struggles with finding providers with accessible locations, affordable prices and flexible hours, it can become overwhelming and seemingly impossible to find these services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was really nice when Aveda was on campus, right?\u201d Schneiderman said. \u201cThat used to be accessible for students, but now, Google and Instagram are kind of your only options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to accessibility issues for students seeking services, another challenge arises for cosmetology and esthetic students in finding clients to complete the necessary hours for their licenses and certifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I was in school to become an esthetician, finding models was challenging,\u201d Schneiderman said. \u201cIt would have been great if I had an app where I could put out a blast, saying, \u2018I’m charging $20 for a facial and I need models this week\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vero \u2013 an app designed by students, for students \u2013 combats both of these obstacles. By connecting student providers looking for models with student clients seeking affordable and accessible services, Vero connects two groups that struggle to find each other currently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accessible self-care services allow college students to look good, feel good and excel in all of their aspirations both academically and socially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe spa is such a calm environment and I get to help people feel beautiful,\u201d Schneiderman said. \u201cI love what I do every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n