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Aurora, BSN, RN, LE

@_auroraaaf

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Aesthetic RN & Licensed Esthetician
Founder, Aria Skincare & Aesthetics
Skin | Microneedling | Neuromodulators
MD: Jonathan Sykes, MD, FACS
San Mateo

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My path into aesthetics actually started behind a makeup chair!

I loved helping people feel confident, but I kept hearing the same thing: “I just want to cover this” or “I want to hide that.” Over time, I became more interested in what was happening underneath the makeup and how I could actually help improve the skin itself (not to mention also having my own skin concerns)

That curiosity led me into skincare, aesthetics, and eventually nursing. I’ve basically been touching faces and working one-on-one with clients and their concerns for the last decade!

Today, so much of the way I approach my clients comes from everything I’ve learned over those years: looking at the full picture, educating you on your options, and creating a plan that makes sense for you.

Now I get to bring all of those pieces together in my own aesthetics practice, with healthy skin as the foundation 🤎

Swipe for some throwback makeup pics to where it all started over 10 years ago. Apparently I’ve been in the beauty industry foreverrr 😂

Photographer @soyemphotography
Hair @alexandriagreco_
Studio @ennphotos

#aestheticnurse #licensedaesthetician #bayareaskincare #skinisthefoundation #sanmateoaesthetics taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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Good skin usually isn’t about finding one “perfect” treatment, it’s about having a plan you’ll actually stick to.

If you like flexibility and want skin & aesthetics to be part of your regular routine, The Foundation Membership makes more sense. Your $100/month stays yours as credit, and you get preferred pricing across facials, microneedling & tox.

If you already know exactly what you want to work on, especially things like acne scarring, texture or collagen remodeling, a Series of Three can make more sense because we’re committing to the treatment plan upfront instead of doing one session and hoping for the best 😂

Both are really built around the same thing: consistency. One gives you flexibility, the other gives you structure.

Not sure which makes more sense for your goals? DM me “PLAN” & tell me what you’re trying to improve and I’ll help you figure out the better fit.

#sanmateoskincare #sanmateomicroneedling #acnescars #sanmateomedspa #aestheticnurse taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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3 days ago

3 months of treating acne one step at a time 🪄

When he first came to me, we were focused on active breakouts, inflammation + congestion. Between consistent treatments and simplifying his home routine into something he could actually stick to, we’ve seen a lot of improvement in his skin!

Now we get to shift our focus to the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation + texture left behind and continue adjusting his plan as his skin changes.

But what I love most is seeing the change in his confidence along with his skin 🥹 This is why I always say acne takes time, consistency and patience.

If you’re struggling with acne and don’t know where to start, book a consultation through the link in my bio and we’ll figure out a plan together.

#aestheticnurse #acnetreatment #acnescarring #postinflammatoryhyperpigmentation #chemicalpeel taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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2 months ago

Well what is life without a little risk 😂 Here I go again making another crazy (but right) decision and resigning from my part-time nursing job to go 1000% all in on my business!

It’s been weighing on me for a while, and honestly, even when I started the job I knew eventually I’d have to let it go if I really wanted to grow and scale my own practice. It’s definitely scary, but lately I’ve felt pulled in so many different directions that I haven’t been able to give anything my all.

And if I’m going to go all in on something, I might as well put that energy into MYSELF 😂 Who the hell wants to work for someone else anyway?!

So here we goooo! More time for my patients, content, growing my business and actually seeing what I can build when I give it everything I have. Betting on myself 1000% and hoping my slightly delusional confidence continues to pay off 😏

Day 21 of posting about my aesthetics practice until my books are full ✨ I’ve been sharing the full series over on TikTok, but I’m going to start sharing some of my favorite/highlight days here too for anyone who wants to follow along!

#aestheticnurse #nurseentrepreneur #sanmateomedspa #smallbusinessowner #medspaowner taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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2 days ago

Sometimes the transformation has less to do with chasing “perfect” skin and more to do with feeling like yourself again. She started seeing me in May, about 6 months postpartum with twins, wanting to get back into a routine, make time for herself and work on dullness, dehydration & overall glow while being mindful of redness, eczema and sensitivity.

We’ve alternated between my Signature Treatment for dermaplaning, exfoliation & brightness and my Advanced Treatment when her skin needs more calming, hydration & oxygen therapy. She wants to eventually work on acne scarring too, but for now we’re focusing on what makes sense while she’s breastfeeding and staying consistent with homecare.

She’s now almost a year postpartum, sees me monthly, joined The Foundation Membership because she already knows she wants to keep up with her treatments & results, and even started taking my Westcore classes too 🥹 I love that her “self-care” has become more holistic and less about one appointment or one result.

The goal was never to completely reinvent herself, it was to make space for herself again. Her skin, her strength, her routine, her time. That’s a transformation too. 🤎

#sanmateoskincare #postpartumselfcare #sanmateofacial #aestheticnurse #licensedesthetician taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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5 days ago

In the midst of planning a special birthday, this is what life looked like the past couple weeks! Now I can FINALLY say Aria Skincare & Aesthetics is officially open!!! 🥹🥂

So many things didn’t go as planned (because when do they ever 😂) and there is still a lot I want to add/change/finish to make everything come together BUTTTT we are officially a medspa!!!

And to celebrate the relaunch, everyone gets membership pricing for the entire month of September:

✨ $14/unit neurotoxin
✨ 10% off skin treatments
✨ 15% off microneedling

No membership required this month, just my little way of celebrating this next chapter with everyone who has supported me along the way. 🥰

And for anyone who doesn’t know the story behind the name, Aria is named after my daughter. She’s grown up alongside so many different chapters of my career, so when it came time to build something that was truly mine, it felt right that this next chapter carried a piece of her with it.

Every single day I remind myself that this is literally just the beginning. There is still so much I want to learn, build and bring into this space, but if this is what Aria looks like this early on… I genuinely cannot wait to see what it grows into 6 months, 9 months, a year and many years from now. 🥹

Here’s to officially being OPEN. 🥂

#bayareamedspa #aestheticnurse #licensedaesthetician #smallbusinessowner #womeninbusiness taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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21 days ago

Makeup & coffee… literally two of my favorite things 🤎 Had to stop by the @merit pop-up at @sohn.sf in San Francisco for a little coffee, pastries & a color match of my Minimalist stick.

I’ve been wearing MERIT in my GRWMs for a while now, so of course I had to stop by when I saw they were doing a pop up in the city! I tried the Flush Balm in Après over the blush I was already wearing and immediately decided she needed to come home with me bc I love a good blush blindness!

Bay Area, I’m gonna need more skincare & makeup pop-ups like this please & thank ya!

#meritbeauty #meritmakeup #beautycreator #bayareaevents #bayareacreator taken in San Francisco, California by @_auroraaaf

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16 days ago

Consider this your reminder that you do not have to wait until your next facial to get your skincare together!

Your in-office treatments can do a lot, but what you’re using the other 29 days of the month matters just as much. And you also don’t need 10 new products, sometimes one targeted product added to the right routine can make a huge difference.

A few of the products I keep in office depending on what we’re working on:

✨ Bioclear → congestion, blackheads, texture & post-acne discoloration
✨ Duality → active/stubborn breakouts
✨ Retinol Plus → texture, fine lines & discoloration
✨ Marini Reboot PDRN → hydration, recovery, redness & overall skin quality

If you want to refine your homecare in between appointments, you don’t have to wait until your next facial to get started. A treatment can definitely help me assess your skin more thoroughly, but if you already know what you want to work on, you can always DM me “HOMECARE” & your top concern and I can help recommend a good place to start. I can also ship products if you’re not local or can’t make it into the office 🤎

#janmarini #sanmateoskincare #adultacne #congestedskin #hyperpigmentation taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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Not sure which facial to book? Start with what your skin is actually doing.

If you’re dealing with breakouts, congestion, blackheads or inflammation, I’ll usually keep things gentler and focus on clearing & calming.

If your skin feels dull, rough or like it just needs a reset, my Signature Treatment is usually the go-to for smoother, brighter, glowier skin.

If you’re more dehydrated, red or your skin needs extra support, the Advanced Treatment gives us more room to combine exfoliation with oxygen therapy and a more comprehensive approach.

If your skin has been feeling off and you’re tired of guessing what to book, come see me. I’ll assess your skin, talk through your goals and help you choose the treatment that actually makes sense for you ☺️

#sanmateoskincare #acnefacial #glowingskin #congestedskin #skintexture taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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17 days ago

Healthier skin usually doesn’t happen after one facial, and with acne especially, it takes time, consistency & what you’re doing at home in between appointments.

This client has been seeing me for about 4 months. We’ve focused on calming inflammation, clearing congestion with thorough extractions, oxygen therapy & light peels for the PIH left behind.

But one of the biggest changes came when we finally added targeted homecare. She was hesitant at first because, understandably, when your skin is already breaking out the last thing you want to do is introduce something that could make it worse. So we started slowly, added one thing at a time & gave her skin time to adjust.

When she walked in this week, I could immediately see the difference: less redness, smoother texture, fewer whiteheads & noticeably less for me to extract 😏

Your in-office treatments are an investment, but your homecare is what helps protect that investment every single day between appointments. Think of it like working out: the workout matters, but what you do the rest of the week matters too.

If you’re dealing with acne and feel overwhelmed by products or scared of making your skin worse, you don’t need to figure it out alone. Come see me, we’ll start slowly & build a routine your skin can actually tolerate and stay consistent with.

#sanmateoskincare #sanmateofacial #acnefacial #adultacnetreatments #acneskincare taken in San Mateo, California by @_auroraaaf

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