For as long as she can remember, alumna Isabella Angulo has always been around different styles of art. Whether it was music through her family, painting, or more recently her very own makeup artistry. Graduating from Pines Charter in 2014, Angulo has progressively grown into herself and has figured out what her true passion really is.
As Angulo entered her freshman year of college at the University of Florida (UF), she did not have a set plan for what she intended on studying while she was there. “I was a little indecisive. So, in my undergrad when I was doing my classes the first two years, I took a psychology class,” she exclaims. After a very stressful first year, Angulo realized that major was not for her, which made Isabella change her path to pursue art and entrepreneurship.
During her transition between classes was when she realized that she could take her creative mind to a farther extent. Being able to graduate from UF in less than three years allowed Angulo to attend a school called LaBelle Beauty School in Miami. There, she was able to receive her aesthetician license which is what she works in now.
Since Angulo did not enjoy her previous working environments, that only pushed her even more to create her dream of having her own business. Although her company was not an easy thing to start, she knew she had to start somewhere. “Ironically, my business partner now, Angelique, she’s who inspired me to create my business in the first place,” Angulo recalls. As her partner has a makeup business of her own, that motivated Angulo to finally start her own brand.
Gaining experience when employed in a spa and offering facials was the baseline for Angulo’s establishment: Bellissima Artistry. After some obstacles, Isabella knew that she still wanted to include more services such as brows and makeup in her newly developed business. She feels that by “just seeing how much that area or like that field has grown, like beauty and makeup and everything, [has made me] want to be part of that.”
At the start of her business, it was just Angulo running it, with people coming to her studio and her traveling to clients. Eventually, she got a team which has helped her in her success and has also led her to co-owning another artistry corporation: The Bridal Artistry.
Angulo started to find a path she cherishes, however, along with having her own agency came a few challenges. Ever since high school, Angulo has a habit of filling her head with negativity for every situation she is put in.
Alongside that, when she first started she automatically thought she was not good enough for bridal makeup. “When you think of something that scares the crap out of you, you’re just so fearful of falling that you don’t think about the success,” Angulo expresses.
Being your own boss can also get very overwhelming and inconsistent at times. It forces you to face new challenges every day and have your own schedule, which was something Angulo had to adjust to.
It was only a few weeks ago when Charter held its 10-year reunion for Angulo’s graduation class. After seeing people, she hasn’t seen in years and reminiscing on old times, it has made her realize how much of an impact PPCHS had on her: “[PPCHS has] definitely helped me be accountable as a student and I feel like it propelled me to be able to attend a high-ranking university like UF.”
From the little girl she once was to the woman she became; Isabella Angulo’s biggest goal is to continually make her parents proud. As for herself, she focuses on improving not only her version of creativity, but also the growth of her career each day.
