2019 MODERN SALON 100: Shakhnoza Azimova @shakhnozabeauty

The heart wants what it wants. When Shaknoza Azimova designed an intricate heart-shaped upstyle, we knew we had to contact her to get all the details! From the start, we immediately formed a great connection with Azimova, who continues to impress us with her sincere personality and impressive hair designs.

Shakhnoza Azimova

@shakhnozabeauty

Affinity Hair Academy, Orlando, Florida

Specialty: Updos

Top-performing post: A poinsettia flower look that I created on a red hair during the holiday season. I think it had the most engagement because of how realistic the hair looked with the flower.

Favorite apps: Snapseed, iMovie, Picsart.

I am following: @gulnarachekoeva, @lalasupdo, @georgiykot, @tonyastylist, @bescene

Pro tip: To get the best result on a post is lighting, and to have the best lighting, you need to buy kits. For example, umbrellas and ring lights. They will help to enhance and show more detail when taking the picture. You can create a really good look, but if you have a bad lighting, your picture can come out in a low quality. Lighting is the key for everything!

Hidden talent: Ideas when doing hair come to me while I’m doing it. I create as I go along. Also, most ideas come to me at the middle of the night. For example, some idea will pop up in my head at 11 p.m.,  and I will get up to start doing that idea on the hair for hours. I won’t sleep until I complete my work.

Fun fact: I’m a great cook. It’s my hobby. I love baking and cooking. I’ve been cooking and baking for over 20 years now.

My audience follows me because: I think my audience follows me to see my work and how I am growing in this beauty industry as a cosmetology student.

How social media changed my life: Social media changed my life a lot by giving me many opportunities to be recognized by companies and many other talented artists.

My first @modernsalon feature: For Valentine’s day, I decided to create something interesting with a heart shape and posted that on my Instagram page. When I got home, I checked my Instagram and saw that MODERN SALON had started following me. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I immediately started telling my family members that MODERN is following me…I don’t remember how many times I repeated that. My husband told me to stay calm and congratulated me! Then, when it was time to put my 7-year-old daughter to bed, she asked me about the story, and I opened my phone to show her and saw more notifications. It was around 11 p.m., and MODERN SALON had published my work! I will never forget that feeling! I was crying from happiness. It was my first feature and the first time someone noticed my work, especially a big company like this! I couldn’t sleep the whole night on this day. I am so grateful to MODERN SALON for everything because my life started changing after that moment, and more people started recognizing my work.

Click here to the see the full list of this year's MODERN SALON 100.