Today we’d like to introduce you to Cleo To Tram Dau.
Hi Cleo To Tram, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I came to the United States from Vietnam with a desire to build a better future, and my career has grown through many different chapters.
I eventually found my place in the beauty industry and became the founder of Era Beauty in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas. After more than 10 years in beauty, I have learned that what clients remember most is not simply a service—it is how you make them feel. That philosophy is reflected in our slogan, “The Beautiful You,” because my goal has always been to enhance each client’s natural beauty rather than change who they are.
One milestone I am especially proud of is that, after a great deal of effort, Era Beauty received approval from the City of Dalworthington Gardens to offer permanent makeup services. Era Beauty became the first and only permanent makeup studio in the city, which made that achievement especially meaningful to me.
The beauty industry has also been an important foundation in my life. It helped me through financially difficult periods and gave me the stability to continue pursuing another passion that has always been close to my heart—the stage.
Alongside my beauty career, I have continued developing as a bilingual Vietnamese-English MC, vocalist and storyteller. Through weddings, community events and music, I have had opportunities to connect families, cultures and generations. Being on stage has taught me how powerful communication can be, whether I am helping guide a couple through one of the most important days of their lives or sharing a song with an audience.
Today, my career brings together beauty, entrepreneurship, creativity and communication. Each path may look different, but they all share the same purpose: helping people feel confident, connected and valued.
I am still learning, building and evolving, and I believe the most exciting part of my story is still ahead.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not always been a smooth road.
I entered the beauty industry during a very demanding season of my life. Around 2013–2014, I was attending college while also working in the nail industry. Even though I had opportunities to work in professional environments such as Life Time Fitness and Four Seasons Resort, I never felt that nails were where my strongest abilities or long-term potential were. Balancing school and work also became exhausting, and I often felt like I was simply trying to keep up.
Toward the end of 2017, I discovered eyelash extensions at a time when the service was becoming very popular. I made the decision to step away from nails, reduce my college course load, and begin training in lashes. I was fortunate to work with a very skilled lash artist who taught me not only technique, but also how to build a loyal clientele and create more stable income.
After more than a year in the lash industry, I decided to pause college because I could see a real opportunity to build a long-term career and eventually become an independent business owner.
The years that followed were filled with continuous learning. I expanded into permanent makeup for brows, eyeliner and lips, skin treatments, facials, Plasma Lift, and head spa therapy. My goal was never simply to offer more services. I wanted to become more useful to the clients who trusted me and help people enhance their natural beauty in ways that could also save them time in their everyday lives.
That growth came with many challenges. Every new skill had its own learning curve, and becoming truly confident required patience, repetition and a great deal of hands-on practice. There were moments of doubt, financial pressure and exhaustion, but each difficult stage helped me become more disciplined, more resourceful and more certain about the kind of beauty professional and business owner I wanted to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What sets my work apart is that, although I am the founder and owner of Era Beauty, I have always seen myself more as an artist and creative professional than simply a business owner.
When I am working with a client, I do not feel like I am just providing a beauty service. I feel like I am creating something for that individual person—something that should help her feel more confident, comfortable and still like herself.
Over time, many of my clients have also come to see Era Beauty as more than a beauty studio. It becomes a place where they can relax, slow down and sometimes share what is happening in their lives. Depending on the day, I may be their beauty technician, their friend, someone they trust like family, or even an unexpected listener when they simply need someone to talk to. That personal connection is something I value deeply.
No matter what service I provide, my approach always begins with the client’s goals and concerns. I then combine those with my experience, knowledge and technical skills to create the safest and most appropriate result for that individual.
I offer several beauty services, but one of the areas I am most passionate about is healthy custom lash design. Rather than creating the same eyelash extension style for everyone, I customize the length, curl, volume and overall design to complement each client’s natural lashes, eye shape, facial features and lifestyle.
I also specialize in custom permanent makeup, especially brows and eyeliner. I carefully consider the client’s facial structure, natural features, skin type, desired style and appropriate color so the final result feels balanced, polished and personal rather than one-size-fits-all.
What I am most proud of is not simply the number of services I have learned. I am proud that clients trust me with their faces, their confidence and sometimes even their personal stories. To me, beauty should never be about changing someone into another person. It is about bringing out what is already beautiful in them.
That idea is also at the heart of Era Beauty’s philosophy: “The Beautiful You.”
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have been very fortunate to have many people support and guide me throughout this journey, and I still carry a deep sense of gratitude for them today.
One of the most important people in the early foundation of my beauty career was Master Kim Dang from Austin, who taught me how to do eyelash extensions properly. She is an exceptional educator with outstanding technical knowledge and skill, but what stayed with me most was not just the technique. It was her philosophy about how to work.
She taught me to work with care and responsibility. Every lash extension placed should be done with the health of the client’s natural lashes in mind. She taught me to ask: Is this extension safe for the natural lash? Will it affect its health? Will the set still be durable? Even when I am tired, I should never rush, cut corners or become careless. The natural lashes must be isolated cleanly, the placement must be correct, and the design must be done properly.
One lesson I have never forgotten is that if I do careless work today, I will only create more problems to correct when the client returns. More importantly, if I damage the client’s natural lashes, there will eventually be nothing healthy left to support the extensions.
That foundation has stayed with me for nearly a decade. It is one of the reasons I care so much about healthy lash design today, and I am proud that many longtime clients have continued to maintain strong, healthy natural lashes even after years of wearing extensions. I am deeply grateful to Master Kim for helping shape that standard in me.
I am also grateful to the many other teachers I have learned from over the years. Each one gave me different knowledge, techniques and experiences that helped me grow.
Beyond my mentors, my friends, coworkers, clients and family have all played meaningful roles in my journey. Some encouraged me when I doubted myself, some worked beside me, some trusted me enough to become loyal clients, and some simply gave me the emotional support I needed to keep going.
I do not see my success as something I built completely on my own. Many people contributed a piece to who I am today, both professionally and personally, and I am sincerely thankful for all of them.
Pricing:
- Custom Lash Design: $160–$185
- Custom Permanent Makeup Brows: $550–$650
- Custom Permanent Makeup Eyeliner: starting at $500
- * Facial / Skincare Treatment: starting at $105
- Head Spa Therapy: starting at $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Erabeauty89.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erabeauty89?igsi=b3BnbzRqZm50NTZ4&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/erabeauty89?igsi=b3BnbzRqZm50NTZ4&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.instagram.com/erabeauty89?igsi=b3BnbzRqZm50NTZ4&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@erabeauty89?_r=1&_t=ZT-99TqgW4EonN
