Oksana Latinovic: In Her Own Skin
Oksana Latinovic’s Blossom Skin Boutique provides a calming oasis that brings out the beauty in everyone.
Achieving and maintaining healthy, beautiful skin is getting more and more challenging in a world with hotter and dryer weather, not to mention the impact growing anxiety and daily stresses have on our lives. It’s why so many people in the Greater Toronto Area turn to the oasis that is Blossom Skin Boutique in Mississauga, a cosmetic and wellness clinic that is passionate about healthy, beautiful skin, as evidenced by the founder and operator, Oksana Latinovic, who radiates beauty inside and out.
The calm and serenity of her surroundings today are a far cry from Oksana’s youth, growing up in what she describes as minimal circumstances in her native Ukraine when it was part of the former Soviet Union. But even then, her eye was attuned to beauty, very much part of the Ukrainian culture.
“We were poor but I didn’t realize it, as everybody lived a kind of similar life. But growing up, watching my grandmother and mother, the importance of personal care — like the skin on the face and an overall look — was very important,” said Oksana in a recent interview with Dolce. “And, in some way, beauty was always around me, and I thought going into the beauty industry could be very satisfying.”
Oksana received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and economics, and after coming to Canada she finished her esthetician schooling, but a few years later decided to pursue a different path, nursing, and graduated from Humber College as a registered practical nurse in 2011.
Nursing is one of the most challenging occupations on the planet. Long hours in medical facilities, oftentimes surrounded by some of life’s most difficult decisions, all while raising three children, took its toll on Oksana. Feeling burnt out, she was overwhelmed and stressed to the point where she ended up in an emergency room with a panic attack.
That was the point when she realized she needed another life change and entered the beauty and wellness business full time. She opened Blossom Skin Boutique in 2016, once again proving her adaptability to changing situations. It was an important life lesson for her.
“We have to be open to changes in life,” she observes. “We can’t close ourselves or limit ourselves to opportunity. Allow yourself to change and perhaps something new and exciting will come from that. Don’t be afraid — that’s my No. 1 lesson from so many life changes — and taking care of your mental health is very important.”
“I SEE HOW MUCH I CAN HELP PEOPLE, EITHER THROUGH BEAUTY OR ADVICE OR JUST BEING AN EAR TO LISTEN — IT JUST BRINGS ME GREAT JOY.”
As beauty and skin specialists serving Mississauga and beyond and operating under medical directorship, Blossom takes a health-and-wellness-oriented approach to its services. Using the most advanced technologies and medical-grade skin care, Blossom creates customized treatment plans to preserve youth and enhance beauty from the inside out.
“A lot of people don’t see their own beauty,” says Oksana. “They may only see, or concentrate on maybe the parts of their face or their bodies they may dislike, and they don’t often see the whole of their face, or the whole of their bodies, or even their soul.”
Blossom has a full range of services and treatments, from injectables to laser resurfacing treatments, facials, body contouring and much more, in a calm, soothing environment. Oksana and her team provide services in a very private, personalized setting with a goal of preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of their clients.
“I like my client to feel like they are the only one I am paying attention to,” says Oksana, explaining the Blossom client experience. “My full attention is on one person while they are here, and Blossom is very private, quiet and secluded. My goal is to make them flourish and to bring out the beauty in everyone — whatever beauty they may have — because everybody is beautiful in their own way. I will help them to blossom and let them feel their own beauty.”
That is perhaps the greatest strength of Blossom Skin Boutique, along with the sense of joy Oksana exudes by doing what she loves in making people feel better about themselves. For her, Blossom is much more than just a business — it is a reflection of her personal philosophy.
“I started this not for the purpose of making money, as I truly enjoy what I do,” says Oksana. “When I see people entering Blossom, and I help them feel great and look good, I will always do my best as a person and a nurse to improve upon that. I know the people as clients but also as human beings. We have a very personalized approach as I really don’t see them as customers but as guests, as I consider Blossom my home. I see how much I can help people, either through beauty or advice or just being an ear to listen — it just brings me great joy.”
Oksana’s life has been one of perseverance, determination and belief in herself and her life’s journey. She speaks Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian and English and has drawn upon her inner strength and beauty in creating the environment of both her life and her business, strength and beauty she is only too happy to share with others.
“Find your inner strength, believe in yourself, dig deep and find a purpose,” says Oksana. “If you have a purpose, be it motherhood or as a business owner or whatever, you can always find the strength and go and fight for it.”
