Hidden Gems: Meet Iuliana Varga of Eudaimonia Aura

Today we’d like to introduce you to Iuliana Varga.

Hi iuliana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey as a skin care specialist started back in 2017, but the roots go much deeper. I grew up watching my mom work as an esthetician. She had her own business, and I witnessed her restart it more than once. I saw what it really meant to build something from nothing. It taught me resilience, even before I knew I’d need it. I saw the grind, the setbacks, the passion, it planted a seed in me, even though I didn’t fully realize it at the time.

As a teen, I was obsessed with beauty, especially makeup. I had drawers full of products, chasing that perfect glow. But beneath it all, I was struggling. My skin told the story of my internal battles, and my mom would give me facials to help soothe the breakouts. At that time, I never imagined that helping others with their skin could become my path.

Then 2017 changed everything.

I was stuck in a dead-end job, I was miserable, five years in, and every day felt heavier than the last. my then-partner’s mother, who had become like a second mom to me, told me she was opening a skincare studio. She asked if I wanted to learn, just enough to fill in for her if needed. I didn’t even hesitate. I said yes before I fully understood why. Part of me already knew I was saying yes to something bigger than a job.

That “fill-in” role turned into a calling. I dove into the world of skincare headfirst. I enrolled in school, took specialized courses, and became a certified aesthetician. I fell in love with the process of healing, of helping people reconnect with themselves through their skin.

But just as things began to bloom, life unraveled. A year and a half after opening the studio, she was diagnosed with cancer. It hit hard and moved fast. I was new to the industry, suddenly running the business alone, and heartbroken watching someone I loved fade so quickly. During this time, something else entered my life, holistic wellness. Energy healing, herbs, natural medicine. It cracked my heart open. It felt like I was remembering something I had forgotten about myself, something ancient and powerful.

Less than a year after her diagnosis, she passed. Watching her deteriorate, watching the system fail her shattered me. She was strong, radiant, full of life… and then she was gone. The treatments did more harm than good, and in the end, she chose MAID, choosing to pass with medical support. The day she passed… I still don’t have words for it. It was heavy, eerie, surreal. It changed me.

After that, we closed the studio. I got a job at a medical spa and not long after, the world shut down. Even in the chaos, I grew.

I became head aesthetician, fully booked through word of mouth. From the outside, I was thriving. But inside, something didn’t sit right. The industry was all about fast results, flashy packaging, injectables, and profit margins. I started questioning everything. What was in these so-called “natural” products? Were we really helping people heal, or just masking symptoms?

I was working closely with an alternative medicine doctor, and my love for holistic wellness kept growing. I started questioning ingredients in products, even the ones labeled “natural.” I saw how women were spending hundreds, sometimes thousands, on treatments and injectables… and I started to question my own beauty, too.

The environment became toxic. My mental health declined. The second wave of the pandemic hit, and I knew I didn’t want any part of what the world was turning into. I’ve always believed that we deserve freedom in our choices, especially when it comes to our bodies. I knew deep down, I couldn’t stay in that world.

An opportunity came to move to Mexico, and I took it. I quit my job and left. And that’s where everything shifted. In Mexico, I fully woke up. I changed everything. I reconnected with my body, my purpose, my truth. I changed how I ate, what I put on my skin, how I lived. I became certified in deep tissue massage and as a wellness coach. The holistic path wasn’t just something I believed in, it became my way of life. I started truly living the life I had always dreamed of, one rooted in healing, in wholeness, in truth. It wasn’t just a career anymore. It was my way of being.

When I returned to Canada, I knew it was time to birth something new. Something aligned with every lesson, every loss, every transformation I had walked through.

That’s how Eudaimonia Aura was born. “Eudaimonia” is Greek, it means: the blossoming of the human being; well-being, happiness and flourishing. That’s the heart of my work: helping people radiate from the inside out. I use only holistic, earth-based products, no chemicals, no shortcuts, just nature’s wisdom and soul-led.

My journey isn’t just about skincare. It’s about healing. It’s about remembering who we are at our core and letting that truth shine through our skin.

This is more than skincare. This is remembering who you are and coming home to that.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not a smooth road, and honestly, I don’t think it was meant to be.
This path has been filled with grief, uncertainty, self-doubt, and a whole lot of inner work. I didn’t just wake up one day knowing I wanted to do this, I stumbled into it through pain, through loss, and through being cracked open by life.

One of the biggest struggles was losing my then-partner’s mother, who was like a second mom to me. We had just opened a skincare studio together when she was diagnosed with cancer. Watching her health decline so rapidly, and ultimately witnessing her choose to end her life… it changed everything. It broke me open. It also shifted how I viewed healing, not just physical, but emotional and spiritual healing too.

Another struggle was working in the traditional spa and medical aesthetics industry. Even when I was “successful” by being fully booked, I felt deeply unfulfilled. I was starting to question the ingredients in the products, the standards of beauty being pushed, and whether I was really helping people at all. The pressure, the perfectionism, the toxicity in the environment, it started to wear on my mental health, but led me to something much greater than I could even imagine.

Then came the pandemic, and like many others, I had to face myself. I had to ask: What am I doing? Why am I doing it? That’s when I left everything and moved to Mexico. I had no plan, just a deep knowing that I needed to reconnect with myself. And I did. But even that was messy. Healing isn’t linear. Growth isn’t always graceful.

So no, it hasn’t been smooth, but every bump, every breakdown, every moment of doubt has shaped the work I do today. It’s why Eudaimonia Aura is what it is: a space rooted in truth, in nature, in remembering who you really are beneath the layers.

We’ve been impressed with Eudaimonia Aura, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business, Eudaimonia Aura, is a reflection of everything I’ve lived, healed through, and come to believe about beauty, health, and the human spirit.

I take a completely holistic approach to skincare, one that I honestly haven’t seen done in the industry the way I do it. I specialize in non-invasive, therapeutic facials that go far beyond the surface. I don’t rely on machines or harsh treatments. I work with nature’s medicine herbs, flowers, plants, and oils, to help the skin heal, balance, and glow in its natural rhythm.

What truly sets my work apart is that every facial is intuitive. I don’t follow a script. I tune into each person’s energy, their skin, their nervous system, and I let my hands lead. I incorporate Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques, along with lymphatic drainage, facial sculpting, and massage. It’s deeply calming, deeply restorative work. Many clients say it feels like a facial and energy session in one, which it is, because the skin and spirit are always connected.

Right now, I’m in the process of expanding what I offer, merging wellness and skincare into one integrated experience. I’m creating something where skin rituals meet lifestyle healing: from how we eat, to what we think, to how we care for ourselves daily. Because true beauty, to me, is when you’re in harmony; physically, emotionally, and energetically.

What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is that nothing is artificial, there’s no pretending here. Every product I use is 100% natural, and every treatment is designed to help people come back home to themselves. This isn’t just about skincare. This is about self-remembrance. It’s about radiating from the inside out.

I want readers to know that Eudaimonia Aura is a safe space, where beauty isn’t about fixing, it’s about blooming.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Yes, definitely. I’m someone who’s always learning, always growing so I love surrounding myself with resources that feed my soul and expand my perspective, both in work and in life.

Throughout the years, I’ve turned to podcasts, research and books that explore mindset, spirituality, beauty, business, and wellness.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @eudaimonia.aura

Image Credits
@precision.lens_photography