My Beauty Journey
Your beauty routine is more than just that—It’s a practice. A ritual. It’s a time for you to sit with yourself and your intentions and practice the masterpiece that you already are.
The Aztec sages believed that every child was born into this world without a face. Each person’s goal, they taught, was to create a face for her or himself. Only through learning, courage, and self-discipline could a person achieve “beauty.”
The philosophers weren’t talking about the courage to wear lipstick or the discipline of wielding a makeup brush. But a modern interpretation of their teachings should undoubtedly include these skills. When makeup is applied with pride, creativity, and inner knowledge, it is an act of transformation and empowerment.
Even as a child, I could see the power that makeup held. Like many Latino-American women of her generation in the 1980s, my aunt Leana had worked part-time as an Avon lady to make ends meet. I vividly remember sitting at her kitchen table, entranced by the explosion of color around me. The shimmering powders and creamy, kaleidoscopic swirls looked like alchemist’s potions. The effects that they had on women seemed genuinely magical.
My first experience wearing makeup sealed the deal. I can still recall the frosted organza pink eyeshadow and bubblegum pink lipstick of my quinceañera and how beautiful I felt when I looked in the mirror. The feeling was so unique that I wanted to learn how to give it to others. I began to study everything from skincare to makeup to reach this goal. Eventually, I entered the worlds of beauty, editorial, and red-carpet makeup. My clients ranged from pop stars to actors to politicians to international magazines. Again and again, in my career, I’ve witnessed the power of makeup to transform and inspire.
I want to continue my journey in the beauty industry to share and create beauty that empowers women from all walks of life and celebrates their culture in the most magical way.
XO Elizabeth