Today we’d like to introduce you to Sofia Santoro.
Hi Sofia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
How I got into eyebrows was not at all intentional, I just needed a job at the time. In 2017, I was working in a small beauty salon that has since closed, inside the Farmer’s Market at The Grove. I only worked at that beauty salon for about two months and was looking for a new job. My friend reached out, saying there was an open eyebrow artist position at the Anastasia Beverly Hills counter inside Nordstrom at The Grove. At first, I told her I had never done eyebrows professionally! How was I ever going to get the position there?! She assured me that I was qualified. I took her word, applied, and got the position. Little did I know at the time this was going to change my life. I was the full-time eyebrow artist there for just slightly over a year. Then, a part-time eyebrow artist position was available at the Nordstrom at The Americana at Brand in Glendale. This was not only closer to where I lived, but I was also going to school full-time, so it was perfect. I transferred to the Nordstrom at The Americana in 2018 and stayed there for the next three and a half years. I not only perfected my craft during this time but also met some incredible people along the way. When the 2020 pandemic hit, it put a lot into perspective for me, as I know it did for many people at that time. I started to reflect on what it was I really wanted. Slowly but surely, the idea of owning my own business started to become a dream that I wanted to become a reality. On a chilly Sunday in the early months of 2021, I had brunch with my best friend, Amy and her cousin, Gabby. Gabby, who has two successful beauty salons in El Salvador, was one of the first people who planted the seed in my mind. She made me believe that I was ready, that I could open my business.
For the next months after that, all I could do was dream of opening my own business. It wasn’t until September of 2021 where I finally took action. My friend Magaly, who also is the co-owner of the Marin & Santoro Beauty studio, and I met up in September for some coffee and shared ideas about us owning our own studio. We looked at each other and said, “let’s do it!” That day changed everything for me. For the first time, I finally felt like I was ready. I was scared, so scared, but deep down in my heart, I felt ready. We started doing our research, took more courses to get certified in certain services, investigated possible locations and thought of names. In October, we found our studio. I would say that the studio found us as a matter of fact. We went to our now current location, the Sola Salons in Glendale, while it was still under construction. I will never forget that day. Magaly and I stared into the dirt and debris-filled building that would soon host our new home. We looked at each other and said, “this is it!” While our studio was under construction, I started to research everything that came with being a business owner, slowly bought supplies and furniture, and spent hours online looking at how other women in beauty ran their business.
Santoro Beauty LLC was born in December of 2021, as that is when I filed to open my company. The name is extremely special to me. My father, Joseph Santoro, who passed away in October of 2012, was a business owner himself. He owned and ran a successful used car dealership in East Los Angeles. My dad was born in New Jersey, however at the age of five, my grandparents took him back to Argentina, where all my family is from, to be raised there. He eventually met my mom once he got older, got married and came to the US for a better life where they had me and my two younger siblings, Fiona and Lucas. My dad, being someone who did not even get a high school degree, had no degrees or education in business, and spoke little English, became a successful business owner whom everyone loved and relied on. I knew I wanted my business to resemble the hard work and love my dad put into his business. Santoro Beauty seemed so fitting and so perfect. It’s a little piece of my dad that I will get to cherish in a special way. Fast forward to today, March 2023, Santoro Beauty is a little over a year old, but I can assure you, I am just getting started!
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?
Is anything ever smooth in life? I suppose sometimes it can be, and sometimes it just isn’t! I would say for the most part, things have been smooth overall. I truly believe that when something is made for you, it will come to you with ease. I would say this to be true when opening my business. From finding a location to getting my business license, to getting more clients in through my door, and so on. I can’t complain too much. I would say financial stress has been the biggest struggle I have really had to deal with. Being a first-time business owner, sometimes you learn the hard way and that can cost you. Other struggles I have dealt with happen to be more personal, such as imposter syndrome or doubting myself or my worth at times. Opening and running a business can be vulnerable and risky, especially when it’s your first business. Besides this, this first year has taught me more about boundaries and about myself.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Santoro Beauty is a woman-owned and run business focusing on giving women the eyebrows of their dreams with luxurious eyebrow treatments. I currently specialize in eyebrows, with hopes and dreams of expanding my business to offer a wide variety of beauty treatments. I am best known for waxing, grooming, shaping, laminating, and tinting eyebrows to perfection! I am most proud of the hard work I have put into slowly growing my brand and not giving up on my dreams, even when doubt faced me, whether that was my own doubt or others’. What sets me apart from others is the love I not only put into my business and my craft but into the clients that support me and my dream. Santoro Beauty is a safe and welcoming space where women can feel open and free to be themselves. This is what I believe sets me apart.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I am huge into podcasts! I listen to so many different ones especially on my drives to the studio or back home. Some of my favorites are: Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso, The Tony Robbins Podcast, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, The Bossbabe Podcast, The Mark Groves Podcast, and so many others. A lot of these podcasts teach me about myself, personal growth, business strategies, and more. I also look up to so many businesswomen on Instagram! Some of them being: @magaly.marin.beauty, @the_beautyroomssv, @waxaholicllc, @browyonce, @browaholics, @waxthatash, and plenty of others!
Pricing:
- Eyebrow wax $38.50
- Eyebrow & upper lip wax $49.50
- Eyebrow wax & hybrid stain $80
- Eyebrow wax & lamination $125
- Eyebrow wax, lamination & tint $150
Contact Info:
- Website: santorobeauty.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: santorobeauty
Image Credits
The images of clients’ eyebrows were taken by me, Sofia Santoro. The four other images (two of the studio, one of me (Sofia) looking down working on a client, and the one of just myself (Sofia) were taken by Cody Jay Creative Photography.
