Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree De Los Santos.
Hi Desiree, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am so grateful to be in the field I am in now but back then I would have never thought I’d be healing faces for a living. Growing up I always dream of becoming a child actress, pretending I was a part of Disney channel I would draw out the neon Disney logo all the time. I was constantly going to auditions & acting classes hoping to catch my big break someday. Fast forward to high school, I meet my now husband & I saw how he struggled with severe cystic acne. He was always on topicals and antibiotics that only made him nauseous & irritated his skin making it worse than it had been ( he also wasn’t consistent lol). After we graduated high school, I got pregnant at 18 years old and I was lucky enough to be a stay at home for 3 years. Within those 3 years I started to really think about my new future which was now with a whole little human I had to take care of. At the time I would do my family members eyebrows because I enjoyed it and everyone liked how I would do them, when I got to thinking of my career future acting didn’t seem stable anymore very inconsistent & I needed consistency. Since I enjoyed eyebrows I thought I could go to school and learn how to tattoo eyebrows and all the techniques I needed since I already had a clientele per se. I told my husband that while I went to school for eyebrows I would learn how to cure his skin without medication I would be the one to find the solution. He of course was super supportive & we went that same week and enrolled. I had just received my license and I’m not going to lie the idea of driving to school & leaving my baby freaked me out but I had to just do it for the sake of my families future & before I knew it driving became peaceful & that really showed me that nothing is ever as bad as it seems & you’ll only know if you try. While in school, I tried to learn everything I could about skin but when it came to being on the floor which is when you start taking clients as a student, I would tell the girls send me the eyebrow clients. The moment you go on the floor to treat people they give you a kit with everything you need for a skin regimen and a facial starter kit. I went home that day and gave all the products to my husband and said” these are the steps you need to take & you need to do this everyday & if you don’t I’m going to yell at you, you’ve been warned.” lol and he did it, he kept up with his skincare routine & if he didn’t I would send him back to the restroom to do it. Meanwhile while he was working on his skin at home, at school I focused on eyebrows when one day I got the cutest client starting her freshman year ready to do her eyebrows for the first time and luckily she got me, mind you I did everyones eyebrows throughout the years with tweezers not wax. So I’m hyping up the client telling her they were going to look incredible. I went in with the wax and grab my piece to pull the wax off, I smushed the wax down to hard with the paper and when I pull it off… yep half of her eyebrow came with it. After that moment I pushed back from doing eyebrows and started opening up to facials. I started to really hyper focus on skin because I had been focusing on the wrong thing I had to catch up. It was quite literally my love language taking care of others to make them feel better. While I was falling in love with all things skincare at home my husbands acne was clearing out! I was so amazed with the magic that could happen through skincare and facials. It only took about 6 months for my husbands acne to be cleared, that instantly changed his self confidence. It was so beautiful to watch that transformation, my husband went from me thinking he’s shy and introverted to wow he’s so confident & extroverted. That was the moment I said I want to do this for EVERYBODY!. After completing my hours for my esthetician license, I applied to one medical spa that really caught my attention. I got a call back the next day for an interview, I was so excited to be able to start in a whole different level of facials. I ended up getting the job and being one of the first employees hired there since they had just opened up. Working at the medical for six years really helped mold me to the esthetician I am today which is having thick skin & trust in myself. In those six years I got the experience of touching hundreds of faces, which is why I trust my gut and hands now. While working for a company I started to really see what was lacking and what I would do different so that I can make it better for my future clients. I knew that the best thing I could do for my clients and myself was to be honest always and provide quality services so that I would be able to set realistic expectations and see results. I had told my husband that I had outgrown the company I was working at and that I believed I could do so much more & I know at first it was scary going into being a business owner because we had to think about the sacrifices we would have to make and that it would not be easy at first but I had his full support. So I did my my research on all the skincare lines for about 4 straight months before deciding to open as a solo esthetician. I took all the courses I could to continue my education and strengthen my knowledge. Then I fell in love with the company I now carry Lira Clinical, the science was so fascinating to me and their beliefs aligned with mine & so that’s how I knew it was time to start my solo career. I wanted my brand to truly represent me so I of course had to tie in lizzie McGuire because I always looked up to her growing up and she’s the reason I wanted to be an actress more than anything but now I get the best of both worlds. Fast forward to three years now as an entrepreneur, I am so blessed to have the most amazing clients & support system that has helped get me to where I now am. I can not wait to continue to see what is in store for Desired Skn.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I feel like anyone wanting to open a business knows that it won’t always be sunshine and rainbows, and I had some fair shares of storms through my journey, like anything worth having right?. When I was looking for a location that would be good for my little family and my potential clients I had some bumps on the road. I remember the first location I went to go see was in my opinion perfect I was only 2 mins away from my kids school and it was in the middle of oc and la so it would be heavy for a lot of people. I was ready to start and right away said let’s do it! My husband helps do all the behind the scenes so he went and filed & paid everything with new location address ready to go. About two weeks into all of the paperwork being done we get a notice that the location we had put was not in the correct zoning for what I was wanting to open. We called the owner of the medical spa I was going to be renting from and they seemed very suspicious when I let them know what the city had told us, the next day I get a call from them saying they couldn’t rent me the room anymore because it was “mold infested” I was so defeated because I was ready to go and had spent all that time and money in this location. They were closed down a month later for doing some unethical things. Sometimes we don’t see the reason behind something but I believe that was god removing me from a dangerous situation. I immediately picked myself up and started going to see multiple locations, when I came across the cutest salon in Downey and it felt right. That is where I started my solo career. After the second year the salon got sold I was bummed because I felt at home but again I think it was time for me to grow, unfortunately I went through some rough times with the new salon owner and it put me a depressive time. I realized that not everyone wants the best for you & to always trust your gut when you are on your own. I came out in the other end stronger because through that period I was able to fully discover more to myself and how resilient I had become, this is when I started also putting myself first fro so long I worried about everyone but I never worried for myself. I always tell each any everyone of my clients to take care of themselves and how self care is essential but I was failing to listen to my own advice. Then I really dove into the microbiome and gut health, immediately feel deeply in love with the health aspect to feeling your best & now I can guide others to be the best versions of themselves. I dont think that if I hadn’t gone through these obstacles it would have brought my brand to where it now is. “The struggles make you stronger and the changes make you wise”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Desired SKN?
Desired Skn is place I created for everyone to feel their absolute best! I have always hoped that my love for skin care & self love really showed in my brand and location. I do medical grade skin treatments to help everyone reach healthy skin. I focus on the science of chemicals with customized skin peels, enzymes, & no downtime treatments. I always make sure to get to know every individuals skin, I will never stress your skin out if it is not ready for it, I tell everyone of my clients that we will start of slow introducing your skin to new ingredients and machines. I focus on strengthening your barrier for the very first appointment to your at home daily routine. I love the uniqueness I get to create for each of my clients. I also do much more than just chemicals like micro-channeling, skin tightening treatments, and facial massages. I can say that each and every client I have been lucky to treat walks out with the a brighter & smooth barrier I’ve seen and have been told by them. I am most proud of the impact I have been in all my clients/friends and the impact they have made for me. I want to make others feel good from the outside and inside even if it something as simple as making them smile, that is success to me!
How do you think about happiness?
Going back to what I said earlier, happiness and success to me is how you made somebody feel. I get to do that daily for a living make everyone feel special and important. It doesn’t only end at work but at home, my kids and husband are what complete that happiness for me, at the end of the day everything I do it for them. I love how they are also so invested in the way my mind works and all my crazy fun ideas in and outside of work. Now that in have taken my health so serious it. makes me so happy to see that bleeding into everyone around me. Exercising, eating right & self care.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.desiredskn.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/desiredskn
