Check Out Maribel Sanchez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maribel Sanchez.

Hi Maribel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Right out of high school I got married at 19 and I knew I wanted to do makeup, so my husband paid for me to become a professional certified makeup artist. Shortly after, I was a freelance artist for about a year until I got pregnant with my first baby (first of 6, yes six!), so my career ended abruptly. Down the road I realized how much I missed being in the artistry and wanted to get back into it but didn’t know exactly how because as a stay at home mom, I’d be around my child all day so I didn’t know how to move forward. And because I didn’t know what my next step was, and because life continues on with or without you, we ended up pregnant with our second child at about 10 months postpartum. After our second, we had a baby basically every 2 years and in between I was breastfeeding exclusively and on demand until they self weaned! Sometime after my fourth baby in 2020, I decided since the world had locked down because of Covid, that I’d dedicate more time to my social media and that’s where it truly started! Five years later and I love what I do, not only as a homeschooling mom but as a beauty and wellness creator. Mental wellness is huge for me so I’m always remaining transparent with my community about my mom life struggles and bonding over not only life milestones but beauty favorites and what not! I’m so grateful and feel like it’s not real that not only am I blessed with 6 little ones, but that brands and other people believe in me as an artist and creator.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Rocky road baby! It has been everything but a smooth road. However, not many like to talk about the heavy dark side of creating. While there are amazing bright things happening in our journeys like being reached out to by brands we only ever dreamed of being recognized by, deep dark thoughts like to settle in. I’ve always struggled with my mental health and I like to talk about it with as many as I can. I’m very much an open book and I’ve talked about how hard it is to feel like you belong in a pool of creators where most are in their prime, with no dependents to take care of and or with resources to help make content happen! To put it bluntly, it’s hard being a 32 year old mom of 6, who already has all the odds stacked against her for being a POC (person of color), homeschooling (not the norm), and having little to no help with our kids because there’s so many (duh haha). But I love content creation so much and it’s always been some sort of a therapy for me to connect with other kind souls over beauty, life, motherhood and everything in between. Life is already so full of obstacles and difficult stages of one’s life, so connecting over the things we do have in common that overlap just brings joy to my heart. In a world where we tend to feel lonely, my little corner of the internet on Instagram is where I feel seen by my beauty community and friends. More so because this mama doesn’t really have friends and motherhood is already so lonely and therefore even having virtual friends feels validating and meaningful!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a beauty content creator & I am known for my easy yet elevated glowy makeup looks, heavy on the moisturized skin! I have seasonal eczema and Sahara desert dry skin so hydration is a must for me- ya feel me?! Skin will always be “in” and as a pro makeup artist, skincare is the key to a gorgeous base; ALWAYS! I’m most proud of the fact that I keep going, I’m still here, a busy homeschooling mom of 6 still making it work to show up and create and feed her artistic side. It’s the hardest thing to balance it all and believe me when I say I haven’t got it down, but we are trying! Because it’s worth it to continue to find that new ME postpartum, I’m important too. And when I’m able to water my soul in all aspects, flourish and grow, it shows and in turn does the same for the people around me like my husband and babies! I believe what sets me apart from others is my energy. It’s loud, it’s bold, it’s vibrant and I love that I’m a safe space for many because so many of us were never able to have a safe space. I aim to be that safe space that many of us never found, and that’s hard to find.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Post the content, stay authentic and true to you and have fun and the rest will come boo! I wish someone would have told me that while it’s fun to be paid from brands, it’s even more fun to enjoy the journey and not let creating feel heavy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/softglamismyjam
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/softglamismyjam
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@softglamismyjam