Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Bonilla.
Hi Carla, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My interest in beauty began, of course, with my mom. Watching her in the mirror apply lipstick and brush her long curly hair was always such a joy of mine as a child.
After living in New York for a few years, I decided to move to Seattle to begin working as a makeup artist. I worked in different parts of the industry from fashion shows, print, proms and weddings. My love of clean beauty and high fashion photography peaked my interest in caring for the skin underneath all the makeup. During this time, I was also suffering from hormonal acne. To gain a better understanding of what was happening with my own skin and help my clients, I decided to take a leap, move to LA and go back to school to receive my esthetician’s license.
I have now been a Licensed Esthetician for almost 5 years and in the beauty industry for 10. Having had several different careers in my life, this one is by far the most rewarding.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There are the day-to-day challenges of trying to build a successful life as a woman of color. Simply existing as a woman of color can be a challenge. Beginning a new business during the pandemic made the task at hand that much more adventurous.
Just like many beauty professionals during the pandemic, I was unable to work and continue training at a spa under another esthetician. Once we were finally able to get back to work, the esthetician I was working for was unable to reopen her spa. I took several interviews with other spas and found that, even with all the changes and uproar around a living wage, many companies were unable or unwilling to compensate me appropriately for my experience.
During this transition, I was able to keep in touch with many of my clients. I realized that my best option to care for my clients the way that I want to, have a living wage, and have a fulfilling personal life was to start my own business. I can’t say anything new about the challenges of running a business. Building clientele, marketing, profit and loss, etc. But I will say that I was surrounded by wonderful friends and business professionals that continue to help me grow through this process.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an esthetician who specializes in skin of color and acne. Most of my clients would say that the reason they see me is because most of my appointments turn into therapy sessions. No, I am most definitely not a licensed therapist. And there have been countless conversations around recommending therapy to my clients. But I do believe that healing the skin starts from within. Many people come to see me for the first time and list out all of the products they are using but don’t take into account the importance of their mental health and how stress affects the skin. Honestly, I am most proud of the relationships I have with my clients. I have clients that I have been seeing since the beginning of my career. Watching them grow and evolve over the years has been such an honor.
How do you define success?
Of course, the cliche way of defining success in this generation is to say it’s not about the money, rather the way you feel about what you do. And yes, how I feel about what I do and how I choose to manage my business is extremely important and the real purpose in life. However, it is also extremely important to recognize that we live in a capitalistic society. Money does not buy joy and happiness, but it does buy the freedom to live the life you want. I work as hard as I do so that I can afford the soft life I want to live. Success to me is being able to feel joyous every day. Being able to rest when and how I want. It’s the peace of mind. And though I don’t have the materialistic aspects that some may think come with success, I have that peace of mind. Owning my business and working for myself has afforded the peace of mind to feel successful.
Pricing:
- Facials start at $125
- Facial waxing starts at $20
- Body waxing starts at $40
Contact Info:
- Website: carlabonillabeauty.com
- Instagram: @carla.bonilla.beauty
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/carla.bonilla.beauty
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlabobeauty
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/carla-bonilla-beauty-glendale
- Other: https://betweentwofacials.wordpress.com/
Image Credits
The two pictures of the sugaring and the purple mask were taken by Grant Terzakis
