Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Franco.
Hi Diana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am 22 & a Mexican-American CHINGONA! The love I have for making handmade-cosmetics came from being a Certified Makeup Artist myself! I have been using makeup since I can remember! The thought of having my own shop + brand was a silly dream of mine and I never really put much thought into it until May 2020! Elm St Beauty is a horror-inspired one stop cosmetic shop! My love for horror movies inspired not only the name of my shop but also the names for each of my products! I decided to make my brand 100% vegan and cruelty-free because I CAN! If I can make amazing quality and natural products free of animal cruelty-then any shop can! My journey started out with making lipgloss. Lipgloss was a really big deal to me, it is the first thing that I wanted to create because as a makeup artist, I have tried out so many glosses on my clients and a lot of their formulas were off and very sticky! So I really made sure to perfect my formula and include natural oils to not only soften your lips but also repair and moisturize as the same time!
Aside from making handmade glosses inspired by horror movies, we then came out to releasing EYELASHES! As a fan of rock en español, I had to include my childhood music and huge inspiration to my present life, I decided to put my personality into my next products! My favorite print is of course cheetah print and I felt like that would go perfectly with the design of the eyelash boxes and so I put everything together and released “Tren al sur” + “Devuelveme a mi chica.” We had so many amazing launches of SO many products. It’s unbelievable how a dream or even a thought of having your visions come true is possible! I will always and forever put my 100% into my shop and continue to improve. There is no perfection when it comes to owning and managing your own shop, only learning more each and every day. I would not have been where I am now without the love and support from my amazing friends, family and amazing customers that I truly more than just customers, they are my friends!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am a one-person shop; meaning I hand-make all the products, I control all social media and customer emails. There has definitely been obstacles which made me feel like I should just give up. This is my very first time opening a shop and man was I scared. I didn’t know anything but with something new that comes into your life, you always learn! I remember one time I came out with vegan lip scrubs but I used different containers because of the theme I had, and it was a disaster. I got so many emails and DM’s on Instagram letting me know that they received very very broken containers and I just felt defeated. I felt as if my hard work was destroyed in one second. I’m so so thankful for the customers because they are the sweetest and most understanding people I’ve ever met. Some of them didn’t want a refund because they understood that it wasn’t my fault-it could’ve been of other reasons. I remember once that all happened to me, I shut off the world and felt embarrassed. I wanted to QUIT and never show my face again. I went through a hard time but I have very supportive friends who gave me reassurance and told me to be strong and try again. I get up each and everyday and I work hard for my amazing customers and for my friends who give em so much love and support that I will forever cherish.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am currently working for Target! I work as a Beauty Team Member – of course! I love everything about makeup. I believe that we don’t NEED it to feel beautiful at all. Makeup is about enhancing your natural beauty on the outside while also giving you more confidence on the inside. I believe what sets me apart from others is that no matter what life throws at me, I will always bounce back from it and see the positive side. I am human and I will have bad days but I’ve been learning to be patient with myself and take more time to appreciate everything around me. I have created something so beautiful that represents exactly who I am. I am creative. I am always going to stand out because I am myself. I love to love. I am so appreciative of anyone who shows my small shop support because they believed in my dreams. My customers are what make Elm St Beauty. I am most proud of not being scared to make my dreams a reality. It is such a big investment to do something you’re scared of. But I did that and I made it happen. And I am continuing to perfect my small shop everyday and I will not stop.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I believe that being “successful” carries a big responsibility. I always tell people that it is not as easy as it looks! You have to be very very patient with yourself and those around you. Not only do you need determination, but you also need to know that you have to be very very active on social media and dedicate a lot of your time. You have to show love to your customers, you have to post content, you have to design your next projects, etc. I believe everyone can make anything happen if they really set their minds to it. I started from nothing and here I am. Nowhere close to where I wanna be, but I’m so grateful for this amazing journey. Having an open mind and being patient is something I always advise.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.elmstbeauty.com
- Instagram: @shopelmstbeauty
