Life & Work with Letizia Baker of Studio City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Letizia Baker.

Hi Letizia, 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?
A. I was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and my love for beauty started early. I still remember my first ballet recital, some of us had our moms doing our makeup, but one of the girls had a professional makeup artist. I was mesmerized. Even as a little kid, I thought, that had to be one of the coolest jobs in the world.

Lucky for me, my mom was a singer, which meant I had access to all her makeup when she’d leave for gigs. I’d sneak into her room and try to recreate the looks I saw in ’90s magazines, back when supermodels ruled the beauty world. I started reading the editorial credits and recognizing names like Laura Mercier, Kevyn Aucoin, Sonia Kashuk, and Pat McGrath. Those were my beauty idols before I even understood what a makeup artist really did.

As a teenager, I practiced on anyone who would let me—my six-year-old sister, family members, and eventually, my mom. She started letting me do her makeup for her performances, and sometimes, I’d even practice on her wig heads. I took it as seriously as an artist working on a commissioned portrait, which looking back makes me giggle. But pretty soon after it was the adults asking me to do their makeup for special occasions. I never charged, which I don’t regret, but makeup and tools can get expensive, but I just genuinely loved helping my family feel beautiful confident, etc,. I went to a theater college in Mexico first and soon after joined a touring company that sold-out over 150 performances. This was 1997-98. Then soon after I decided to apply for a grant to the another theatre college in Pasadena at the time. Obviously theater and Fox makeup was part of the program as well.
I took some time off of my careers to raise my son, and upon my divorce we moved to Los Angeles when he was 6.5yrs old, now 13 and happy.

When I moved to Los Angeles as a single mom, I started seeing makeup as something that could earn me a living, at least part-time, I quickly noticed how L.A is built for dreamers, resilient ones, and everyone had more than one job, passion or carreer, so I leaned into my skills and started taking it seriously. That included my affinity to helping people with skincare since itś something I had been studying on my own since I had cystic acne at 20 yrs old. Then, when COVID hit, I started sharing skincare reviews and tutorials online, which led to brand partnerships and even more opportunities to work from home.

By now I have done everything from skincare consultations to makeup for stage performers, bridal parties, headshots, editorial, etc, I also. rep my favorite beauty brands at beauty stores (i.e. Sephora and Ulta) bridging the gap between brands and real customers, while educating them on how to use it, which is vital.

Looking back, every part of my journey—from being a curious kid in Tijuana to a wedding band singer to a beauty professional in L.A. as a single mom—has led me to where I am today. It’s been definitely tested my strength, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

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?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road, but it hasn’t been the toughest Ive ever heard of either, I always counted my blessings and knew it could be worse. One of the biggest things I had to figure out early on was that I didn’t have to box myself into just one niche. In a city like LA, there are so many different opportunities in beauty—film, photography, retail, content creation—you name it. Once I embraced that, things started falling into place as I opened myself to broader opportunities.

As a single mom without steady daycare, I had to be realistic about the kind of work I could take on. A full-day film set wasn’t going to be sustainable for me, so I leaned into freelancing and content creation, which gave me the flexibility I needed. It’s been all about adapting, finding what works for my life, and still doing what I love..

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Q. Tell us a little about what you do.

A. I wear many hats in the beauty industry, but at the heart of it all, my goal is simple: to make my clients’ lives easier by helping them achieve their skincare & makeup goals with my knowledge in my 20+ years of experience.

I do skincare consultations—both in-person and virtually—where I create personalized routines that are not only effective but also realistic for their lifestyle and budget. I also work as a makeup artist, doing everything from weddings and editorial shoots to headshots, special events, and stage performances.
Beyond that, I work part-time at beauty stores, representing brands and educating staff. My deep knowledge of skincare gives me an edge because itś pretty often that many makeup concerns actually come from using products that aren’t right for their skin type. I love helping clients make those connections and guiding them toward better options for them.

Q. What are you known for? What sets you apart?
A. What really sets me apart as a makeup artist is my background as a performer. My ability to connect with others, and I think watching my mom handle stressed out wedding clients, showed me by example how to deal under pressure. There is so much grit in moms that gets passed down to us, and latina moms are some of the most fearless, therefore I grew up with a mom that coined the term Bright Red, meaning have the confidence of a woman wearing bright red, haha. I worked with my parents for about 10 years as a singer in a high-end wedding band. Honestly, that was the best on-the-job training I could’ve asked for as a glam MUA. I had to figure out what makeup could survive five hours of singing and dancing under hot stage lights—so long-wear, flawless makeup is second nature to me now. That experience shapes how I do makeup today—I want my clients to look and feel amazing, no matter the occasion.

Q. What are you most proud of?
A. There are a few things I’m really proud of, one is finding a way to make myself be of service to others with any of my gifts.
Also, organizing the first-ever Hispanic community event with Paula’s Choice. As a Latina born and raised in Mexico, creating a space where successful Latina women—many of them immigrants—could come together to celebrate their achievements, connect, and share their stories was incredibly meaningful to me.
That experience inspired me to keep pushing for more
representation, which is why I’m now curating a list of Hispanic content creators to help brands better recognize and collaborate with our voices in the beauty industry.
On a personal level, I’m proud of building a career I love while being a single mom to my 13-year-old son, Bruce, in a fast-paced city like L.A. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve shown him that hard work, passion, and perseverance can open doors. And honestly, I’m just proud of the positive ways I have impacted my clients, helping them figure out their skin, simplifying their routine when needed, and creating spaces where Latina women can connect and thrive in the beauty industry and beyond.

Any big plans?

Q;What are your plans for the future? Any big changes or exciting things coming up?

A. I’m really excited to connect even more with other beauty professionals here in L.A. There’s so much talent and creativity in this city, and I love being part of a community that’s always evolving and growing. And of course, more beautiful clients.

I’m also looking forward to the programs I’m working on with Latinas in Beauty, a non-profit organization that I accidentally heard of first on LinkedIn, it immediately called to me as I was currently working on a Latina community event in Los Angeles for the skincare brand Paulaś Choice.

**Latinas in Beauty .com is a worthy google search, where Iḿ proud to be part of the Content Creator Committee alonside such an experienced team of beautiful Latinas. It truly is a very exciting non-profit organization founded by beauty industry powerhouses Emily Perez, alongside Nadine Tapia and Margarita Arriagada. Our passion for creating opportunities and fostering community, opportunities and education for Latinas in all aspects of the beauty industry is truly inspiring and I’m honored to be part of this growing movement.

We were just at CosmoProf North America in Vegas, as exhibitors in our booth, and then as hosts for an event for the cosmetic industry professionals, everyone from Latina owned beauty brands like, Luna Magic, to Chief Merchants, manufacturers.content creators and everything in between were all there mingling with each other. It was honestly beautiful, not only to see Latinas there, but also see our Non-Latin allies there showing up for us.

Pricing:

• Skincare Consultation + follow up call $60
• Bridal Makeup Trial $175,
• Bridal Makeup Wedding Day (includes touch up kit) $350
• Event Glam Makeup $150 per person
• Photoshoot/Headshots (3 looks) $175

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/letiziabeautyguide
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/letiziabaker/

Image Credits
All mine