Life & Work with Lorena Castaneda-Alvarez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorena Castaneda-Alvarez.

Hi Lorena, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My full name is Lorena Ernestina Castaneda-Alvarez. I was born and raised in East Los Angeles and moved to the city of Covina at the age of nine. I have been a licensed esthetician for seven years but just started using my license two years ago as I started my beauty bar business during the pandemic. I started working at the age of 16 in retail, and at that time I had to start paying for my own school expenses, clothes, and make-up. I had no idea then that I would work my way up in retail for another 17 years in various roles as a merchandiser, talent manager, and store manager. I loved art and fashion at a young age as well and went to FIDM to study fashion design.

In 2011, I had my first son, and continued to go to school and work full time, but realized school was too much for me. At that time I decided to start thinking of side hustlles that I can really make big someday if I really believed it because I did not want to be retiring from retail. My first side hustle was starting my own fashion boutique. It started great, but the demand for more became too much for me so I stopped the boutique and had my 2nd son in 2013. I continued to work in retail because having a growing family and taking care of a household came with bigger responsibilities and having to keep a steady income. After having my 2nd son, I developed horrible cystic acne that came out of nowhere, and I became addicted to learning skincare products and how to treat the skin to get rid of my acne. By then I took the leap to go to school to become a licensed esthetician in 2014. After I graduated in 2014 I continued to work in retail and became an assistant store manager for banana republic factory store in Commerce. I used my license to start freelancing as a makeup artist on days that I had off from work, so on some weeks I was working 45 to 60 hrs. Fast forward to 2019 I was actually let go from that business I was working with for almost five years, I became very depressed, and not knowing how or what I wanted to do or start all over in. I was pregnant with my 4th child and decided to become a full-time bridal makeup artist. I was in bridal shows in West Hollywood, and in San Diego and started rented a booth in downtown LA. Once March 2020 came I was doing great, all by myself booking jobs, make-up parties and all while being pregnant then Covid-19 hit. It hit me hard I had to send deposits back to all clients that booked and hoped that some could keep their booking until events opened up again. It actually gave me time to rest at home until my baby arrived in May 2020, and by June 2020 when Los Angeles opened up again I decided to take the leap again and rented a bed in Baldwin Park and started to use my license to start my beauty bar business with no clients and was offering free brow waxing, lash lifts and started lash extensions.

Once I felt confident in my work I started to take more classes and learn what I thought I could be great in. I learned how to use the hyaluron pen, and took many more in-person and online classes after the first initial one. It was something that I took the investment in to learn, to treat, to enhance clients. After renting a bed, I was able to rent a room in Glendora and then started to educate and teach the hyaluron pen myself. Once my lease was up in my room, exactly a year ago May 2021 I opened up my very own salon located in Covina, that not only has a private treatment room but three other areas for me to be able to expand my business to body sculpting, makeup & brow stations and next up will be renting space to other up and coming artists. I had a lot of ups in downs in my retail career, but being in the beauty industry now gives me the opportunity to make my own schedule to work around my kids and being able to be there for them for their next big life changes, or school events that I couldn’t be there for eight years ago. I owe a lot to my partner, my love my everything. Without his patience on my career journey, I wouldn’t be here today.

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?
It was not a smooth road, working in retail and going to school to become an esthetician was very hard. There was days I didn’t have time to eat, or even have money to eat. Even after graduating from school, back then starting a career as esthetician was not as it is now. You had to gain experience to work for someone at minimum wage when it was about $8 or $10 an hour back then. So I decided to stay in retail and work as a freelance makeup artist on my days off to gain clientele while working in retail. I actually never knew when I would ever use my license as an esthetician because I knew it would mean to start with nothing to start up a business.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I love to specialize in enhancing beauty. I cannot just pick one, because the look on my client’s faces after every treatment gives me the validation that this is why Im here, this is what I love to do. Makeup has always been my first step into the beauty industry so that is something Im always proud of. What sets me apart from others is also specialize in anti-aging skin correcting treatments. Anyone can get any facial anywhere, but me I like to treat the skin to enhance any problematic skin concerns.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I see a lot of artists right now jumping all in the beauty industry and offering too many services from the start. By offering too many services you are not allowing yourself to master one treatment, service or technique to really show your work off. I offer multiple services as of now only because it really took me years of practice or models before promoting a new service out in the world to gain the trust of clients to book that treatment or service. I would also suggest to really do your research before booking a training, so you give great quality work when starting a new service.

Pricing:

• $200 for needle-less 1ml lip enhancement
• $300 for needle-less fat dissolving treatments
• $250 Procell microchanneling
• $125-$175 Nanoneedling facial
• $85-$550 Body sculpting treatments

Contact Info:

• Website: www.winkandstarebeauty.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/winknstarebeauty
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/wink_n_stare