Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Joanna Rios.
Leslie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2014 Makeup_by Less was born. It all began in my bathroom at our blue apartments. I was the girl who would always volunteer to do everyone’s makeup and hair for special events. My best friend at the time would come by on the weekend, so I can get her ready for her date night with her hubby. We would go in bathroom and just did my magic on her. She always loved how beautiful she looked and how much confidence she felt from getting her hair and makeup done by me. One day I did her makeup so nice. I thought “I should do this for a living” so I began to promote myself on Facebook market groups.
Then little by little, I started having clients. I always enjoyed seeing my clients face as they saw their hair and makeup for the 1st time. It was very rewarding for me. I could not believe that was my job to be honest. It didn’t even feel like a job. It felt more like I getting my girlfriends ready for their event.
In 2015 we moved from our blue apartment to a house. A home that had a loft. I thought, well this could be my makeup room. I definitely upgraded from where I use to do my client’s makeup! And then something new came with that… I started my YouTube channel “Leslie Joanna.”
The purpose of my videos were to share with others my passion for fashion, home decor and beauty. Along the way, I become a mother for the 3th ( December 2016) time, so I shared with my YouTube family my pregnancy journey. I could no longer dedicate the time to makeup_byless, so I made a choice to put my Makeup career on pause. And focus more on motherhood and my YouTube channel. Soon after baby number 4th (April 2018)came. And boom! surprise baby number five arrived in (January 2020).
Since our 5th baby has arrived, I finally got into a routine and I can now upload videos to my channel and post pictures on my Instagram like before. I am very happy for my community and friends I have built through YouTube and Instagram. I love that I get too inspired other women and mothers around me and around the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
As a mother of five, there is a lot of challenges that can come my way. To be honest, sometimes I just don’t have the time to film or to post content on my social media. If I am feeling worn out, I take one or two days off to get inspiration and recharge my batteries. I Always look for inspiration in everything that I do. From the food I cook, to what I wear or how I decorate a room. What keeps me going is the passion that I have for motherhood, home decor, beauty and fashion.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Creating fashion videos on YouTube is what I enjoy the most. Finding designer dupes is my favorite kind of video to make and my subscribers seem to love those videos the most. I also love sharing with my ladies how they can look fashionable without having to spend a lot of money. Who doesn’t love a great deal! And also sharing tips on how to style their home and find home decor deals. I am honestly always looking for deals!
I am proud of being a mother of five, proud of having a child with special needs and with all those challenges that can with motherhood, I am very happy I get to do what I love and share it with so many people. Rosa my oldest, has a condition called Arthrogryposis. She inspired me to never give up! To push just little harder each and every single day.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
My advice to a woman out there who are wanting to become entrepreneurs or began their careers is to enjoy the ups and downs. Learn from your experiences, always try to make things better than before. Pay attention to detail, and always look and dress your best.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.liketoknow.it/lesliejoanna_
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesliejoanna_/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/pages/category/Blogger/Leslie-Joanna-825721077529209/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8PcpI5S5q9eUhVA8cZYNog
Image Credit:
Diego Vaughan
Evan Giefer
Alma Lepe
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