Meet Mirella De Leon Marquez | Licensed Cosmetologist & owner of The Waxing Lounge

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mirella De Leon Marquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mirella, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I like to think that I have still somewhat managed to maintain a balance between work and personal life, but it’s definitely a daily struggle and I find it only becomes harder and harder every year ,and I’ll tell you why.. So let’s back track about 13yrs ago to the beginning of my career, when balancing everything was pretty simple. My work life consisted of being a waxing specialist for a large corporate company that ran absolutely everything and took care of all the stressful parts of the business. That being said, I of course didn’t have to worry about anything other than, providing a great service for my clients and showing up to work on my set days and hours, once I was out of there I turned off work mode and jumped right back into being a mom and enjoying my personal life. Now fast forward to today where I am the owner of my own waxing & beauty business , that I have proudly been running and growing for about 7yrs. It was one of the scariest but most amazing experiences I could have jumped into, however each and every year comes with more growth, more responsibility and therefore requires more of my energy , dedication and time. That’s when balance becomes tricky. I am a believer in a constant growing buisness so I do try my best to accommodate clients when I can, but sometimes that means coming into my office at odd hours or days I don’t typically work, it means handling all the inventory, cleaning, booking, social media and marketing, all while also trying to take care of myself, tend to my boys, stay on top of them to keep their grades up, make sure I’m present for sports, maintain a healthy relationship with my partner, keep up with close friends and family, eat well, exercise and make sure my house isn’t a complete disaster! It’s definitely a lot lol and I am by no means a master of balance, it’s a daily challenge but I do my best to keep up with everything the best that I can !

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I will start by saying that this journey has by no means been easy , however it has been the career path that I have always known I belong in. I have always felt such joy and fulfillment every single time I was able to give my clients that confidence boost they needed by making them feel beautiful and comfortable in their own skin after a great waxing service! . For me everything started when I graduated H.S, I debated on whether or not college was for me, but that summer was all the time I had to decide what I would do because for my parents not doing anything at all and just having my H.S diploma was not enough. As I was sitting at home confused one day, just contemplating what my career and my future would look like my mom stepped in and asked me something so simple that made me decide then and there what route I would take. She said what are you passionate about? What is something you enjoy so much that you can see yourself doing it for a very long time without feeling unhappy or forced.? Immediately I thought of the beauty industry! I remembered family coming to me even in my teens to help them with their hair and makeup for special events and I absolutely loved it , I remember doing my own updo for homecoming and receiving so many compliments, so there it was clear as day, I finally knew what I wanted to do !. I quickly decided to register to Emily Griffith’s full time cosmetology program in the fall and begin my journey in the world of beauty . School was the fun part, I’d even dare to say the easier part of my whole experience. In school I learned bits and pieces of everything beauty related and after 1yr I finished, took my state boards and was a licensed Cosmetologist at the young age of 18. My first job straight out of beauty school was as a hairstylist at Cost Cutters and I also did nails at peoples houses on the side, I totally hated every part of working at the hair salon and the pay sucked. Even with that being said I tried to get through my work days and take each one as a learning experience, I stayed at CC for about a year until I found out I was pregnant, it didn’t take long for me to reach the point where I was so sick that I had to quit my job. In the meantime I stayed home just trying to survive pregnancy and literally just keep down a meal , I made it through and had a healthy baby boy at 20. So here I was a young new mom, trying to figure out motherhood , make my relationship with my partner work and trying to jumpstart my new career, all while also helping my parents buy their first home. I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to stay with my son the first 2yrs of his life , but now it was time for me to get on with my career . I didn’t have to look for long when I was offered a job as a waxing specialist at a nationwide known waxing chain. I was nervous , scared of failure, and doubted whether or not I could even do it , but despite my fears I was able to go from being the girl who stood in the corner during training and did not want to do a brazilian or even watch it being done because I thought it looked so painful lol to now being able to perform that same service in 10-15 min and having brazilian’s be one of my most popular services.! Let me just say , it is one of the most amazing feelings to look back now and remember working for that large corporate company for about 7yrs, riding that roller coaster of ups and downs , dealing with difficult people to now owning my own waxing business with a schedule filled with amazing clients that feel like great friends! This is obviously just a peak into what has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done and at the same time one of the most rewarding and fulfilling !

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend whom I was trying to show around for the first time for drinks and good food ,I have to say I would more than likely suggest going to Ocean Prime because the food and drinks are great and the view of down town from the top floor is pretty cool ! Another one I’d suggest is Jing, the food and drinks are good but the ambience is great, it feels dark and private+ in the evenings on weekends they have a DJ who totally makes the vibes that much better! Mariscos el Rey 2 is another stop we would have to make because the seafood there is really good, micheladas are spot on and they have Karaoke and live music which I love! A drive up to the mountains on the rzr would be on the list since it’s one of my favorite things to do when I want to just relax , getaway and head up to enjoy the scenery.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout without a doubt goes to my Mother . This woman has been my number one cheerleader from day one, she has always been there to help me in any way that she could ! Whether that meant picking up my kids from school when I was running late with clients or simply encouraging me to keep going when I felt like I just couldn’t do it anymore . Growing up and seeing her work and dedicate herself endlessly made me visualize myself one day being able to give her everything that she deserved + more ! I am incredibly thankful to god who has blessed me with the opportunity to make this come true for her already in so many ways, however it of course doesn’t stop yet! I still have so much more I’d like to accomplish in my years ahead, and having someone as special as my mom supporting me every step of the way is something I will never take for granted, I don’t think I could have done it without her.

Esta es para ti mamá!

Website: https://thewaxinglounge18.glossgenius.com/

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Image Credits
Photography : @_esmeraldazavala