Brows by Liz: This is Liz Lugo

Instagram: browsby_liz

Social Media sensation and hard-wax guru, Liz Lugo, discovered her passion for skincare while attending Bellus Academy in Poway, California; one of the most accredited beauty and wellness institutions in the nation. Liz soon realized waxing would not just be her career, but also an aspiration toward perfecting the technique of brow artistry.

Today, she is the proud owner of the renowned Brows by Liz, a high-end salon located in Mission Viejo, California. Liz carefully customizes every client’s brows with precision according to their natural shape and facial features. Liz also specializes in full body and speed waxing. She takes pride in her waxing techniques, and her results never fail to leave clients feeling their absolute best!

The Beginning

After completing her schooling for esthetics, Liz knew that she wanted to pursue a career in waxing. She applied at European Wax Center (EWC) and was hired as a wax specialist. Liz enjoyed working at EWC and received phenomenal training from fellow wax specialist, Chloé Amstutz. While working there, Liz also discovered she had a special talent for waxing eyebrows. However, after 3 years of working at EWC, Liz felt that it was time to move on and focus on herself and her eyebrow artistry.

Liz dreamed of having a celebrity clientele and knew that the only way she could obtain that was if she worked in Los Angeles. She left her life in San Diego, moved back in with her parents, and got a job in Beverly Hills. Her parents lived in Moreno Valley, which was roughly a 1.5-hour drive from her new job. However, a one-way commute would sometimes take her 2-3 due to the infamous LA traffic!

For nearly 8 months, Liz made the commute from Moreno Valley to her job in Beverly Hills as she desperately wanted to build her clientele in LA. Unfortunately, plans were not going as expected, and she was not making much money at all. One Friday, while driving home stuck in traffic, she realized that as fun as LA was, she didn’t really see herself living there for much longer, and decided the job was not going to work out.

“There I was… in my 30s, living with my parents, jobless, broke, and so lost. I didn’t know what I wanted or where I was going to take my career. I knew that I didn’t want to work for anyone, but the thought of being a business owner had never crossed my mind. Even at my lowest point, I always knew everything would turn out fine because when you find something you’re passionate about, something you love, everything will fall into place the way that it should. It might take some time, it might be tough, but you have to think “big picture” and power through.”

Being unemployed, Liz had the luxury of time. Time to think, time to reflect, and even time wax herself, which she rarely has time to do till this day. While she was setting up her wax, she thought it would be really cool to record herself and post the video on her Instagram.

Not many people were familiar with her style of waxing at the time, so Liz wanted to show her followers some of her favorite techniques. She posted the 1 min. video and a couple of days later, when she woke up and checked her phone, she kept receiving non-stop notifications from Instagram.

“I thought it was a glitch at first! Every few seconds it would tell me I had 30 new followers, 50 new followers, etc. etc... then, one of my girlfriends texted me and told me my video had gone viral! I went from having 5k followers, which I thought was a lot, to 20k followers within days! My following continued growing every day!”

The reception Liz’s videos were receiving was monumental! Countless people began asking Liz how they could schedule an appointment to get waxed by her. She knew she had to take advantage of this opportunity and open up her own space but felt that she had no clue on how to start a business. She convinced herself she would learn as she goes, and the excitement of it all helped curve any fears she had!

“I just kept telling myself, this is going to work because it has to work & I am going to do everything in my ability to make it successful.”

Starpil

Liz first spoke with Saul Ortiz, the CEO of Starpil, in December of 2016. When Saul reached out to her with the proposal of working together, she explained to him that she was also in talks with another wax company. Saul respected that but was convinced that he would soon hear back from Liz.

At that moment, Liz was in a place where everything was still new to her and she didn’t know the business side of things. However, after carefully considering her options, she couldn’t resist the offer of becoming a Starpil brand ambassador.

“When a company cares for their team, it truly shows. Starpil has been wonderful to me and it’s been such an amazing experience to work with them these past couple of years. With Starpil, I got to work my first beauty convention in Las Vegas (Cosmoprof) and was invited to Cosmoprof Italy. I also got the opportunity to see the Starpil factory in Spain and was able to see how the wax is made from start to finish. I could have never imagined all of this would happen to me the nights I was lying in bed jobless and broke.”

Liz has worked with Starpil’s entire product line and is in love with all of their premium waxes. She loves the Blue film wax because of its flexibility, ability to work with course hair, and its easiness to use when speed waxing. Blue film is our bestselling wax! It is composed of a very specific polymer formula which creates our most flexible application. It is specifically formulated for waxing larger areas of the body such as the back, arms, and legs. It is also ideal for removing thick and coarse hairs by pulling the hair follicle at the root.

She is also obsessed with Starsoft, Starpil’s luxury line of wax. Starsoft is a pine rosin free formula with neurosensory properties and is specially formulated for hypersensitive skin. It is recommended for people with skin that irritates easily and people wanting the most pleasurable waxing experience available! Starsoft is her go-to for Brazilians, though it can also be used for waxing different areas of the body.

Pink film wax is another one of Liz’s favorite Starpil waxes because it is a creamy, polymer-blend formula with great flexibility for removal. Pink film leaves skin looking beautiful, radiant, and is ideal for waxing smaller areas such as the face, Brazilian bikini area, and underarms due to its ability to pick up even the finest hairs.

Liz Lugo has come a long way from her early days at EWC. She has become a household name in the healthcare and beauty industry and is living her dream to the fullest! Even during her hardest times, Liz never gave up on her dreams and her hard work and persistence is paying off. She continues to be ambitious and is always trying to improve wherever she can. Liz also has a surprise in the works that will change the wax game forever. Stay tuned.