Today we’d like to introduce you to Daphne Pineda.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Daphne. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my beauty blog on Instagram @allthedew, January 10, 2019. Ever since I was young, I was so in love with the world of makeup and skincare. I honestly think my obsession started because my mom forbid it until I was 18. I’ve always had extremely dry skin and when I was in my teen years my skin felt like sandpaper. So, when I started using skincare, I just fell in love with the transformative powers of it. I became so interested in ingredients and how they work, something a lot of people in my life were really uninterested in. I had almost no one in my life who shared this passion with me. Through Instagram, I followed so many beauty pages that just have the most creative and beautiful photos of their makeup and skincare and that’s when I realized, these are the people that I can share this passion with. I’ve always been a creative and I thought maybe its time to take a bold step and create my own page on Instagram solely based on this passion of beauty. The day it went live and I put it out there to my family and friends, I was shaking and so nervous. I’ve always considered myself a human chihuahua, but honestly, it was a weird mix of excitement and fear. I was excited to have this platform to express myself in a creative way for my love for skincare and makeup, but also fear that no one would like it. It’s now been five months and I have over 1,000 followers, and to be honest, that’s still quite small in this space and apparently buying follows and likes is something very popular too. I find that consistency, being yourself, and challenging yourself to be creative is very important to finding success. I am proud of the organic growth and connections I’ve made with so many wonderful human beings and brands. I’ve collabed with Mejuri, Glossier play and I’ve had brands such as Beauty bio believe in me and support my page and it’s honestly so humbling that these brands saw something in me, brands that I genuinely love. I have a lot to learn and I am growing so much through this experience. I’m grateful to the friendships I have created in this platform. I have received so much encouragement and so much positive feedback and the greatest supporter has been my husband who I would constantly bore with my obsession of beauty, poor thing. I am grateful and honored to be in this space and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and my little page.
Great, 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 has not been a smooth road. And to be honest I’m still at the start of this journey myself. I am my worst critic, my own self-doubt is always at the forefront of my mind. I constantly discourage myself and compare myself to others. I’m learning to be better about that and remind myself that I am the only me out there and my form of expression is unique in its own way. If creating a beauty blog or involving yourself in the beauty world is something you are interested in remember that it is competitive and if you want to stand out and grow its important to be yourself, but also know that there is always room for improvement. Also, invest in it: time, money, etc. it will help you in the long run and stepping out of your comfort zone is so important too. Remember you are working with people so socializing and reaching out is going to help so much, but may not be easy for many. So, to summarize, always stay true to yourself, but challenge yourself to try new things and don’t compare yourself to others.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Apart from the beauty blog, I am a part-time music director of a church in Miami. I find I have time to work hard and create fun and unique content for my page. I love coming up with cool ways to capture and highlight products and thinking of the products I’m loving that can work in my vision. There’s always trial and error, but it’s really a great feeling to see these thoughts and ideas come to life and maybe even be better than what I thought it would be. I feel my photos are quirky, fun and colorful. I hope to be known for being real with people, kind, down to Earth and easy to talk to. I’m proud of the growth and acceptance I have received in this beauty community and I’m proud of my page for being an outlet where I can express myself. What sets me apart is that the people that follow me, know that I’m approachable and honest. They know I am someone they can trust because I’m no different than them. I have insecurities, I have faults, I’m far from perfect, but this is a safe space for all beauty lovers to come together to chat and learn about embracing their natural beauty while still having little fun.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I am very blessed to be in the industry that is very much led by women even though there are some incredible men who are definitely coming into the mix. It’s extremely refreshing that women are being taken seriously in the beauty industry, and yes there are many companies who are fair no matter if you are a man or woman. But I have personally felt belittled and not taken seriously for being a woman in the past and it’s really sad that this is still happening anywhere in 2019. But this is changing because women are a force to be reckoned with and have already made huge changes in our society.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allthedew/
Image Credit:
Daphne Pineda
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