Monica Sorto

My journey in the beauty industry started somewhat unexpectedly when I was a student at Cal State Northridge looking for a summer job. I was hired by Macy's for women's ready-to-wear, but the department manager who hired me also managed cosmetics, and at the end of summer she personally asked me to join the beauty department, saying she could see me thriving there. I was just a lip gloss and mascara type of girl at the time, but I said yes, and that decision changed everything. I always tell the beauty advisors I mentor now that sometimes you just have to say yes and put yourself out there because you never know where life is gonna take you. That opportunity led me to become a full-time beauty advisor at the Clinique counter within a month and a half. After three years, I moved to Nordstrom as a counter manager for Clarins, where I won an award for the most double serum sold in our region and was offered an opportunity to go to Paris to their headquarters. I then moved to manage the Estee Lauder counter, leading a team of 2 full-timers and a part-timer, before launching and opening the Tom Ford counter at Nordstrom Cerritos when they expanded from fragrance into beauty and skincare. There I led a team of 3 full-timers and 1 part-timers, and it was such a beautiful experience where I learned a lot about myself, about growth, leading with integrity, and my passion for makeup, skincare, and fragrance. I then joined Ulta as a Retail Sales Manager and progressed through roles as Prestige Manager, then the Prestige Manager and Salon Manager roles merged becoming the Service Manager, and finally became interim General Manager when my GM took a leave of absence. During my time at Ulta, I delivered my two beautiful daughters. As interim GM, I was able to grow the salon business from 2 to 6 stylists and helped my elite stylist become only the second in the region to be granted an assistant. After delivering my second daughter, I took a year off and tried insurance, but I just wasn't happy. After having dinner with my sorority sister I made the decision to come back into the beauty industry where my passion thrives. I've been with Sephora for over 2 years now as a Sales and Service Lead, and I've found a passion in education and brand engagement, focusing on having brands come in to do backstage trainings with the team, coordinating events, and pre-door open events to help the business grow.