Daisy Marquez is much more than a pretty face. She’s someone who cares deeply about her roots, humanity, taking care of those around her, and so much more.
In today’s age, the word “influencer” may have stretched to encompass much broader terms, but Daisy is one of the OGs in the space. Getting her start posting 10 second makeup tutorials on Snapchat, Daisy began creating content in the beauty space, garnering an incredibly loyal fanbase that have translated across all social media platforms.
Originally born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and raised in Dallas, Texas, Daisy is a Southern girl by heart. When she comes to the West Coast, it’s specifically to work, even filming her exciting new podcast called “Daisy Diaries.” And while her day-to-day’s are far from predictable, Daisy prides herself in her work ethic, passion, and an unwavering desire to be great.
Most recently, Daisy launched her Daisy DACA foundation, supporting DACA recipients and providing them with financial support.
Sheen spoke with Daisy via Zoom to discuss how she got into beauty, the importance in social media, speaking her truth on Youtube, advice to aspiring influencers, editing her own content, starting her podcast and her foundation, and more!
For those who don’t know, who is Daisy Marquez?
Daisy Marquez is a young Latina entrepreneur, media influencer, philanthropist, and investor. I like to describe myself as someone who’s very hard working and giving. I started off my career in the beauty industry. I’ve been in the beauty industry now for 7 years. During COVID, I wanted to venture into other things, so I decided to invest in a couple of homes in Texas. I launched my Daisy DACA foundation because I wanted to give back to my community. I like to start new passions wherever I can. I don’t want to feel limited to one thing.
How did you get into beauty? Did you have influences growing up?
Honestly, no. I got into beauty because I was on the drill team in high school and they made us do our makeup for football games. After high school, I found myself super depressed because I couldn’t afford to go to college. I couldn’t afford college because of my legal status, as they considered me an international student. I got very depressed because I worked my ass off in high school, only to find out that I couldn’t go to college. My outlet then became makeup. I started doing my makeup to deal with my depression.
It started to get a little bit of attention. People said “make longer videos, do YouTube.” Heck no, there’s no way I’m going to do YouTube. I was so scared. But one day, I said the sky’s the limit. What’re you scared of? Just do it. I filmed my first video when I was a senior in high school. It took off and I signed with a team. Right after I graduated high school, I moved to LA. I took that big risk and that’s where my journey started. I’m so thankful I took that or I wouldn’t be here now.
You were doing 10 Second makeup tutorials on Snapchat too. How much of a role does social media play in your career?
Social media plays a huge role in my career. When I wanted to come out with my content, Instagram at the time was super oversaturated with beauty influencers. It was taking off in the beauty space. I said okay, where can I post my content that’s going to make me stand out? I started posting my makeup on Twitter. I got so much backlash being like “take this to Instagram. Don’t bring this to Twitter,” but I was still posting it.
I remember it started blowing up on Twitter. With Twitter and Snapchat, I would tell people on Twitter: hey, go over to Snapchat for the full tutorial. Having Twitter and Snapchat helped me grow so fast on YouTube, because I already had a small fanbase. When I started YouTube, my first video got thousands of views. I thought oh my gosh, this is crazy. Social media has really been a huge help in my career. It has literally brought me to where I am today because I’m able to reach people across the world. I love social media.
Do you have a favorite social media platform?
Right now, I love Pinterest for some reason. My favorite platform changes monthly. Last month it was TikTok, now it’s Pinterest. Right now, I’m really into my creativity. Pinterest is where I get inspired. I love Pinterest. Do you like Pinterest?
Someone had told me I had to get on Pinterest. What is it mainly used for?
It’s nothing but pictures. You go on there for inspiration for a vision board or if you have a photo shoot and you want to get inspiration. It doesn’t feel like Instagram. It’s not regular people on it, it’s people from all across the world. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s such a great way to get your creative juices flowing. It’s a beautiful app. Love it.
What is a day in the life of Daisy?
A day in the life of Daisy depends on where in the world I am. I travel so much. I kid you not, I see the airport probably more than my bed sometimes, but I love it. If I’m in Texas, a day in my life usually starts with waking up in my house, breakfast, working out, and visiting family. I really stay at home when I’m in Texas. When I’m in LA, a day in my life is very unpredictable. Today, I’m going to an event and having a photo shoot. It’s more work related when I’m in LA. Or I can wake up on a random day and say “Oh my gosh, you guys I’m in Hawaii today.” [laughs] It just varies depending on where I am. My days are so sporadic and spontaneous, but I love it.
Did you grow up in Texas?
I was born in Mexico, but I grew up in Dallas, Texas. Yes, I’m a Texas girl.
Do you have Southern roots?
I do. I love the South. I love the southern hospitality we have. I love that I drive to Target and I see cows and horses on my way there. I love being a Texas girly and I love coming to LA and being a city girl. I love the balance that I have.
Story Time: I’m Undocumented | Daisy Marquez
I watched your video Story Time: I’m Undocumented. It’s amazing you have a platform and were able to open up like that. Was it difficult for you to be so vulnerable?
Yes because I didn’t expect for it to blow up and reach the negative side of YouTube. I did get a lot of threats and hate. I think it was ICE that showed up to my doorstep. At the time, my team had told me, “We think you should take the video down.” Or “let’s prepare you just in case.” I got reported for not paying my taxes, but I was paying my taxes. I had paperwork ready and I showed it to them and they left. That definitely was scary.
It was very crazy. Especially because I lived by myself at that time. I felt very scared and vulnerable. I posted the video without thinking about how vulnerable I was going to get. Moving forward, everybody brought it up. People said, “Go back to your country.” The backlash was constant.
That’s terrible!
The Internet can be very cruel. I don’t regret it because it was able to make my community relate to me a little bit more. I’m undocumented, but I am here and I’m successful and you can do it as well. I wanted people to use that as motivation and know that everybody can achieve anything.
Biggest advice you have for someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Stay true to yourself because once you get on social media, you can lose yourself. You start comparing yourself. You have to have a really great support system around you to make sure that you’re grounded and centered at all times. I myself did lose myself in the midst of it all. I’m very thankful that I moved back to Texas because I was able to re-root and find myself again.
Stay true to yourself and stay consistent and be passionate in whatever you do in life. If it’s social media, find your passion. Whether it’s working out or the beauty videos or cooking, just love it. If you fall in love with what you’re doing, you’re going to love it. It won’t feel like a job.
How big is your team? Do you edit your own content?
I edit all my content. I’ve never had an editor for my YouTube videos, I edit all my YouTube videos and all my Reels. I’m such a perfectionist, I like everything a specific way. For photoshoots, glam, and hair, I love to always be creative with different talent and artists. My team is not that big, but I do have a beautiful, supportive genuine team around me. That’s what really keeps me grounded, especially in a place like LA.
Editing is so time-consuming. People look at content creators and see the posts on Instagram, but they don’t realize how much work you’ve put in.
I definitely feel like people see content creators and don’t think about that stuff because you see the content when it’s done. I edit everything. I’m very glad that I took a graphic design and photoshop class in high school because they taught me how to use Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. I create all my thumbnails and edit all my videos. There are tutorials online that can help you learn how to edit. There’s also apps. I love this one app for small videos, Reels, and TIkTok. Once you learn how to edit, you can pick it up really fast. It did take me a while to learn and get it down. I’m still not the best at it, but I do my best.
How would you describe your fashion style?
I love that you asked this question because nobody asks me about fashion. I love to express myself through my fashion. If I’m feeling a little bit sexier, seductive, I’ll wear a black dress. Maybe some print or a red lip. My fashion reflects an emotion and what I’m going through. I’d describe my fashion as spontaneous but seductive, yet sexy. My style also depends on where in the world I am. If I’m in Hawaii, I’m wearing down-to-earth flowy skirts.
Do you shoot your podcast in LA?
I shoot my podcast in LA. I have all my photoshoots over here because my team is over here. Also, events, red carpets, all that are in LA. It’s easier. In Texas, it’s more me time and family time.
What can we expect from Daisy Diaries?
Daisy Diaries launched a few weeks ago and it’s really fresh. I named the podcast Daisy Diaries because I essentially wanted each episode to feel like a chapter in the diary. Guests can come on there and fill that diary with whatever they want. They can share their story and be vulnerable. I wanted to create this space so I can speak my truth. I can talk about things that have happened to me or be funny and talk about recent topics. I wanted to create that platform where my guests and I can feel vulnerable and comfortable. It’s going great so far. I’m about to film an episode in a little bit. I’m loving it. It’s a new platform for me so I’m having to get used to it, but I’m loving it.
Do you like being on the mic?
I do. I have some handheld mics and my hands cramp up a little bit. [laughs] But I do love it, it’s fun.
Definitely want to talk about the Daisy DACA Foundation, I love that you use your platform for a greater good.
The mission behind the foundation is to financially support dreamers like myself. It provides financial aid for people to renew their work permit. If you’re a DACA recipient, we are given a social security number and a permit to work. Unfortunately, that permit expires every two years, so you have a very small window frame to renew it and pay the fees.
Unfortunately for some people, if they don’t have enough money to pay for the permit, you’re kicked off of the program. You’re not allowed to work. You run the risk of getting deported, so it can be a very scary time. I wanted to support dreamers and pay for their permit. Now I’m also providing financial aid for Advance Parole, to where dreamers can visit their home country, their families that they haven’t seen in a lot of years.
What’s the biggest misconception of being an influencer?
That we’re not allowed to have bad days. It’s almost like people have this expectation of influencers to be perfect and happy all the time, almost like robots. That’s a big misconception. We are allowed to have bad days and we’re human as well. We’re going to make mistakes and we’re not perfect. That line is crossed a little bit when you admire people through social media. That’s a big misconception, but it comes with being a social media influencer.
Do you take breaks from your phone?
No, but I should. It’s very hard to take a break from your phone when social media is your job. You know, I have my team say “Hey, maybe you should take a social media break.” I’m like, Oh, my gosh, I can’t, I can’t. I think this year in 2024 I definitely am going to prioritize taking a little breaks in between. It can be very toxic at times. It’s easy to be so consumed in social media. It’ll distort your reality a little bit, so I’m definitely going to work on it.
Do you have any goals for yourself?
One of my goals for 2024 is to work on sobriety. I went on a family trip to Hawaii recently and I didn’t drink. Then it was my best friend’s birthday. We both missed each other’s birthday party, so we had a little glass of wine. It’s just a glass of wine, but I definitely aim to work on that. Another goal is my health. I’m always on the go and I tend to forget about my health. Working out and eating healthy is something else I want to really focus on. I also want to really spend time with my family because I travel so much and I want to focus more on them. Those are really my top priorities this year.
Anything else you want to let the people know?
I have a very special surprise coming around my birthday in September, so they should look forward to that time. I’m going to be 27! I can’t believe it. Oh my gosh. I have some tricks up my sleeve. People can follow me on social media and see what will come out in the future.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of PR Machine
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