Meet Desiree Portillo | Bath Boutique Founder & Merchandise/Marketing Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desiree Portillo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desiree, how has your work-life balance changed over time?

I currently work full time as a Merchandise/Marketing Manager for a video game developer as I continue to work towards building my own brand for HAUTBath. Since having the opportunity to work at home, I am able to create my own schedule which has definitely evolved over time in a number of ways.

I’ve come to realize that taking care of yourself and your health is the most important thing followed by my marriage and family/friends. Then comes my career and everything else…So here is how I balance it all out.

Currently, my work/life balance consists of waking up early and enjoying a cup of coffee/tea first thing in the morning and just sitting there with my thoughts for at least 30 minutes and then I go to the gym right after that and get ready for the day. I have to do all of this before I get my day started. If I don’t make time for my morning routine, I find myself feeling more anxious throughout the day, so making time to do things for me first is PRIORITY.

After that, I complete any personal errands that need to be done. Then schedule out how much time I need to complete the tasks for my merch/marketing job and work in HAUTBath tasks after that. My weekends are also filled with soap making, working on my website, PR inquiries, social media content etc…

My circle of friends is small as I believe in quality of friendship over quantity. With that being said, I make time for the people that matter the most.

I see my best friend a few times a year as she lives 4 hours away in Houston, Texas and also has a busy schedule with her family and career, but we do keep in touch almost weekly and we also like to take annual girls trips. My other friends and immediate family are in Southern California, so I make time for them visiting a few times a year also. I spend the most time with my Husband and I make sure we are always connected no matter how busy we are with work. He truly is my best friend even outside of our marriage, so it is important for me to always make time for him and do things together that we enjoy such as exploring our city, taking mini vacations when we can and staying in and cooking together while spending time with our fur babies.

Overall, not every day is perfect though, there are days that I get a late start to my day and am sort of thrown off, soap making doesn’t always go as planned, I’ve wasted a lot of product with mistakes I’ve made, and my merch/marketing job is always throwing new challenges my way but what works for me is as long as my foundation is right then I can usually handle anything that comes my way..

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I think what I would want people to know about my brand is that I am a bath enthusiast and everything in my shop is related to enhancing your well-being and self-care experience. I make bath salts, bath soaks, body masks, and of course soap with future plans of going the fashion route such as loungewear etc.

Also, the fact that a lot of different things inspire me, like sometimes I’ll go down these rabbit holes to learn about old Hollywood figures such as Jay Sebring for example or the fashion designer, Halston. I have always had a big interest in old Hollywood designers, actors and any influential figure, really. I’ll usually name a collection after someone from that era or a soap because I’m so inspired by their story.

Then there is obviously music. Almost all of my soaps are named after songs that have resonated with me over the years, from bands/artists such as Dawgyz, Christian Loffler, Suki Waterhouse, Father John Misty and of course, Lana, just to name a few…

Of course, there is also the more fun part, that is the artsy aspect of it. I never really thought of myself as creative to be honest, but when you mix in everything that you love together, you can come up with some really cool stuff!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ha! Well, when my best friend is in town, I definitely have to be ready for an adventure as she likes to have a good time, she is not a very lowkey kind of girl. We are so different yet so similar which I think has contributed to our many fun adventures.

The first thing I would do, hands down, is book a massage at Myora’s spa, then get hydra facials for both of us at Below Zero Cryo to start off the morning. Then for a nice brunch we would go to downtown Dallas to this place called, XOXO dining room which has beautiful aesthetics and a great atmosphere. After that, we would probably go back to my place and rest because you know, we’re in our thirties, we have to save our energy for the nighttime.

Then most likely she would be looking up the latest nightclubs in our area that are hosting a DJ she likes, and I would probably be looking up a local band to go see for a more lowkey night. Then we would ultimately compromise on some kind of happy medium, which would probably be having drinks at a swanky bar laughing, people watching and having great conversation catching up.

And then after that she would probably want to fly to Vegas for the rest of the week the same night, knowing her.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh my gosh, so many!

My customers who shop in my shop are hands down an inspiration because it’s what keeps me going- it is the biggest compliment when someone appreciates your art. Every time I get someone that I don’t know who buys from me, I really try to connect with them, because it is such an honor that they chose me out of all the soap makers out there, that is truly the best feeling and makes all the work I do well worth it!

My husband, Chris, of course. He inspires me daily and has always encouraged me to be the greatest version of myself, he also helps me out with some of the photography in my business and is the influence behind my men’s line.

My Aunt and Uncle have a business of their own (check out their video game 7 Days to Die) and are great mentors who are always willing to do anything to help me succeed.

My best friend, Andrea, who has always been the biggest supporter of anything I do. I feel very fortunate to have a true friendship with someone who understands me and is so genuine.

Ultimately, my grandparents, parents and brother are my biggest inspiration as well, everything I do is for them.

In terms of music, I would have to say, Lana Del Rey. A lot of the details of HAUTBath are inspired by her, I can’t even really make soap without listening to her music, it’s what gets my creative juices flowing!

Website: www.HAUTBath.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hautbath/

Twitter: twitter.com/hautbath

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HautBath/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUIoUZIQVUiIYot-kalH65Q