HENDERSON (KTNV) — Mila Thomas has built more than just a successful business at Mila Aesthetics in Henderson — she's created a space where beauty becomes a tool for confidence and empowerment.
The Cuban immigrant's journey to entrepreneurship began with a difficult decision to leave her homeland in search of better opportunities in America.
Thomas first found success as a professional dancer in Las Vegas, working at the famous Havana Nights Company at the Tropicana Cabaret. She worked various jobs, including as a cocktail server, to make her dreams come true.
"Leaving Cuba was a really hard decision for me to make, but I'm so happy with all the opportunities that was like welcome here in the U.S.," Thomas said.
Her passion for helping people feel confident led her to discover microblading and lip blushing, prompting her to open her own small business.
VIDEO: How one Latina business owner empowers others to start their own business
"I wanted to do something that I felt passionate about and that also helped me help people feel more beautiful and confident," Thomas said.
Every October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Thomas gifts a service to one cancer patient in need of semi-permanent makeup and a beauty boost. Last year, she transformed one woman's outlook on life by gifting her eyebrows and added confidence.
"I want to do this as part of my breast cancer program, and I would like to have your mother come in and get her eyebrows done. So we did that, and oh my gosh. It made such a difference," Thomas said.
"It wasn't just getting my eyebrows done," the client said.
Thomas's impact extends beyond her clients. She trains other women, many from Hispanic backgrounds, equipping them with skills to start their own businesses.
"It feels very empowering and motivating. She's quite an inspiration for a Latina to think, to know that it's possible to be able to flourish in the community that is the permanent makeup artists," one trainee said.
As a beauty angel's educator, her salon offers nano-feathering brows, with Thomas being one of the first pioneers in this technique.
"It's just the peace of mind and of feeling normal and feeling beautiful and feeling like I can, you know, I can just be me," a client said.
For Thomas, the work goes beyond brows and lip blushing — it's about rewriting the narrative of what Latina women can achieve.
"I want them to know that they're smarter, they're more beautiful, and they're stronger than they think they are," Thomas said.
Every client serves as a reminder that confidence is healing and the American dream is alive in this small business.
"And I want them to know that they can do it and there's no barrier, no language barrier for their dreams. They can do everything they want to," Thomas said.
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