Age: 34
Give us the skinny on your background!
In 2002 I started doing makeup for Ruiz Salon in Austin, TX. I was really confused and conflicted about what career path I should take. I had a strong desire to do hair and makeup, but was really nervous about what that meant in terms of work and cost. I had even considered getting my real-estate license at the time. And then, I met Julie Morgan, a makeup artist that had just moved to Austin from New York city with her husband. At that time, I was working in a furniture store on the same block as the salon where she was working. Julie was the talk of the town. She came into the furniture store one day and instead of selling her furniture like I should have been doing, I began to pick her brain about being a makeup artist. She told me that she was impressed by my knowledge of the industry and Julie then invited me to tag along while she did makeup for a photo shoot for a glamour magazine. Afterwards, Julie offered to teach me makeup if I brought her models to practice on. It was an incredibly generous offer and I began to shadow Julie and spend my lunch breaks in the salon just to observe. This opportunity allowed me to build a relationship with the salon owners, Allen Ruiz and Heath Smith. I did this for a year and in a weird twist of fate, Julie decided to move back to New York and the salon owners hired me as her replacement. In addition, they generously financed my formal education in makeup. I worked for the salon for 5 years before I made the big move to Los Angeles when I turned 26!
To be honest, the first year in LA was a struggle. I was having a difficult time even getting an assistant job to a makeup artist let alone securing a talent agent to represent me. I had to take a job in a different field at Bloomingdales just to pay the rent. I was thinking, "What am I doing here? This isn't what I moved to LA to do!" I was at Bloomingdales for 3 years and this was during the recession. I wasn't getting any younger and I knew I had to go to cosmetology school -- to do what I was supposed to be doing -- hair and makeup. Then, the unthinkable happened. I was granted a scholarship to attend a brand new Aveda Institute in Austin, TX.
Time out -- You got a scholarship for cosmetology school? I didn't even know that was a possibility!
Yes! I had kept a close relationship with the owners of Ruiz salon even after I moved to LA. While I was working in LA, Aveda built an institute in Austin, TX and extended a scholarship offer to the owners of the salon I used to work at. They interviewed me along with a few other candidates and decided to offer the scholarship to me! Scholarships are hard to come by. If you don't necessarily have the means for one of the higher-end beauty schools, I would recommend getting your license via community college and then working with a higher-end salon to perfect your technique. Salon owners really just want to work with stylists that are easy to work with and provide their clients with a positive experience. Technique can be learned in the studio while you're assisting the other stylists. Like anything, hands-on experience is the best and if you have passion that can go very far.
What did you do after you got your cosmetology license?
Well, my heart was in LA. I was torn, because I felt a sense of loyalty to Ruiz salon that extended the scholarship, but I also knew that Austin wasn't my first choice as a location to build my career. The owner of Ruiz salon sat me down and said, "Listen, you don't want to be in Austin, if you did... you would know it." He was incredibly helpful and understanding. He allowed me to work for a few more months to get my