Today we’d like to introduce you to Ona Linton.
Ona, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Hello everyone! I am a Freelance Makeup-artist. I was born and raised in Deer Park Texas, but lived in the Bay Area, California for two years & graduated from high school out there. From an early age, I was always so fascinated with makeup. At the age of 11, I would always go over to my best friend’s house & her mom would let us play in makeup all the time. Our friendship quickly sparked my passion for all things beauty, and since then I’ve always dreamt that one day I would become a successful makeup artist.
At the age of 15, I started to do makeup on a more professional level and charged girls to do their prom makeup. In fact, I was so dedicated that I never went to Prom because I wanted to work and make money more than I wanted to go to a school dance. Throughout the years, my passion for wanting to be a successful makeup artist fluctuated. Sometimes, I found the work to be really exhausting, and then other times I found it to be super rewarding. At the age of 18, I landed a job as an Associate Consultant with the Estee Lauder Companies. However, before that, I was turned down by Sephora, Lancome, and Clinique. It took one person to believe in me, and I soon became one of the youngest individuals to be working for one of the most prominent makeup brands of our generation. I promoted within the company pretty quickly and was looked at to become a Business Manager in a retail setting. However, I did not enjoy working retail whatsoever. It sucked the fun out of being a makeup artist for me, and I found myself wanting nothing to do with makeup at all for the time being. At this point in my life, I really wanted to focus on school and get my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
To this day, I feel as though that society believes that if you don’t go to college then you will never be successful, and I’m here to tell you that that’s all a lie. If I’m being honest with myself, I never ever went to school because I genuinely wanted to… I only went because I felt like I would be judged by others if I didn’t go. The second I stopped caring what others thought about me was the same second that I took myself & my makeup career seriously and became a college drop out at the age of 19. I came to the conclusion that if I was going to invest my time and money into something then it was going to be about something that I’m passionate about… and the last time I checked, you don’t need a business degree to run your own business. I like to let life lessons and real-world experiences teach me everything I need to know.
After overcoming doubt & fear, I have broken out of the space that I confined myself into for years. Although I am still very young, I know exactly what it is that I want, and it took heaps of ups and downs to get here. I truly feel as though I was put on this earth to help other women feel good about themselves, and that is my main WHY of being a makeup artist. I’ve always felt like God has put me in the right places at the right time, and has given me a gift to truly impact lives from the inside & out. With that being stated, my life mission is to be an inspiration and a light to all women and help other women feel confident and good about themselves.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Nothing good in life comes easy, nor does it happen right away. You have to be willing to put the work in each and every single day if you want to see results. Consistency is something that I have definitely struggled with along my journey, but the second I understood that I had to be consistent in order to grow… that’s when things started happening for me. The best advice I could give to young girls starting out is to stop caring about what others think and start before you’re ready.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
All of my friends and family know me as the “go-to gal” when it comes to skincare and makeup. I am fascinated and educated on both topics, but makeup will always be my baby. For so long I doubted even taking my makeup career seriously because I felt as though that the market was supersaturated. Which it is – however, no one is me. You can teach someone all your tips and techniques, but it doesn’t mean that they’re going to apply the makeup exactly like you can. There may be some similarities, but I believe every artist is different in their own unique way. What I think sets me apart from others is my ‘WHY’ for being a makeup artist. I wholeheartedly enjoy my job because I get to help other women look and feel good about themselves. The way their face lights up, and how they start snapping a thousand selfies left & right is why I do what I do. My job is to enhance my client’s natural beauty, and I don’t stop working until they see and believe how beautiful and powerful they are. It makes me feel good knowing that they feel confident and unstoppable.
Who have you been inspired by?
I draw a lot of my inspiration from women who are hard workers and make sh*t happen. One of my biggest inspirations is a fellow Houston Makeup artist named Ash K Holm. She is a total boss babe, and I admire her work like no other. She has moved on to work with celebrities like the Kardashians, Shay Mitchell, and Camila Cabello. Through her success, she has always remained humble & has worked her butt off to get to where she’s at. I hope one day I’ll get to follow in her footsteps.
Contact Info:
- Email: linton.ona@gmail.com
- Instagram: Ona_linton
- Facebook: Ona Linton
Image Credit:
Ona Linton
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