Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna De La Garza.
Anna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
For as long as I could remember, I always loved makeup and playing with my mom’s red lipsticks and powders that would sit neatly on her dresser. I can’t recall how many lipsticks of hers I ruined when I would play dress up! I always dabbled in makeup and was the “family beauty guru” my sisters and mom would come to me to glam them up and so would some of my friends and family. I always helped them either get makeup and hair ready or style them. Four years ago, I finally decided to turn my passion into a business and do what I love on another level. I got certified by Benni Beauty a local Houstonian who is pretty well known and I haven’t looked back! So, here I am, painting faces and making people more beautiful and doing what I love to do.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course, it hasn’t been a smooth journey! It’s been a learning journey that’s for sure. In the beauty industry, especially makeup, you are never done learning makeup trends, techniques and working with new products. The products themselves are endless and come in abundance. My advice to anyone in this business is to never give up and keep pushing yourself to learn new techniques, to work with new products, to expand and grow your network and do not ever think that there are “too many makeup artists” out there why should I do it?! Not every MUA brings the same thing to the table and there’s plenty of work out there for you.
Please tell us about AnnaMakeMeUp.
I do both makeup and hair BUT I prefer makeup. I specialize in special event makeup, bridal and photography makeup.
I’m most proud of my hands on makeup classes. I love being able to teach what I love the most to my clients and seeing their faces light up when they recreate a look I taught them. I would say what separates me from others is doing my hands on makeup classes and also creating YouTube and Instagram videos for my followers.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
I would say what worked best for me was using all of my social media platforms and networking with as many people as possible. Attend all the meetups, social events or local markets that you can to meet people like you. There are so many small businesses out there just like you trying to make a name for themselves so collaborate with as many people as you can to get where you’d like to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.annamakemeup.com
- Phone: 281-687-8093
- Email: anna@annamakemeup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annamakemeup/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AnnaMakeMeUp/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/annamakemeup
Image Credit:
@shawnabeckphoto
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