Today we’d like to introduce you to Thelma Duran.
Hi Thelma, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hello, my name is Thelma Duran I am 30 years old and I am a daughter of immigrant parents. We arrived when I was only 3 years old and I grew up in the South East area of Houston, Tx.
My journey as a make up artist began during a Free Health Fair that my home church Ct Español was hosting back in 2014. My sister wanted to volunteer and offer free makeovers to the community but didn’t want to do it alone so I agreed to help. I must admit I knew nothing about make up and I was nervous! Nerves and all, we served our community and offered makeovers to whoever was willing to let us do their make up. The goal was to help the ladies in our community feel more confident and to give them the opportunity to feel loved and pampered. Which is something that our women, especially in the Hispanic community, cannot afford to do or rarely take the time to do.
Moving forward a year later in 2015 I received a compliment on my make up for my wedding. I was asked who had done my make up, to which I proudly replied, “It was me!”
After that a couple of months later I received my first request from a bride to do her make up and let’s just say that thank God the requests kept coming!
Moving forward to 2022, I would have never thought that I would become a freelance Make Up Artist. The goal remains the same to cater to women on their special day and help them feel loved and pampered.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This journey as a Make Up Artist has not been a smooth road. Like I said in the beginning, I knew nothing about make up professionally. So it became easy to want to give up and question my ability to deliver great quality work. I would always compare my work to others in social media and I had to work hard to improve despite the insecurity I felt as an artist. In the beginning, I relied strictly on Youtube, practice and the beautiful faces of my friends who would let me practice on them. Eventually, with the help of my lovely husband and my home Church through an Entrepreneur program they offer, I was able to afford some Make Up training lessons, which helped me improve my skills a lot.
Then in 2020, Covid-19 hit. As a Make Up Artist, I was at the forefront of the pandemic in a way because I was working with clients face-to-face so the risk of exposure was high. I had to completely re-invent the way that I applied make up. I learned about the importance of sanitation and the do’s and dont’s of cross-contamination. My whole procedure completely changed in order to keep the ladies, myself, and family as safe as possible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a makeup artist, I love working with Brides, women with Mature Skin and women who aren’t used to wearing make up at all. I absolutely love the Make Up no Make Up look it is my specialty! My goal, always, is to keep your skin looking like skin as much as possible while still providing coverage and a beautiful “natural” glow! I absolutely love watching the reaction of my clients at the end of their appointment! That moment when they cannot stop smiling gives me the motivation to strive to become an even better Artist for them! As a make up artist, there is always something new to learn. What sets me apart from other artists I would say is my work ethic, customer service skills and my sanitation standard. I pride myself in going the extra mile in order to keep everything clean and sanitized for my clients.
A big thank you to my parents. Thank you to my mother for teaching me by example what it is to be a strong hardworking God fearing woman. You sacrifice has not been in vain and I will make you proud I love you Mom! Thank you to my dad for instilling in me the princple of doing things with excellence and always speaking life into me. I am a strong driven woman because of you. God knows who I would be without you! I am proud to be your daughter. I love you Dad! Los amo!
Also, a big thank you to my husband for being my #1 motivator and supporter in this Journey. Thank you for everything you do, I couldn’t do this without you!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @makeupby_thelma
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makeupbythelma
Image Credits
1st Photo – John Price Hatfield
3rd – Alejandra Fernandez
4th- 5th- Jennifer Dalal Vera
