Conversations with the Inspiring Gabriella Rodriguez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Rodriguez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gabriella. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up I have always loved different forms of art. Whether it be music, fashion, drawing, painting or even writing. I never thought of makeup as a form of art though, that was until I was finally able to play around with it. When I was ten years old, I tried putting on black liquid eyeliner for the first time, and I did horrible. I came downstairs and my whole family laughed at me because I did such an awful job. I didn’t get the makeup 101 lesson from anyone yet, but I just wanted to dive into all the fun looking items that my mom had in her bathroom. The eyeliner and eye shadow reminded me of pencils, paint and markers so I thought how hard can it be? Well, little did I know that putting on makeup was way harder than I thought. I look back at pictures when I was a teenager and think wow! I have come a long way from my thick black winged eyeliner and paper-thin eyebrows. I’m pretty sure everyone goes through that regretful makeup stage. But I feel like we all must start somewhere, and this is where my love for makeup started.

I began to love makeup so much that I would practice applying it in my spare time when I had nothing to do. Once Facebook and YouTube became big makeup platforms, I was sucked in. I tried to watch a variety of different makeup artists and their tutorials, reviews, tips and tricks. I try to educate myself as much as I can about the different techniques, trends, details, and styles. I feel like there is never enough that I can learn about makeup because everyone has different features and there are always new styles emerging. I do want to pursue my professional certification in the future but for right now I am constantly trying to educate myself on makeup by using the internet and by practicing so that my skills can grow even more.

In 2018 I began offering my services on Facebook to friends and family for Halloween looks. I would charge twenty dollars per face session, no matter what look they wanted or how long it took. I got more requests then I thought I would, and it made me realize how much I enjoyed doing other people’s makeup. I was very nervous that other people were trusting me to do their makeup. Over the next year and a half, I kept practicing and even invited family and friends over so that I can practice on other people. I have done face painting at birthday parties, bridal parties, festival makeup, and special occasions. I was told by a lot of people that I should create my own makeup page to display all my makeup looks and share them with the public. So, in December of 2018 I created my makeup page, Makeup_By_Gabriella303 I am proud to say that I have reached a little over 2.1k followers and likes on my page. I have also accumulated over 1k followers on other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. I feel like my makeup has really been reaching a lot more people. I was recently invited to display my makeup at an art showcase produced by RAW-Natural Born Artist. This was such a great experience and I would love to do more productions like this in the future. I am so excited about what the future holds for me and how much more I can share my love for makeup with others.

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?
I would have to say that it has not been an easy road trying to get my makeup career off the ground. Especially because I am not certified, I feel like it’s a little hard for me to find more consistent work or clients. I also think that with social media, there is bad feedback that comes with the good. I have had to learn to deal with the harsh opinions that people may have about my makeup or what they prefer versus what I prefer. The advice that I would give to someone would be to not take everything personal and not every bad comment is a judgement. It can be a lesson because you can learn what people would like to see on themselves or what they would like to see you create. I would also tell young woman who want to get into makeup or do anything else in life to practice, practice, practice. Try to dive into and perfect your craft as much as you can and try to grow as much as you can.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Makeup By Gabriella story. Tell us more about the business.
My favorite thing to do is Halloween and special effects makeup. I also love to play with bright colors and create pieces that have small unique details. I am very proud of how far my attention to detail has come. I try to focus on my details because I feel like the more layers of details you add on top of the base coat then the more beautiful the whole piece comes out. I’m proud to have been able to have my makeup on display for the public at the art showcase. I am also proud of my face painting and being able to mix my paints with my makeup products to create some amazing pieces. I really enjoy doing special occasions such as weddings, proms, homecoming, birthdays, and festival looks as well. I want to be able to create not just special effects and crazy looks but also be able to balance it with soft and natural glam looks as well. It’s important for me to do a variety of looks so I can keep building my skills so I can do any type of request at any time.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
I don’t necessarily have a mentor with makeup but have many people that inspire me, and I wish to have their skills someday. I do have a mentor outside of makeup who I completely trust their opinions and suggestions. I think it can be hard to find a mentor, but my advice is to be open minded and trust your instincts. If you feel like a certain individual genuinely cares about you and your success and wants to see you do good in life, then keep that bond and relationship with that person. They will tell you the truth whether it is good or bad and if it is bad feedback then take it as constructive criticism and not a personal attack.

Pricing:

• 40$ Full Glam With Lashes
• 35$ Full Glam and You Bring Your Own Lashes
• 40-60$ Special Effects Makeup
• 30$ an Hour for Face Painting

Contact Info:

• Phone: 720-285-9242
• Email: gabbirodriguez0115@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeup_by_gabriella303/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakeupByGabriella303

Image Credit:
Makeup By Gabriella

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