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Conversations with the Inspiring Savannah Appel

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Appel.

Savannah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was younger, I LOVED Barbie Dolls. I was obsessed, every time I was able to get something from the store it had to be a Barbie. I can’t even tell you how many I owned. The only reason I wanted them so much is that I would give them makeovers. I would literally chop their hair, give them highlights/dye their hair with nail polish and I would put makeup on them with sharpies. I had Barbie coloring books that I would only color the hair and makeup in, nothing else. If the page didn’t have hair and makeup to color, I would just leave it blank.

As I got older, I loved to watch makeover shows and any show that would show any aspect of hair, makeup, and fashion. I just really was so intrigued with the creative aspect of transforming someone’s look. I went as far as even doing my sister Shannon’s makeup, hair and picking out some outfits to have a mini photo shoot. I would upload the photos to my computer, print them out and create my own little fashion magazines. As I got into middle school and high school, I really stopped focusing on hair, makeup, and fashion as a whole. My passion was always writing. I loved to write ever since I was little and so I put all of my focus into writing. I have a really creative brain and I loved to get my thoughts out onto paper, I was so good at it that my dream was to go to college for creative writing. I wanted to be an editor/chief of a magazine company and eventually own a magazine myself.

After high school, I moved to Wyoming, decided to take classes towards an English major and after a year of doing this, I hated it. I dropped out of school, moved back home to Colorado and was lost. I had no idea what I was going to do. I started hanging out with my cousin who was in Cosmetology school. She would color my hair and style it all of the time. It reminded me how much I loved the beauty industry when I was younger, so I decided to enroll in cosmetology school at the Aveda Institute Denver. I decided I was going to be a master colorist for shows and editorial shoots. I remember sitting in my first day of school called “grounding” with our instructor Kasey Hughbanks. She was going around the class and asking us what we wanted to do when we graduated. I told her my master plan and she totally shut me down. She said: “You are not even going to do hair after school, you are going to do aesthetics. Your whole career after this is going to be about skin and makeup.” In my head, I laughed. There was no way I was going to do any of this when I had a plan for doing hair. My whole time at Aveda, I kept thinking of how I wanted to work for MAC Cosmetics for some reason. Even though in my head, I had this elaborate plan, I couldn’t stop thinking of the “what if” factor that Kasey had instilled into my mind. Fast forward to graduating and never working in the hair industry at all. I never once had an interest in working at a salon or cutting/coloring hair outside of school. Instead, I found myself working for a makeup company called Mica Beauty and there, I met someone named JayLynn McDaniel. She was a model, did her own makeup for her photo shoots and was so talented with it. I just remember coming into work every day wanting to be as good at makeup as she was.

One day, she came into work and said: “Oh my gosh, I have a photo shoot coming up this weekend and you are going to do my makeup for it!” I looked at her like she was crazy. Here, I was barely learning how to apply makeup to someone and I had never done makeup for a photo shoot let alone an event. I literally did not even have a pro kit yet. She told me not to worry she had makeup that I could use and that I will be great just trust her. What did I have to lose right? We did this photo shoot, it was 70’s glam style editorial. It turned out so beautifully for my first makeup application ever for photo shoots. I saw the photos I instantly fell in love with how everything turned out. From that day on, I knew this is what I was meant to do. I loved the way I felt at that moment and I never wanted to do anything besides makeup again. For the next year, I worked alongside JayLynn for any photo shoots she had. I worked with her and only her. She was the only model I knew of at the time and I am so thankful for her. I took a job working for MAC Cosmetics which turns out ended up being my dream job at the time. I had the best training from them, best experience, best clients and team to work with. I hated doing sales though, so I left and became a freelance artist for different brands. I hated that as well because all I gained from this was product knowledge. I didn’t even get to apply makeup.

In the meantime, I was trying to start my own business. I had no idea how to get into the editorial, beauty, fashion industry. I was stressed. One day, I got a message from a photographer named Mike Con Photography. He liked my work and wanted to talk to me about working together. We talked on the phone literally for three hours and we just vibed. We ended up working together and he really introduced me to the industry. He has been one of my great friends ever since! I have been fortunate enough to meet Lindsay Ambrosio as well. She is so talented as a makeup artist and I am so blessed to have her as a mentor and friend. I did end up going back to school for aesthetics. After working with the skin for so long, I grew interested in wanting to know more about how it works. You only learn so much about it in cosmetology school. Fast forward again to today, I have worked with so many talented people in the beauty/fashion industry here in Colorado, I have done runway shows, photo shoots, fitness shows, weddings, events. I love creating art and putting it out for the world to see. I currently also run a podcast called Savage Beauty. I love being able to share my knowledge with the world. My dream is to continue to do makeup for editorial shoots and eventually create my own cosmetics line.

Even though I didn’t get my dream job of becoming an editor and chief for a magazine, the universe had other plans for me as someone who gets to make people look and feel beautiful every day for a living. I absolutely love where I am at right now on my journey.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This journey has been everything except smooth! When I was first starting out, it was hard to network. Instagram was just starting, YouTube wasn’t really as popular and we basically had to rely on word of mouth or business cards. I will tell you I did a lot of trade work when I first go into this industry. I had to find ways to build my clientele while also gaining more knowledge about makeup artistry in general. They don’t exactly teach you makeup in cosmetology school. I had to do a lot of self-taught things and continue to do so. Another struggle is actually building a pro kit. It is so expensive. Not only that you have to make sure you have EVERYTHING. People think that makeup artistry is just a few brushes, some foundation, and an eye shadow pallet, it is so much more than that. There are so many steps in creating just one look. It can be super overwhelming.

People are also not very nice in this industry, I mean that can be said for any industry. In this industry, people are constantly picking apart your work and they always seem to have an opinion on what you should have done differently. Look, I am all for feedback and constructive criticism, but there is definitely a difference between that and trash talking.

Advice I have for others is that it is very important to have a strong inner circle and support system when following your dreams. I am super thankful for my support system particularly my sister and boyfriend. My sister was there when I needed to practice cutting hair, doing eyelashes and she was basically my human barbie for a few years. My boyfriend has been the biggest influence on why I am still following my dreams and didn’t just give up when the road wasn’t smooth. He has seen the rough times and he has been there for all of the achievements. He has been my biggest fan since the day I met him. You need people like them as your support system for the good times and the bad.

The advice I have for other women and anyone starting this journey in particular (including my younger self) is to be genuine. Be you, put out art that you love. Remember, that your work is not for anyone except yourself. Don’t get discouraged because someone else doesn’t like it. All that matters is if you like what you put out for the world to see.

What should we know about Savage Beauty CO? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a makeup artist for my company Savage Beauty. I specialize in editorial, fashion, and beauty makeup however; I love to do makeup for prom and events. I love to make people feel the way they look. I love to bring out that inner beauty. I am known for my editorial makeup looks, that’s what sets me apart from other artists. As a brand, I am proud that I am able to share my love for beauty and fashion through the makeup looks I create with other women that I look up to. I am also proud that I can share my knowledge of skin and beauty through my podcast Savage Beauty.

Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
The most important piece of advice like I said would be to stay genuine and be yourself. Follow your dreams and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It is hard to do that. There are so many influences out there telling you which direction you should go, how you should do things in life. Just stick with your passion and everything will fall into place. It’s not easy, never is. Just know that if it was easy, then you would be on the wrong path.

Contact Info:

          Image Credit:
Photographers: Vinnie White Photography, Mike Con Photography, Nic Vasquez ( terrestrial_media), Models: Mercedes Moriah, Germany Gabrielle, Ione Noel, Janelle Tejan, Madi Silva, Katie Huck, Kaycie Koresko, Hair stylist: Stephanie Fugazzi, Alex Graves, Jessyca Swanson

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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