Meet Trailblazer Isabella Baudo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Baudo.

Isabella, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always loved makeup. When I was in middle school and high school, I would practice on myself just for the fun of it. I would be sitting at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go and do a full face of makeup just for the fun of it. My friends would always ask me to do their makeup when they had anywhere to go and would call me for my opinion when shopping for new makeup. I always thought that doing makeup professionally was something that people working on movie sets and television shows did, but it was never anything I would be able to do as an actual career.

I kept just doing it for fun and for myself for a few years; until I began my career at Ulta Beauty. I had interviewed at my closest Ulta location one time and wasn’t hired and tried again a year later at the same location and got the job! I was so excited and in disbelief when I got the call. I really couldn’t believe it. I remember walking in the back stock room for the first time and seeing shelves and shelves that went up to the ceiling filled with makeup and just being in awe. I loved my job there. I loved that I got to get paid to talk to people about makeup.

A couple of years after working at Ulta in Charlotte, NC, I moved to Denver, CO and transferred to the location closest to my house. Shortly after I moved to Colorado, I saw there was an open job working as a makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics. I had tried applying for MAC when I lived in NC but was never lucky enough to make it past the application phase. So when I got a call from the counter manager at the MAC counter in a Nordstrom, I was really in shock. I thought, “no way, they really feel like I’m qualified.” Just a few short days after I got that initial call, I was hired as a full-time professional makeup artist for MAC! I loved talking to customers about makeup at Ulta, but now I get to play with the makeup too! Working in such a busy location, I was lucky enough to meet some truly amazing people. Co-workers and other artists as well as incredible people I would connect with and work with outside of the MAC counter. My freelance career took off working at that counter and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the connections I made working there.

Since my freelance career has jump-started, I have done makeup for a variety of events. Weddings take up the majority of my business, but I also do travel to people to do their makeup for special events, Halloween and my work has been featured in a few magazines as well.

I wanted to become more educated in the way your skin works because I would always get a lot of questions about products and regimens to improve the way the skin was under the makeup I was applying. I started school and got my aesthetics license and I now work in a medspa at a dermatologist’s office. Doing makeup will always be my number one passion and I continue to keep myself busy booking weddings and special events. I don’t think I will ever stop doing makeup. It brings me so much joy and keeps me inspired to learn new tricks and techniques.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As much as I was into makeup when I lived in NC, I never really knew how successful you could be being a freelance makeup artist. I really had no idea until I moved to Denver. The beginning was tough for me being so new to an area where there are thousands of talented artists with portfolios full of photos of their amazing work. Working in an industry where people are coming to you for advice on makeup is the best way to get your foot in the door. You also have to feel comfortable marketing yourself. Talk yourself up! People want to hear how confident you are in your work. It brings them more confidence in you.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I specialize in wedding makeup and it’s truly my absolute favorite. Every single part of the process is so special. From the trial, where the bride starts to really get a vision of how she will look walking down the aisle, to being part of the bridal parties getting ready process on the big day. Seeing it all come together really warms my heart and brings me pure happiness.

That being said, I also have just as much happiness doing fun and more dramatic looks as well. Whether it’s helping someone get ready for their birthday party, getting a teenage girl ready for her first prom, or bringing someone’s fantasy to a reality for their annual Halloween party, I love it all!

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
You have to be totally and completely confident in your work. There are always going to be other artists with more experience or a bigger client list. You can’t get hung up on comparing yourself to anyone else’s work. The more confident you are that you can make someone feel beautiful, the more confidence your client will have in you. Doing that will create relationships with your clients and, in turn, build your clientele. If they trust you, they will recommend you to other people as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/isabella-baudo-makeup-artist-denver-co-2032990
• Phone: 9802341354
• Email: isabellabaudo@aol.com
• Instagram: @mak3upbyisab3lla
• Facebook: facebook.com/makeupbyisab3lla

Image Credit:
Courtney Smith and Kari Livingston

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