Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Barber.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I often say that, “Manifest Makeup was born out of my rebellious love for makeup.” I come from a very traditional, well educated family, where I was expected to at minimum graduate from college, work in my field, go to graduate school to specialize within my field, climb the corporate ladder, and then eventually retire. An almost guaranteed model for “success”, until the economy crashed in 2017.
Almost overnight, there were no guarantees that seeking higher education would amount to anything other than astronomical debt. Keep in mind that, at this time the majority of entry level jobs, requires 5 years of experience in a similar position to the one that you were applying for. Yet, even in the face of such dower circumstances I continued to peruse higher education, mostly to please my family. I switched my major to nursing, one of the last well known fields that a new grad could still get hired with minimal experience. I hated it.
I was sleeping in 15 minute intervals, working part time at a hospital and seeing what nursing was actually like and stressed beyond belief. The stress caused my skin to majorly break out for the first time in my life. I developed moderate post inflammatory hyper pigmentation. Basically, after the pimple is gone a mark that is several shaded darker than the surrounding skin is left behind and it lasts for months. Prior to this phase in my life, I had never had the typical teenager acne, I only occasionally got a pimple and there was never any marks left behind. I wanted desperately to cover them and went to makeup counter after makeup counter basically begging for someone to “fix me”, but either, they weren’t familiar with how to cover my skin condition or the makeup line flat out didn’t have my foundation color. This situation forced me to empower myself to learn more about makeup and skin care.
Previously, I had only focused my attention on learning how to do eye makeup, because my skin was great. After my experiences at the makeup counter, I devoured any information I could on various makeup techniques and I couldn’t wait to get home and practice. Practicing new techniques and doing my friends’ makeup was the highlight of my week, sometimes it felt like it was the only thing getting me through the week. I was miserable in the nursing program.
One night, I was laying on the floor, cuddling my cat and trying not to cry because I had just read an article about the burn out rate for nurses and that there was a “bottle neck effect” happening in the nursing field, when I broke down. I kept thinking over and over, “Why am I killing myself to do something that I’m going to hate if there’s a good chance that I’m not going to be financially stable anyway?” It was in this moment that I decide that, if I’m going to risk “starving” that it was going to be for something that I loved, something that would bring me joy everyday, something that would be worth it for me. I knew it was makeup.
I left the nursing program and signed up for Make Up First. It is the only state certified, state recognized makeup artistry program in the Midwest and it’s here in Chicago. I completed their certificate program and started working for a cosmetic company, as the counter manager. I wanted to be someone that people of all colors, ages, sexual orientations and genders could come to and feel confident that they would walk away feeling welcomed, understood and beautiful.
After a few years in the retail beauty industry, I found myself dreading the next day. I had been toying with the idea of going out on my own, but was terrified at the prospect of giving up a stable income. I asked myself, “What terrifies me more? Lack of stability or living a life that I hate? What’s the worst that could happen?” I convinced myself that, I could always go back if starting my own business was a horrible idea. I’m never going back.
I love being a small business owner! Not necessarily for the “business” aspect of it but because, I get to meet the most amazing, inspiring, talented, creative people and they fuel my fire! I found an amazing tribe of people that I couldn’t imagine my life without. I love that I am able to be the kind of makeup artist that I wish I could have found at the counter years ago. I am always pushing myself to learn techniques that work for various skin tones, face shapes, lid shapes and spaces, and also skin conditions. I never want someone to sit down in my chair and feel nervous that they may walk away not looking there best. The joy that lights up my client’s faces when I hand them the mirror after I’ve finished, makes me feel like my heart is going to explode. There’s no other way to describe it.
I am so grateful that I was stressed and miserable and that it gave me a skin condition (that still plagues me) and I am grateful for the people at the counter that weren’t able to help, because it lead to exactly where I’m supposed to be and it made me a better makeup artist. I’m grateful for my journey as a small business owner as well, I have grown so much as a person and I’m looking forward to the journey ahead.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Understanding the business aspect of being a makeup artist is what I have struggled with. It’s the website, SEO, pricing, marketing, accounting, investing and reinvesting that has been hard for me. I feel as though, I’m always actively learning something or becoming aware of something that I don’t know but realize, that I need to learn more about immediately. When you think of “Makeup Artist”, you think this glamorous person who works with models, beautiful brides, who looks amazing and has fun all day. You don’t usually envision the hard work that goes along with it, like struggling to keep up emails, keeping tracking of the book keeping, researching various business related issues, having meetings with colleagues and going to networking events. At least I didn’t! It has been an opportunity for growth and now, I actually enjoy learning new things, having meetings, setting up styled shoots for marketing and going to as many events as I can. It still works, but it’s also a ton of fun!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Manifest Makeup LLC (sorry, the “LLC” is actually part of my business’ name) – what should we know?
I specialize in airbrushed makeup application, the majority of my clients are wedding industry related, but, I also dabble in fashion as well. Because of my challenging skin, I am most concerned with having products in my kit that are good for the skin, in a range of colors and undertones, and also that wear well throughout the day. The airbrush foundation that I use is water based, vegan and cruelty free. Although, its pretty close to this now, have dedicated myself to converting my kit to be 100% cruelty free by May of this year and also to have 70% of the makeup that I use to be vegan. It’s my hope that along with being known for inclusiveness, that I am also known for being a mindful and conscious consumer.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
As I mentioned earlier, I have been fortunate enough to find a tribe of amazing people who all genuinely support each other. Whenever I’m having a moment where I’m doubting myself, frustrated or scared and if I just have questions, someone is always more that happy to reach out and offer support. I truly believe that, it takes a village to raise a child, and a tribe to build a business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.manifestmakeupllc.com
- Email: ashley@manifestmakeupllc.com
- Instagram: @blood_sweat_and_glitter
- Facebook: @manifestmakeupllc
Image Credit:
Jenn Gaudreau, Curate, Honey Bridal, Diem Angie Beauty Team, Honey Bridal, Sally O’Donnell Photography, Elena’s Garden Events, Luxe Pro Events, Rachel Brown-Kulp, Angelica Grace Bridal, Limani Designs, Dame Couture, Alexandra Lee Photograph, Angelica Grace Bridal, Edith Elan, Ayden Reda, Sierra LaFaye, Sabastian Neudeck, Ramsay Marston, Edith Élan, Aryn Taylor, Miss Motley Photography, Artifact Events, Amy Aiello Photography, Ramsey Prince of Ashland Addison Events and Borris Powell Designs
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