May 8, 2017

Meet Gabriela Escobar of Makeup by Gabriela

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Escobar.

A Chicago native, Gabriela has been working in the makeup industry for more than 10 years. At the start of her career, Gabriela worked with several local Chicago designers at Latino Fashion Week. She has also worked with the online magazine, Project Captured, and been featured on their website. Gabriela is a freelance makeup artist for MAC cosmetics, a brand that is known for its innovative looks and products. She has developed her craft by providing makeup services for MAC events, portraits and fashion shoots.

Gabriela provides a vast array of services for your creative projects and special events. Gabriela has worked for five years with MAC cosmetics and worked with Sephora for two years. During her career in the beauty industry, Gabriela has maintained her own business as a freelance makeup artist and has worked with a variety of ethnic groups.

Great, 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?
When I started my business I had a lot to learn about myself. I was eager to work with people and found myself negotiating my prices a little too often. As it is, when you start your own business your prices are based on the experience you offer and the products in your kit. I found myself heavily investing in my kit and not making much profit. As someone who provides a service to clients, it took me some time to build my confidence and stand by my service because that meant possibly losing a client. I had a difficult time accepting losing clients but in the long run it definitely helped build my confidence and business.

Word of mouth is definitely the best way to gain new clients and have steady work. At times, steady work is not a smooth road and can be challenging to maintain. It’s difficult to predict when you will have steady work and no matter how hard you work at promoting yourself you may end up having a slow wedding season. Even as an establish artist you will continue to have slow wedding seasons and extremely busy ones….you just have to keep working hard to promote yourself.

Please tell us about Makeup by Gabriela.
Every woman wants to feel beautiful, sexy and confident on their wedding day. Planning a wedding can be stressful and I am here to give you one less thing to worry about. Makeup by Gabriela is an on-location bridal makeup service that offers traditional and airbrush makeup at no additional cost. Gabriela provides clients with a bridal consultation before an event and will continue to customize the client’s desired look prior to the event should changes be requested. During the bridal trial, an assessment of the client’s skin type is done to create a long wearing and specific look for the client.

I am here to make sure you are stress-free with the knowledge that your makeup will be flawless all night long. As an added bonus, I gift every one of my brides with a touch-up kit, so their fabulous look can be maintained throughout the festivities. I also provide tattoo coverage and false lash applications, if needed.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have always loved makeup…I feel like it’s in my blood. At a very young age I would play in my older sister’s makeup and would BEG people to let me put it on. One year, my aunt gave me a little makeup set that consisted of shadows, blush, lipsticks, and 2 brushes. My younger sister hated makeup and would not let me put it on her. One day, she fell asleep and I proceeded to give her a makeover. She woke up as I was finishing half of her face. She was so upset but now laughs and recognizes I was just pursuing my dream!

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