We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amber Harper. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amber below.
Alright, Amber thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?
I manage my own social media account. I have a friend that is a content creator and account manager. She tries to encourage me to utilize my social media more through posting and engaging with my followers more often. Social media can be overwhelming and costly when hiring professionals or even downloading different apps to use. One of the elements that has kept me relevant throughout my beauty career is authenticity. I try to keep that at the forefront with my posts. I do a mix of clients and myself. I find the more I share the more clients get to know me and understand me. They realize that we are all so much alike I just know more about makeup! Through relating to my clients and showing vulnerability they become fans of me and not my makeup alone. Beauty is a trendy business with ups and downs so its important for my clients to have more to grasp to than ‘a look’. Even once clients make it to my chair I make it a point to connect with who they are and engage beyond what shade of lipstick they’d like to wear that day. I want to know why you love red lipstick or why you’ve never tried it? It’s an exploration for both of us.
Amber, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Amber Lynne, I’m a Durham based traveling makeup artist. I like to refer to myself as a beauty artist. I got started in makeup back in 2012. Crazy to think it’s been that long! 12 years. Wow. I haven’t said that outloud. Most people begin in beauty out of a passion but for me it was necessity. I’d graduated from UNCG with a health education degree. I’d imagined myself as a budding health educator that was going to help women learn more about their bodies achieve their health goals. I went on two job interviews and said whew life is real and getting realer by the second. I quickly transitioned to thinking about how to get income and not the ideal job. I ran into a old friend who worked a makeup counter and next thing I knew it was on a job interview! I am so grateful for her for telling me about the job and the team that hired me. I had minimal makeup knowledge. I’d never even applied a liquid foundation.
This new start came at the perfect time. My father transitioned during this time. My twin and I had a conversation about what do we want to do to feel fulfilled and not just work. She became a nail tech and I am now a makeup artist. We’ve been on this learning curve together with not many examples to follow. Soooo many lessons learned! After watching my father spend much of his life in the structured settings of the military and law enforcement we knew we wanted more freedom. A creative outlet. A way to be inspired and inspire others. The beauty industry welcomed us. We found our niche and committed to it.
I am a beauty artist that focuses on natural glam style of makeup. I’ve tried doing some trendy styles but it doesn’t suit me well. I have a mix of clients who are new to makeup, mature women, young students, and professionals who like a refined look that does not mimic instagram trends. Committing to my style help propel my business because people know exactly what they are coming to me for! I’ve had opportunities to work with celebrities, television, and many creatives. What I am most proud of though is working with the everyday woman. It is not the celebrity or the high profile client that keeps my bills paid it is the everyday woman who has decided to invest in her look. I love seeing women come alive in my chair trying lashes for the first time or a new lip shade. I love seeing them love their reflection even more. I can only reflect the beauty that is already there.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The biggest form of resilience came through the pandemic. I was grateful to have some savings to help in the beginning but when that money ran out it was so scary. I remember sitting on the couch with my sister wondering how I was going to manage. Going from booked and busy to no clients for months was intense. I had friends and family who’d at minimum would drop by with food or just for a light. hearted chat on the front porch. Those moments kept me. Even once work began it was a rollercoaster ride between active covid cases with clients, myself, and cancellations. I was tempted to find a job but I kept pushing. I’m grateful to have gotten on the other side.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Always remember you are meeting your next client! I do not spend money on advertising because word of mouth and social media have been a great tool. I meet many of my new clients because I did their makeup as a bridesmaid or they attending an event or wedding where I did the bride or guests. It’s important to stay consistent with your craft! Find your niche and do it over and over again. There is always opportunity for your style to change but I think it’s more important to fine tune your niche. This is the thing you can do with your eyes closed!
Also tell people who you are. Decide what you want to be called and known for. We’ll have a talent and work on it alone in our homes and even invest money into it but won’t share it with the world. I’ve seen many people have this amazing skill and they hoard it all to themselves. I believe the thing we do where we lose track of time should be our money maker. When I’m working on clients on average it takes about an hour but it rarely feels like it. There are moments I even work quietly because I’m enjoying what I’m doing so much!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amberlynnebeauty.com
- Instagram: @justamberlynne
- Facebook: Amber Lynne Beauty