We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Manet Palma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Manet, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?
It always surprises me how many women I meet that feel embarrassed that they either don’t know much about makeup or feel they’re not very good at makeup. We all have our own interests that we make time for and makeup just happens to be one of mine. My clients come from all walks of life that lead them in different directions and I’m so grateful for that because one, it keeps boredom very far away and two, it means someone will always need my services.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Manet Palma and I am a self-employed mobile makeup artist and event hairstylist. I have always had a deep love for makeup. In fact, one of my earliest childhood memories is of me watching my mom applying her lipstick. I specifically remember thinking that I wanted to try that on AND put that on someone. That interest in makeup has not only stayed with me my whole life, but it has also grown and flourished.
I started my career in makeup as a part-time artist for MAC in a Macy’s in Virginia. Almost right away I started getting requests from customers whose makeup I’d do at counter to go on location for their wedding. That’s when I realized the joy of doing bridal makeup. There’s something so heart-warming about being allowed to participate in such a special occasion in someone’s life that I will never, ever take for granted. From then on I accepted as many weddings as I could and then opened my services up to more than just weddings, but for other events too. And styling hair eventually came along with all the work I was getting and I welcomed the challenge of learning that art as well. It feels like a super power to be able to provide such a complete beauty look to my clients and at the same time get to know them in the few hours we spend together.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I am what one might call social-media-shy. It took me years to finally join Instagram and put my work out there and I really don’t have that many followers after a little under two years of posting. What I like to tell myself is that it’s an online portfolio. I don’t get caught up in having few followers and I certainly don’t allow a low “likes” count to bother me. It’s there for me to refer my clients to if they want to see examples of my work and it’s working. I use hashtags as I’ve learned that it’s a way for potential clients to find me and indeed I’ve managed to find many clients from having my itty bitty Instagram presence. So I do still hold my breath when I hit “share” but I know I’m doing right by my business.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
My main source of brand new clients has been Thumbtack. I absolutely love that app. They have a very fair way of advertising you as it is based on your merit and your clients’ reviews. Other apps I’ve tried give you more exposure based on what you pay them. Thumbtack will call you a Top Pro because that’s how your clients feel about you. It’s a great way to keep me driven to always provide the best services. Thanks to Thumbtack, new clients are able to find me very easily by Googling “Denver makeup artist” or “wedding makeup artist in Colorado.”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @manetpalmamakeup
Image Credits
FatesPhoto