We recently connected with Aleya Duncan and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Aleya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned so far in my career is to charge my worth. I spent so much time working for companies that would pay the minimum amount possible per service, or I would let clients negotiate my rates, and I was miserable.
I would barely make enough money to restock my kit, and it kept me working on budget clientele with lower-end products.

Once I started raising my rates per service and leaving no room for negotiation, things really started improving.
I had plenty of margin to invest in luxury products and tools, which kept the right clientele interested, and made my job a lot more fun.
t’s all a circular cycle and you just have to take that leap and trust it will work out in your favor.

Aleya, 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?

I owe my love for hair and makeup to my oldest sister.

She was a model when I was growing up, was scouted when she was just 13 years old. She ended up doing really well in the industry, and by the time I was in high school I walked into my local mall and saw her on a poster in JC Penny.
After learning from artists all over the world, she decided she would retire from modeling and she co-founded a bridal hair and makeup company with another local artist.

I was lucky enough to assist her, wash her brushes and ask her questions while she worked when I was only 16 years old.
By the time I was 17, I was working with brides myself.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest things I’ve had to unlearn is that I’m lucky to have the clientele that I do. While I was very fortunate to get my foot in the door at an early age, the success that followed had very little to do with luck and much more so to do with very hard work.

I accepted every job that came my way, even if the pay was horrible (would even sometimes work for free on styled shoots) because I was so dedicated to learning how to perfect my craft.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Consistency, reliability, clean tools (huge in the industry) and the ability to communicate well with my clients.

Unfortunately so many makeup artists have a bad rap for showing up late, rushing through services, and/or not cleaning their brushes and tools between client services.

When people see that you respect them, it puts them at ease and they will be more likely to work with you again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.frecklefacemakeup.com
• Instagram: @frecklefacemakeup

Image Credits
Emily Fuselier