We recently connected with Ariana Onyemata and have shared our conversation below.

Ariana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

So, first off I’ve always loved the beauty industry, especially makeup. I came up with the name for my business after I took my first client and before my first photoshoot gig ever. I thought to myself, I want something that’s different but catchy. After that, I got on Instagram and started to type in different names to see if it would come up as someone else’s name. For whatever reason, I put “Aribeatsface”, in the search bar and nothing came up for it, so it stuck with me. At the time, I was a newer MUA but I didn’t know how my business name by itself would motivate me to not only perfect my craft but learn different techniques & level up. The first time I told people my business name, I wasn’t fully confident in it for whatever reason. But, people loved it! Then, after that shoot I fully grasped what my name really MEANS. I called myself “Aribeatsface” because that’s what I do, I beat face for real! Also, my name to me was a statement. That was my goal, to beat face effortlessly! At the time, I felt I should be an MUA because I didn’t know about many in my area at the time and because it’s my passion. Honestly, at first I questioned myself and if it was the right thing to do, but it’s been one of the BEST decisions I’ve made thus far. Every MUA does things differently when it comes to Application, and I just happen to love the way I do makeup, and people do too! Being an MUA isn’t easy but it’s definitely rewarding in its own ways. If you’re thinking of taking that leap of faith, DO IT!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hey everyone, I go by Ari. Im originally from TEXAS (Capital City). I’m 25 yrs old. I got into the industry years ago pretty much, I did hair throughout high school and my junior year of high school was when I developed a love for doing makeup. I do hair, BUT Makeup is truly my passion. Being an MUA takes discipline, you have to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE, no matter how good your work looks, it’s always something you can improve on. Posting content or promoting your work is another thing you’re supposed to be disciplined at so you can get potential clients or just to show people.

I provide Soft, Natural, & Glam beats for ANY occasion. I also travel to venues for weddings/events. I love when my clients choose Glam Beats and want me to freestyle.

I feel what sets me apart and what I want the world to see is I truly love doing what I do and my work shows it. I work with ALL skin tones. I’m an humble beast that’s super slept on in my area, I know my time is coming! This is my PASSION, I aspire to be the BEST to ever do it.

I want my potential clients, followers, supporters to know about myself and my brand is I’m super down to earth and goofy. It’s always GREAT VIBES/ENERGY, booking with me is an experience. Just prepare to RELAX and let me work my magic! Also, I want people to know I am more than makeup, makeup is a minute percentage of who I am. I look forward to seeing new faces✨

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

So to start off, when I first became interested in make up I was working at Ulta, in 2018. I ended up leaving that job because I was in school. In November is when I Started to promote myself on social media. I started calling myself an MUA, But what most people don’t tell you is when you become an MUA you have to put in the work to get the clientele, in general. So because make up obviously wasn’t generating enough money for me to not work a regular job, I ended up working at a call center and doing makeup outside of those hours. I’m not gonna lie, this was hard because my schedule was limited. Meaning that I had less time to focus on my craft. So in 2020 before the pandemic in February I got fired from his job. I wasn’t really tripping because I was overworked and underpaid. Then next thing you know in March the pandemic hits. In the midst of everything being shut down, I began to post more on Social Media because we were on lockdown. It’s crazy that I chose in the midst of a pandemic to actually become an MUA and stand by it. As the pandemic restrictions lessened, I began to promote myself more and i begin to get bookings. In 2021, I had my first work space in Austin. Although this didn’t last long, I ended up getting into 2nd workspace. Ofcourse when you get into a workspace you have to scale up your pricing not only to pay for it but to reinvest into your business. So now, I have my own workspace and I love where I work at , KlassyKartelStudios

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

The lesson I had to unlearn was finances. It’s so hard as a business owner to to know how to price your work to where you can get paid, it be affordable and you profit from it. When I first started in business, I was not the best with money. With me being such an impulsive person, it can be hard for me to not spend money. But, working for yourself and having to use the money that you’re getting to pay for your stuff, I had to learn to discipline myself. I’m still a work in progress, but you need to be able to budget/pick & choose what you spend your money on when your business is your only source of money. This is a lesson I’m sorry but surely unlearning.

Contact Info:

• Website: Https://Aribeatsfaces.as.me/
• Instagram: Instagram.com/Aribeatsface
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariana.onyemata.1
• Twitter: Twitter.com/@Ariana23Ariana
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCRUWu4L0Fydwpb0D0mpYVKQ
• Other: Snapchat: @Ari0523

Image Credits
All my clients, that know I took their picture