We recently connected with Breeze Varner and have shared our conversation below.
Breeze, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.
Leaving high school I knew what I wanted to do. I had a love for makeup and all things beauty. While still in school I became a self taught makeup artist starting with prom and special occasion makeup, continuing to build my kit. College was not an idea I was always fond of, yet my mom convinced me to do something that would give me more in my back pocket. By the end of junior year, I decided to go to Cosmetology school but I applied for classes late and found myself waitlisted. I took a risk and waited, attending the first week with the instructor’s permission in hopes a spot would open up. By God’s grace one spot did and I was accepted into Fullerton Community College’s Cosmetology Program in 2021. I had to play catch up from that first week’s orientation, syllabus, forms, notes and assignments. Anxiety was constantly riding on my back in this process but I did it I caught up and kept up! When I completed Level 1 my teacher gave me the best compliment. She told me “ Breeze I’m so proud of you, you really did the unimaginable. Sitting through class unsure of being added at first, catching up on everything you missed, whilst managing the new assignments coming in through the forty-five hours per week completely remote. You are going to go so many places with your personality and hard working attitude.”. I was really grateful to have supportive teachers throughout this journey as my classmates and I faced the intense training amongst learning completely virtually through zoom. We had a forty-five hour per week schedule, waking up at 6:30 am each morning for class from 7 am to 4:30 pm. All of us set up in our rooms with our kit supplies, table set ups of the practicals for the day, and textbooks for our Smartnotes. Navigating technology and internet issues all throughout. I remember our difficult days of learning how to roll perm rods onto mannequin heads and apply bleach and color all while keeping up with each days time limit. Our first few days of learning how to perm I think we all let some tears escape. Everything was fast paced leaving everyone in a rush to finish and not get behind. The stress of clocking in and out correctly and meeting our 1600 hour requirement with passing grades and every practical and set of notes turned in was constant. I had never stressed so much. Despite these obstacles, I finished the accelerated program in a year and went on to pass my State Board test and become licensed as a Cosmologist.
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?
My name is Breeze Varner I am a newly licensed Cosmetologist in the state of California and a self taught freelance Makeup Artist. My love for makeup and beauty grew from my love of art catapulting me into the industry. I provide makeup services for special events and occasions as well as hair styling services including cuts, blowouts, and hot tool styling. You’ll find me doing hair mostly at a blowout bar I’m currently working at called DryBar! Our motto is No Cuts, No Color, just Blowouts! I feel I’m set apart from other stylists because I always try to go above and beyond for my clients, makeup or hair. I make sure to listen intently to their needs and offer the best solutions to meet them and their satisfaction. I put immense care into each service and always want to see people leave feeling their best. I am most proud of my ability to create enjoyable experiences for anyone who sits in my chair, I will try my hardest each time to leave the best impression.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
When I was back in Cosmo school one of my teachers gave us great advice to help us get far in the industry. She told us “try hard not to offend, try harder not to get offended.” In other words, don’t take things personally from people you work with. This had helped me so much as I started my career, I’ve had to learn how to work with difficult clients and keeping this advice in the back of my head always reminds me that for each client who’s difficult there’s always 10 more who will love and respect your time, energy, and work. Those are the clients who make doing what I love all the more lovable.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most affective strategy for growing my clientele has been positive word of mouth. I work with so many people and if I can leave a great impression on one they might walk out the door and tell ten others. A lot of the clients I get, especially for makeup, are referrals from previous clients I’ve had. It is always heartwarming to know I impacted someone so much they wanted to tell others about my services and encourage them to work with me.
Contact Info:
- Other: My beauty Instagram is @breezevarnermakeup