We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carly Giglio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carly below.

Hi Carly, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I was an Account Executive for a beauty brand which meant running the business for over 25 retail accounts and management for about 10 makeup artists. The job consisted of sales, building and maintaining a successful business in my market, makeup artistry, product/brand education and more.
It was very natural for me to engage with clients and store employees to share my love and passion for the brand and products. I naturally created an environment for people to feel comfortable with me. I learned throughout these experiences the importance of building and nurturing authentic relationships. I learned how to handle different people and personalities in a way that was genuine. My business thrived because I built strong and meaningful relationships with store employees, store leadership, top leadership in districts and strong relationships with my own team members. By building these relationships we built trust together.

The importance of building authentic relationships is something I have taken with me to each job I have had since, and even into my personal life. It’s about being kind, genuine and taking the time to engage with others. It’s not about “what can they do for me” but it’s about being authentic in interactions and connections. You never know how your paths may cross again and what can flourish from those relationships.

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?

I’ve been a Makeup Artist, Groomer and Educator for 15 years, based out of New York City and I didn’t start this way! I studied Fine Arts in college and majored in graphic design. I have been a painter and been fascinated with color my entire life. I remember at a very young age going into my grandmothers bathroom and sitting at her vanity playing with her makeup and looking for the brightest lipstick color I could find. As I got older, I was always the go-to person to do my friends makeup and hair for every event, dance, party, etc.

Out of college, I started working in Marketing and Graphic Design. I had a couple different roles in graphics and I learned a lot about business, design and web design. I decided I wanted to engage a little more with people directly and wanted to make some extra money so I started working at Ulta part time. That changed the entire trajectory of what was to come. It was at Ulta that I learned so much more about makeup. I learned about different brands and about different products and what they do. I met so many people, and engaged with many different personalities. I got to apply makeup on different faces so I learned to train my eye for what was successful on various face shapes, eye shapes, etc. and I was able to understand what every day people were looking to achieve with their makeup and skincare. Working in a beauty retail store environment taught me so much of what I take with me in my career today.

From there I worked for a makeup brand part time as a freelance artist, then became the Account Executive of that brand so I made the switch from full time graphic designer to full time in the beauty industry. I transitioned to a bigger artistry and education role while also growing my personal freelance artistry business. I’ve worked New York Fashion Week, beauty campaigns, celebrity clients, bridal makeup and worked on some of the biggest beauty brands education teams. I really love education and being able to share my knowledge with others as well as engaging with people directly.

I am most proud of the path my career has taken. My skills, my relationships, my reputation along with my positive attitude have really contributed to where I have gone thus far. I wouldn’t change anything about my path, as I have been able to look back and see what each step has taught me and helped me prepare for next.
For my makeup aesthetic, I am known for my ability to create effortless glowing skin with diverse skin tones, adding strategic pops of color and more, all while celebrating the client’s unique beauty. My makeup and artistry philosophy is about enhancing each individual’s natural features, not covering them up. I love helping people to feel their best and most confident, while exploring the possibilities with makeup.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I actually never knew the various possibilities within a career as a makeup artist. I wish there would’ve been something or somewhere that I could have learned about different career paths. I didn’t know things like Brand Educator or an Account Executive existed. Back when I was 17-18 yrs old trying to decide what to do next I didn’t have the resources to search career possibilities. While I wouldn’t change my path for anything, as I truly believe each step in my path has better prepared me for the next, I wish there was something then to learn more about career possibilities within the beauty industry.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing being a Makeup Artist for me is being able to help others feel good about themselves. Makeup is personal, and very much visible – it’s the face, so it’s what everyone sees and makeup can help enhance confidence no matter how much or how little makeup is worn. Education is so rewarding as well and I love being an Educator teaching people things that I have learned along the way. Whether its a technique they might not have thought of or something as simple as different experiences, sharing with others can help more than we know. I love being able to help other Educators bring their own knowledge and skills to the next level. And it goes both ways – it’s so rewarding to learn from others. There is always something to learn and we all have different experiences that can teach each other something new.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carlygiglio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlygiglio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlygigliomakeup
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-giglio/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carlygiglio
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@carlygiglio1
  www.pinterest.com/carlygiglio/

Image Credits

Lindsay Adler
Hunter Arthur
Sergio Kurhajec
Mary Fix