We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dom a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dom, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I feel my parents did everything they could and it paid off because I turned out great . My parents very early on in life were drug addicts, my mother made a huge decision to move our lives from Chicago to Minnesota in 96. It was the best thing she could have done. My mother quickly snd proactively went to rehab n got better. My father followed after. I want to say that despite their addiction, my parents were the best parents. Unfortunately I did lose my dad in 2018 to an overdose:( I loved him still. My mom just passed last April 2024. Losing them both has been a tough journey but I push forward because of them. They always pushed me in a positive way to do what makes me happy. To be a good person and treat ppl how I want to be treated. I think it’s fair to say that because of their love it shows in the way I love and care for my clients. My mother was into pca work before she passed, she loved taking care of people and I feel I’m much like her in that way..

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi I’m Dom and I’m 38 years young.

I’ve always been a lover of the beauty industry, I believe 2017 was when I wanted to get serious and deep dive into makeup. I was working overnight at a hotel in 2017, I believe I was scrolling the internet and saw a picture of beyonce and really wanted to know why my makeup didn’t look as good as hers. After having this thought, I started to educate myself on the proper use of products in the makeup world. I started to invest in my brushes, but I also started using high end products to see if there was difference in what I was already using. I can assure you there was a difference. I started to watch YouTube university where I learned from people such as Jackie A and Patrick S. With practice I became better and better and girls wanted to book me. This is how Feelthabeat was started. My mission was to help women achieve flawless makeup looks on a budget. Drug store was my go to for many many years, until I started to venture into higher end brands such as HUDA and milk etc. my growth has always shown and I’m grateful for the ppl who believed in me. I got the opportunity to work for my favorite makeup brand morphe, and a few years after that I would pick up a different type of brush and fall in love all over again. In 2020 the world shut down and I started to panic because of my nails. I’m a biter and my acrylic nails keep me from biting, so having them is very important to me. I called my sister up and told her of this crazy idea I had and she said “ok”. So I ordered a nail kit and headed to YouTube university once more. Nails look easy but I can assure you they are not. Much like anything as it takes lots of practice to be as good as you want to be. I sat for hours on end teaching myself all I needed to know to be successful as a nail tech. A brush in my hand equals magic:) I started doing my sisters nails, friends nails and even my neighbor. I couldn’t believe all of those who allowed me to practice on them. Because of their willingness to help me get better, I’m better than I’ve ever been. It’s been 5 years and I still love the art. My nail brand is called JoNailz which is named as my late father Jonas. Showing off my creative side comes easy with the friends n family that I have. Each set gets better n better and the reviews from my loved ones speak volumes. I did attend school for nails where I learned more about the anatomy of nails, infections and diseases, salon management and more. The experience was not good but I learned a lot. I know that if I decide to go back and get licensed that I could, as there are many programs to help get people like me into the places and in spaces they want to be in. I love what I do, no matter if it’s makeup or nails, I just love making women feel beautiful. One brush at a time:) my mission is to educate each person as they sit in my chair, on products used and the reason we use them. I love seeing the smiles on their faces when they learn from me. I’m hoping to teach both makeup and nails someday. The thing that sets me apart from others is that I really try to let my clients know that I care and that their voices deserve to be heard when they are paying for a service (makeup). My clients are safe with me in every way possible. You are encouraged to speak up so that we can navigate your situation respectfully and with care.

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

You don’t need everyone to be your client. I wanted to have my name out there so bad that I would take anyone as a client. It didn’t matter if I knew them or not. I’ve always been very home based with makeup, one day I had a client who was not pleasant at all and it changed my view on clientele, I’d take quality over quantity any day.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me it’s the look on peoples faces. I’ve seen many people cry from being so happy with that I’ve done. Appreciating my willingness to go above n beyond to make their experience a good one. I take pride in who I am as a person and I truly thank my mom n dad for that. Rest in peace my angels.

Image Credits

Photos by Me