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

Hi Dominique, thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in a creative career or as an entrepreneur is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

When I first started, I wanted to be one of those “nice” makeup artists. Because of that, I would believe what people said to me in terms of them booking an appointment and believing they would come. Soon enough, I found out that I needed to have policies set in place. Someone booked an appointment and I was hoping they would come, all for them to do a no call no show. I thought that was very inconsiderate and it hurt my feelings at the time. But soon after I realized that one, I can’t take things personal in this business and also I need to have a running website and retainer fees are a must. I didn’t want to waste my time again knowing that I would never do that to a client. And ever since then, I can count the amount of no call no shows on one hand because people take me and my time seriously.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Dominique, but I go by Domo or Dom and I’m a Brooklyn based makeup artist and photographer. I love being able to cater to all types of skin tones but my goal has always been to make sure that my clients of deeper complexions feel amazing. That’s why I call myself the Melanin Specialist and that is why I love doing what I do. Up until recently, many makeup artists wouldn’t be able to do makeup on darker skin tones like how they do lighter skin tones. So as a darker skinned woman, I wanted everyone especially us to feel beautiful once the makeup was completed. My favorite saying is “Keep dark skin dark” said by Mali Magic. Aside from being able to cater to all skin tones and skin concerns, my professionalism and ability to always produce great work is what sets me apart as well as being a photographer. There aren’t many makeup artists out here who can do makeup as well as photography and I can essentially be a one stop shop.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think the most rewarding thing is seeing reactions of my clients after they have seen my makeup. There’s so many relationships I’ve built from being a makeup artist and just always showing up. When people sit in my chair, I always want them to feel comfortable. Sometimes makeup appointments become mini therapy sessions where we could laugh, cry, express frustration, etc. and these are things clients remember. I think this is one of the things that helped me to retain clients. There are some people who only get their makeup one time during the year but will make sure to book me. And I’m always appreciative of that.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Nowadays, we think everything is social media and don’t get me wrong it has helped ALOT! But the best source when it comes to getting new clientele is word of mouth. There are so many clients that I’ve gotten from my regular clients who refer their friends and family to me. And that’s why I’m so big on customer service and being personable. You never know who knows who!

Contact Info:

• Website: Beautebydom.com
• Instagram: @beautebydom

Image Credits
Makeup and photography: @beautebydom Models: @haileyomollo, @shimyiasinclair, @nayz.ona, @mohnsta_