We were lucky to catch up with Essie Yvonne recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Essie, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My niche is Natural Glamorous looks that transcend time. As I grow in my business I have taken the time to grow in my personal style of hair and makeup by creating my signature look. I love creating timeless looks that are natural and beautiful. My goal is that when I give my client the mirror they love their look but more importantly they look like themselves yet enhanced. I truly believe that makeup should enhance your features and make them stand out making you love yourself even more. I want my clients to see themselves in a different light so that any insecurities take a back seat and they are able to go into whatever event they are attending feeling confident and beautiful. I love creating the full look so I learned how to style my clients’ hair and makeup. I can do hair and makeup for any client no matter what age or race. I believe that is what makes me stand out as well. I provide services for Brides and women desiring to look fabulous for any occasion.
I am a Freelance Hair and Makeup Artist with a passion for empowering women to show up as their best selves. I got into the Beauty Industry a little over four years ago. I truly believe that my career saved my life. Pursuing success in my business helped me discover myself again, gain my confidence and hone in on my gifts. I am a different person than when I began but definitely in an amazing way.
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?
Initially when I started my business, I was in a rough place mentally and emotionally. I lost myself in all of the hats I was wearing. At that time I was married, raising my two children and working full-time as a teacher. I was in a place where I was praying and asking God who I am. My labels had labels and took over my life. I had a deep desire to have something for myself. I was naturally drawn to makeup because I love the arts and I have always enjoyed creating. The first time I did makeup on someone else I realized I had a gift for makeup application. Much more than that I witnessed the self esteem boost for my clients and it opened my eyes to the power of beauty enhancement. I realized that I could use my gift to help women see themselves in a different light. It may sound cliché but when you look good you feel so much more confident.
After posting my first before and after pictures on social media I began getting inquiries. I love learning and I always want to do things in excellence so I began taking classes so that I could learn and gain certification. I attended MR Beauty Academy which helped me learn proper techniques and turn my passion into an actual business. Eventually what started as a side-hustle turned into a successful full-time business.
As I have grown in my business and mastered different techniques I have been able to expand my services and use my other gifts to serve my clients in multiple ways. Recently I am most proud of expanding my services into teaching group makeup classes. Teaching women how to do their own makeup is so fulfilling. It’s something about empowering women with this skill that makes a huge difference. I love being able to share my gifts in my own way. I am very proud of my growth as an artist and entrepreneur. My philosophy is, use all of your gifts! It really leads to a more fulfilling life. This is what I focus on motivating women to do during our beauty sessions. For me it’s about more than makeup. It is truly about empowering other women. That’s my ultimate mission.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
2020 was a wakeup year for me. I realized that I was essentially living a life of escape. When the world shut down I was no longer able to use my “busy-ness” as an escape from reality. When Covid hit, schools shut down for the rest of the year. Teaching and interacting with my students made me so happy. Seeing the difference I was making in their lives helped me to ignore the turmoil that was going on in my own life.
At this time I was teaching and doing makeup on the side. However I had to shut down makeup services because it was no longer safe to give face to face services due to Covid. When I was able to offer makeup services for my clients, I empowered them to look and feel beautiful in their own skin. I was able to use my gifts to help other women to realize they had value and true worth through the conversations we had during our sessions. All the while I felt like a hypocrite because I was living with someone that literally broke down my self esteem day after day. There’s nothing like being congratulated and gaining recognition in the marketplace but having no peace at home. I literally lost myself trying to make my partner happy but that goal kept changing.
When the world shut down I had to face the fact that changes needed to be made. I took a bold step and left my toxic marriage, started over on my own and faced the challenges of being a single parent. I have to say over time and with many ups and downs, I was able to get my own place, take my beautiful children out of the situation and create an environment filled with peace. I wouldn’t trade this peace for anything in the world. I love my children so much and they deserve to see their mother happy.
This is the reason I say makeup saved my life. While pursuing success in my business I had to literally put myself out there. I had to network; which helped me to make connections with so many people. Through those relationships I was able to meet women that saw me and spoke into my life. I met my village. These women helped me in so many ways and continue to. I met business partners that helped me propel my business forward and challenged me to step out on faith with some ideas that have been truly profitable. Even more than that I gained true friendships that have been invaluable in my healing journey. We literally build each other up. Women need each other. I am transparent about my experiences because I know that my story can help so many other women. My story continues and I have to give credit to God because I know He has walked with me every step of the way.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I always use the tagline that I am a teacher turned entrepreneur. I stepped out and became a full-time entrepreneur in 2020. It has been challenging but entrepreneurship is a journey. A key piece of advice that I would give anyone that is thinking about taking the leap is focus on walking in all of your gifts. I am passionate about beauty, teaching and empowering others. I have added multiple streams of income by using what I am passionate about and gifted in.
My entrepreneurship journey extends beyond the makeup chair. My other streams of income include teaching, coaching, modeling, creating social media content for businesses and I will begin selling products very soon. I expanded my modeling career by signing with Millie Lewis in Greenville early August. I’ve been published in several publications and commercials. I have continued using my passion for education by taking a coaching position through my local school district empowering teachers to conquer their fears and dominate the classroom. I also have an academic coaching business called The Learning Edge where I coach middle and high school students in taking responsibility for their own learning, leading to academic success. I also teach Group Makeup Classes teaching women how to do their own makeup. Your skills are valuable. I left classroom teaching but I am still using my Master’s in Education and my background but in different ways. All of your experiences have value and they are yours to use in order to live and thrive.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.essieyvonne.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essie_yvonne/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/essieyvonnemua
Image Credits
Stacey Gardin Latoya Dixon Smith Mylows Customs Tia Nicole Photography Sheen Media Group LLC