We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Busch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Heather, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
When I was first starting to fully immerse myself in my love for makeup, I would ask all of my friends to come over and let me do their makeup to practice. They were such good sports! I had no idea what I was doing, and I would just play with makeup for hours learning and practicing new techniques. As time went on, my best friend said to me “You know Heather, you should really apply for a job at MAC, you would be so amazing!” I felt that I was no where near good enough, It had been something I always dreamt of achieving, working at that MAC counter, but felt I would never be at that level. She pushed me to do it, and I couldn’t be happier that I did. Working at MAC changed my entire life, taught me everything I know about makeup, and introduced me to some of the greatest artists I have ever known. The opportunities were priceless, and I am so so happy I took the risk and did not let the fear of failing get me down.
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.
Hi, everyone! My name is Heather Busch and I am a licensed esthetician and bridal makeup artist. I am from Long Island, New York and have been living in Huntsville, Alabama for two and a half years. I have an incredible husband and a beautiful two year old daughter named Aubrey. I have been doing makeup for about seven years now, and love every second of it. I have been obsessed with all things makeup, skin, and beauty since I was a little girl. When I was graduating high school, my parents made me swear that if they let me follow my dream and go to esthetics school, I would have to finish college. Well, I went to esthetics school and did not finish my degree! I just knew that the beauty industry was everything to me, and I was going to fully immerse myself in my passion and turn it into a successful career. After finishing esthetics school, I got my dream job at MAC cosmetics. My boss Alex taught me everything there is and I couldn’t have done any of this without her. She took a chance once and I am forever grateful. Moving across the country after living in New York my entire life, not knowing anything else was incredibly scary, especially in an industry that is all word of mouth and clientele based. Everything immediately fell into place upon moving here, and it was as though it was just meant to be. I was very nervous breaking into the industry, and my amazing friend Olivia who is also a makeup artist here in Huntsville, took me in like I had always lived here and helped me immensly. I received all of my training from some of the most incredible artists in New York, and I have experience doing all skin types and skin tones, I don’t lean toward more glam looks or more natural looks, I can comfortably give my clients the best of both worlds. Being that I am a licensed esthetician, I am able to give my clients the best, long lasting look customized to them and their skin. I am so proud of what I have built so far here in Huntsville, I was so nervous taking the leap of moving, not knowing how it would turn out. The community and beauty industry here is better than I could have ever imagined, everybody is so kind and just wants to support and lift each other up. I have worked some of the most gorgeous weddings and glammed some of the most beautiful clients, and I am so excited to see where this journey continues to take me.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is how happy and confident I make my clients feel on the most important day of their lives. Having the responsibility of doing somebody’s makeup on their wedding day is a huge one, and being trusted with that is a massive deal to me. When I see how beautiful my clients feel when they leave my chair, it fills me with so many emotions and it makes me so incredibly happy that they trusted me with their makeup on their special day.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I feel as though there are a couple of things that drive my creative journey. I have always wanted to make a living doing what I love the most, and that is makeup. I couldn’t see myself in a normal 9-5 type of career, I truly believe if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. Every time I am doing makeup, I am genuinely enjoying myself and that is something I have always wanted for my career. I also want to be able to show my daughter that she can do anything she puts her mind to, and that hard work really does pay off.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.muaheathermichele.com
- Instagram: muaheathermichele
Image Credits
Amandalyn Photography Taylor Harris Photo