We recently connected with Julieta Reineri and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Julieta , thanks for joining us today. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

I think vacations are very important! I always say “I work to live and not live to work” and that’s so true. I want to work to have the life I always dreamed of. And stepping out from work and having time for yourself and to connect with your people and nature is important, specially for your mental health. We need good work-life balance to perform the way we should. I’m lucky my industry is kind of seasonal and the place where I live has a very extreme winter so for the last 2/3 years that’s when I take my longest vacation of the year. I’m originally from Argentina, so I go there in december until frebruray. By that time work is very slow in Chicago. I take that time to visit my family, take a break from work and enjoy the nicer weather. Apart from that I try to take shorter vacations throughout the year whenever I can. But I have to plan those in advance because if I don’t block the days off I end up being book every week. I Can luckily say I’m booked from March to November most of the weekends with weddings. I guess my advice for entrepreneurs is to force themselves to take vacations. Put the time off in your calendar at the beginning of the year and even if you don’t go anywhere, just take that time for yourself, stay at home do things you love, have enough sleep…. all the things you can’t enjoy while you are working. Do it!! And the key is not to feel bad about it. We work hard and we deserve that time to clear our head and recharge.

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

I’m Julieta Reineri owner of Julieta Makeup. I started as a Makeup Artist around 12 years ago back in Argentina, where I was born and raised. Little after life brought me to the USA, more specifically to Chicago where I’ve been living for 11 years now. In Chicago I went to Cosmetology school and developed my career in the industry working at multiple beauty areas. I worked at Sephora as a beauty consultant for 6 years and in the middle of the pandemic in 2020 is when I joined the Wedding Industry, thanks to a colleague who does Bridal Hair and Makeup. She introduced me to the Wedding business and I have been doing Makeup for Brides and Bridal parties since then. I still perform makeup services in other areas like Film/Video, Corporate, Fashion and Commercial as well as other social events. Makeup is my passion and I enjoy every little opportunity to show my skills. I offer luxury on site services and recently started my own makeup line, that can be purchased online at my website: www.julietamakeupartist.com All this years in business gave me the experience and knowledge about skin, products and techniques. I never stop learning and I believe that’s what makes me grow. It’s important to keep updated with trends and keep an open mind because we live in a world that changes constantly.
looking back I can say I’m really proud of where I am now and all the things I achieved with my work. I’m thankful to be doing what I love and having the chance to meet great people along the way.
My biggest supporter is my husband, who has been always there for me, and he inspires me to always try to be better and no take NO for an answer.
If you have a dream, work hard and don’t compare yourself with anyone. Keep doing what you do and do your best and just keep showing up every day💜

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Each job is an opportunity to meet people and make connections. The more you work the more doors open. You have to show your face. If you are just starting, trust the process and be patient. It takes some time but you will get there. It took me almost 10 years to build my clientele. I started from scratch in a new country, with new rules and new language and here I am! Challenges are good and make you stronger. Be sociable and take every opportunity to network.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell my products on my own website. I offer luxury services and I think it’s important for credibility and trust. People like to see you are established and confident about your work and products. I was lucky to have my sister who is a graphic designer and she helped me creating the website. I had some knowledge from a past side hustle as a jewelry maker, and that helped me a lot in the process. I think the advantage of having your own website is that I mentioned before: the credibility with your clients.
A disadvantage may be that is more difficult or challenging to bring traffic to it. You have to invest in social media and ads to take prospective clients to your site. If you use other platforms like Amazon or Etsy they already have the traffic and it’s probably easier to be found.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.julietamakeupartist.com
• Instagram: @Julietarmua
• Facebook: @julietarmua
• Linkedin: Julieta Reineri

Image Credits
Daniela Kosta Allan L. Niño Red Barn Wedding Studio Lusia Studio Photography