We recently connected with Kerry Bleu Scy and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kerry thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always had an interest with fashion and make up and would study both over the years. I tend to get a lot of compliments on both my clothes and make up when out and about and the compliments would come with the question of whether I provided services to other’s. I also noticed there was a void in the makeup industry when it came to makeup on dark skin and that was a big motivation for creating my business as well. I personally had trouble finding make products that matched my skin tone while growing up, so I knew it was a pretty big deal that needed to be addressed. I also noticed that there was a void in alternative makeup on dark skin (think goth, punk, etc.) and decided that I would try to bridge the gap.

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.

It all started in 2008. I was fresh out of high school and living with my dad, just trying to figure things out. I’d had a job but lost it, and the rule was either job or school. I ended up enrolling in cosmetology school as I’d always been interested in the beauty industry and spent almost a year training in the art of hair, skin, and nails with much of the focus on hair. Fast forward to 2018, Youtube starts showing me makeup compilations. I had always been interested in makeup but never seemed to be able to apply it correctly, so I stayed away from it for a long time. It didn’t help that it was hard to find my shade, and I had to shell out $40 to go to a department store counter to have it professionally mixed so it would match. Anyway, I watched every compilation that came up almost daily for several years while simultaneously building my makeup collection as well. Around 2020, I decided to revisit my cosmetology life. I had let my license lapse and moved onto other things in life and never thought I’d come back to it. I missed the knowledge and the events that comes with the industry, so I decided to start the process of reobtaining my license. I devoted several hours per day for 2 years to studying and making sure I was well prepared, then took and passed the licensing test as of 9/2022. After working so hard to obtain my license and years of practice, I decided to start a makeup artistry business, and Beauty by Bleu Scy was born. I specialize in Special Event and Wedding Makeup, and my favorite looks to do are anything colorful and bright.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the struggles I faced would be when I went to cosmetology school. The atmosphere was very much what you would think it would be, and that’s the nice way of putting it. I was made fun of and taunted by other students to the point that I wanted to transfer out, but thankfully I stuck with it, although this was also a huge reason I no longer wanted to work in the industry.

Another obstacle I ran into was relearning almost 9 months of material while continuing to do a full-time job and be a single parent. Thankfully, my family was and is very supportive and made themselves available when needed.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

The capital for starting my business was gained by tax returns and a lot of overtime. I have a day job outside of the business that I own and I work extra during the week when I don’t have any clients scheduled during the week.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients has been wedding sites such as the knot. The majority of my bookings come from that site and I usually get at least one inquiry per day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beauty-by-bleu-scy.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bleu_scy_beauty/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautybybleuscy/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeautybyBleuScy
• Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/-wc0kwYbUNrlGvPy-_WJzQ

Image Credits
Kerry Bleu Scy