We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maysun Alabi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maysun below.

Maysun, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue my makeup artistry professionally was in college. It was around 2015 when I started doing makeup on friends and classmates. A friend of mine had asked me to do her makeup for her anniversary dinner. It was at that moment that I knew my artistry had been considered special. I did her makeup and she felt so beautiful she said. She told me the next day she had so many compliments on her makeup! It was at that moment that I knew I could really do this and pursue it. It felt amazing being asked to be apart of someone’s special day and knowing that my artistry was trusted for special occasions. She didn’t know, but she was my very first client. I was so nervous but I faced my fears head on and had to trust in myself that I could do it! The pictures I took that night still pop up on my Snapchat memories every year. It’s the sweetest reminder of where my journey began and how much my artistry has changed!

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 Maysun Alabi. Some people know me as May or Slay By May. I am a published makeup artist residing in Houston, TX. I am a small town girl originally from Providence, RI. I moved to Texas in 2018 to pursue my dreams of making it in the beauty industry. What better city than Houston to continue pursuing my makeup artist dreams. I began my makeup artistry career in 2015. I would consider my self as a versatile artist. I have truly done it all and I take pride in being an artist who can accommodate any style of makeup. I think what sets me apart from others is my true passion for what I do. It’s more than just doing makeup for me, it’s about being someone my clients feel comfortable with. My clients new and old have all made an impact on my life somehow. I get to meet amazing people daily and have great conversations, all while doing what I love to do! I want anyone who I possibly encounter to know that they are in the best of hands! I am very passionate about maintaining a positive atmosphere and hospitality. I look forward to meeting new clients, other creatives and networking! I’m so proud of my journey and how far I’ve come with making a name for myself. Truly self made.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are for sure resources I wish I knew about earlier in my creative journey. For starters, editing content and how to properly take post worthy pictures would have helped me a lot! I think if I could go back in time I definitely would’ve taken a few classes such as photography, editing and maybe even a beauty class to learn skills from people who have been in the industry for a long time.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have had my fare share of having to pivot away from my artistry. I think other business owners can agree that you have your good days and you have your bad days. There have been times where I felt like giving up, kept comparing myself to others and business was slow. What kept me going is the dreams I’ve always had for myself. I have to keep going. When I became a mom in 2021, I became even more driven. I wanted to be a role model for my son. I want him to know his mom put her all into everything she did and I hope that some day he’ll be able to see all my hard work and know that I didn’t give up.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @slaybymay

Image Credits

Tricia berry @anthropologyphotoco
Darien Burton @shotbydarienb
Joris @jaksvpreme
@s_johnson_photography (header picture)