Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rutuja Gadkari. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rutuja, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I am very passionate about my business. I believe that I started my business at the right time in 2019. It was a point in my life where I was able to dedicate the time and energy required to make it successful and maintain a healthy work-life balance. As all my family, friends, and clients will attest, I truly love what I do and hence am able to enjoy doing makeup & hairstyle as per the needs/wishes of my clients and make them happy.

Starting a couple of years earlier could have given me a head start but would have also made me choose between taking care of my infant child and focusing on the business. Waiting for my child to grow up a bit gave me enough time to self-learn, experiment, and improve my skills. This self-investment allowed me to establish a strong professional foundation and the opportunity to focus on my clients from day 1, without having the pressure of managing various business activities. I also made it a point to slowly build up my professional makeup kit and experiment with various personal care brands. Investing my time and energy in this exploration well before starting my makeup & hairstyle business eliminated the need for upfront capital investment and allowed me to grow the business organically.

I believe that there is a right time and place for everything in life. As for ‘getting the head start against the competition’, I love working with, collaborating, and having a good friendly competition amongst my fellow makeup artists. Having healthy competition makes me constantly think about not only improving my skills and being better at what I do but also learning new and innovative techniques as well as business ideas. That’s why I’m open about all aspects of how I run my business and share makeup tips and tricks even with my clients.

I have no regrets about some of my early struggles in managing and expanding the business. My early interactions taught me a lot in terms of communicating with cross-cultural audiences and marketplace nuances as well as learning from every experience. If I could go back and change one thing, I would focus more on social media and proactively reaching out to prospective clients and investing more time and energy in self-branding / marketing activities. Though, I should also mention that my clients have helped me overcome this shortcoming by praising my work through reviews as well as giving me word-of-mouth publicity. Most of my business comes from repeat customers or via referrals from happy and satisfied clients.

Rutuja, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am from India and grew up in the city of Nagpur. I came to the US in 2010 with my husband and we settled in Austin in late 2011. I was interested in creative activities like painting, sketching, handicrafts, and fashion designing right from my teenage years. My journey into the makeup world is an extension of my creative endeavors. I started exploring makeup & hairstyling while pursuing my fashion design diploma in India. I did a course in hairstyling and then took my time to explore multiple avenues like fashion blogs, social media, and YouTube videos and follow the work of various well-known makeup artists to further hone my skills.

I got a major commercial break when I was booked for a makeup & hairstyling assignment for the female models participating in 2 fashion shows – Domain Diwali Festival 2019 and Round Rock Diwali Festival 2019. My makeup work was appreciated by everyone, and I received a lot of praise, admiration, and an overwhelmingly positive response. This experience gave me the confidence to start my business and validated my skills and artistic abilities. It also gave me a big boost in spreading my name as a talented makeup artist in the Indian diaspora as well as in the overall market in Austin and surrounding areas. From there I continued my journey and worked hard on establishing myself as a leading and respected makeup & hairstyle artist. My success is reflected in all the 5-star reviews left by a multitude of satisfied clients on many social media accounts including Facebook and Yelp.

Even though I started the business on my own, I have built a team of highly skilled and experienced makeup & hairstyle specialists who regularly help me with larger events like weddings where large number of females need to get ready in short time period. I am proud of being able to maintain the highest standard and quality of service in all my assignments, thanks to my trusted team members.

Eye makeup is my specialty. I can do all types of eye makeup including Smoky, Shimmery, Cut crease, Gradient, etc., or natural look. I specialize in different makeup styles such as HD makeup, Matte look, Natural look, Shimmer look, Smoky makeup, etc. I can also match any custom look per client expectations using an image or a video clip as a reference.

For hairstyles, I can handle everything from simple curls, temporary straightening & French braids to various updos, intricate bridal hairstyles, and Indian hairstyles. I am always happy to incorporate additional accessories that clients may want to use in their hairstyle like temporary hair extensions, ornamental hair clips, fresh flowers, etc. Personal satisfaction of my clients is my utmost priority and I extend my services to the best of my capacity to meet their expectations.

Apart from makeup & hairstyles, I also do saree & dupatta draping and Henna art. I am well versed and experienced in beautiful saree draping – one of the most common, traditional garments worn by females across India. Saree is worn in various styles based on regional, and cultural preferences, type of saree, and fabric used. I can drape saree in various traditional as well as modern patterns as per client expectations. I also specialize in dupatta draping and can help with other Indian female ethnic wear.

Variety of events I have handled for makeups & hairstyles include:
– Bridal makeup & hairstyle – for Christian weddings as well as traditional Indian weddings and Nikah
– Engagements – both for ceremony & just photoshoot
– Bridesmaids, family, and guests
– Groom and groomsmen touch ups
– Fashion shows, TV interviews, and live shows
– Maternity photoshoot, baby shower, housewarming, and other events
– Graduation photoshoot and parties
– Casual parties, holidays & birthday makeups etc.

I take pride in providing the highest quality of work and use products I have personally tested from reputed brands like Bobby Brown, Makeup Forever, Nars Cosmetics, Mac, etc. This ensures excellent and consistent quality output for all my clients.

My unique makeup style sets me apart and I continually strive to enhance and extend my skills via constant learning and self-experimentation. I am proud of all the positive ratings and reviews from my happy and satisfied clients. All reviews I received in the last 5 years highlight my accommodating nature, ease of communication, and professional yet friendly attitude. Excellent customer service is my brand equity and identity.

Making everyone look gorgeous and feel fabulous is my main motto.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Problem-solving part of every makeup assignment is the most rewarding part for me. I truly enjoy helping my clients feel good about themselves and look and feel their best. Working on makeup assignments is stimulating as well as fulfilling for me. After my final touch when clients see themselves in the mirror, the smile on their faces reflecting their satisfaction is priceless to me.

I have always believed in the power of positive self-image and self-confidence. Makeup is an effective instrument for projecting such confidence. Over the years, I have developed my unique style aligned with the demands and tastes of my customers. I focus on learning and understanding my client’s perspectives and suggesting and helping them with an appropriate makeup outlook. My client’s expectations, traditions, and culture inspire me in exploring new creative frontiers and highlighting beauty with intention in my work.

From an artistic perspective, every new client visit is like a blank canvas for me. I use this opportunity to create something unique for each client and tailor my services to their preferences. This not only makes them look beautiful but also boosts their self-confidence and raises their prominence.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Initially, I did struggle with the self-promotion aspect of social media. It took me some time and conscious effort in building my brand and social portfolio. Makeup is a visual art and clients prefer visual content like photos and videos. But I wanted to be very cognizant and respectful of the client’s privacy. I slowly started posting my work photos on Facebook and Instagram with my client’s consent. I also learned the importance of tagging and making my posts interesting by including contextual references such as bridal makeup/baby shower events, etc.

One thing that also helped me in upping my social media presence is by answering all the questions and comments in a timely manner and promptly following up with the information requests. Consistency and Cadence are very important for building and maintaining a personal brand. I routinely post my work on Instagram and Facebook business pages @fabmakeupnmore. Though, I should confess that I do miss posting from time to time, especially when I am busy with back-to-back appointments. I actively focus on customer service and on establishing a follow-worthy makeup brand.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabmakeupnmore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabmakeupnmore
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fab-makeup-n-more-austin

Image Credits
@fabmakeupnmore, @fabclicksnmore