We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yvonda Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Yvonda, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Growing up as a kid my Mom had a small hair salon in our home. My favorite part about the hair salon was spinning in the client chair and staring at all the beautiful images in the magazines. It felt like everyday a new magazine arrived in the mail. My go to’s were the ones that looked like me the most Jet, Essence, and Ebony. I could always count on Ebony or Essence to have the “before and after” make overs in the beauty section and Jet to have a stunning “beauty of the week”. I couldn’t help but notice the major changes a little makeup could do and even boost the confidence in the ladies smiles. Also having a Mom that wore “her face” makeup everyday and a beauty routine every night definitely had an impact on my inspiration working in the beauty industry.

Yvonda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As a teen I was not aware of what a working makeup artist was like. I thought my passion was just fashion. Iman, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington were all my idols at the time and I wasn’t sure how but I wanted to work somewhere in fashion. My bedroom walls were covered in editorial fashion collages from my magazines and by this time it went from Essence to Elle magazines, I loved them all!

Fast forward to my mid twenties my best friend was engaged to be married we were all excited, however she was in a bad car accident days before the wedding leaving a few marks on her face. I can’t remember who but someone reached out to me and asked me to do her makeup and also cover her scares if I could. Playing in makeup was something I had always done but a wedding was serious and I definitely was not confident in taking on the task but I didn’t want to disappoint I was going to do my best. Once her makeup was complete and I could see how happy she and her family were, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue seriously. Makeup made people happy and I wanted to learn more.

Eventually I began working as a beauty advisor for Lancome cosmetics in department stores. I worked with them at the counter, then as a freelance makeup artist and a coordinator. However I wanted to add more to me. With the help of a friend I reached out to a few modeling agencies that put me in contact with their photographers and from then my career as a makeup artist excelled to the next level. In the beginning I had to take some photoshoots on comp and I was okay with that because I was learning.

Thanks to social media my relationships with models, modeling agencies and photographers began to expand and grow. I didn’t just rely on social I made sure my reputation stayed as a reliable, dependable, and quality work was given every time. I learn from my mistakes and study daily the craft of makeup artistry. I pay attention to the type of bookings I was getting and most people would request a natural soft glam saying they really liked what they saw on my website or IG page and that’s what I am most proud of, the growth.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I learned to not allow a rejection to break me. Taking time to reflect and find what I can learn from the situation sprouts growth. However, don’t take too long or you can get stuck. I believe we should all keep making movement even when it hurts. I have been presented opportunities that I didn’t go after or chase, the opportunity chased me and for that I am grateful. If I had stayed stuck in disappointment and stopped making movement I would have missed the amazing opportunities God had ahead.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Staying active on social media has been a great source of gaining new clients. I’m grateful for IG and Facebook and the options of sharing profiles, posting and even direct messages. It’s the new era of “word of mouth”. When I work on a project with a model, photographer and a stylist we all post our favorite pics from the shoot. So often I will get a message from someone that liked my makeup application from seeing it on another persons page that was part that specific project.

Clients may refer to another persons pic on my page for their makeup inspiration. They may possibly ask for eyebrows, lashes or the style of makeup I applied as their request. I’m not one that likes to post pics of my myself but some people have used my makeup as an inspiration and for that I try my best to stay consistent posting and sharing…even when I have to push myself to get it done!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yvondasmithbeauty.net
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/yvondasmithbeauty
• Facebook: Yvonda Smith Beauty
• Youtube: Yvonda Smith Beauty

Image Credits
Photography by: Laretta Houston; Katie Parker; Rebecca Marie; Carolyn Miller