Life and Work with Cindy Espinoza

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Espinoza.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Cindy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m a Los Angeles based makeup artist who’s aspired to be a professional since the age of 12, by seeing how makeup can completely transform and empower a person.

At the age of 15, I started my own makeup business and became the go-to MUA for my high school. These years gave me the confidence and reassurance that I was in the right field and decided to make this my career. We always struggled financially as a family and this gave me the opportunity to provide for myself and help bring income into the household.

After high school, I began looking into makeup schools that I could attend and decided to go to cosmetology school. But to misfortune, the school I was attending was unexpectedly closed down. This led me to my makeup retail journey. I began working for Ulta Beauty as a beauty advisor and loved the experience. I then moved on to Bare Minerals where I learned about skincare. Next, I worked for Sephora where I enhanced my product knowledge. Throughout all these retail jobs I’ve maintained my freelance business where I worked constantly and steadily, this includes side jobs as a makeup and hair assistant on sets like Nike, BCBG, and Real Simple magazine and countless photo shoots and a few music videos. I currently work at MAC – Bloomingdales in Glendale Galleria as a makeup artist and freelancer. I have built a nice reputation for myself, that I am extremely proud of. It’s been a labor of love.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Trying to make a name for yourself in this industry is extremely difficult. There is so much competition that it can at times be discouraging. I’ve had many setbacks, including a major car accident that totaled my car making it hard to freelance and get to my job destinations. I used public transportation, Uber, Lyft, and asked for many favors for about two years while I saved for a vehicle. I was determined and nothing would hold me back.

I went through unexpected health issues that had me in and out of the hospital for about three months. Due to my health issues, I lost my job and some freelancing gigs leaving me back to square one, depressed, discouraged, and lost.

My advice to any aspiring makeup artist would be to believe in yourself, push through all obstacles, and learn to take constructive criticism. Always be positive because you attract and create your own reality.

Please tell us about TinyCindyMakeup.
I’m a makeup artist for any occasion with experience in wedding parties, brides, quinces, and any special event. I do soft hair styling as well, my style of artistry is a twist of classic timeless beauty with a modern flair.

I’m really proud I’ve stayed true to myself, and have maintained my integrity. This industry can be superficial and you can lose sight of your purpose, I treat everyone in my chair with respect and I appreciate that they’ve chosen me to enhance their beauty.

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
Don’t compare yourself to others, and learn as much as you can there is always room for improvement. Enjoy every experience the good the ugly and most importantly have fun.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 323 889 9582
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/tinycindymakeup
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/tinycindymakeup/?ref=bookmarks

Image Credit:
Anthony Lopez, Gabby Mariscal, Natalie Alvarado, Priscilla Dominguez, Samantha Annis

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