Hidden Gems: Meet Shay Zeinali of Makeup by Shay Zeinali

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shay Zeinali

Hi Shay, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always had a passion for makeup but never thought I could make a career out of it.
After high school (2007) I went to college to become an English teacher. Two years into college (2009) I saw a commercial on TV for a makeup school in Hollywood, CA. The next day I quit college and applied for the makeup school.
It was a 4 month course but it was focused heavily on special effects makeup and prosthetics. Unfortunately I HATED it. I didn’t like how each look took hours and hours of work and only to turn someone into an ugly monster 😅. Sadly I quit the school in the second month.
I then decided to get a day job at a real estate office in the admin department to see if I had any interest in becoming an agent. I worked in the back end of real estate for five years and got demoted from my position at one company and fired from the next. But little did I know being fired from that job was a BIG blessing in disguise.
As humans any form of rejection hurts. Even though I didn’t like the job and clearly, I know now I was not a good employee, but being told that I was let go hurt. It actually took me years later to even tell people I was fired rather than saying I quit.
The reason it was such a blessing being let go from the job is because I finally took a leap of faith and started my make up artist business where I Glam people for events, weddings, photo shoots, etc. Within the first six months of doing professional makeup my career took off and I also landed an A-list celebrity in that first year.
I am self taught and worked so incredibly hard to perfect my craft by doing free makeup on friends and family to practice.
I never understood through the years why people said you “really need to love your job to wake up and happily do it” until I started my business. I’m definitely a terrible employee, but I am a great employer and when you have a passion for your job you will hustle and work 100 times harder.
Had I never been fired I would’ve still been miserable working for someone and I would have never took a chance to follow my first love and dream I had as a little kid. A job I thought you couldn’t make a career out of. I work and sacrifice my weekends and I am up very early hours, but I do it all out of love and I wouldn’t change it for any other job in the world! 10 years in this career and counting 😊

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Fortunately, for me within the first six months, I had gained a good clientele base and I was busy every single weekend. I also have worked on the most beautiful models and Instagram influencers within a short time in the beginning which also helped my career. Thankfully, it was very smooth.
Although the road to get here wasn’t. Because I hated every job I was at, or I got fired, and I was just so sad all the time I quit every job I started or anything I started in that matter. But once I was in my career, everything ran smoothly.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I always joke that I’m a full service business in the sense of providing therapy/Make Up services. I have been told I’m one of very few make up artists that actually talk with my clients and engage in a conversation throughout the service. I genuinely love to meet new clients and talk to them and learn about them while I get to enhance their beauty.
What I’m so proud brand wise is my clients will receive the best service I could possibly provide and I make sure everyone is happy!
I Specialize in make up for events, weddings, camera. And I love a good soft Glam!

What does success mean to you?
Had I been asked this question five years ago I would have said success is defined by how much money you’re making and how popular you are in your business.
Being there and having already accomplished that part, success for me is so different 10 years into my career. Success is waking up every day, healthy, and happy to still be doing make up for my clients. Success for me is clients that trust me to spend their hard earned work money to get their make up done by me. Success is also trying every day if that’s taking content or branding and working really really hard regardless of how much money you’re making.

Pricing:

• Non bridal makeup is $200
• Bridal makeup is $600
• One on one makeup Course (learn to do your own makeup) $600 for 2 hours

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.shayzeinali.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shay_zeinali/
• Other: https://shay-zeinali.square.site/