Meet Teresa Ammons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa Ammons.

Teresa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was always a crafty kid growing up. Artsy things always interested me but I never really knew what I wanted to do in life.

It all started when my friend/manager Dez asked me to assist her at work which turned out to be fashion show. I assisted her and helped clean her brushes and kept her organized. I had never been in a setting like that before and at the time I was very new to experimenting with makeup. Once we finished our job, I was so excited and felt so accomplished. This was something I definitely wanted to do again!

I continued to assist her at numerous fashion shows, photoshoots, events, etc. I was on top of the moon and very inspired by her. Over the next couple of months, I grew such a passion for makeup and she encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming a Makeup Artist. I became extremely passionate about it and although it’s not a typical job and the chances of “making it” in this industry was slim, Dez really inspired me to work hard and push to make my dreams come true. She gave me the confidence to keep going even if people didn’t support me.

I must say, makeup was NOT a natural talent for me. I didn’t start wearing makeup till I was about 18 years old. During the time I started helping Dez, I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder. My new interest in makeup and wanting to be as good as Dez quickly became a distraction for me. I would suffer from panic attacks very often throughout the day. I vividly remember I would grab my very small collection which mainly consisted of my moms makeup and I’d sit in front of a huge mirror in my kitchen and I’d simply practice putting on my makeup. During this time, doing that was the only thing that allowed me to calm my self down and completely forget about my attacks. All the practicing on myself gave me the confidence to finally start applying makeup on others.

Like I said, I was definitely not always great at makeup. I had my fair share of crazy smokey eyes and false lash disasters. But, it didn’t stop me from continuing to try. I worked really hard and went from assisting Dez to becoming her partner and eventually being able to go on my own to try and get my own clients.

I eventually got a job at Sephora when I temporarily moved to South Beach, Miami, FL. At Sephora, I began to work on a wide range of clients daily. This is where my talent truly blossomed. I worked for the company for about four years in various locations and gained so much product knowledge and actually won numerous company-wide contests for my artistry and creativity. This is when I decided to really push myself to further myself in my career. But I didn’t know how. I ended up discovering that artists used Instagram as a tool to promote their work. So I decided to make an Instagram for my makeup. I posted lots of “before and afters” of my clients and quickly started gaining followers.

Eventually, I moved back to my home state California and ended up in Los Angeles. This is where I knew I had to make my dreams come true. I knew that my window of opportunity had cracked open and I wanted to make sure I took advantage of my moment. I was in the best city to make that happen. A family friend happened to know and actress in Los Angeles and I was amazed by her beauty and said to myself that I HAD to do her makeup! I ended up reaching out and she took a chance on me and allowed me to do her makeup for an event. I not only did her makeup but ended up doing her sisters that weekend for a huge movie premier! It was my first huge solo moment in my career where I really began to realize that I had a lot of potential in this Industry. The rest was history. Word-of-mouth spread quickly and I began to do makeup on other actors, singers and social media influencers in Young Hollywood. I was able to make a name for myself here in Los Angeles and quickly secured a list of high profile clients. From there, I grew my brand and ended up doing makeup for magazines, music videos and red carpet events and my work has been seen everywhere from album covers to billboards in London.

As you can see, this didn’t all come overnight as many would love to happen. The whole process took about eight years to get to the point I am at today. After a year in Los Angeles while balancing my job at Sephora and freelancing, I was finally able to leave my job at Sephora and pursue freelance makeup full-time. It still blows my mind to this day that at a young age I am able to do what I LOVE and work for myself. All this could not be possible without the inspiration of my friend, Dez, and my extremely supportive husband who has been my #1 Fan since day one!

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?
I wouldn’t say smooth but it has been fun. It’s been a very long road with lots of work. When I first accepted my job at Sephora South Beach, I didn’t even have a car or a way to work. I had just moved out of my parents home in San Diego and was all the way across the country and I was scared. But I believed that everything would work out if I just pushed myself. Later, when I started freelancing and working for myself, lots of my work was for free to make a name for myself. I’d work long hours and travel long distances, sometimes getting home at 5am after an evening and night of touch-ups on set. This was my sacrifice to get into the industry. Those long days and the hard work have paid me back so although it hasn’t been smooth I’d say its definitely been worth it. There are no shortcuts to success, you HAVE to put in the work to build a brand.

One of the hardest things Ive had to deal with was transitioning from non-paid work to paid work. You have to be willing to put in the hours of free work to show the industry what you’ve got. Once you do, it becomes difficult to start transitioning clients from free work to paid work. It was hard but I definitely had to put my foot down and know my worth and the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that I put in over the years to get to where I am.

Once I started freelancing full-time, I began having issues with billing. It seems that many people do not read the due date on the invoices that I issue them. The non-payment issue seems to be one that is common to most self-employed people (plumbers, electricians, etc.). I have to stay on top of people but I usually give them about two weeks after the due date has passed before I follow up. I generally give more slack to the large entertainment companies that have always been good to me but even they have to be reminded sometimes. This is one of the ugly sides of being your own business is having to collect on debts. I wasn’t fully prepared for that side of my business. Starting out, you always get paid right after your service but the bigger the project gets, the longer payment takes to come through.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I offer makeovers and do light hair, mostly for magazine photoshoots, music videos or red carpets. Lately, I’ve started doing makeup for a TV show and thats been a fun new chapter. I do weddings as well as other special occasions. If makeup is needed, I’m there no matter the occasion!

What I am most proud of as a brand is when one of my clients was forced to use a random makeup artist for a red carpet because of some connection to the event. She had her makeup done but didn’t like it because it was poorly done so she then called me to rush down to downtown to save her before going on the red carpet. This was one of the first times I realized how different my brand is from what other people can offer. She jumped in my car, we drove around the block and took off and re-applied all of her makeup right there in the back of my car and she was red-carpet ready in 20 minutes! I did this for her free of charge because I love my clients and want the best for them. I dropped her back off at the venue where she killed the red carpet look and had a successful day. This is the kind of 24-hour services my clients can depend on and it makes me so proud that they feel comfortable enough with me to ask these things of me. I’ve also been in tight situations like between filming, a client was moving from set to an event and was asleep in the car. That was my only window to get her event-ready. So, at 75mph, down the freeway, with her fast asleep, head in my lap, I applied a full face including falsies. When we arrived to the next town for her event, she was flawless and ready to rock the night. I believe that it is this level of dedication to my clients, no limits, that sets me apart from other Makeup Artists. If you’re one of my clients, we can get it done, no matter what, where or when.

Some other fun things I’m well known for include:
Longevity in the makeup wear
Artistic/creative makeup
Light hand/naturally enhancing each clients beauty

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have proudest moments and the highest point, two different things.

My proudest moments are when I meet a celebrity that I look up to and they already know who I am and recognize me for my work. When I introduce myself, they sometimes say they already know who I am and that they’ve seen my work on Instagram or have heard about me from a friend. That always catches me by surprise and I love it when that happens. It really makes me feel like I’m making a name for myself here in the industry.

The highest point of my career was being booked for a music video featuring Travis Barker. I remember I was standing there in front of him while he played the drums in awe. Someone I’ve looked up to for so long, a legend in the music industry, right there in front performing for a couple of hours. That, for me, was my freelance high point so far. His people even left me with some of his drumsticks!

Pricing:

• On-Location Makeover (including lashes) $150
• Staying On Set For Touch-Ups/Unlimited Look Changes $50/Hr
• Makeover At My Home Studio $75

Contact Info:

• Website: teresaammons.com
• Phone: Business Phone: (310-428-5678)
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresaammons/

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