Meet Amanda Tralle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Tralle.

Amanda, 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 born in China and adopted at 6-months-old to a Long Island family. When I was in high school, I got very involved in the theatre program; this fueled my love for the performing arts. I continued my education at Fordham University, where I studied Theatre Design & Production. During college and after, I worked as a Stage Manager on various productions in NYC. After living for 6 years in Manhattan, I moved to Los Angeles.

I picked up makeup as a hobby later in college, but never considered it a career. I just loved products; I loved learning about what made each one unique and trying them. If there was a new lipstick dropping, I knew about it. My bank account was not happy with all the makeup I was buying. Procrastination consisted of watching hours of beauty and YouTube videos and staying up on many late nights practicing makeup on myself.

About a year after I graduated, I realized that I didn’t want to stage manage anymore. While working my part time jobs, being a makeup artist crossed my mind. I started researching and visiting makeup schools. After investing in a college degree, I wanted to be certain that makeup school was the right next step. I then got a job at Sephora where I was formally trained by multiple beauty brands and learned how to apply makeup on clients (before this, I was primarily using my own face). I searched out TFP (trade for print) shoots as a litmus test to see if this was a career I really wanted.

In the midst of all of this, I visited one of my good friends in LA. I had never been to LA before, but one visit was all it took for me to think about moving. I decided to visit makeup schools on my 2nd visit to LA a few months later. The question then became, “Where do I want to start and build my makeup career?” I’m an over-thinker, so every day for months – seriously, ask my old roommate – I was changing my mind about whether to move to LA or stay in NY. I figured that if I was going to uproot my life and change my career, I had to do it now while I was still young. I had to give myself the chance. In May 2018, with the help of a few signs and affirmations, I boarded a one-way flight to LA.

Within the first few months of living in LA, I had the opportunity to meet and work with celebrity photographer Mitchell Nguyen McCormack and makeup artist Robert Bryan. Working with both of them taught me more in a couple of months than I ever thought possible. Their critiques and knowledge taught me more in a month about beauty makeup than I learned in a year. I became more detailed, understood what a well-applied makeup looked like, and their guidance helped me push myself and my work to always be better than the last. My education continued at E.I. School of Professional Makeup this past January, where I enrolled in theatrical makeup, SFX, and lab work classes. When I’m not in class, I work as a makeup artist at Sephora and freelance in tv, film, and commercials.

This past year, I’ve had opportunities working with incredible makeup artists, writers, actors, and production companies. I’m blessed to be in a city where I can both challenge myself and thrive doing what I love. I’m proud of the accomplishments I’ve made thus far and I’m excited to see where this city and career continue to take me.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, it hasn’t been easy. It made me anxious knowing that I spent a lot of time and money earning my degree at a four year college, to realize that I didn’t want to pursue what I spent money on. When I lived in NY, I worked 3-4 jobs simultaneously to pay the bills, in addition to seeking out makeup jobs and collaborations. I took a leap of faith moving to LA, away from family, friends, and my comfort zone. Even while attending E.I., I work 2-3 jobs simultaneously to pay the bills. The road hasn’t been smooth, but the opportunities I’ve had and the people I’ve met make this career totally worth it.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a freelance makeup artist, focusing my work in TV/Film. I work on short films, web series, commercials, music videos, photo shoots, and live events. I specialize in clean beauty, beauty, and character makeup. When it comes to scripted projects, I love collaborating with a team to make the story and its characters come to life.

I know I can’t always be picky when it comes to the types of jobs I take, but when I have the choice, I prefer when my work aligns with my values. For example, I’ve worked on LGBTQ+ projects that were written and directed by people in that community. I’m very passionate about telling the stories of marginalized groups and individuals because I didn’t have those stories growing up. Being a part of a diverse crew telling these stories are fulfilling to me and something I seek to continue doing.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m graduating from E.I. in December and I’m excited and ready to give 100% of my time and energy into finding new projects and artists to collaborate with!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.themakeuptralle.com
• Phone: 516-582-1452
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @amandatrallemua

Image Credit:
Desi Bee Richardson, Jalen Turner, DirByBoima

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