Meet Aly Collins of Aly Rose Makeup & Hair in Anaheim

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aly Collins.

Aly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have loved makeup as long as I can remember. My earliest memory is going to my nonnie’s house & opening up her drawers to see what kind of new goodies she had added to her makeup collection. Then in high school, I was booked solid for every dance, to the point where I wouldn’t have time to get myself ready.

I realized that my hobby had now become a business & started to dream big of one day having my own makeup line called, “Aly Rose.” During my teen years and early twenties, I continued to persue a makeup career while managing beauty supplies, makeup counters, large beauty retailers & receiving certifications in theatrical, tv/film & beauty applications.

After high school, I came to a crossroads with my love for the beauty industry & my love for soccer. I had received multiple soccer scholarships to large universities, so I decided to put my beauty business on the back burner. While studying at USC I dabbled in the film department & took multiple makeup courses, but I ended up with a degree in Communication/PR/Marketing. Upon graduating, I was recruited alongside ten others in the country to pilot a special program for Victoria Secret Beauty. During this time, I continued to work as a freelance makeup artist & found that my true passion was in beauty makeup. Unfortunately, the program folded when Victoria Secret Beauty merged with Victoria Secret Stores.

This leads me to outside sales positions & a part-time freelance career on the weekends. Fast forward a few years and I was blessed with a handsome husband & two beautiful boys. Blake my oldest was born two months premature & spent a month in the hospital & it seemed like ever since his birth, my health just wasn’t up to par. I saw multiple specialists & an endocrinologist ended up finding two lumps in my throat. They did multiple tests & said that they were both benign but I still felt like something was wrong. As time progressed, the lumps began to become more uncomfortable & I felt like I was going to choke when I ate certain foods. So I went & saw a general surgeon & requested a thyroidectomy. He thought I was crazy as taking out your entire thyroid can lead to other problems, but I just felt in my gut it was the right thing to do. Upon waking up from my surgery, I found out that I had two types of thyroid cancer (papillary & follicular). It was absolutely horrifying because I had a new baby & toddler at home & thought I wouldn’t live to see them grow up. Multiple radioactive iodine treatments & Isolations later, I finally started to feel human again.

Having cancer really made me step back & think, and I realized that nothing was more important than my family & that I needed a career that would allow me to be able to put them first. After doing a ton of personal development, I realized that having my own business was the best way to control my schedule & it was time to follow my dreams & start Aly Rose Makeup & Hair. So I did, & it has been such an amazing life-changing experience.

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?
Starting your own company definitely is not easy, but if you are doing what you love and are passionate about, it doesn’t feel like work. Setting up all legal documents, building a website, attending networking events, marketing like crazy & developing a name for yourself are all expensive & time-consuming, but are just part of the process of becoming a successful business owner. Like anything in life, the more work you put in, the more likely you are to achieve better results.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Aly Rose Makeup & Hair – what should we know?
I started off as just Aly Rose Makeup & realized that I needed to add hair because most of my clients want a one stop shop. So now, I operate as Aly Rose Makeup & Hair so that I can better service the needs of my clients. We specialize in bridal & beauty makeup. Which includes weddings, proms, quinces, professional headshots & speaking engagements, special events & much more. My brand is all about taking your best features & enhancing them for the world to see. I love to watch a woman’s transformation from when she first sits down, to when she looks in the mirror & says,” I look beautiful.” It makes my heart smile to be able to make women look & feel beautiful. Sitting in my chair is not a typical makeover, it’s an experience. Women talk to me about their insecurities, their struggles, & so much more, and my job is make sure that they forget about all that. I put their favorite music on, we laugh, we dance, & we just enjoy the moment. I truly care about my clients & it makes me happy to see a woman’s true inner beauty be able to shine through on the outside as well.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel that the most important qualities are to be able to listen to the needs/wants of your client & be able to combine that with your artistic capabilities. In order to do that you have to listen & ask the right questions so that you can help your client paint that picture. It’s also important to understand & respect women’s diverse backgrounds, ages, ethnicities & sometimes religious preferences.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alyrosemakeup.com
• Phone: 714-319-3500
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @alyrosemakeupgirl
• Facebook: Aly Rose Makeup & Hair

Image Credit:
Nicholas Gonzalez Photography, Early Morning Light Studio, Pur Vida Photography, YinFutography

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.