Today we’d like to introduce you to Syeda Sakina Hussaini.
Syeda Sakina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Midway through getting my BFA at CSUF, I wanted to take a break and do something I would enjoy. I took a year off and went to a one-year Cosmetology program. Through this program, I met some talented ladies who saw potential in me and started hiring me for makeup gigs for fashion shows. This is when Instagram had just started to be a great tool for artists so my sister encouraged me to start posting my work. Soon after, another makeup artist known in the South Asian community came across my Instagram and hired me to work on Bridal parties. I ended up doing a couple of brides who knew me personally and felt confident enough in my work even though I had little to no bridal experience. It took a long time and constant effort to get noticed, improve, and get to where I am now.
Indian/Pakistani Bridal process requires more than simply knowing how to do hair and makeup. I had to learn how to do hair a specific way so that the dupatta (really heavy veil) could sit on the head properly and I had to learn how to work with brown skin tones and do makeup that’s bold enough to suit the attire and lasts all day long. I took several courses to better my work, but pretty much realized that practice and experience was the best way for me to learn because no two brides are the same. I now officially only work on brides and specialize in the South Asian Community.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was definitely not a smooth road. When I first started, financially I was not capable enough to buy products for my kit. My parents who were also struggling were kind enough to take me to a makeup store and I had 200 dollars to curate my entire kit. I think I owned a total of two mac lipsticks and one nice eyeshadow pallet. The rest was all drugstore makeup. I also did not own a car so my Dad would drive me to gigs and wait outside in the car till I would get done. Once I started to make some decent amount of money, I slowly started to invest in better products. When I got married, both my husband and I were still students and money was tight. My husband suggested using some of our wedding gift money to invest in my career and also took on the role of my father in driving me and picking me up from work… A friend of mine who also was a makeup artist who hired me in the beginning got discounts at some high-end makeup stores and would help me get products through it so I get more bang for my buck. I was also finally able to get a second-hand car through my Dad which helped me take a lot more clients and not rely on my husband or Dad’s schedule.
This business requires a lot of hustling in the beginning because why would anyone hire and trust you for their big day if you aren’t as well-known yet? That’s the one time in a girl’s life she splurges so and wouldn’t compromise. I had to do free Collab’s, take any clients I could get even if I barely made any money just to get noticed and improve my skills. I never knew what type of eye shape or skin type I would be dealing with and didn’t always get a chance to do a trial so experience played a huge role. Over time, both my product knowledge and skill level improved significantly which helped my work a whole lot. Because this is a customer service based job and you are always facing your client in person, any mess up would cause much anxiety in an already stress-filled environment. To this day, I always feel pressure doing a bride’s makeup because I have the power to ruin her big day.
Please tell us about Peace Love Sakina.
I’m a bridal makeup and hair artist. I specialize in the South Asian community.
I’m most proud that I’m able to build a special bond with every single client. I do everything in my power to make it a great experience for my clients regardless of anything beyond my control. Before I became a makeup artist, I was already a fine-art artist so I have always had a unique way of viewing faces. I have a better understanding of colors and undertones which is crucial in the South Asian Community because a lot of us struggle with hyper-pigmentation and we also tend to wear vibrant colors so it is important to have a better knowledge of colors so I can best enhance the bride’s features.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing, I truly believe that every experience I had, good or bad taught me something and helped me improve on my artistic and life skills.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacelovesakina/
Image Credit:
Lin and Jirsa, Samson Productions, Thanh The Lai
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