Meet Yukina Mitsuhashi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yukina Mitsuhashi.

Yukina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Chiba, Japan. As a child, I always played with my mother and sister’s makeup. However, it wasn’t really until around the age of 12 that I became fascinated with makeup after attending a high fashion runway show with my mother. We had talked about how make-up not only makes people beautiful on the outside but also has the potential to make people feel confident and powerful on the inside as well. From that day on, I was determined to become an international makeup artist and decided that learning English was a critical step towards achieving my dream. Eventually, after graduating college at Temple University in Tokyo, I decided to study hair & makeup at “Make-up Designory” in LA.

​My experience ranges from working in a hair extension salon in Tokyo to working with models, actors/actresses, brides, and various other projects both in Japan and in America. I also went to a nail school in Tokyo to get the skills required for my nail technician license. After obtaining an extensive and well-rounded knowledge of beauty, I worked at TV Asahi in Japan as a make-up artist for one year. I then came back to Los Angeles in order to make my dream come true and have been working in LA for the last eight years. Most recently, I have been working on various commercials, photoshoots, red carpet glam, and music video shoots in LA.

My dream now is to continue to grow as a makeup artist and continue to expand my international makeup experience.

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?
Working in America wasn’t always easy to be honest. My language barrier was the hardest thing for me to overcome. I’ve made so many mistakes on set. But through these mistakes, I’ve learned so much and it has made me stronger and a better person. Another challenge was my visa. I came to LA 9 years ago for makeup school, but after I graduated I couldn’t stay because of visa issues. This unfortunately caused me to move back to Japan for a while, but because I wanted to come back to LA so badly, I worked at three different restaurants and a tv station for over a year to save up enough money to come back. Now I am here working with amazing people as a makeup artist. Being able to pursue a career in LA through my biggest passion is really a dream come true!

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 hair and make-up artist that specializes in commercials, photoshoots, red carpet glam, and music videos. I am most proud of the relationships that I have built with my clients through my work and the mutual respect for each other’s craft. Although I have a lot of experience in both beauty and FX make-up, I believe what sets me apart is my expertise in natural beauty make-up.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My ultimate goal is to continue to build a brand for myself that is widely recognized and renowned across the industry. I want to continue to develop strong relationships with my clients and allow my skillset and work to speak for itself. Eventually, I would like to create a beauty brand of my own that is uniquely matched to my talents and style, as well as create beauty education and training for aspiring make-up artists around the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.yukinamua.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @makeupbyyukina

Image Credit:
Photographers: Stefanie Michova, Roguefoto, Zach Sutton, Sharon Kim, Daren Cornell

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