Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Aldridge .
Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My obsession for makeup started when I was a teenager. I used to sit in front of my Mom’s vanity mirror and practice for hours just trying to master the perfect winged liner to show off at school. Before I knew it, girls were constantly asking me to do their makeup for dance shows and choir competitions. My passion for makeup only grew as I got older, and I began to dabble in special makeup effects and face painting. Finally, my step-mother saw my passion and talent and recommended I attend makeup school and pursue a career in makeup artistry. From there, it just clicked. I finally found my calling, and my parents couldn’t have been more supportive. Soon after; I packed my bags and moved from Orange County to LA. From there, I was fortunate enough to network my way into some amazing opportunities, and continue to do bigger and better projects including a few TV shows and movies for the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Hulu. I’m still learning and growing as an artist, but I’ve already come so far; I can’t wait to see where my career takes me next.
Has it been a smooth road?
You know, while it hasn’t been easy, it’s been a fairly smooth road. It’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication on my end to balance having a full-time day job, and still find time to work as a freelance artist, but I make it work. I’ve been very fortunate to have some amazing makeup artist mentors in my life, particularly Scott Ramp and Michael Dinetz, who have helped guide and support me over the last few years. Without them, I don’t think I would have survived this long in the industry.
What were you like growing up?
As a kid, I was painfully shy and hardly spoke to anyone outside of my immediate family. I stayed that way until my freshman year of high school. There I met one of my now best friends Lauren, who was incredibly bubbly and outgoing. She taught me how to come out of my shell and make new friends, and I’ve been that way ever since. As far as interests go, I was the typical little girl. I played with Barbies, I liked to play dress up, let my sister do my hair/makeup. That kind of stuff. The only thing I ever really had an interest in was art. I was always drawing something, painting pictures with my brother, or making bracelets with my friends. I just remember I used to get in so much trouble at school because I would draw in the margins of every notebook I’ve ever owned, even in college.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory was with my grandmother. She noticed my little brother and I were both artistic in nature, and we both liked to draw and color pictures, (though my brother was much more talented than I). She used to challenge my brother and me to draw photos of different things every week. We’d work so hard on our pictures, and my grandma would frame them and hang them up in her house. She still has them hanging in her house to this day.
Contact Info:
- Website: Ashleyaldridge.com
- Phone: 714-277-8859
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Ashleyaldridge
- Facebook: Makeup by Ashley Aldridge
