Today we’d like to introduce you to Azzy Markarian.
Hi Azzy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m Armenian, and being from an Armenian home we are known to have strict parents. My dad would take me to school in the mornings and if he saw a little bit of eyeliner on me, he would make me go back into the house and wash it off. So what I would do is, pack my eyeliner and mascara in my backpack and do it in the school bathroom.
My friends would have me put eyeliner on them, and everyone loved it. In 11th grade, I was 15 years old and that’s when I really started to experiment with makeup. My high school had a fashion show and I volunteered to do the makeup. They handed me a ziplock bag full of makeup, Q-tips, and sponges. I made it happen and after that fashion show, I knew I wanted to become a makeup artist. My senior year I decided to home-school, I would stay up late after I finished my homework and watch youtube videos of makeup tutorials. I would mirror what the “gurus” now called “influencers” would do. I would walk up to my mom at 1 am with a crazy blue smokey eye or a skull face and show her how proud I was of myself. I started slowly building a little makeup kit and my mom’s friends were my first clients. My friends would also have me do their makeup for their birthdays and school parties. I would collaborate with anyone that had a camera, go to a park or even have a photo shoot in my backyard.
From 16-18 years old I was juggling two jobs and doing makeup as my side hustle. At 18 years old I decided to enroll in Makeup Designory (MUD) in Burbank, CA. After I finished school, I worked at Nordstrom hoping to work for MAC but I was working in the Accessories Department. I would always venture into the makeup department and sell makeup because that’s where my heart was. After Nordstrom, I worked at a Pro Makeup store called Nigel Beauty in North Hollywood. I would be so inspired by all the celebrity makeup artists that would come in, and I knew that retail just wasn’t for me. I left that job and decided to freelance as my main job and see where it took me. I’m 29 years old now, working my dream job. Being a freelance artist is the most rewarding thing. I’ve built a loyal clientele, I work when I want, the money is good, I love what I do, and most importantly I get to make people feel and look beautiful for a living.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not. It’s a journey. When you’re a freelance artist, if you don’t work, you don’t get paid. I’ve had months where work would be so slow that I didn’t know if I was going to make it. If a job was offered, I would take it. I would work on holidays, I’ve missed family events, birthdays, etc. I knew if I wanted to make this happen, sacrifices needed to be made.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a freelance Makeup Artist. I specialize in Beauty Makeup. I’ve also added hair styling into my craft over the years. I used to hate doing hair but I learned clients love a one stop shop. I learned to love it and now I’m good at doing hair and I can style and complete a whole look. I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built with my clients. As makeup artists and hair stylists, we are therapists, we hear our client’s personal stories and share our life experiences to each other. We build a bond together. It’s a beautiful thing to gain trust from someone. I’m also proud of how far I’ve come in life, all on my own and with the incredible support from my family. I’m not done yet, there’s so much more to learn and I can’t wait to keep going.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I would say definitely being open-minded, postive, professional, and punctual. No one wants to hire an artist that shows up late or has a bad attitude. Yes, we all have bad days, but I’ve learned we can’t bring our problems to work. We feed off each other’s energy, and it is my job to make sure my client leaves my chair feeling their absolute best.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Makeup Of Az
