Today we’d like to introduce you to Nataliya Stefani.
Hi Nataliya, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Sydney, Australia and raised on the Gold Coast.
I’m a self taught makeup artist. What started out as a passion for makeup and creativity, quickly became my full time job. I worked in the finance and insurance industry in a Senior Marketing Manager role, after graduating university with bachelor degrees in both Law and Business.
I was convinced by a friend to take my passion online and start an Instagram page dedicated to my creativity. Not thinking much of it, I did. Shortly after, I had a few makeup brands contact me about creating makeup content for them. A few turned into many, and soon after I quit my corportate job and focused on makeup.
Six years later, this passion brought me Los Angeles on an O1-B Visa – which felt and still feels like a dream! Now I create content for many top makeup brands, photoshoots, TV and freelance.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Working for yourself definitely has challenges. I’m consistently learning new things, whether it’s about the industry, techniques, editing, photography or negotiating. There are many moving parts! On top of that, moving to a new country presents its own challenges.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work can be described as very creative. I started out with absolutely loving makeup in general, to learning how to draw detailed images with makeup, or challenging a product’s limitations or uses. It’s about pushing boundaries and exploring creativity, but not necessarily falling victim to trends. I think of makeup a lot like fashion – not every trend is going to suit everybody, or every face rather. It’s great to stay on top of what’s new and trending, but also knowing what works for you might not work on someone else.
I’m most proud of getting to where I am now – living in LA and believing that I could do it. Changing careers completely and letting my passion dictate my course is a daunting thought for most, so I am proud that I believed in myself enough to follow through.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
For collaborations, I can be contacted via email [email protected]. I always appreciate support of my work by engaging with me on Instagram whether it’s through likes or shares, and I try to reply to all DM’s.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nataliyastefani.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliya_makeup
