June 28, 2016

Meet Brentwood Makeup & Hairstylist: Samantha Reese

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Reese.

Samantha was deeply interested in makeup art for as long as she can remember. She is an actor-turned-makeup artist and that experience has added value to her makeup and hairstyling business. After having worked for large magazines and events, she is looking to up the ante by joining a coveted agency. We’re excited to share Samantha’s story with you; below you’ll find edited excerpts of our interview with her.

Samantha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

Makeup has always been a big part of my life. From the time I was about 2 years old, makeup has always fascinated me. Back in the 80’s, my mom, who was a local news anchor in Pensacola, FL, worked evenings at Parisian as a counter makeup artist for Fashion Fair cosmetics. One of the perks was, of course, all the awesome gratis (free makeup) she’d get.

Anytime I was able to sneak away unnoticed, which was a task, because I didn’t have any siblings to provide a distraction, I would play dress up, which consisted of putting on my mom’s wedding dress, and surrounding myself with all of the light pink compacts, doing my best to put together my “look” that day. From that time, makeup was always a constant.

Even after we moved to Michigan, and my grandmother passed away, it was one of the few things that made me happy during that time of humongous adjustment. When I was 11, I turned half of our basement into a “full service salon” where I taught myself to do basic hairstyling, acrylic nails, and practiced makeup on all of my friends. When I was 12, I worked as a front desk receptionist in a REAL salon. In high school, I would do my teammates’ hair and makeup on the bus ride to all of our Cheerleading competitions, and when I moved to LA in 2004, and started pursuing acting, I still did makeup on the side for friends who needed head shots, and when I put my first professional kit together in 2008, I started doing makeup for independent music videos, short films, weddings, etc. When I decided to go all-in with it in 2012, once I moved to Atlanta, I started with working at MAC.

Now, anyone who has worked in retail can definitely relate to how strong my love/hate relationship with it is, I can’t deny that working there for the 3 years that I did really helped shape my artistry, and the TYPE of artist that I am becoming. Getting the opportunity to work on clients that run the gamut of ethnicities, skin concerns, facial feature shapes and sizes, really educated me for what I should be prepared for as a freelance artist, which is EVERYTHING! I’m proud to say that when I show up to set, I am prepared for anyone who sits in my chair. I’m now doing mostly fashion, editorial, commercial makeup and hair, with red carpet, special occasion and bridal sprinkled in here and there. I’d love to do more red carpets! It’s some of my FAVORITE makeup to do. I’ve since walked away from acting, but makeup is definitely still there, and still my obsession after all these years. I feel like makeup is in my DNA. It is truly my passion, and one thing that can snap me out of whatever emotional funk I might be in, without fail. I’m super excited to be back working in LA, which really feels like home.

Has it been a smooth road?

No, it has NOT been a smooth road! The hardest part, by far, was stepping out on faith when I left the security blanket of working at MAC, to go 100% freelance. That was insanely scary. The freelance life is not for the faint of heart, trust me! Going from a weekly paycheck, where you can figure out what you’re going to get paid, even down to the penny sometimes, to not knowing IF you’re going to make anything AT ALL that week, is stressful, to say the least. But, it has all been worth it. One of my biggest milestones was doing male grooming for Shawn Bullard last year for the spring cover feature of Kontrol Magazine. Having my work published in a magazine that can be picked up in any drugstore, bookstore, gas station, was huge for me. It confirmed that I was moving in the right direction.

What are your plans for the future?
My biggest current goals are joining the Local 706, and joining an agency. Ultimately, agencies such as The Wall Group, Cloutier Remix, The Rex Agency, and Tracey Mattingly are some of my goal agencies. I’m not sure of what big changes lie ahead, but I’m extremely excited about my future as a makeup artist. Opportunities tend to lie in nearly every crevice of LA!

Pricing:

My rates start at $175 for non-bridal special occasion makeup services, and go up from there, depending on if I need to stay for touchups, etc. I have separate sets of rates for commercial print and motion ads, fashion and editorial photo shoots, Red Carpet and Bridal services.

Contact Info: