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Meet Crystal Hamilton of Paw Palette & WakeUp-N-MakeUp

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Hamilton.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I think its always just been there, except this time I chose to take action. I am sure you’ve seen some contraptions on TV or in the store and thought to yourself, “I already thought of that years ago, why didn’t I do it?” That has happened to me several times throughout my life. This time was going to be different I said. That is when it all changed for me.

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Moved to Whittier, California in 2004. 2006 moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. 2009 moved back to Whittier, California, but we will get to that soon.

2008, I was attending esthetician training in Cincinnati, Ohio. I took the course in order to become certified to do makeup. Having previous makeup experience, I enrolled in a skin care program to get professional training. First thing and main thing addressed was sanitation. I had a bad habit of using the back of my hand while applying products to my client.

My instructor was furious when she saw me do this and immediately educated me on the safety hazards. Not only was it hazardous for my client’s health, but it was a disservice to my own safety. She instructed me to use nothing other than a mixing palette.

I immediately asked her if there was such a thing as a mixing palette with a hand strap, as to which she replied “I’m sure there is, you better get it and wear it IN MY CLASS! You can not use the back of your hand!” So, I started looking… In 2008, there wasn’t as much technology as there is today. There was internet, and there may have been Facebook, but I was just using MySpace at that time. I was able to search the internet.

However, I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I had found a brush roll arm belt thing, and that is the closest I came to finding anything online. Days go by, then weeks, and then our instructor mentioned a few trade shows coming to the neighboring states. No beauty trade shows came to Cincinnati.  So, I figured that I would go to these shows and find this wrist palette, it must be out there, and I just don’t know the name of it.

I went to shows from NYC to Chicago and still couldn’t find anything. Ok, on the back burner it goes… The year has ended, and I only have a couple of months, if that, left of school before I can take state board exams. My husband gets a call that his company is closing down their East coast office and we are going back to California, in just two weeks.

2009 we are back in California, and I finish my skin care training and take state board exams in California and passed. The training I had received wasn’t exactly where my passion was. I enrolled in a professional makeup school in Hollywood. I definitely didn’t feel the basic makeup training I had in Cincinnati was adequate, surely not for the makeup, I had intended to create.

I go thru the course and really not mentioning much about my idea, however still on the lookout for something like it. I am truly efficient and felt it a big waste of time to get into a position to place cosmetics on a person and then have to get out of the position and load my little brush with just the right amount of product only for it to run out two strokes later. I just needed a better way.

And in this school, just like my last, I was not allowed to use the back of my hand as a mixing palette. I couldn’t find it in any of the huge makeup stores IN HOLLYWOOD. If they were going to be anywhere, they surely would’ve been there. Really? No one has thought of this yet, I would say to myself..

Then I remember going to Home Depot determined to find what I needed and make it, but school was expensive, and most of my money went to gas, parking, and lunch. My new husband was supporting us both while I went to school, it was a tough time. I couldn’t justify spending $100 on the supplies, so it went on the back burner again.

Graduated from E.I.Professional Makeup School in Hollywood, Ca. and went to work, worked hard on every gig that came my way. In the beginning, it’s hard for a young makeup artist, you must pay your dues, means working for trade/free most of the time.

You gotta make connections and to make connections, they want to see what you can do, and you just gotta do… That didn’t work well for my situation at the time, so I went in search of a paying job, one I could at least be creative in. I was hired as an airbrush artist in a warehouse — Head of the Painting Department. And I remember my 1st day coming home from work and getting a call to do a Nike photo shoot that was PAID..

And I remember the feeling of having to turn it down because I had just started this job and couldn’t exactly take off the 2nd day of work. I was crushed, but I went to work in this warehouse of artists. Immediately, I began to explore the other departments of this incredible art warehouse. I quickly noticed the material we all work within the warehouse is mainly acrylic, which happens to be the same material I did not purchase months before from Home Depot and it was everywhere, in all sizes and all grades!

I was able to pick the minds of the engineers there and shortly thereafter, I made a few different prototypes. After perfecting my prototypes, obtaining legal advice and doing some paperwork, I was ready to present it to the public IMATS 2011. Paw Palette, a mixing palette with a strap attached, was introduced thru Cinema Secrets booth. I had passed extras out to some makeup artists I admired at the time, and word started to spread.

I only had a couple of dozen, and they sold out on day 1. I was elated! I knew I needed the product, but did not expect such a great response. I created it, and I am still in awe of how it has become what it is today. In the beginning, the guys in the warehouse would help me cut and route them, but I remember sanding, buffing, polishing and assembling each one by hand when I would get home. It wasn’t long before I began investing in machinery like that of the art warehouse.

I soon started to feel overworked and underappreciated. I usually feel overworked and I ok with putting my all into whatever I am doing, but when the appreciation wasn’t there anymore, I knew working this hard for someone else wasn’t going to be me. I needed to work this hard for me. Paw Palettes hadn’t become a financially rewarding thing just yet, but I knew my time at that job was coming to an end. The 1st year, I started with only white rectangle shapes.

The next year I brought out the Luv (heart) Paw Palette and then Smooches (lips). I had fun trying new shapes and new material. The creative process is definitely what drives me. I’m not much of a salesperson, but I would wear it out to the makeup stores and swatch on it. People would see me and come up to me and tell me how much they liked my bracelet thing. I took each opportunity to explain what it really was, huge conversation starter!

In 2016, my husband stopped working his job to help me do mine. Together we make a majority of our orders, but when we secure a huge account with high quantities, we hire locals to help. All of our material is obtained locally in southern California, except the glitter material is custom made for us on the East Coast. Even our comfy elastic straps are custom made in South Central Los Angels.

Since bringing the whole operation to my garage, I’ve had tons of fun with shapes, colors, experimenting and innovating it even further. We have magnetic and interchangeable versions for extra convenience and other markets. We have Baby Paw Palette’s (finger palettes) in an array of various shapes & colors. We even have the traditional hand-held artists palettes (Raw Palettes) in non-traditional shapes & colors. Being a professional makeup artist, all black is the uniform and where style can be shown, is thru the tools.

We have done custom orders for companies like Estee Lauder, Kat Von D, It Cosmetics, Aveda, Lancome, Guerlain, Limecrime, and counting. We love being apart of every last one and hope to create more. However, since they are hand made, they cost a bit more to make but also come with a lifetime manufacturer warranty. I stand behind my handmade items. As a consumer, I understand the need for an affordable product.

As a manufacturer, I must meet many requirements, requirements of the consumer, requirements of the retailer. As much as I would like to accept some amazing offers, some quantities are just not feasible making them by hand. 2019 will finally reveal the mass production project we have been working on for the last three years. We will be starting with one shape, two versions (regular stationary & magnetic/interchangeable) and one color.

We will basically starting the whole process over again with mass production. Obviously, we don’t have to make them by hand anymore, and my aching bones are already thanking me just thinking about it. Knowing that my time would be freed up quite a bit, I decided to take on another project to keep me busy and keep me fresh in the industry. 2018, I partnered up with a childhood friend and opened up a beauty boutique in Old Town Monrovia, California called WakeUp-N-MakeUp.

We offer an ample amount of professional makeup services from face painting to prom to bridal to special fx, spray tanning, tooth gems, and custom airbrush work (people or products). I specialize in the airbrush medium. We retail an array of brands, most you won’t find in many big box stores. Indie brands, professional brands, and even little cheapy brands, we all start somewhere right. But everything in the store I have tried and will give customers my honest opinion on.

Everything in the store is cruelty-free. We also have a huge selection of vegan and plant-based products including, but not limited to; Skin Care, Body Exfoliant, Cosmetics, Airbrush Makeup, Cosmetic Tools, Eyelashes, Henna, Candles, Earth Gemstones, Lorax Trees (hand made by an Artist in Venice), Jewelry, Paintings, and Illustrations.

Pretty much anything you could possibly want for your makeup or vanity space. During closed hours, we open the space to host photo shoots, workshops, one on one training, and private events. An event that we currently offer about every six weeks and becoming quite popular is SoundBaths. Beauty starts inside. The prettiest face usually has a smile on it.

My story is far from over. Many more adventures ahead. I am grateful for every opportunity Paw Palette has given me and will continue to create because of it.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Struggles are apart of everyday life. I have learned to expect struggles, and that helps me deal with them and keep my sanity, for the most part.

Struggles are the hurdles that make us stronger. As they come and go, I do my best to learn from them so that they may not arise again. I have three children, one from a previous relationship and 2 with my current husband.

My struggles include juggling motherhood, wifehood, daughterhood, and sanity-hood (I know its not a word) and Boss-hood (prob not a word either). I also struggle with asking for help, which makes it hard for me to stop working when my body needs it.

The biggest struggle is keeping food on the table, roof over our head AND continuing on with mass production. I am doing everything in my power to keep my products made here in the US, which has become a huge financial burden vs. having them made overseas.

I really was naive in the beginning of this process and just believed what companies told me they could do, not even questioning their integrity. Was met with utter disappointment after seeing the first run of mass-produced items.

As I voiced my discrepancies with the finished product, which was also detailed in our contract to avoid, they would try to sweet talk me some BS. Felt I was being taken advantage of. I got hip quick and took my business elsewhere.

Still dealing with them legally, but glad to not have them make my precious Paws. I now feel I have a great manufacturer, who’s also in Southern California, which makes me extra happy!

Please tell us about Paw Palette & WakeUp-N-MakeUp.
C. Powder & Co. is my company, and we make Paw Palettes. The original mixing palette with a strap attached. Known for our aesthetically pleasing mixing palettes. The cutest mixing palettes ever. Hand made with love. More brands to be added as life unfolds.

My new project is brick-n-mortar, WakeUp-N-MakeUp, where I am able to offer all aspects of my artistry as a service. I specialize in airbrush work. I started airbrushing while in Cincinnati.

I secured a job at the local waterpark and learned airbrushing on T-shirts, hats, & sweaters. Once the season was over, we airbrushed in the mall doing much of the same items plus helmets, stuffed animals, baseball bats, anything a customer would bring in really.

Later after mastering those techniques, I still wanted to learn about airbrush makeup medium, but first found myself an apprenticeship in an auto body shop. I wasn’t there long before I would be headed back to California to truly master the medium of airbrush makeup.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
So many lessons I have learned and am sure to learn more. Each lesson has prepared me for the next. I evolve with each lesson learned. Self-care and self-love go a long way and definitely a huge lesson I had to learn fast.

I was just going, going, going, and not taking time to truly rest my bones, or massage the kinks & knots out, just really take care of myself. I always felt guilty going for a massage, but you really have to take care of yourself physically as well as mentally.

Keeping an open mind and looking at all perspectives is key. I love the person I am today and can’t wait to see how she grows.

Pricing:

  • Baby Paw Palettes range from $12-$14+ depending on material and size.
  • Regular Paw Palettes range from $18-$28+ depending on material and size.
  • Magnetic Paw Palettes range from $26-$32+ depending on material and size.
  • Raw Palettes (hand-held) range from $12-$26+ depending on material and size.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Nick Kantjas, Roberto Morales, Lilit Caradanian

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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