April 3, 2017

Meet Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez of Makeup by Fatima in East Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Fatima. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I spent most of her childhood playing at my grandmother’s beauty salon, Becky’s Beauty Supply, in Montebello, CA. It was at that young age that I became fascinated with hair and makeup. I started applying makeup on my friends and doing their hair in high school for proms, or just for fun.

My love of beauty enhancement continued while I attended both USC as an undergrad and UT Austin as a graduate student. I quickly became the “go to” person her friends and family would call when they wanted to look extra fabulous for a special occasion.

I have a deep commitment to community empowerment work. Before focusing on beauty enhancement, I developed a successful career as a fundraiser for nonprofit organizations. In the back of my mind, my second love – makeup and all things glam – lingered. After having my first daughter, Alejandra, I took action to develop a makeup and hair venture. I wanted to be an example to my girls that you can pursue all of your passions.

I have professionally worked as a makeup artist, hairstylist, and lash extension artist for over five years. I love working with my clients and believe that true beauty shines from the inside out. I enjoy enhancing my clients’ natural beauty, all while creating a peaceful environment as my clients prepare for their special event. I reside in East Los Angeles, am married, have two little girls (Alejandra age 5 and Emma age 2) and continue to work in the nonprofit sector as a fundraiser in addition to my makeup/hair business venture.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest struggle is balancing various priorities in my life. I work full time, I’m a mom that values quality time with my family, and I have this makeup/hair business that feeds my passion for beauty enhancement and being creative. Luckily I have an amazing husband and family that help me balance it all. It’s not always easy, but it’s worked out overall thank goodness.

Please tell us about Makeup by Fatima.
I am a professionally trained hair and makeup artists. I work one on one with my team to ensure that we provide a cohesive, high quality service for all of my clients. My goal is to bring out the best in my clients and help them feel good on their special day! My team and I collective have twenty years’ worth of experience doing bridal makeup, editorial makeup, prom makeup, family event/photo shoot makeup, special occasions, and costume, one on one or group tutorials and more. My services include makeup application, wedding makeup, temporary “party lashes,” lash extensions, hair styling, makeup tutorials for the DIY bride or just for those looking to learn, Halloween makeup, Dia de los Muertos makeup, and more.

I am most proud of the approach my team and I take. We highly value customer service and ensuring our clients not only walk away feeling beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. One of the unique services we offer is a centering meditation which is especially helpful for brides the day of their wedding. We help calm clients’ nerves the day of a special occasion both by centering meditation and just by our calm and positive energy.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have probably started my business sooner. The only thing that was holding me back before having my girls was the perception that I couldn’t be both a fundraising professional and makeup/hair artist. Once I had my first daughter, I felt empowered to let go of that limiting belief.

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