Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa (ScorpioMUA) Silva.
Vanessa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well to start off, I live and breathe makeup. When I wake up in the morning I think about what kind of look am I going to do or what kind of colors scheme am I going to incorporate in my look? It’s actually kind of cute how I started liking makeup. I sort of started when I was five years old. I used to always go with my mom to the MAC Cosmetics counter in Macy’s and she would always get help from the workers that had amazing makeup on. I thought to myself “wow!”
Their make-up looks so cool and it looks like so much fun!!!” I didn’t actually start wearing a lot of makeup until I was at the age of 12, in middle school and all I wore was lipgloss and mascara. It wasn’t until later during my eighth-grade year, when I started wearing foundation, blush, some lipstick and maybe just a little bit of eyeshadow. During middle school, I was always looking up Youtube videos whether it was in beauty or special effects. I just fell in love with the art of makeup. The thing is that I’m a visual learner. If I see something on a picture, I can imitate the look.
It was at the beginning of high school when my love and interest for the art grew immensely. I started wearing really fun colors of eyeshadow. I was in the show choir program in John Burroughs high school, I always liked doing my make up for when we had performances or competitions, especially doing other girls makeup. That’s when I realized I wanted to pursue makeup artistry as a career. When prom season came along, I really wanted to advance my make-up skills a little bit more, so I decided to go to the MAC Cosmetics counter in Macy’s to see if I can get a lesson on perfecting a brown smoky eye look that I want to achieve for prom. When I got there I met this gorgeous woman by the name of Carlisha, and let me tell you her make-up was amazing!!! She taught me how to do the eyeshadow that I wanted to perfect and showed me amazing skills and techniques on how to perfect a nice blended eyeshadow look. The words she told me that I will never forget”do not be scared of the brush, you have control over it”. After she taught me how to perfect my make-up skills, that’s when I started to notice that it would be so much fun to work here and to be able to help people. To make them feel beautiful and show the creativity and artistry side of my makeup skills! After graduating high school I really wanted to attend a makeup school and get certified. I talked to my mom about it and she totally agreed with me going to make up school in pursuing my dreams, but with only one condition that I would go to college and get a degree.
I agreed with what she said so I decided to go to a community college and major in art and from there possibly get transferred to a CAL State. During the time I was going to college I got to attend a fabulous makeup school that my mom looked up which was Ruby Makeup Academy. I learned so much going to this particular makeup academy, even though I was self-taught I felt that going to make up school would definitely help me grow and also prepare me how to connect with the right people and get clientele. Also getting into the business in becoming a freelance makeup artist. The makeup academy definitely helps me gain more experience and I learn things that I never knew about the makeup world. All thanks to a fabulous and very talented makeup instructor by the name of LipstickNick!
Who come to find out is actually Jeffrey Starr’s makeup artist. After graduating from the make-up academy, I finally decided to apply to a cosmetic store called ULTA Beauty. I found out I received the job and I was very excited to start working there. After 2 to 3 years of working there, I find out from one of my managers that we were going to have a Mac boutique put into our store. That’s when I realize it was my time to apply as a MAC Makeup Artist. There were times where I really wanted to apply for MAC Cosmetics. Although, I felt like I was holding myself back because I didn’t think I was good enough and because I thought that most the people working there seem really intimidating.
One day I went to talk to my mom about the position for working at the Mac boutique at Ulta and my mom told me “why don’t you just apply! It doesn’t hurt to do that“. I thought about it for a while and then I thought about Carlisha, who helped me with my artistry skills and how I would love to work for a company that puts makeup on people and believes that makeup is all about all ages, all races, all sexes, so I applied.
A couple of days pass by and I find out that I had an interview and I was really excited about it. Especially because this is something that I’ve always wanted to do but never had the courage to do it. Three days after I get a phone call saying that I got the job and that’s when I burst into tears of joy and was so grateful to be part of a great company. Now currently working for this particular company I feel that my artistry skills have skyrocketed to the next level. I know I have definitely improved tremendously over the years.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I would say it has been both smooth and rough only because of the fact that I never really had a hard life growing up, to be honest. With the exception of my biological father not being in the picture, I considered my stepfather more like my father figure than anyone.
Also being a full-time college student currently is a bit difficult especially when you’re working a lot of hours in the week and doing freelance as well. Trying to balance work and school is a bit stressful and overwhelming, but I try to get through it as much as possible. I never let anything get the best of me and I never give up .Especially with the love and support that I have from family and friends.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with MAC Cosmetics MUA/freelance MUA – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others?
What I am most proud of is the fact that I am able to make a difference in someone’s mood and life by making them feel beautiful, connecting with them, and making them feel confident. I think what sets me apart from others is the fact that I like to teach people the basics of makeup because not only do I just apply to make up on people for certain occasions, but I also am able to give lessons on how to apply on makeup.
My biggest goal as far as a makeup artist is to have people understand that you can be your own makeup artist. You don’t need to put 5 to 6 different colors of eyeshadow on your eye with 12 different makeup brushes. People sometimes can get overwhelmed when they see Makeup Gurus or Beauty Influencers on YouTube and they try to follow the exact steps that they’re doing to be able to achieve a certain makeup look.
I always tell people when it comes to make up, especially when it is eye make-up you only need to primary colors of light and the dark. Also, you don’t need 5 to 10 different brushes for eyeshadow, generally you would need to have a flat brush to pack any pigment or glitter on the lid and a fluffy brush to blend out the shadow making it soft and flawless. I always like to reach out to people who have a 9-to-5 job who never really have the time to perfect and easy on the go makeup look. Usually, when I’m with a guest and they are telling me that they go to work and they don’t have time to do a really nice makeup look for themselves I show them how to do it and they’re amazed on how fast and easy it is. It makes me feel proud that I get to do something for someone and see their reaction to it and have many of them come back to me for other makeup related things. It makes me feel good to see that and it and it also makes me feel honored that I can make a difference.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future is basically just to put all my work out there for people to see what I can do and possibly grow to become a senior artist. Also showing people my creativity and passion that I have for make-up artistry. I am definitely looking forward to having more clientele and being able to build my own brand and possibly work for movie industries. Even though I will face some challenges, it is a risk I am willing to take and this is something that I’ve dedicated my life to.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: MizzV._thescorpiomua
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