Rising Stars: Meet Eilani Flores of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eilani Flores

Hi Eilani, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up I was always into the arts. Taking pictures, drawing, painting, anything art related I wanted to be doing. I always said I wanted to be either an art teacher or an architect. In fact, it wasn’t until the 8th grade that I discovered my passion for makeup. I was a competitive cheerleader and usually you need a full face of makeup on stage, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I looked like a clown the first time I took the stage! After that moment I made it a mission to learn how to do my own makeup and during that process is where I truly fell in love with the art of makeup. Throughout my years of cheer, my team mates and coaches would always ask me to help them or do their makeup and I always loved it because I got to combine the two things I was most passionate about and my love only grew stronger. My senior year of high school is when I realized that I could turn this into a career. After graduating I went to school for makeup and special fx and had teachers that were current industry professionals so I was really getting to know all the ins and outs of the industry. That was until the pandemic hit 6 months later which halted the path I was on. In 2021 is when I booked my first short film “Gods Land” and that film will always hold a special place in my heart because that film solidified that this is really what I wanted to do. I kept working hard towards this dream, and now here we are all these years later and I’ve gotten to work on so many amazing projects and have met the most incredible people.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No it has not been the smoothest road in the slightest. I come from a family of teachers so being one of the first to kind of stray away from that definitely came with its challenges because I had no one to guide me. Yes, I had family and friends that were super supportive but I also had people that told me I needed to go to school and get a degree, and that really motivated me to work even harder to show everyone that I can do this and that I can be successful. The pandemic was also a difficult time for me because I couldn’t go to school, I couldn’t practice on models, I couldn’t be on set or getting that hands on training. I had to just wait it out along with the rest of the world. Even now it can be a struggle finding gigs, but through the network and team I’m starting to build things just seem to fall into place whether we’re creating something of our own or hopping on a friends project.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an artist, but more specifically a makeup artist. I have worked on so many incredible projects like short films, feature films, music videos, documentaries, commercials, LA fashion week, plays, and the list goes on. And I’ve gotten to work with some incredible people like Noel G. from Fast and the Furious, pro skateboarder and actor Fabian Alomar, Danny De La Paz who is in Boulevard Nights, rapper Lil Rob who’s known for his hit song Summer Nights, just to name a few. One of the coolest experiences I’ve had was when I assisted makeup artist Ken Diaz on a play, and while working on that play I got to apply beards and mustaches that were used in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies. I’ve gotten to shoot in some pretty unique places as well, the most unique being the diner that ‘A Cinderella Story’ with Hillary Duff was shot in. I am most proud of the fact that people want to keep working with me, it truly is an amazing feeling when people ask to have you back on upcoming projects. I think what sets me apart is the facts that I want to keep learning and am willing to do whatever it takes, even if I’ve never tried something before.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being able to wake up every day and do what I love and have worked hard for is honestly what makes me happy. I have such a big support system that it makes doing what I love easier. My family and friends really show up for me when it matters the most, whether that be giving me rides, showing up to film premiers, allowing me the time off from work to be able to be on sets, really it’s the little things. I was blessed from the beginning to have people that truly want to see me thrive and I think if it weren’t for them pushing me to not get comfortable, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eilaniflores3.wixsite.com/makeupbyeilani
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeupbyeilani/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15561243/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk