Today we’d like to introduce you to Noemy Alonzo.
Hi Noemy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a Licensed Cosmetologist and Makeup Artist/ Beauty Content Creator. I’m 27 years old born and raised in Los Angeles in Koreatown. I hear stories from a lot of MUAs when they were young how they would get into their mother’s makeup bag and apply the makeup. In my story, my mother never wore makeup so I never had the idea to become a Makeup Artist.
My story takes out when I was in High-school which was 13 years ago. It started with YouTube and that’s when I first discovered makeup tutorials. It started out as an experiment after watching so many I would ask my mom to take me to Target and I would go to the Elf Cosmetics section which back then was way more affordable. I would come back home and get excited about trying to replicate a look from a makeup tutorial video. Fast forward to senior year before graduating I had no idea what I wanted as a career because I never saw makeup as a career, it was just a hobby for me. I then decided to just apply to Los Angeles Community College and take general classes along with some photography classes. I can’t remember when I decided to choose photography as a career but I did it either way.
After that semester had gone by I didn’t feel confident enough about my photographs because I felt that everyone else in my class was better. I gave up and decided to pursue a career to work with animals. It didn’t last long either because I’m not a math genius, chemistry classes were required so I dropped that class. After that, I asked myself what now? Time was flying by and I knew that I had to make up my mind. My mother then struck me with the idea of enrolling for a cosmetology program. The reason behind that was because she would watch me play with makeup do videos and do the craziest things with my hair all those years. It never struck me to go to beauty school. So after being at LACC, I found Los Angeles Trade Tech College. I heard this school had the best cosmetology program and so I enrolled. I started my first semester in 2017. I was excited and nervous at the same time. My parents always supported me in whatever I chose and they asked me if this was something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life and of course I said yes. There was no turning back it was either now or never. So my journey begins, I’d always had a passion for makeup and that was something I wanted to do. I was open to the idea of learning everything else such as hair, facials, waxing, and nails. It’s true what they say, “Hard work pays off”.
Moving forward to 2019, I took general classes so I could not only get my certificate but also obtain my AA Degree in Cosmetology. I graduated that same year and I was feeling so happy and excited. I have to say without my parents and their support I wouldn’t have done it. After graduating a month later, I prepared myself to get my license. Even after studying every day for the test, I was nervous. I remember being so nervous that the night before the big day I developed a muscle spasm that the next morning instead of being at the exam I was in the ER. Luckily, I called to reschedule and I was able to take my practical and written test. Long story short I ended up passing my test and that same day which was July 15, 2019. I was finally able to look for a job and put my license to use. My first job was in West Hollywood in a Makeup Salon called Blushington. I worked with some great MUAs and had the chance to have celebrities and influencers in my chair. I can say that this job opened so many doors for me to even participate on Enews for Pampering Women who survived Breast Cancer. I was working for seven months till the Pandemic happened and I was laid off for a while and was jobless for a year. I have to say during that year of being jobless gave me an opportunity to become inspired and be creative and create makeup looks that were out of my comfort zone.
At first, I wanted to make videos for my YouTube channel but at that time I was just doing them on my Snapchat and Instagram. After a year, I began job hunting because at that point I was desperate on having some sort of income even though I still live with my parents. Luckily I found a place in Santa Monica. I’m currently a Brow Waxing Expert at Benefit Cosmetics. I started working on April of 2021. I never thought brows were going to be something I really enjoy doing. I love watching the transformation on brows and making clients smile. If I could tell my younger self that this was all going to be worth the sweat and tears, I’d probably wouldn’t have believed it. Up to this day I try to keep up with creating beauty content. It’s a challenge to try and be consistent on social media. Someday I want to become a Beauty Influencer and show people my talent and creativity and be able to work with makeup brands. I know I’ll get there someday.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As there’s a famous saying, “Life’s a rollercoaster”. It sure was for me and a lot of those challenges were while I was in beauty school. There were a lot of things that were happening in my personal life. Yet I’m not one to talk about my personal life so everything that was happening outside of school affected me and I pretended to be ok and just focus. Sometimes focusing was the hardest part of the day. There were days where I just couldn’t concentrate during my classes. I’m an overthinker so imagine that. Asides from personal problems, I lacked confidence when it came to performing a hairstyle or a haircut. I never knew there was such thing as constructive criticism. I always thought I just wasn’t good enough in what I was doing. But I really am glad I never let the constructive criticism from my professors let me down and give up. I think it molded me and taught me that it’s ok to be taught and get another perspective.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Mainly I work as a Brow Waxing Expert at Benefit Cosmetics. I was never into waxing while I was in cosmetology school but when I started this job, I was trained in the Benefit Way of waxing. I used to do side hustle way before I had worked at Blushington. I really did enjoy doing friends. Hair and makeup for weddings or graduation/ prom. I really hope one day to reach a big audience on social media and be a well know beauty influencer. As of now because I work full time it’s tough working on my beauty content around it. I know I’ll get there someday. I’m mainly active on TikTok and a lot of friends know me as a Makeup Artist. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished along the way. What sets me apart from other artists or as a person is my personality and uniqueness. I feel that my energy is what attracts people to get a liking of me.
What matters most to you?
What matters to me is my family. As I mentioned previously, without my mom or dad I wouldn’t of made it to where I am now. They deserve all the awards I got because both of them encouraged me to finish school so I could get a job. I’m very grateful for everything. I always think when I become a famous beauty influencer, I will buy my dad a new car and possibly get them out of our small apartment, as long as a market, public laundry and transportation are near for my mother.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ojitoslindosmimi/
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/user/noemyalonzo18
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR8SP468/
Image Credits
All images taken by Noemy Alonzo
