Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawlat Elamin.
Dawlat, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story isn’t a conventional one, I wish I could say my dream has always been to become a MUA. As a child, my favorite hobby was drawing and painting. Sometimes, I would even apply makeup on my siblings for fun. I’ve always wanted to become an artist and own a gallery where I can showcase my paintings.
Growing up in an Arabian home, it was expected of me to join the medical field as it was believed to be the only successful career. At that time, I believed that misconception as well, so I chose to become a dentist. It was a long and difficult journey, but I ultimately received my degree in Dental Medicine and Surgery from Cairo, Egypt.
During that time, I was still practicing my hobby as I did when I was a child. I started applying makeup on my friends and I found that it was a huge stress reliever for me while I was in school.
Once I moved to the US, I realized that becoming a dentist would not be as easy as I thought it would be. I faced a lot of obstacles that prevented me from practicing dentistry. However, the thought of fulfilling my dream of becoming an artist was always in the back of my mind.
At some point, I took it upon myself to turn that hobby into a career now that dentistry was out of the question. Last summer, I finally completely detached myself from any hope of practicing dentistry and enrolled at Tint School of Makeup and Cosmetology.
At Tint, I learned how to turn my passion for painting into educated brush strokes of makeup application. I was given the opportunity to work with beautiful clients of various ethnic backgrounds and so I was able to experiment with different skin tones and textures. I also had the pleasure of being taught by amazing instructors who truly cared about me and my success in the cosmetic world. While attending school, I was also doing freelance work on several clients outside the models the school provided us with.
Now, that I’m a certified MUA, my freelance business grew a lot more and instead of being booked out a few weeks in advance, I’m now fortunate enough to have brides book me a year in advance for their special day. I’m extremely proud to call this world of color and fun my career. This journey made me realize that success isn’t earned by the highest educational degrees as I was made to believe back at home. Success is earned by following your true passion, whatever it may be.
Great, 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?
As a wife and a mother of two, it was very challenging to leave my kids at home while I go to work. I found it extremely difficult to be away from my little kids and always had this feeling of guilt every time I left. Luckily, my husband has always been very understanding and encouraging. He took care of the kids while I chased my dream. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to be where I’m at today.
My advice for anyone starting their journey would be to enjoy every step of the way and to take it all in with an open heart. There will be wonderful days but also bad ones along the way and the key is to learn from it all and to never let the bad days distract you from achieving your goals.
What should we know about La’ Makiaj Artistry? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Before I started at Tint, I specialized in brides and bridal parties. However, upon enrolling at the school, I was introduced to the world of editorial makeup and absolutely fell in love. I find that through editorial makeup, I’m able to allow my creative juices to flow more as well as unfold my artistic vision.
Now, that Dallas is expanding in the fashion industry and is becoming one of the 20 best fashion capitals in the world, I believe that we will begin to see more editorial looks and makeup artists will have more opportunities to experiment with this innovational genre of makeup.
I believe what sets La’Makiaj apart from other makeup businesses is that it’s a one-stop shop for all your beauty needs. After graduation, I was lucky enough to collaborate with many gifted artists including a hairstylist, a photographer, and an aesthetician. That being said, La’Makiaj will provide you with a complete package of services without the hassle of having to look for them individually.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
I believe that the self-discipline I gained through attending dental school played a huge role in my journey of becoming a makeup artist. While doing dental work on patients, I learned to be very detailed and precise and I find that this skill incredibly helped me as a cosmetic artist since interestingly enough, the guidelines of precision required for makeup application align very closely with those of dental procedures.
Contact Info:
- Email: lamakiaj@hotmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamakiaj/
Image Credit:
Carly Otto, Jourdain Quijas, Samia Rahman
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