Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriana Lafayette.
Adriana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. From a very young age, I knew I belonged in the beauty industry. Between the ages of 9-15, I was designing clothing from old worn out pieces, offering hairstyling services to friends at school and family and lastly following the inspiring career of Tyra Banks. At the age of 15, when I began to chase my dream as a model, New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina. My family and I were relocated to Dallas, Tx where I currently reside. I began high school and right after graduating, I was signed to a local agency as a fashion model. I absolutely loved it but soon realized it wouldn’t pay the bills alone so I enrolled in college for nursing. Long story short, I was unhappy and dropped out after my first year. I was lost at this point but landed a job at Sephora inside JCPenney in 2011 where I began most of my training in the makeup world. I fell in love with skincare and beauty so much I stayed with the company for seven years. In the spring of 2018, I enrolled in school to obtain my esthetics license and completed the program. While in school, I thought of myself as a businesswoman and Infinite Beauty by Alaina was created. I wanted to create a business where I can do what I love to do and have the freedom to make it my own.
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There is a lot that goes into starting a business and being an up and coming company, it’s been a bit of a struggle to obtain the number of clients I would like. Granted the company has only been running since November of last year. There are many steps to take like opening a bank account, writing a business plan getting the website design, etc. The ultimate struggle was working full time while going to school and on top of that trying to get my business together. I wanted to quit so many times and felt a lot of pressure but I just tried to stay positive and remember why I started and what my goal was in the first place.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am the owner of Infinite Beauty by Alaina. I offer multiple services like makeup, lash extensions, Microblading/Microshading and facials. My specialty is bridal makeup this is the bulk of my clientele which continues to grow. I am most proud of having the idea of this company and pulling through to make it happen. I know for me particularly this will motivate so many others to go after what they really want and that’s even more exciting for me. Two things set me apart from others #1 is I give clients the option of servicing them in the comfort of their own home or utilizing a suite. #2 Coming from a fashion model background and having been accepted and rejected due to the way I look, I can relate to a lot of women and I know how frustrating it can be to always feel a need to meet someone else’s requirements in order to be accepted. My company accepts all no matter shape, size , color or age. Everyone should feel beautiful and it should be your own definition of beauty.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was and still am very friendly and ambitious. I was raised by a single mom of two. She kept me very sheltered in order to protect me from all the dangers of the world especially living in New Orleans at the time. I loved to create things whether it was a new hairstyle, knitting or sketching I did just that. We didn’t have a lot of money but as a child, I was never quite aware of how bad things were until I got older. I was teased a lot for looking different dressing different and not being so “COOL” because I was kind of the mommy of my friends trying to keep everyone out of trouble though I did tend to dabble in a bit from time to time.
Pricing:
- Bridal Makeup $125
- Bridal Makeup Packages $ 175-$550
- Microblading + Touch up $350
- Classics lash extensions $85
Contact Info:
- Website: www.infinitebeautybyalaina.com
- Email: infinitebeautybyalaina@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/infinitebeautybyalaina
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/infinitebeautybyalaina
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/infinitebeautybyalaina
Image Credit:
Photography by Dale Fields, Photography by ivorywestphotography, Model: Rah Kalon
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
