Today we’d like to introduce you to Alondra Flores.
Alondra, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
If you were to tell me what I’m doing for a career now, back when I was thirteen-I would’ve never believed it. I didn’t understand why women enjoyed lining their eyes with eyeliner. That was crazy to me! However, I loved art! Art was my favorite class, and it wasn’t until I was fifteen I connected the two. Makeup IS a form of art. On my fifteenth birthday, my older sister applied my makeup, it was strange at first. However, I grew to really love it! When I graduated high school I was REALLY into makeup, and even worked my first wedding with my friend. What an honor for someone to think I was THAT great enough to have me do their makeup for the BIGGEST day of their life! Wow.
I started freelancing when I could and was fortunate to have a local MUA teach me her ways. The first wedding I helped her with was at the Omni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. For me, that was wild that I could potentially do that for a living. After she stepped away from makeup, I started working at a retail store sometimes taking makeup jobs here and there. I daydreamed about being a full-time artist, but I wasn’t sure how to make that dream into reality. I firmly believe God places people into your life for a reason. While working at my retail job I despised, we hired on the sweetest woman not knowing she’d help me get to where I am today. She told me she worked for one of the best bridal hair and makeup teams in Fort Worth. I never knew that was a thing, how clever to have a one-stop beauty service team! Eventually, she convinced me I HAD to pursue this dream and helped me land an interview with them. I was able to leave my retail job and I have been working with Pretty On Premises ever since.
In 2017, I took a leap of faith and took my first Microblading course and added brows to my services. It was a challenge but it turns out, I really love brows as much as makeup. You can find me at The Browtini Bar for microblading!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has never been a smooth road, and I don’t think anything worth pursuing is. When I was freelancing out of high school, I didn’t have a full kit and couldn’t offer a foundation. I knew I needed to build a portfolio so what better way to do that than offering $25 makeup? Unfortunately, I realized I was underselling myself and that barely paid for my gas. I did get good portfolio pictures though, but it definitely came at a cost. I knew I needed to save up for a REAL makeup kit, and I worked retail for about three years and was able to afford foundation and a professional makeup case. Trying to raise my rates was another struggle, I often feel like people think this isn’t a real career.
What they don’t know is I wakeup up at crazy times early in the morning (2 a.m. is the earliest I have woken up) to drive to locations that can be up to 3 hours away. I often don’t eat or take breaks throughout the day, because I’m on a time crunch and my bride cannot be late to her own wedding. Standing all day takes a toll on my body, and I still have to drive all the way home to wash a massive pile of brushes for the next day. Microblading was also a struggle for me. Who wants to trust some random person to tattoo their face? It took months and months of practice on fake skins to feel confident to work on a person again on my own. I can sometimes be overly critical of myself and nitpick anything I create and ruin my own confidence. It took me a long time to overcome that and begin working on people again. I always strive to be a better artist with each client I have. Every person I have ever worked on I give 100% and always want them to love their brows.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a freelance makeup artist, but you’ll find me working with Pretty On Premises over 90% of the time. I’m also a microblading artist at the Browtini Bar also based in Fort Worth. What I would say I’m known for is being a perfectionist. I will nitpick my own work until I make it perfect for me and my client. I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished so far and I just know bigger and better things are coming! What really sets me apart from others is I truly love what I do and always want to learn new things. I’m excited to work and I really genuinely care about the clients I see everyday. I always hope that my clients love my work, and come back and see me.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Fort Worth because there’s so much it has to offer! There’s so much diversity within its people, locations, and its businesses. There’s always something to do and it’s a beautiful city!
My least favorite part is the crime that seems to be growing. I feel like I definitely have to pay more attention to my surroundings when I go out alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.prettyonpremises.com
- Instagram: @Alondra_Flores13
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/prettyonpremises
- Other: www.thebrowtinibar.com
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