Today we’d like to introduce you to Deanna Boyd.
Deanna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Makeup was the beginning of my love affair with all things creative. Some of my first memories were when I was a little girl, playing in my mom’s makeup drawer. Coty red lipstick, Cornsilk powder, creamy pink rouge. “What can I do with this?” I would ask. I also loved coloring and painting, anything where I could mix and create my own colors and textures. And, yes, I did color outside the lines!
Growing up as a Navy brat, we traveled all over the United States and ended up settling down in the beautiful Northwest. The spark that ignited my professional journey into makeup was in high school and college theater. I liked the acting, but loved the makeup. What fascinated me most was learning about light, depth, and sculpting the face into whatever I could envision.
After working as an actor on a few commercials and some theater, I felt the entertainment industry calling me, so naturally, Los Angeles beckoned. While pursuing acting, I still wanted to do makeup whenever I could; this led me to work the retail makeup counters. Don’t knock it. The retail experience was a blessing in disguise. It gave me exposure to different skin types/tones, face shapes, ethnicities, and features. A new canvas to touch upon every day. This experience helped me build a solid business working for photographers and in TV and film. It was an enriching 12 years and a ton of fun!
Then, my heart called the shots on my next big move. My boyfriend, now husband, got a job offer in Dallas. We said goodbye to the beaches, mountains and predictable pleasant California weather and created a beautiful life for ourselves in the Big D. In 2011, we welcomed our precious boy into this world.
Has it been a smooth road?
My journey through oceans of cosmetics, three major surgeries that included a partial thyroidectomy all within five years and the one word no parent ever wants to hear, Autism (my son was diagnosed as a toddler), led me down a path of educating myself on the health effects from a host of environmental factors including personal care products.
What I put on my skin and my client’s skin was the first stop in my quest for better understanding and making changes. I found out that the United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938. That’s 81 years of no regulation. Personal care products are not just cosmetics; they also include toothpaste, deodorant, kid’s shampoo/bubble bath/lotion, shave cream, skincare, etc. Once I learned that the U.S. only bans about 30 ingredients compared to the European Union’s ban of close to 1,400 ingredients for personal care products, I started to clean up my makeup and skincare, then eventually my professional makeup kit had to follow. This was the beginning of becoming a “Clean Beauty” Makeup Artist and Advocate.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Here in the Big D, I’ve been fortunate to build a faithful and growing clientele for my makeup and portrait photography services. Clean and classic with an editorial feel is how most of my clients describe my photography style. And since I do the makeup as well, this gives me a bit of an edge and a unique quality to my business that I’m really proud of.
Given my profession and because I’m a beauty junkie at heart, I’m always searching for high-performing yet safe products from different clean brands and love sharing if they’ve worked for me with my clients. Almost if by fate, as I continued on my journey, I found Beautycounter. I fell in love with the products and instantly connected with the company’s mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. It was then that I knew I had to become a consultant and to dive right in with the clean beauty movement.
A huge part of what I focus on now is helping others clean up their skincare and beauty regimens while educating them on how to decipher ingredient labels. I also offer makeup tutorials and safer beauty classes. I do this via one-on-one consultations (in-person and virtual) and in group settings. You can also find me doing tutorials and giving beauty tips on my YouTube channel and Instagram.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
Three pieces of advice I would give to young women who are just starting their journey:
1. It’s important to know what you want and why you want it. Your why must be compelling enough to get you out of bed every day and get after it.
2. You have to be fearless. You cannot care about what others think. It’s your life.
3. Know that there isn’t a timeline that you must adhere to when trying to achieve a certain level of “success.” Don’t put that pressure on yourself and certainly, don’t compare where you’re at with others. Your speed doesn’t matter. Forward is forward. Just keep progressing. You’ll get there.
Oh, and be kind, always. Know who you are at your very core. Never try to be anyone else but your unique self. Embrace and celebrate every quirk! If you can master self-acceptance, you will be a success with whatever you end up doing as long as you stay true to who you are.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deannaboyd.com and www.beautycounter.com/deannaboydinc
- Phone: 310-383-2647
- Email: info@deannaboyd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodnessgreenish/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deannaboydmuaphotographer/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBx0lLQHkyo-Yoglzkmbi2g
Image Credit:
Mandy McGeath Photography, Deanna Boyd, Mandy McGeath Photography
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