Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Hines.
Victoria, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career in cosmetics freelancing for Clinque in Dallas in 2005. I had moved from Philadelphia where I was a full-time actress and needed income to support my theatre and Improv comedy troupe habit. Father’s day weekend I worked a shift at Neiman Marcus North Park, the counter manager asked me to apply. Their previous make-up artist had been promoted and they were looking to fill his extremely talented shoes. I say this because he is currently traveling the world for L’Oréal and is one of the kindest and most creative and talented people I’ve met in my career.
Within a few months, I transitioned my lifelong passion for theater into the world of makeup. I basically stalked featured artists and brand educators that I loved in Oak Lawn and asked for their support. Drag shows are a great place to have a good time and meet makeup lovers!
I did leave cosmetics for a while working at film festivals and doing a few brief gigs on TV. As well as assisting as a makeup artist on a horror film. I also worked on several ad campaigns commercial and print for local businesses and editorial make up for Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Those were great personal learning experiences for me. I love the heightened creative aspect and the collaboration that type of makeup work allowed me, but my heart is really in cosmetics. Nothing can compete with the amazing connections that happen when you help someone see themselves in a new way.
In 2013, I took a leap of faith and a pay cut to work as a freelance make up artist for a little brand ULTA was launching in 100 stores. I researched the Co-Founder Jamie Kern Lima and was beyond inspired by her journey and a new approach to cosmetics, color-infused skincare, makeup that improves rather than covers. And her every woman appeal was irresistible to me.
Over the years I have been with the brand, I have gone from hourly part-time freelancer to Regional Education Manager on the East Coast where I had the opportunity to Present at the Makeup Show alongside so many makeup legends including Bobbi Brown and Miss Fame. Last year. However, I returned back to the Dallas area where my career began. In my heart, I am a Southern girl through and through.
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?
My ride has not been smooth. Some of the struggles are the nature of the business and the flux of the economy. Luckily, when the rest of the country was feeling the worst sting of the economy, Dallas remained largely insulated. I took some risks, switching brands, leaving cosmetics and going out on my own. I downsized to a terrible apartment to afford me the opportunity to put my passion first. And while these jobs and risks rarely paid off monetarily, the growth experiences were all worth it. I was so fortunate to have friends in my life and acquaintances in the industry who always kept me afloat, from words of comfort and inspiration, Amy Bearman, aka Priti Dyal, kept me emotionally afloat so many years in more ways than I can express. And area artists with overflowing jobs and clientele always offered me jobs.
My biggest and I hate to use this word, obstacle, was the fact that I was a single mother. I had no financial support or child sitting assistance. There were so many opportunities I had to turn down because I couldn’t leave my son. My career flourished much later than your average person in my position. However, but the power of connections, a sense of humor and a little patience can take you anywhere in time.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a Regional Education Manager for IT Cosmetics. IT Cosmetics is a problem-solution brand created by Jamie Kern Lima in partnership with leading plastic surgeons and dermatologists. Every product starts its life out as skincare first. I think of the Regional Education team as the bridge between marketing and what occurs in the store. As a Regional educator, I get to write a lot of training content and presentations, which is one of my favorite parts of the job. We create massive training for the team selling in stores and fun assets to help store employees educate consumers.
When we, REMs, are not together creating training and presentations, presenting at JCP, Sephora and ULTA conferences, we are in our local markets conducting hands-on training. I think what sets my brand apart is that we always use real women as models to demonstrate real results. Our ad campaigns often use people that work for the company instead of models. We are changing the face of aspirational beauty.
What sets me apart, is my approachability and all that theater training. Honestly, I have really struggled in my 20’s as an actress my rosacea and acne scarring made me difficult to cast. Directors would say they couldn’t take their eyes off me or that I was mesmerizing but my skin would be too difficult to cast or light. I would be understanding and made several connections, but I would never be the next quirky manic pixie girl with this face. So I really relate to the struggle so many of us face between how we see our selves and how we are seen and I truly feel that IT Cosmetics makes that space significantly smaller.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think presenting at the Makeup Show in New York. That was pretty special.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 469.223.7996
- Email: vhines@itcosmetics.com
- Instagram: @laughingvi
- Facebook: Victoria Hines Make Up
- Twitter: @laughingvi
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