Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexxa Rivas-Villafañe.
Alexxa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always had a passion for beauty; hair and makeup have always made sense to me. In high school I would get compliments on my hair and makeup and I would gladly share them tips that I knew at the time; I would even have a little line of girls waiting for me to cut their bangs with regular scissors in the locker room which is horrible now that I look back, to not cut hair with shears. I’ve worked in a hair salon since the age of 17 as a shampooist while shadowing my boss, observing and learning what she knows.
For high school homecomings and proms, I would get asked to do the girls makeup, so I definitely didn’t turn that down. In high school, like everyone else for the whole four years with one question in our minds “ What do I want to be when I grow up?” While thinking about it I kept finding myself always googling “ makeup looks, fantasy makeup” and really falling in love with beautiful faces and makeup looks and always interested in how a certain look was created. Since I was a little girl till this day now, I still find myself looking through magazines just to see how models and actresses are wearing their makeup for any occasions and that’s when I realized I have a passion for beauty and knew I wanted to be a makeup artist. I took cosmetology in high school expecting to learn more about makeup and ending up finding a new passion for hair; hair color, hairstyling. During the first couple of years in cosmetology school, I had a great support of friends and family who would let me practice cuts and color on them.
Fast forward a couple of years; I happily became a young wife and mother who was blessed with the option to be a stay a home mom so I wouldn’t miss not one milestone of my son which was very important to me. Still, on the side, I would continue hair and makeup on my family and close friends, working in and out of salons always staying in the loop of the latest trends. Baby number two comes along, my daughter. I planned on being a stay at home mom for a year with her because my passion to do hair and makeup has always been burning inside of me to share it with others and I just had to get myself out there and follow my passions. It was difficult to leave their side knowing they’re being so little even for a couple of hours because I enjoy my kids and never wanted to miss a minute by their side.
Yes, I’m a young mom and yes, I make sacrifices for my children but I won’t allow myself to not follow my dreams, I can’t settle for less and after all what kind of example will I be setting for my kids to not follow their passion. The fire inside of me kept pushing me forward, along with my husband, to succeed in my dreams. I’m just blessed to have a super supportive husband, parents, family, and friends. My dad has taught me to always have an open mind and always continue my education and so I did. In 2013, I went to a makeup school called TNT AGENCY in Chino Hills, California for a week, which was a huge sacrifice leaving behind for the first time my three-year-old and one year old, but I had so much fun and came out learning so much and feeling confident in doing clients makeup.
Since 2013, I made the choice to get my own suite in Irving to where I am my own boss because it is important to me to be available for my kids and set my own schedule yet while I’m still strict with myself and working quite often. There and I gained clients via Instagram, Facebook, word of mouth. I love meeting new people, learning how their lifestyles are and about their families and themselves. I’m a good listener to my clients and I truly genuinely care about each and every one of them, even if they don’t return to me, I wish them the best in their life. I care that they love their hair and makeup. People come to the salon for a make over, a change. Some clients come in for a change in their hair that will hopefully encourage them to actually style their hair daily instead of pulling it back in a ponytail.
I love how people come in for their hair and relax and let me take care of them, everyone deserves to be pampered and come out looking beautiful and having that confidence in them because if you feel good you look good and if you look good you’ll feel good and so much joy can come out that. It’s important that people try to look their best, you never know who you will run into and what opportunities may come their way. I love being a hairstylist because we are like counselors, even if I’m just listening to them vent, I let them vent, I let them tell me the good things happening with them & when I turn the chair facing the mirror to reveal their hair to them and when they are satisfied with it that’s a great day for me. I do much hair and make for brides and I love being around the brides and as I’m getting them ready making sure they are calm and glammed up the way they have always imagined it for their special day, I feel blessed to have such a talent and passion to do what I love. So, how I got where I am today, still a young wife a mother of three children is with patience, practice, sacrifice, late nights, hard work, a positive attitude, love, having a supportive family, always further my education, still find myself being inspired by other amazing hair and makeup artist and mainly passion.
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?
Not a smooth road at all, always facing difficulties with finding a stable babysitter to watch my kids so that I am able to work. I fight so hard to work because I simply love it and want to build a career for myself and show my kids, that as corny as it sounds if you believe you will. I am very picky when it comes to my kids and who watches them. I’ve had to work around my husband’s and mother in law’s, family, friends, work schedule in order for them to be able to take care of my kids so that I am allowed to work, which made me flexible with my working hours and surprisingly some clients are open to late nights with me. Even if I begin early with a client and a hair process, color that they want takes hours I will bust my behind to make sure they love it; I care about what my clients think of their hair, to me it’s not all about the money, it’s my name who they are walking around on wearing on their head.
Thankfully, I now have a full-time babysitter who I trust, my sister, so that I am able to be completely open and available to my clients but it was not like that in the beginning, I had to fight my way to work. It probably would have been easier to not work and stay at home with my young kids than to struggle with a difficult work schedule and calling my closest family and friend members seeing if they could watch my children while my husband and I work. I would also give the advice that was given to me, you have to have patience and passion. Patience with building your clientele and passion, including going to hair shows, hair classes, makeup classes and keeping an open mind with trying new things, new products, new techniques and doing what it takes to stay being inspired.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Dizzy Brush Glam by Alexxa story. Tell us more about the business.
I think what sets me apart from other hair and makeup artist is that I do a lot of “ crazy colors/ fantasy colors”. Most people’s jobs don’t allow for their hair to be funky but when I have those clients come to me wanting crazy colors, I go all in. I’m even getting excited about the crazy color combinations that I’ve done on clients in the past just thinking about it. I’m always trying to convince people to have some color in their hair; I feel like it would bring them out of their shell a little more just have a little fun in life through their hair. I would say I’m known for doing crazy hair colors also because my hair color is never normal and always different colors every two months. I also think I’m set apart from other artists because I know how to do hair color, hairstyling, updo’s I also am a makeup artist so when I am hired for a wedding the bride doesn’t need to hire a separate hair and makeup artist, I’m 2 in one which makes it easier for them.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
I would say a barrier to female leadership in my industry would be how other ladies look at another artist and compare them with their own work in a wrong way out of jealousy instead of being inspired by the other artist work and willing to learn from them.
Contact Info:
- Email: alexxa.villafane@gmail.com
- Instagram: Dizzybrushglam
Image Credit:
Shawn Yang
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