Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Berumen.
Ana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started two years after I graduated high school. I always knew I had a passion for makeup, I could spend hours looking at YouTube tutorials to re-create the looks on myself. I attended a self-application course and that was the beginning of this amazing journey. In that course, I knew I wanted to learn more and do it for others. My boyfriend at the time who is now my husband gifted me a 5-day Makeup artist course where I became certified. In that course, besides learning techniques, I discovered my true passion, the time spent wasn’t enough because I always wanted to practice and learn more.
When the course ended, I felt very motivated and shared it on social media, Facebook, and Instagram. Although I wasn’t getting clients, I was posting makeup looks of myself and short video tutorials to have some exposure. weeks later, I had my very first client. I remembered feeling very nervous about applying makeup on others because it had been weeks since the course, plus no one was going to help me to fix it if something were to go wrong. Thankfully my client was happy about my work which made me feel more motivated. I remember that with my very first clients I was able to save to purchase my first ring light. I continued to be consistent on social media and started to practice with my family members and friends. Makeup at the time felt like a hobby to me more than an actual “job” because it was very fun to do. At the time I was attending college on the weekdays and finished my Associate’s degree in science in 2019 at El Centro College in Dallas. Soon enough I started to book more and more people for social glams. Then I started to book for bigger events like quinceañeras and wedding parties, doing bridal glams was very exciting to me. Later, I became interested in hair due to my clients requesting simple hairdos. I attended a bridal course with “Amazing beauty” where I learned more about bridal makeup and hair, soon after that I started doing hair and makeup services altogether. I soon began to practice different hairstyles in my own home with a mannequin while watching YouTube tutorials.
When I offered makeup and hair, I started to get very busy during the weekends and some weekdays and from there I knew that I wanted this to be my full-time job. I am so thankful that I had a great support system my parents and my husband who were always there to cheer me up and motivate me through my ups and downs. I am nowhere near where I want to be at all, I still have so much growth to do, and I also don’t have the biggest following on socials but I’m thankful that I get to do what love because makeup has allowed me to make others look and feel better about themselves and that’s all that matters to me.
Alright, 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?
It has been very challenging, I started at a young age and transportation was hard because I didn’t know how to drive so I would have to wake up my dad very early so he could drop me at the location. Then it was my husband’s turn when we got married because we only had one car. It was challenging because sometimes I had to wait hours for someone to pick me up from the location. Thankfully later I got a car and learned how to drive, my main motivation was being able to drive all around DFW for my clients. But, definitely, the hardest challenge of all just happened recently. In September of 2021, I had my Immigration Interview in Ciudad Juarez Mexico, for my Legal Residency in the United States. I was very excited to be able to get out of the shadows that undocumented immigrants live in every day, with the persistent fear of possible deportation, driving with no license, or even having difficulties in pursuing higher education. Unfortunately, my dreams shattered when I was told that my visa was denied and that I wasn’t able to return home. The first thought that came to my mind was “I need to tell my clients I won’t be there ” soon enough I started to cancel all of the appointments of the year and refund deposits. My life was turned upside down. I asked God why me many times because during that time I was getting so many client requests that it even felt unreal. It was a very tough moment for me emotionally, and financially. I spent 5 months in Mexico and during the first few months, I thought about closing my Instagram page where I share my work because it broke me to see people asking when I was coming back, and I couldn’t tell them an answer. I didn’t want to know anything about makeup, and many people asked if I was doing it in Mexico and I would say no! holding my tears. I had so many mixed emotions that I was living life day by day with no plans ahead. Until. I realized that I didn’t need anything but my hands to create art and then I saw this situation as an opportunity to grow. Soon enough people reached out for my makeup services in Mexico and some even mentioned seeing me in my makeup videos which brought me so much joy and motivation. Thankfully a few months after that, in February of 2022 I was able to return home, and right when I announced that I was back so many clients reached out and I was booked for every weekend of the month. In that situation, I understood that if life was holding something from me was because something better was coming and now, I feel better than ever. My advice to women or anyone going through a tough situation is that bad times don’t last forever and that everything happens for a reason. We need to have trust in the timing of our lives and it doesn’t matter how many times we fall; it matters how we get up. With this experience, I learned so much about myself, and I am thankful that this happened because it made me stronger and a better person, I was able to learn what I’m capable of and I appreciate what I have more than ever.
So please, NEVER GIVE UP! if you want to become a makeup artist, hairstylist or anything never give up be consistent and be patient because clientele doesn’t come overnight. Always do your best in anything that you do, and do not compare yourself to others because no matter what, each artist has their own skills and techniques, soon enough you will develop your own and people will book you for that specific thing that is different from everyone else.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a freelance makeup and hair artist for seven years now. This is currently my full-time job and it’s what I love doing the most. I am also a student at The University of North Texas at Dallas where I’m working on getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health. I do online classes during the week and also, I host makeup and hair appointments in my home where I have a small studio. I am also available to travel if requested. I became certified as a makeup artist at the beginning, then later attended other makeup courses to specialize in bridal and quinceañera makeup and hair glams.
I think that people know me as Ana who does makeup. Most people still don’t know that I also do hair, because I tend to get more clients for makeup only. Unless they are brides or quinceañeras they usually book me for both services. It’s a great feeling to be able to offer these services to my clients because they are both very different. I do plan to add more services in the future but for now, I want to focus all of my energy on bettering my work as a makeup and hair artist.
I am very proud of everything that I’ve accomplished I am still a very small Makeup and hair artist but knowing that my work has gotten better over the years and that makes me very proud of myself. Looking back at old pictures of my clients has made me realize how far I’ve come. Also Knowing that I can make someone’s day by glamming them makes me feel very special and proud of doing what I do.
I think that something that sets me apart from others is that I have a very welcoming personality. I think that besides focusing on always getting better at my work, an artist should be able to make their clients feel comfortable. I want my clients to get to have a good time and experience the best service when they come in.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have had many supporters throughout this journey. I could name so many people who have been here all along. But I would love to mention that my family has always been there for me. My parents who are always cheering me up and my husband for being very understanding and patient with me. Being a makeup artist means busy weekends and less family time, thankfully he has been very supportive of me and that means a lot. I would like to mention “Fraire Makeup” which is where I did the 5-day course, which I recommend for anyone interested in becoming a makeup artist, it is a great course for starters. Second, I would like to mention Joanna Medina from @amazingbeauty_artistry who has been such an inspiration to me. I was able to attend her “Bridal Tour” course where I learned so much about bridal glam which helped me so much in my career as a makeup artist. I would also like to mention Cherly Ochoa from @glamour_bycherly who did my wedding makeup and seeing her doing an amazing job on me, inspired me to get my work out there. Also seeing her growth has been a true inspiration. I would also love to mention photographers Asia Christine from @asiachristinephoto who has recommended my work to her clients, I was able to work with her at “The Olana” which is a dream wedding mansion in Dallas and I had the best experience working with her. Also, Dayna from @daynareneephoto is a very talented photographer who I’ve worked for maternity shoots. The list of people who have been on this journey could go on, nonetheless, I am thankful that this career has allowed me to meet such amazingly talented women. I am so happy to be able to experience women helping other women to grow in this industry. It has proven to me that when women support each other, incredible things happen.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anakaybeauty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautybyanakay/
Image Credits
@asiachristinephoto
