Today we’d like to introduce you to Heba Mandavia.
Heba, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My passion for makeup developed when I was in high school. I used to always go to the mall, and window shop at MAC, Sephora and Ulta. I never really understood the difference between any of the products, or any of the brands. I literally could not even distinguish the difference between drugstore makeup and high end makeup, I thought it was all the exact same. Although I did not have much knowledge about makeup, I was always really interested and fascinated by it. One day, I convinced my mom to take me to Ulta. I did not know much about any of the products, but something in particular caught my eye. There was this beautiful palette, with bright vivid colors, by Urban Decay. This is the day that I believe my love for makeup truly blossomed. After this I started to experience with more and more products, I used my family and friends to be my test subjects. Overtime, my experimentation turned into a talent, which transferred into a passion. Soon after, a lot of my friends started telling me how I should take my love for makeup and turn it into something more real and existing, bring it up another level. This is when I decided to make an Instagram page for makeup, so that I could gain more experience by seeing inspiration and also present and expand my portfolio. Looking back on all of this, my makeup skills were lacking and most definitely not up to par. I am so proud of how much I have learned and how far I have come. Throughout my makeup journey, I also discovered my love for hair, skincare, fashion and all things glam! I love trying out new and bold hairstyles, experimenting with various skincare treatments and products, and most of all, I love trying out the new and latest styles, designs and patterns of Pakistani cultured clothing.
Being a makeup artist for about 4 years now, I have definitely grown a lot and I’m still nowhere near my goal of where I want to be. Someone who I really look up to, as not only a makeup artist, but as a person, is Tammana Roashan, also known as DressYourFace. She is an influencer based in Los Angeles. What I love most about her is the way she educates her viewers about makeup and what she has done with her business and brand. I can only dream to one day become like her.
Has it been a smooth road?
Of course starting off was difficult and very scary because I didn’t know much about the business at first. But it has always been a learning process. I didn’t really know how to put my name out there at first. I had to overcome the fear of thinking about what people would say but throughout the years there have definitely been times where you will hear from others, something along the lines of “oh this person thinks that persons better” and of course it can put you down at first because what I do is my hard work, passion and joy, and I’m putting myself out there. But I had to understand that this field is very competitive. I feel like in Dallas a lot of the makeup artists in this area are also very supportive of each other and are always there for advice on how to grow more, get more experience and further your horizons. The artists around me are friends and are always there when I want to discuss which products to use for certain skin types and dealing with complicated clients. I just love being able to have people in my life that create such a strong, powerful and uplifting support system. One very special and particular makeup artist in Dallas, who goes by the name of SadiaSanam_MUA, has always been so supportive and helped me so much over the years, I am so, very thankful for her. Throughout all the struggles, or bumps in the road, I had my dad, who is by far my biggest and most passionate supporter. He has been there with me step-by-step, since day 1. My dad has invested almost as much time and energy into my passion for makeup and my business as I have. Whenever I face any issues, or difficulties, the one person who I know I can always and undoubtedly count on is my father. I am forever indebted to his unconditional love and support.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the HMandavia Makeup story. Tell us more about the business.
I have been in the makeup industry for about 4 years now and I have been a certified makeup artist for 2 years now. I attended master classes from makeup artists that I absolutely admire and look up to. Primarily, I attended Makeup by Mario’s class and then I went to San Francisco, California to go to Tammana Roashan/DressYourFace’s master class. By attending these classes, I learned so many techniques and acquired so much new information. Both Mario and Tammana are such amazing and very well-known artists in the industry but they each have such distinct styles are so different in their own way. For example, Mario’s focus was more on prepping the skin before the makeup application and how to make makeup look photo ready. So from Mario, I feel like I picked up on techniques for when I have clients that come in for photo shoots, weddings and prom. DressYourFace is more into dramatic, intense bridal type makeup and she teaches the more sultry and deep looks. She also teaches various techniques on how to fix little mistakes or how to make one look turn into a different look just by adding to it. I personally feel like I specialize in more night out looks like party makeup and bridal makeup. What I am most proud of is when I’m finished with glamming up a client and when I finally hand them a mirror and I watch a big smile appear on their face. I just love to see how happy and stunned they get with how they look, it’s just such a heartwarming feeling to watch someone feel that way, but what feels even better is being the one to help them achieve that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hmandaviamakeup.wordpress.com/home/
- Email: hebamandavia14@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hmandaviamakeup/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HMandaviamakeup/
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