Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Hirji.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Julie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Born and raised in the heart of LA, it was always my dream as a kid to become a makeup artist. At five years old, I would sit my mom and grandmother in my living room and force them to let me do their makeup. Growing up, I always told myself that I would become a makeup artist. How I was going to get there – I had no idea! After high school, I struck a deal with my dad; if I took a few business courses at the local community college, then he would help me pay for half of makeup school.
What 17 year old wouldn’t say yes? Well, a few business courses turned into a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management at Mount St. Mary’s University and immediately after that, I enrolled in an Esthetic’s program to get my CA state license as an Esthetician. After passing my state exam, I decided to work at Sephora for a while to practice my art and gain experience with various faces. I helped open a new store location and then, I decided I was ready to start my own empire. Since 2013, I’ve gained experience in so many different fields of makeup, including fashion photography, film, headshot makeup, red carpet makeup, the list goes on. But my true love when it comes to this art is bridal.
Something about working with my brides just puts me in a happy place and I enjoy it so much. It makes long days of work fly by. In 2018, I decided that it was time to expand my art, so I began signing up for hairstyling workshops. There was one particular hair and makeup artist in San Diego whose work I admired for months prior and I asked her to create a private one on one lesson for me to teach me the art of hairstyling, and the rest is history! We became such good friends and in turn, that expanded my network in San Diego. I began offering both hair and makeup services to my clients. For the last year and a half I have traveled from Los Angeles to San Diego a few times a month to work with some of the most beautiful clients and brides. I now have an LA family of hair and makeup artists as well as a San Diego family. Truly, I’m a lucky girl. My work is my hobby and for that I’m grateful!
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, however enjoyable for most of it. The easy route for me would have been to stay at a place like Sephora and work my way up the totem pole. But I decided to do things on my own. I had to start at the bottom and build my clientele, a team and a business from scratch. There were days of pure frustration and others of pure joy. It was a roller coaster trying to figure out how to start my own business (thanks to my dad for planting the business school seed in my head, it helped – but shh guys, don’t tell him I said that!).
If I had one thing to say about my journey, it would be that it has not been an easy road, and still isn’t – but rewarding, most definitely! To this day, there are still struggles at times but because of persistence and experience, I now know how to navigate and problem solve through the struggles. My advice to young women and men who are just starting their journey is if you really want this – you can do it! Be persistent, no matter what anyone tells you. If you have the ambition and this is your passion, you’ll be successful! People will say no and there will be times that you fail at certain tasks, but keep pushing and I promise you’ll get there. And it’ll be that much more worth it.
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
I specialize in bridal hair and makeup. That’s the majority of my clientele, although I seldom refuse other types of work. If I have the availability, I’m taking the job even if I feel it’ll be challenging. I’m always looking to grow and limiting myself because of fear just isn’t who I am. However, bridal is what I’m known for. It’s what the majority of my work displays. And my team – I can’t forget my team, my second family! Over the last seven years, I’ve selectively curated a team of amazingly talented hair and makeup artists, whom I’ve worked with closely on larger scale weddings and projects, that I’m able to call upon when needed.
I think what sets me apart from other hair and makeup artists in the industry is my professionalism and the extra attention to detail. I truly make it a point to be professional with my clients from the paperwork to the hair and makeup application. I believe in contracts and sticking to them, but I also believe in being personable. Make friends with your brides and clients – build a relationship with them. A lasting one. The more comfortable they are with you, the better chance you have at being successful in this field. They’re happy, you’re happy and in the end that can only lead to good things – like referrals and recommendations! And for each and every client – pamper them! This service is a luxury and they deserve every bit of special treatment that you have to offer. A little goes a long way – and it says a lot about the type of artist you are.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m lucky for an abundance of things in my life – my family, my friends, and everything attached to them. I’m lucky to live in such a beautiful city and have the childhood that I did. And I’m lucky for all the love and support I receive from everyone close to me. However, I also don’t believe that everything is about luck. I do believe that being successful comes from hard work, passion, perseverance and resilience. Without these characteristics, and with just luck – I wouldn’t be where I am today. So yes, I’m grateful and lucky for several aspects of my life but it isn’t the sole reason I’ve gotten to where I am today.
Pricing:
- Bridal Hair + Makeup $325
- Bridal Hair + Makeup Preview $175
- Bride Hair or Makeup only $175
- Bridal Party/Guest Hair + Makeup $175
- Bridal Party/Guest Hair or Makeup only $100
- Half Day Rate (up to 4 hours) $300
- Full Day Rate (up to 8 hours) $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.makeupbyjuliehirji.com
- Phone: (310) 741-2569
- Email: juliehirji@icloud.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeupbyjuliehirji/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/makeup-by-julie-hirji-mid-city?osq=makeup+by+julie+hirji
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/makeup-by-julie-hirji-los-angeles-ca-982586
Image Credit:
Kylie Flood, Beauty by Stacey, Mia Bokhari, Anne Salas, Penny Dinn, Meg Marie, Phillip Matthew, Anya Kernes
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