Meet Shelby Henry of Shelbyhenrymua in Central

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Henry.

Shelby, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I always knew I would be apart of the Beauty Industry. I pretty much grew up in a salon, from the time I was little, I was lucky enough to go to work with my mom. She has been a hairstylist for over 25 years, and she’s a huge reason behind my passion. I would see the way her clients would look at themselves after she was done, you could see their confidence beaming off of them, thats when I knew I wanted to help people look and feel like their best selves. Right after high school, I went to Paul Mitchell, where I acquired my Cosmetology license, learning a hard lesson that doing just hair wasn’t for me. They taught a very brief class in Makeup, and I completely fell in love, thinking in the back of my head “There’s no way I could be able to live or provide for myself doing that” and boy was I wrong. From there, I landed my very first cosmetic job working for the Clinique counter at Macy’s, I worked there for about a year, quit to work for Sephora (my dream job!!). I started out as seasonal and worked my way up to the Beauty Studio, doing makeover after makeover day after day, learning more than what I thought possible. I then got promoted to teaching classes to clients, doing demonstrations, giving tips and tricks to clients so they could go home and recreate this masterpiece we created on them in the store. After almost four years, I decided to leave and pursue my own freelancing makeup business. I feel as if I’ve come full circle in my career, from having this inconceivable idea of doing makeup as a job to creating this life for myself I never imagined possible. All the gratitude in the world goes to my clients because I couldn’t do this without you all.

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?
Definitely has not been a smooth road, it was bumpy, and there were some potholes along the way (lol). One of the hardest decisions was to leave Sephora. It’s hard to leave something thats so familiar and comfortable. I wasn’t even sure if my freelancing was enough to cover my bills, let alone take care of my family, my husbands a full-time student, so it all came down to me and this life-changing decision. The first month was by far the hardest, but the more I told myself you can do it, and you HAVE to do it, things just started falling into place. One of the biggest worries I had and I’m sure other MUAs can relate to if you have ever worked for a place like Sephora, Mac, etc. is; How will clients find me if I’m not working in a store? Instagram has been an amazing marketing tool that I’m forever grateful for, using # are an amazing way for clients to find you!

Shelbyhenrymua – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a freelance makeup artist, and I travel to you!! I specialize in Bridal makeup and doing large or small wedding parties. I also do makeup for literally any other occasion, special events, birthdays, baby showers, engagement shoots, maternity shoots, styled shoots, etc. I also love teaching; It’s my jam!! I do one-on-one lessons for clients that want to step up their makeup game; it’s so much fun to play and create beauty together!

I would say what sets me apart is I truly get invested in my client’s lives, especially my brides. You’re there on such an important and special day, you want someone there that feels like family! I’ve created such beautiful friendships with so many of my brides, I feel so lucky!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Too many amazing moments, but one moment that has propelled me to where I am today was when I was working for Sephora I was chosen with two other girls to go to the Sephora Corporate office in San Francisco. It was to get certified to teach classes. A week of training, lots of notes and practice, at the end we had to teach a mock class and see if we passed. It was absolutely terrifying speaking in front of so many people and having Sephora Corporate judging you, it puts all your skills as a facilitator to the test. When I found out I had passed, I couldn’t believe it!! It was an amazing, empowering experience that I’m so grateful I had.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 619-778-3160
• Email: Shelbydgreene8@yahoo.com
• Instagram: @shelbyhenrymua
• Facebook: @lacieandshelbymuaxo

Image Credit:
Andy King Photography
Ally Amodeo Photography
Fmkphoto
Kevin Voegtlin Photography
Cobos.co Photography

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