I did not run away
The past few days have been hectic and stressful. Been working on a few things regarding my business. I’m a makeup artist still trying to gain a strong balance in this new environment. Hopefully, I pray it all turns out well. I'm positive it will. Before I begin to give a rundown of my activities from Thursday been the first day I became inactive here till Saturday, Let me wish you all a Happy and fun-filled Sunday.
Starting a business is not easy especially when you’re doing it on your own and when you’re in a new location. The beginning can be a little bit rough and challenging. The strive to get to the top requires so much effort especially in my field or line of business. I’m a makeup artist. Being a makeup artist in a new location requires constant advertising to put one’s self out there and be known by lots of people. It also requires a team because most times you can’t do everything on your own.
One thing I’m forever grateful to God for is giving me a supportive and financially stable father who shows his love and support by giving the finance I’ve been able to use to push my business to this level. Looking back at how I started, I can say there’s been a huge change.
I’ve invested a lot yeah, that’s the only thing that bothers me because I haven’t gotten back what I’ve spent in both learning and buying products and I still keep buying. But that’s not too much of a problem because I’ve been aiming at getting better, having a professional look and that requires investing on good products and now unlike before, with the way my work comes out, I can say that I’m proud of myself for getting this good.
I have a few products I’ve gotten but haven’t touched them yet. The reason I keep getting products is that most times, you may not know when you’ll meet that client that would be suitable to use that product on. So it’s always good to be ready and prepared. One good thing for sure is that sometimes some products could last for a long time, so it’s never a bad idea to keep investing in products. Once one becomes popular in this field and gets clients regularly, one will surely gain back all the money invested and that’s what I’m praying for to happen real soon.
I made a plan to do a shoot every month and post on my Instagram handle to reach my target audience. So far, the plan has been going well. Thursday was the day I decided to do a shoot for February. It was an Edo bridal shoot. I have no team yet but at least, the hairstylist that styles my model's hair works with my boss so he does the hair free for me. But he decided to film the process and that took a long time because I had to wait for him to be done with the hair before I could start the makeup.
Firstly, on Thursday morning, I and my model went to get the outfit for the bridal shoot. This took a long time too because they had to fit the dress to her perfect size. After that, we proceeded for the saloon. After he was done dressing the hair, I started my job on my model. I rented the dress which was a red gown , I also paid to use the model’s face for my work. I rented the beads as well.
When I was done with the makeup, the hairstylist finished up by placing the beads still filming the process. Edo brides signify royalty brides. The beads are made up of 10 layers of coral, 4 layers of short coral which are worn on the neck. 10 bangles which are worn on the left and right-hand sides, 5 each. It also consists of a pair of earrings, a ring, one arm bangle which is worn at the upper arm but she didn’t wear it because the hand of the cloth would have made it invisible.
It’s also made of 2 wrapping beads which are wrapped around her styled hair, a black okuku which is the one that’s fixed at the center of her head, 4 golden chips which are fixed on her head as well, 6 iron which is fixed on her head.
Finally, a black nza or a white handkerchief makes it complete. I used a black nza for mine though. One thing I’ve noticed about Edo's bridal look is that they always use either a red or white outfit for their brides. Maybe any other color doesn’t represent their culture. (I’m guessing, I don’t know if I’m right).
We headed to the photo studio which wasn’t far from the saloon. Took a few good pictures and came back to the saloon to remove the beads, change outfits and loosen the hair.
Those beads were really heavy. Carrying them from the market the day I went to rent them, I almost fell😂. It was a wonderful day because I got good comments concerning the makeup and outfit.
Meanwhile, I was scheduled to go for my NYSC monthly clearance on that Thursday but I skipped it because I already made plans for this shoot before the clearance date was released. So I went for my clearance the following day been Friday. After the clearance, I decided to go to the market which was close by to get a few things to prepare a delicious curry stew. I came home afterward but was too tired to cook immediately so I took snacks that I got on my way back from the market. I took a nap after that, then I woke up in the evening to make my delicious curry stew.
On Saturday I went to a bridal job. My boss wanted me to join her to assist her with the chief bridesmaid’s makeup. While she was doing the bride’s makeup, I did the chief bridesmaid’s makeup. They were also having their traditional wedding on the same day so I followed the bride to her village to represent my boss who was going for another job, to do some touches and changes to her work for a traditional look.
I stayed till the end of the whole event because I couldn’t find a ride home since it was far from where I lived. I got home late, had my bath, and decided to shower after which I had dinner. In all these, I had no time for social media because all I could think of was spreading myself on my bed and sleeping till daybreak. I believe one day all this stress and hard work will pay off someday and I pray to find my team to lessen the stress of planning a shoot on my own.
Thank you for reading till the end
I hope you have a beautiful day today
