Life & Work with Caitlin Bruce

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Bruce.

Caitlin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started to fall in love with makeup when I was about 14 years old. I remember being so excited over my first ever MAC eyeshadow purchase which was this super bright blue eyeshadow called Electric Eel. After that I got really into experimenting with other bright colors and liquid liner was a game changer for me, ha! Makeup became such a great way to express myself because I come from a family with 7 other siblings and when I was younger, would often times feel a bit unseen and unheard. Makeup helped to build my confidence. It sparked joy in my life and for the first time, I felt like I was really good at something! The more I’d experiment with bold color, the more others would notice and that led to me receiving makeup requests from friends. My first job was working for Mark With Avon. I had barely turned 16 and started selling makeup to friends and family. Shortly after, I started working at a Bridal boutique where I was asked for the first time by a stranger if I’d be interested in doing makeup for a wedding. I was stunned because I hadn’t thought that an adult would admire the makeup I had done on myself so I was incredibly flattered! By 18 I started working at Ulta where I now had access to higher end makeup that I hadn’t really been exposed to prior. Working there really grew me. I found the importance in having good customer service as well as product knowledge. After graduating from high school, I moved out of Arizona to Washington State to live with my older sister, Monica. We went to the mall close to her place one day and inside Nordstrom, I found a MAC counter. I started chatting with the guy working who eventually had encouraged me to apply. So I did. After about a month or so of multiple interviews with them, I was officially hired on. That job really changed my life. I learned so much more about makeup, techniques, what other tools to use, the importance of sanitation, time management and organization skills. I worked there for about a year and then moved back to AZ because I was pregnant with my first child and wanted to be closer to the rest of my family. About 1-2 years after giving birth, I started doing freelance makeup. I got on this site called Model Mayhem and started to build my portfolio. The only compensation I got back then was in photo credits from the shoots I would do makeup for. It wasn’t until I was about 21 when I started to turn a profit. I had met a woman a year prior through Model Mayhem named Erin who became a repeat client of mine. She was the first person who really helped to get me exposure. She believed in and supported my skillset and I will forever be thankful for her. For the next few years I would do makeup for parties, weddings and Scottsdale / Phoenix fashion weeks. I took several extended breaks from makeup throughout the years but never fully stopped as its still such a great passion of mine. I restarted my makeup career in 2019 after getting married to my wonderful husband and giving birth to my 3rd child. Since then, my work has been published in multiple magazines; I’ve had the opportunity to work with talented stylists, photographers and local fashion designers. I’m beyond blessed and am excited for the future!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh, no no. It was a bumpy road for sure. I was in a very toxic relationship in my early 20’s and was a new mother. I was trying to play multiple roles and ended up losing myself in all of it. I had forgotten who I was. I had to get out of the relationship I was in but was dependent on their income at the time. I knew I couldn’t support my daughter with doing makeup alone so I enrolled myself into a trade school. I graduated 9 months later and became a medical assistant. Doing that made me so much more independent and I’m grateful for that experience. I had also struggled financially throughout the years and whenever I was booked for a makeup appt, would get so incredibly nervous worrying about whether or not I had enough product. My kit was very small and a lot of what I had was drugstore makeup with a very small selection of higher end makeup. To be honest, I would sometimes feel so embarrassed for not having as much as other makeup artists had and for having cheaper brands in my kit. Having gone through that so many times, I started to realize that the brand of makeup really didn’t matter. So long as I applied correctly and the product itself worked well, I didn’t have to have everything that all these other MUA’s had. My clients still loved their makeup!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been a makeup artist for the past 15years. I specialize in glamour/editorial makeup. I could say that I’m most proud of being published in magazines but honestly, I’m just proud of the impact I’ve made on some of my clients. I get this opportunity to help others see themselves in a different light. The confidence these women get after I finish their makeup is so heartwarming! I absolutely love that part the most. This isn’t just makeup. This is helping people transform their thoughts about themselves. I always hear, “Omg you made me beautiful!” But the thing is, all of that beauty was already there, I just added some contrast.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I love singing! Although I don’t showcase that talent too often publicly, I really enjoy it.

Pricing:

• Wedding makeup- $100 for Bride, $80 for Bridesmaids and $65 for MOB/MOG
• Natural Glow- $65
• Glamour- $75
• Colorful Glam- $85
• Editorial/Photoshoot- $120

Contact Info:

• Email: Catybrucebeauty@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catybruce/

Image Credits
Nader Abushhab Lindsey Philp Leslie Philp Hannah Allen Portia Kris Perez Ionia Wilson Lena MassenGale Raphael Dupree Wendy Alicia Hannah Haider Rachell Spillane Samantha Lindsay Lauren Wohlin Simone Reyes Anthony Mallory Haircraftandmagic