Meet Andrea Salazar of Makeup by Drai/Concept Lash Bar in Tucson

Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Tucson, AZ and began my career in Bridal Makeup in 2005 after falling in love with the art of beauty through out my youth years. I have always been the girl who was the point of contact when it came to makeup. I grew up in an era when social media was not a factor. Everything was very hands-on and self-taught. I loved how makeup for me was self-expression, it tells a story, sets the tone for how I felt on days, but at the end of it, I loved how naturally it enhanced one’s face and how I had the ability to make someone feel beautiful about themselves.

Working very casually in the industry, I decided to receive my Aesthetic License in 2013 at Pure Aesthetics to further my career as an Artist and to receive certifications as a Lash Artist as an added beauty enhancement. I worked for MAC cosmetics receiving extensive training as an Artist on the team throughout my career. I decided to resign from my position from Management after having my 4th child so I can devote a year of my life to her as well as my family. After missing the Art of Makeup and working on others, I crossed paths with the very talented Krista Manus with Unleashed Boudoir in Tucson, AZ and I am honored to be on her team as her Senior Makeup Artist.

During this time, I decided I wanted to rebrand and get back into freelancing as A Makeup Artist & Lash Artist. I since then have opened up my own Studio in 2018 in Tucson, AZ and collaborated and share a space with my sister Cynthia Saucedo which is Called Concept Hair & Lash Bar. I received extensive Lash training with Lash Affair by Jenelle Paris as well as Lash Box LA as well as ongoing Makeup training with Kandee Johnson and Chanel Molleo to perfect my craft as an LMUA. I continue to build a strong community within the industry and network with other Artists to empower me as an Artist and continue to push my limits for my own personal growth development. The last six months have been a really great starting point in my career since I have rebranded and I am always looking at ways to elevate myself in my line of work and can hardly wait for the future.

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?
It has been a journey, to say the least. Without it, I wouldn’t be the Artist I am today, so I am grateful for all the growing pains along the way. My journey began in an era where social media did not exist, makeup was a fraction of what it is today, so everything I learned I taught myself by picking up products and brushes and playing with my own canvas and eventually I was so good my work was noticed and I was the go-to makeup guru amongst my peers. I lacked a lot of confidence in the beginning, even after being hired for numerous events and others believed in me or loved my execution as an Artist I was still self-taught so I had a lot of doubt within my self questioning every technique or was it good enough. I worked a 40 hour a week office job and freelanced on the weekends and I made the transition of wanting to become licensed because my whole heart and soul was in makeup and what it meant for me to uplift my clients and their expressions were priceless to me. I wanted to have an added service in conjunction to makeup and that was lash extensions. There were very few Lash Artist in my city, education was far and few in between and there were few lash studios in business in 2013. So, after receiving my license in AZ as an Aesthetician, I was Classic Lash Certified and let me tell you the beginning journey as a Lash Artist comes with struggles that only a Lash Artist would understand. I questioned myself constantly on what I was doing if I made the right decision in my investment in training and wanting to add this to my service menu. I stuck to it and built a clientele and it was solid with makeup and lashes I was one of a few.

Shortly after being licensed, my journey began with MAC and I couldn’t believe I was offered a position with the biggest makeup brand in the world, I took a leap of faith and took my position despite it only being a 15hr position. Once I was promoted to management, I gave up all my lash clients and 90% of my makeup clients because my obligation was my store and the management team. The hardest decision I made because I had worked so hard along the way to build my books. I felt I let a lot of people down. I am so grateful with my career with MAC for all the relationships I made, the friendships I gained and the endless training I received and how much I grew as an Artist. When I gave that all up for my family, I had no intentions going back to work or being in my own studio but when the opportunity presented itself I took a leap of faith and went in full force with not a single client. I pushed my limits and did ongoing training with elite companies and starting over was so hard, endless hours put in perfecting my craft as a Lash Artist now adding Hybrid and Volume into my service menu. I faced a lot of challenges because the lash industry had evolved so much since I had first begun and the number of options for clients to choose from grew substantially. I am happy to say I never gave up and I am still working on being the best that I can be as a Makeup & Lash Artist not only for myself, most importantly for my clients. I am not 100% where I want to be in my craft but I know with time and practice I will perfect all the kinks. 

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a solo Artist and my first and ultimate goal is all about creating an experience for every client that I am blessed enough to be chosen for whether it be for their most monumental day in their life such as their wedding day, to be a part of a photo shoot, their engagement, maternity or senior portraits, to help alleviate and make mornings easier with cutting their beauty time in half in the morning because I was able to do their lash extensions. I thrive on my customer service and what I can provide for my clients, no job is complete and perfect until noted by my client period. I am the professional, yes, but my job is to listen and hone in on what is asked of me from my clients so I can then in return execute and deliver what is expected. I am proud of my studio space, it is everything and more I could have ever hoped for it to be.  All my brides when meeting for the first time for their consultation I personalize the experience with a personalized welcome, we toast their engagement with a beverage of their choice from a small selection, we discuss all things that are their bridal vision and we tailor it together and I then execute the desired look. I have a “I said Yes to the Makeup Artist” card that all my clients hold when booking me for their wedding day as that is a huge honor for me as an artist when they have choices all around them. Every bride receives a beauty bag from me on their wedding day which included touch up items and a personalized note from me. It is all about creating a memorable experience and my ongoing continuing education I receive from elite companies and other respected Artists that makes me that more solid in my foundation as a whole in my artistry whether it is Lashes or Makeup and the overall experience I create for my clients that I have the honor of getting to work on is what I feel separates me. I love working solo as my clients know first and foremost, they will always be working alongside with me no one else.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were just starting out?
Oh my goodness, a few things looking back now especially at how much the makeup and lash industry has evolved even in just the last five years. Beginning my makeup journey in 2005, makeup was minimal and securing an Artist was the last thing people thought about. I did not see the importance of networking, it also was not a thing then, plus I was shy because I lacked confidence not being licensed and being self-taught. I always handed my business cards to photographers, I wish I would have asked them for their cards instead because no one ever sent me professional pictures of any of my clients for my portfolio. How could they know who and what wedding I worked if they themselves had multiple weddings in one weekend? I wish I would not have been so camera shy and maybe embarked in YouTube in the early years of my career as an artist doing makeup tutorials and had built a strong social media platform as I see the importance of it now and I have just gotten on board with it since I rebranded. I wish I never gave up my lash clients and would have continued lashing with no break because I wonder how far I could be as an Artist and Lash Artist. Then there is the business side to things that I didn’t realize were such a factor like the accounting, profit and loss statements, cost of goods and taxes. If you are going to embark in a business absolutely educate yourself on all the need to knows so you are that much more successful. I have accepted my journey and grateful for all the years it has taken me to build what I have because it has made me that much better as an Artist and that much stronger and I know what I want and where I want to go. I have long term goals I want to meet and by focusing on my current short term goals these are all stepping stones for my bigger picture.