Meet Brittany Phillips

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Phillips. Brittany was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented CJ Neal.

Brittany, thank you so much for joining us today. We’d love for you to bring our readers up to speed – can you introduce yourself and share your story?
Whew! My story… Lol I’m always so awkward speaking about myself but here we go…

I started my journey doing photography with my grandfather. Anytime we had family get-togethers, my grandfather was walking around with a camera or video recorder. So naturally I took after him in that regard. I began doing small shoots with family and close friends which in turn helped me hone in on my skills and gave me diversity with muses. I started dabbling in makeup around middle school because of my older sister. She was always wearing bright eyeshadows and liners. I started playing in makeup and really fell in love with the versatility of my creativity. When I reached my freshmen year in highschool, I took a photography class as my elective. That’s where I met my first photography mentor, Mr. Baxter. He even gifted me my first film camera when I told him I was transferring schools. My 11th grade year in school was when I decided to venture out and start taking clients for both photography and makeup. My close friends and peers were some of the first to hire me doing their senior photos, prom photos, etc. I was given the lead photographer role and took just about all of the yearbook photos for my senior year.

After I graduated highschool, I spent that entire summer booking photo shoots and makeup around Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While doing all of this, I had an aunt that was working in the film and tv industry doing costumer work and she told me I should get into makeup for the film industry. I had imposter syndrome bad around this time so I never truly believed I could excel in it. But a little ways down the line that same aunt asked me to come to Phoenix, AZ and she’s help me get where I wanted to be.

August 2016, I had officially moved to Phoenix, Arizona. I was excited to be in a new state, getting to start my adult life in an entirely new environment. I sat down and really came up with a plan for the trajectory of my plans. In October of 2016, I had enrolled into esthetics school because I knew in order to have flawless makeup that started with the skin. It was an adventure for sure and I got to teach the makeup classes because of my prior experience. The school ended up hiring me after I graduated because I saw a lack of representation in the administration, not only in skin color but for the esthetics side of the school. I made it my duty to make sure my esthetics girls got a better experience than me but also feel supported and understood in their journey. This is where I met Carrie Neal! There was so much transitioning happening at levels above us that it was effecting the students. Carrie was actually the first student I was able to help and that made me really see that I was able to make an impact. The entire time, I was still taking makeup and photography clients.

The school ended up closing down indefinitely about a year after that, pushing me to truly go into my passions full time. I remember scrolling my Facebook and seeing Carrie’s post about her going full time into her esthetic’s career and that she was offering services at her new location on Grand Ave. I immediately booked an appointment because I wanted to show my support, especially to someone I knew. After that appointment, she and I realized how closely our journeys aligned and I came to do some secretarial work for her shop. We later on began working together, with Carrie’s business growing she had to get a larger shop. We found a shop down the way from her original shop with three large rooms for various services to be offered. I honestly was terrified because I had never had my own space to work out of or do business in but she saw something in me and told me to just go for it.

Covid then came around, pushing for us to close the shop down for a bit, which of course stopped me from being able to take clients and make money. It was a very rough time not just in the world but within business and my personal life. We ended up having to close the shop down because it became a lot financially. I ended up moving in with my mentor/uncle David Scott and he owned a full production studio that allowed me to delve into my skill set on a deeper level. We were doing creative shoots just about every week. He and his business partner, Dawnyelle McCloud helped me to build my business presence on social media as well as giving me life gems that I still use to this day.

On August 20, 2020, I got some of the worse news of my life. One of my baby brothers had been murdered back home. David and Cece Peniston made sure I was able to get home to be with my family, grief, and just get time away. When I returned to Phoenix, I realized how badly I needed to be around my family back home. I ended up packing all of my things and my aunt flew out to Phoenix to help me pack the rental car and drive back to Louisiana.

When I got to Louisiana, I told my aunt I was ready to join the film industry. She made some calls, pulled some strings and I had a Makeup Department Head calling me to do an informal interview for a 5 day pilot for Disney. Since then, I’ve got the ground rolling and I’ve been doing makeup in the television and film industry for roughly 2 years and a half!

Please talk to us about your creative work and career. What should we know?
So it’s been a minute since I’ve really gotten to dive into my photography but I do post work from time to time on my Photography IG which can be found at www.instagram.com/Photogrvph. My makeup artistry and film adventures can be found on my makeup IG at www.instagram.com/beatbybrittmua. If you’d like to check out the films I’ve worked on, you can search me up on IMDB.com or here at the link: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13394473/

So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by CJ Neal and Counter Culture Esthetics LLC and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Counter Culture Esthetics LLC.
OMG! I can talk about my baby all day!

So I initially met CJ being her Career Service Advisor at the esthetics school we both graduated from! After I booked one of my first professional services with her, she shared her vision and where she wanted to be. I was inspired and I wanted to help her make it happen because I could clearly see everything she wanted her business to be and look like. She wasn’t your average white walled, white towel spa offering skin services. Carrie had a certain way she wanted her clients to feel when laying on her table, and she definitely created that. She truly created a vibe like no other skin care spa you’ve ever been to.

When she and I came together, I learned so much from her. She showed and taught me the business side of things as well as made me reevaluate how I viewed my craft. She showed me what being passionate about something truly meant as well. I’ve always admired her never letting others impose on her dreams. CJ made and continues to make things happen.

I think my biggest love for Counter Culture Esthetics is that CJ does focus on skincare for brown and black people. How many estheticians can you count that do that? It’s easy to sell a product and make it sound good, but when you have the ability to showcase that product working and on skin that resembles yours…a whole other ballgame. She takes pride in continuing her education to make sure she offers clients the best of what the industry has but also making sure it will benefit the skin in the long run!

Counter Culture has been the home to many small businesses, especially those of us just stepping into our businesses full time. It’s a place anyone feels at home, around friends, and relaxation. There’s always some dope ass music playing, laughter flowing, and beautiful smiles. The community knows CJ because of her colorful personality and giving heart. She had a way of bringing in those within the community and turning conversations into dance parties! I often times think back to being able to work along side CJ and I miss it. The synchronization that would happen when we’d have clients in and out was nothing short of beautiful. CJ and Counter Culture Esthetics will always have a home in my heart. It definitely helped shape and mold me!

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13394473/

Instagram: Www.instagram.com/beatbybrittmua

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-phillips-2244471b2

Twitter: Www.Twitter.com/BPhilMUA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100025430164109&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Brittany Phillips