Check Out Jazzlyn Kirkland’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazzlyn Kirkland.

Hi Jazzlyn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hi I’m Jazzlyn and I go by Cookie Valentine online. I’m a pro makeup artist here in Las Vegas currently. I’m a small town girl from little ole South Bend, Indiana where I fell in love with all things music. I’m a millennial gal and grew up on MTV, Making the video and just knew I had to be a part of the behind the scenes at a young age. High school I was graduating and was supposed to go to UCF (University of Central Florida) but life had other plans for me ! But omg if I went to UCF, Diplo went to UCF ! Anyway, I digress I instead watched Real World Las Vegas and said that’s where the action is and moved here straight out of high school. I always wanted to do work in music via communications so I went to college for journalism and media and became a journalist and worked for Curvy Magazine, Grungecake, EDM Magazine etc. Through that work I got exposed to the dance music community and went to my first music festival covering the event for a magazine and came out a changed woman. I saw so much beauty and freedom and diversity and thought, how can I get in on this. I started raving and that was the gateway that started my makeup journey. I went on to do brand ambassador and model work for companies like Iheartraves, telepakik, curvy rave babes, positive pasties, squad goals beauty and more but my big break was when I met the owner of Lunautics and she hired me to work for her brand as a makeup artist and ambassador for Electric Daisy Carnival. I worked for them for quite a few years until 2023. I had my eyes on more and when 2023 came and went and literally broke me down I decided I was going to work smarter and not harder and started aiming for the top. Working everything from production assistant gigs to personal assistant, running green rooms, working as an artist liason, hell, even getting paid to get clothes to my favorite artists. I worked hard ! Now NFL Halftime shows, glamming the hosts for Iheartradio music festival, iconic clients and in rooms that I never thought was possible.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not a smooth road by any means. Once I started working in edm business culture I quickly learned being a plus size black woman in the space was a big no no unless you had the skin of an elephant to hear how many different ways that you’re too black and too fat but we ball. I’m all about fun and there’s been too many times over the years that I work big festivals and shows and have my plus size black clients tell me that they are so happy that I am there and I love being able to breathe life into everyone! So I decided in 2023 that I was no longer going to let a business side of a beautiful community try to diminish my light and started finding community with smaller collectives and working on the ground actually helping people and only once I did that I started to blossom and grow because I stopped looking at this as a business or a service, I started looking for how I could help all people that have felt unrepresented. Even know being on sets of some of the biggest events, you get snide remarks here and there but those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind and you just have to keep a smile on your face a little finger for the haters.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I like to label myself as an event makeup artist but these past 3 years I’ve dabbled in quite a few things. High definition makeup for tv and film, beginner and advanced airbrush (thank you Airbrush Diva, she’s the absolute best in the game, I took her class). My festival glams are my claim to fame, bright eyeshadow, glitter and gems. I’ve done quite a few weddings as well. Ah my most proud, goodness let’s see…. Last year I started working for a company called Tynsel & Co and we’re located at The Backstreet Boys pop up by Vibee at The Venetian and I honestly CRIED MY EYES OUT when I got booked for that. Also having my work with sofar Las Vegas and vangaudy haus featured in the Las Vegas Weekly, I got copies for all of my family and friends and then lastly this year during Electric Daisy Carnival a few of my events hairstylist friends and I are facilitating our own pop up for EDC week in Downtown Las Vegas at The Gather house from Wednesday to Friday and that has been a literal dream of mine. Thanks to @deadlysinfulbraidingco for being my hair Besti and making all of this possible! It’s going to be a wild ride!

Hotel EDC, Volta Beauty, Lunautics, NFL Halftime Glam for Rhonda Smith and Super Bowl events with her as well, BiteSiZeD Media, Safel Productions, Nuwu Las Vegas, I’m literally drawing a blank because I’m booked solely on Referals I don’t advertise and that just makes me feel so warm when I get suggested for some of these teams I’ve been on like Iheartradio and bravo tv (production not makeup) for 3+ years annually. My most proud moment was finally winning my parents over, I have a 15 year pharmacy career in between all of this (Military and Educator parents) and their badge of honor USED to be on my daughter is a pharmacy technician or oh my daughter is going to pharmacy school and NOW …. I catch them talking about me and they’re like Oh Jazz she’s on set doing makeup and like, I’m literally crying thinking about it. Warms my double Virgo heart.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Be yourself! Please, we don’t need you to be another copy or watered down version of someone else. Not only love what you do, love how you make people feel is WHATEVER you’re doing. The good thing to do is always going to take you a bit longer the screwing people over and when you finally get to your gold, your karma is not going to take it away but grow it, as much as you grow and pour into others and leave a lasting impression. I always say the least interesting thing about me if how I look because to be in my presence is an experience and not a lot of people can say they KNOW they leave people feeling better, lighter, seen and loved and it has nothing to do with the service I’m providing them. Love and support your colleagues. No one is your competitor if you’re showing up as your best self, so many times we reach up, that’s also great but pay attention to the people next to you and how you all move instead of making everything a competition. And practice plur – Peace, Love, Unity and Respect

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/cookievalentine
• LinkedIn: Jazzlyn Kirkland
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cookievalentine