Meet Ray Kadiri

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Kadiri.

Hi Ray, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Hi! I’m Ray, a beauty professional, entrepreneur, and content creator. I’ve been in the beauty industry since my early days in the fashion industry in the Middle East. I started as a model working with and walking for some local and international brands under a pseudonym. 

Being the only black model on set inspired me to learn how to do my glam because I was tired of looking garish, and feeling unlike myself every time I got out of the makeup artist chair. From there, I started getting more into the creative beauty process behind the scenes and grew a passion for helping people [particularly black women who are often an afterthought in the industry] feel empowered through beauty. 

My social media journey began after I relocated to North America and began finding confidence in myself and my creative artistry. I started sharing makeup of the day posts when I was in university to show my growing audience the looks, I created daily and wore to my classes. I would walk into class, 20 minutes late with my chest… sporting a double-winged spiral liner or green lipstick on a casual “yes I’m late but fashionably so” attitude. 

Even though I was late… I SLAYED every single day I showed up. [and passed mostly]. I would start not wanting to go to class, but after creating the makeup look of the day, I’d feel incredible, and my anxiety would take a back seat. At the forefront of my head was now “Oh they HAVE TO see this slay” so I’d push myself to go to class even though I didn’t want to. I’d walk around the hallways, go to the library… just take myself places where I could be seen, headphones in, and walk explored. The slay had to be SEEN. and when I started to notice that people were feeling inspired by my looks in person and on social media; people from all over the world, I was also inspired to keep sharing my creativity and authentically keep being myself. 

I struggled with what I now know as anxiety and creating beautiful looks served as an outlet for my mental health allowing me to feel empowered that has also been a major driving force in my wanting to help others feel empowered too be it by inspiring them to try out something new with their look, style or adventure in their life. 

I briefly worked at a major beauty retailer and even though my experience there was limited and I did not get what I intentionally thought I wanted, I found that I developed a love for teaching clients new techniques, tips, and how to make changes in their daily looks to portray what version of themselves they felt most confident in. 

I love teaching people that you can accomplish anything as long as you actively work towards it, are flexible in your approach, and put your mind to it. I also believe in being a learner of life and I’m always open to learning more about my craft and acquiring wisdom that will help elevate myself and others around me. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road! Even though I’m grateful for my experiences I’ve also been through some obstacles. There have been many moments but here are some off the top of my head: 

– Brands thinking that inclusivity isn’t important: I’ve been advocating for the inclusion of people of color in all niches I find myself in. From my emergence in the beauty industry, and since developing an online presence I’ve strived to highlight to brands that we are not an afterthought and should be included. 

– My content is being stolen and used for promotion without my permission or go-ahead. 

– My concepts are being hijacked after gushing explicitly about them in meetings with brands and seeing them use these same concepts with no credit or acknowledgment of the source. 

– Being a tokenized pick; being an open member of the LGBTQ community and being black, some brands will only approach during black history month or Pride Month but will hardly ever look this way otherwise. 

– Feeling pressured to create content based on trends and engagement declining because of it – not everyone is into creating Halloween looks every year or drawing the Grinch on their face [but it is quite impressive]. 

– Feeling support more from strangers than friends. 

– Being underpaid and being undervalued. 

– Feeling isolated. 

– Clients trying to lowball. 

– Seeing people’s change in attitude towards me as I got more noticed. 

However, though I’ve experienced all these obstacles and more, I’ve been inspired to evolve and become firmer in my boundaries and what I allow. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a professional makeup artist and a content creator. I travel to clients and offer beauty services as well as teach people how to upgrade their look and feel more confident through makeup classes in person and virtually online. I am an entrepreneur at heart who loves doing things with my hands. 

I also own slaylikerayboutique™ an online fashion boutique that carries beauty and fashion accessories for anyone that wants to slay like Ray. I love seeing concepts develop, being a part of the process, and applying my creativity, skills, and talents where I can. 

On my journey, I have accomplished some amazing things that I couldn’t even fathom such as a pride collaboration with Ugg, working with Fenty Beauty and Fenty Puma, meeting Beyoncé’s makeup artist, and attending his makeup masterclass, working and creating content for some makeup brands I’ve long admired such as Anastasia Beverly Hills, Juvia’s Place, even landed some hotel collaborations and more. 

I’ve also now diversified my content past makeup as I was starting to feel boxed into one category. As a multi-faceted being, that overview of only a fraction of my being created a sort of existential crisis because I was like… how will people know I’m into all these other things??? After a meeting with management [me, myself, and I], an executive decision was made to just live and share the bits of my life as I pleased. Including the makeup and sometimes without the makeup. I now share content that includes food, vlogs, travel, skincare, and just living life which is considered lifestyle content. 

I’m most proud of my adaptability and resilience to keep going even though the industry has changed so much over the years. 

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
I believe we take risks daily. It just depends on if we acknowledge them or not which would rely on how big we view those risks to be. I take a risk every time I make a decision, as the alternative might’ve given a different output. Now whether that output would be much preferred or not is up to chance and my desired result. 

Risks must be taken in life. I think it’s more important to have more faith over fear in your actions. And to believe in yourself and your mission. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rayraykad.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayray_kad/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rayray_kad
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xgaGAjmUoANQwgkJ4zf3g

Image Credits
@Sara_reza, Sashimages, @Morganjollphotography, @Calvinj70, @Thisiswhereitsatnow, @Carolkaneda, @Byshaniarock, and @UggCanada [seunx]