Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Ingram.
Robin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I never saw myself being a makeup artist growing up. I wore a little makeup in high school and my earlier years of college but it was always very minimal. In my first year of living in Atlanta, I made a friend and she was the epitome of “glam”. She was always on point. Her hair was always done, makeup was always on, nails were perfectly manicured and always wore the cutest clothes. One afternoon, while hanging out at her house, I asked her to do my makeup like she always wears hers. The full face before I knew what full face was. It was at that moment, I became obsessed. I was in love. She opened me up to the world of makeup I never knew existed. She inspired me and I wanted to be able to execute makeup on myself with such precision the way she did. I didn’t want to wash it off because I knew I would never be able to recreate what she did. I can’t even lie, I wore that makeup for two days. I immediately went to the nearest drugstore and bought my first eyebrow pencil. I was determined to get the technique behind a perfectly sculpted eyebrow down packed. I started spending at least an hour a day trying to do what my friend did. It was not easy, but I wasn’t going to give up just like that. I needed those eyebrows in my life. Then I discovered Youtube as I turned to that as my source of “education”. Once again, I had no idea that tutorials were such a hot commodity as they are in today’s world. The desire to learn eyebrows quickly turned in to the desire to learn how to blend eyeshadow perfectly which turned into the desire to highlight and contour.
Before I knew it, a full face became a part of my daily routine. The people around me who I saw regularly started to take notice of my developing skills and soon wanted me to do their makeup too. I was nervous. I didn’t think I was good enough. I practiced on my face all day (and night). But executing makeup on another person who may be of a different skin tone or have a face structure that did not resemble mine was a completely different ball game. We all have to leap of faith at some point in our lives and it was my turn. I started taking clients and took branding myself as a makeup artist seriously. I had found my calling. I had more of a purpose in life and that was making women more beautiful and instilling confidence within their hearts. I’ve people cry after looking at themselves in the mirror. There is no better feeling than having the ability to make people not only look good on the outside but make them feel good on the inside. I can’t thank God enough for aligning my path with that friend who opened that door for me and introduced me to a craft turned career.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No road to success is a smooth one. You see people who may have been doing it longer than you and it sometimes makes you wish you were in their shoes. Especially when it comes to social media and follower counts. It can be discouraging when you wake up every day, put your makeup on, take photos and don’t get the number of likes you were hoping for. It can make you feel like you are doing something wrong. As if your makeup applications aren’t as good as the next. But you can’t let that deter you from continuing to put your best foot forward and keep perfecting your craft. I may not be a celebrity makeup artist (yet) but I have touched several lives that I probably wouldn’t have been able to with a different career choice. The best part is, I’ve made some lifelong friends with people who started as just a client.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Robin Niccole Makeup Artistry specializes in makeup that is glamorous yet natural. In other words, you can enjoy the effect of wearing full-face makeup without taking away from your natural beauty or making her clients feel like “not themselves.” Her portfolio includes several weddings, glamour or themed photoshoots, special event makeup such as homecomings & proms, even some special effect makeup seen around Halloween. Robin has spent several years learning about different techniques, styles and face structures that give her the ability to cater to any client no matter how they may look. She is a makeup artist for all!
What were you like growing up?
Surprisingly, growing up I was very tomboyish. In my earlier years, I played video games and a giant 3 ring binder full of Pokémon cards. My parents never bought us a game system growing up but my grandparents kept all the latest systems and games at their house for when all the grandchildren came over to visit. I would always be the first one to jump out of the car and run to the back room so I could be the first to play. Yes, I was a video game hog and I hated when I had to get off and let someone else play. When I entered middle school, I tapped into my athletic side and began my reign as a cheerleader. This carried on all the way through high school but I still never considered myself to be “girly.” People knew me then for my elite level tumbling. I had a background in gymnastics, giving me an advantage over most of my team mates. I could do backhand springs half away across the gym before getting tired. I cheered for the football team and did competitive cheer as well. I was on varsity all four years in high school. During the offseason from school, my mom would let us participate in an all-star squad. We traveled all over the state and sometimes out of state to compete against some of the best squads out there. After high school, I briefly worked as a gymnastics coach at my local YMCA before making my move to the ATL.
Contact Info:
- Email: beautybynicc@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @popof_robin
- Facebook: Robin Niccole Makeup Artistry
Image Credit:
@thecamkilla
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