Today we’d like to introduce you to Taya Burns.
Taya, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Heyyyy Guys! I’m Taya Marin, owner of Taya Marin Beauty, traveling hair and makeup artist, Youtuber, and lover of all things glam. I’m currently based in Charlotte, NC but I travel to surrounding areas including Atlanta and areas in Virginia for bridal clients and events.
Born in Boston, MA but raised in Hampton, VAmy passion for hair started early. I have photos of me at age five sitting at my toy vanity set styling my hair not knowing my gift would grow tremendously throughout my life. I taught myself how to braid and I experimented with different styles on my neighborhood friends. By high school, I was braiding hair for $10-$20 a head in my mom’s living room. I was always doing something to my hair, chopping it, dyeing it, bleaching it (eek). I colored my hair bright red (Jazzing “Ruby Red” to be exact) and got the nickname “Charli Baltimore” –you couldn’t tell me a thing!
Fast forward to college, I attended Virginia Tech to pursue a degree in Property Management. Being a PWI in the mountains of VA, there weren’t many salons that serviced black women in the area. I became the go-to stylist for many of the girls on campus doing sew-ins, blowouts, braids, and experimenting making wigs with our beauty supply store pack hair. In hindsight, I realize this time of my life really transformed my talents into more than a hobby and something I wanted to pursue.
After graduation, I relocated to Raleigh, NC to start my property management career and boy–it was awful. I’d run myself into the ground working eight to ten hour days then coming home and servicing hair clients. What I thought I had planned for my life just wasn’t coming to fruition, I was frustrated, exhausted, and slowly losing passion for hair. I was 22 feeling 40 and just knew this couldn’t be it.
One day in 2015, I randomly decided to order a set of makeup brushes after watching a makeup video on YouTube. Call it cliché but it changed my life! I haven’t stopped doing makeup since that day. I felt ignited again and found a new passion in makeup, starting my own YouTube channel doing both hair and makeup tutorials. That same year I booked my first bridal client, started booking makeup and hair for photoshoots, and became a beauty contributor for Everything Girls Love (EGL) digital magazine. It felt like I stumbled into my purpose.
In 2017, I decided to go back to school for my MBA and while in school I continued to work full time and service clients on nights/weekends. By 2019 I was in my last year and was assigned a project to provide a detailed business plan. That’s where the Taya Marin Beauty brush collection was first envisioned and I began simultaneously completing my project and executing in real life. In November 2019, one month shy of graduation, I launched my own cosmetic brush line. I was scared to death! But by God’s grace, the launch was amazing and I’ve been surrounded by nothing but love and support ever since. This journey has been rewarding, fulfilling, exhausting, daunting, exciting all in one. Pushing past my fears and doubts was the best thing I could’ve ever done and I’m excited to see where the journey takes me.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth–NAH! Fulfilling, absolutely. I think my biggest struggle at one point in the earlier stages of my journey was that I got sucked into the fallacies that comes with social media–comparison, doubt, thinking everyone had it all together except me. The idea versus the reality of being an entrepreneur will have you feeling bamboozled because what people don’t show are the failures, the amount of energy spent and money going out before you see any type of return. Once I let go of those notions and the pressure of having it all together, I allowed myself to tackle things one step at a time. The passion for what you do is what will keep you going during the challenging times.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Taya Marin Beauty story. Tell us more about the business.
My business is all things beauty! As a hair stylist, I specialize in sew-ins, custom wigs, silk presses. As a makeup artist, I specialize in bridal, event, and editorial makeup. I have my own brand of cosmetic brushes and beauty sponges with plans to expand into a full cosmetic makeup line, coming soon! 🙂
There’s so much to be proud of! I’m so proud to be a black woman and business owner in a world that isn’t conditioned to celebrate black women–but most importantly I’m proud of my customers and clients. I feel like my purpose is to not just style but educate my clients and I’ve watched their hair/makeup journeys grow alongside my own. Seeing them spark their interest in makeup using my brushes makes me feel all like a big kid on Christmas morning.
I don’t know if this necessarily sets me apart but I will say that I’m learning to take myself and my own plans out of the equation. Being a business owner comes with many challenges that can make anyone want to give up, but it’s bigger than me. It’s more than money and the bigger picture won’t allow me to quit on myself and everyone rooting for me.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Many of the major cosmetic brands we’ve known capitalize off of the influence of black and brown culture but continue to treat inclusivity as an option. My hope is that we’ll see an upward trend of black and brown owned beauty brands with stronger distribution/representation amongst major retailers across the globe.
Pricing:
- Taya Marin Beauty 15-Piece Signature Brush Collection – $34.99
- Taya Marin Beauty 6-Piece Face Essentials Brush Set- $24.99
- Taya Marin Beauty 9-Piece Eye Essentials Brush Set- $24.99
- Taya Marin Beauty Makeup Sponge-$6.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tayamarinbeauty.com
- Email: tayamarinbeauty@gmail.com
- Instagram: @tayamarinbeauty
Image Credit:
Rhakim Smith
Jeffrey Lynn Media
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