Today we’d like to introduce you to Alaysia Belle.
Hi Alaysia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always had a passion for fashion, beauty, and art. I won Best Dressed & Miss Art Club in High School and even a Christmas card design contest once in my hometown. I knew I would one day make a career out of beauty and art eventually, but I didn’t know exactly how, when, or in what. As a child, I would watch my mother and grandmother do their makeup when they were getting dressed and would sneak and play in theirs when they weren’t around. I would beg my mom to let me wear makeup in school. Eventually, she allowed me to wear only mascara and clear gloss. That’s where my love for makeup began. 2016, after having my first child, I went through a horrible Postpartum Depression. While at home caring for my son, I would watch women on YouTube do their makeup; I’m talking for hours on end! It was so therapeutic to watch, inspiring me to get back into what I love. So, I slowly started building my makeup kit with affordable makeup products and practicing doing a full face of makeup on myself, which I had never done before. I would practice every day until, eventually, I got perfect. It was so good that my friends and family encouraged me to make a career out of it. I finally started getting booked as a freelance artist for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, you name it, literally for some of the women’s most important days of their lives. That’s when I realized I could make a career out of this. I researched the steps to becoming a professional makeup artist in South Carolina and ran across esthetician schools. I didn’t even know what an “esthetician” was at the time. I could hardly even pronounce it! But when I’m passionate about something, I go all in! So, after lots of research, I found a school in 2020, Southeastern Esthetics Institute, and enrolled right at the height of COVID-19/the pandemic. While attending school, I learned all about the anatomy of skin and the other different beauty services I could offer as an esthetician. This is where I also discovered my love for waxing and brow artistry.
I went on to complete my esthetics program in August of 2020. After taking my state boards, I was officially a licensed esthetician in South Carolina in November 2020. I’m now licensed in both South Carolina and North Carolina! I own Belle’s Beauty LLC., offering full body waxing, brow, and makeup services. I also have a budding career as a content creator on TikTok with over 12,000 loyal followers, where I show them how to do their makeup using affordable products. I’m also currently finishing up an esthetics instructor program to become a licensed esthetics instructor by the end of the year. And all of this started from a hobby I picked up while battling Postpartum Depression. I tell everyone who knows me that “makeup saved my life.”
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. Before I officially started my career, I went to college. I got a degree in something I wasn’t passionate about, and after graduating, I went through many dead-end jobs I hated! Sometimes barely making ends meet. At one point, I was so depressed because I felt like I wasn’t living my purpose. After having my son, I found my purpose again. Through life experiences, I’ve learned that the road to success is not straight and narrow. It’s full of bumps and curves. You’ll go down plenty of those roads, but eventually, one of them will lead you to your right path and destination. But it takes patience, persistence, consistency, faith, and determination. With those attributes, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Nothing is off limits, not even the sky!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As I mentioned briefly, I’m the owner of Belle’s Beauty. I specialize in full-body waxing, brow artistry, and makeup. With the completion of my esthetics instructor program this year, I will also be offering classes both online and in person, teaching everything that I do, from how to do makeup to how to full body wax to how to complete the different brow services I offer. I’m mostly known for my flawless natural makeup looks and applications and my ability to amplify a woman’s beauty through my natural makeup application techniques. My clients love how natural and skin-like I make their makeup look! This is what sets me apart from other artists. My motto is “less is more.” What I’m most proud of so far in my business is that I opened one of the first brick-and-mortar spas in my hometown fresh out of esthetics school. I had no help with business funding; it was from my hard work and dedication. I have since closed the location but plan on moving my business to Charlotte, NC, in 2024.
Any big plans?
In the future, I plan to open my own small, private esthetics school that offers my students a more intimate, one-on-one, hands-on esthetics schooling experience. But for now, I’m focused on rebranding and reopening my Belle’s Beauty spa location in Charlotte, NC. I also plan on expanding my service menu by offering new services in the new big city! I’m currently in the works of launching my digital learning academy, where I teach learners how to do their makeup and perform the services I now offer, such as full body waxing and brow artistry. I have a makeup cosmetics line I’m launching soon! I’m still taking new and old clients and creating beauty content for my TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, showing viewers how to do their makeup using affordable products.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/alaysiabelle/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alaysiabelle/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@alaysiabelle1219?si=wCDvfm-k58gA8y5Z
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bellesbeauty_?_t=8gSOroRCA74&_r=1
