Today we’d like to introduce you to Lainie Garcia.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My first introduction to makeup (besides my younger dance years) was when I was in Colorguard at my high school. We were told to wear bright eyeshadow and blush with bold lipsticks to be seen from the top of the stadium. The amount of glue that got into my eyes while applying lashes on a moving bus is outnumbered. I started getting more interested in makeup in 2011 while attending college in my hometown Victoria, TX. My mom had bought me a 12-pack of colorful loose pigment eyeshadows and I started to experiment with mixing pigments and water to create a cream eyeshadow or eyeliner. I was quite hard on myself and even if I messed up on my looks or if my blending wasn’t perfect, I would still wear them out to teach and train myself to be better. That same year I was asked to do makeup for the Halloween haunted house at the college. This was my first time trying SFX (special effects) makeup. I immediately fell in love with it and I knew then on that it would be one of my specialties.
I moved to Austin, TX in 2012 and attended Paul Mitchell for esthetician in 2013. I continued my education at Texas Laser and Aesthetics for Laser Hair Removal (LHR). I became a licensed esthetician and LHR technician, along with many other certifications I now have. During it all, I still continued to practice makeup on myself at home and on others. I worked at a few spas as an esthetician/LHR technician but my mind was always set on making it as a makeup artist.
In 2015, I stopped working at spas and finally got a job in cosmetics as a “floater” at Macy’s. After multiple attempts since 2012 to get into the retail cosmetic world, I was always denied, so this was a big step for me. An even bigger step presented itself when I was offered a full-time position at the Impulse counter. This was one of my goals at the time, to work at a counter with multiple brands that had trendy and vivid colors. At this same time, a position was offered to me at a well-known LHR spa. The position for the spa had better hours and pay than the cosmetic one. Even though it was risky at the time, I went with my heart and passion and took the position as a cosmetic advisor. I worked in cosmetic retail for a total of 4-4 1/2 years at two department stores and managed the counter for 2 years. Over those years, I learned many tips and tricks from many talented artists that I still carry with me to this day. In all those years, I never watched YouTube videos for guidance or help, I simply watched other local artists around me and continued attending makeup artistry classes and trade shows. In early 2019, I attended a week-long program at Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles, CA for SFX. I worked at perfecting SFX that year while working my non-cosmetic retail job. In the Summer of 2019, I got the position I had been applying for since around 2015, as a makeup artist for the House of Torment haunted house. This was a turning point when I could say I finally felt 100% that this is what I am supposed to be doing in life. I made the decision that fall that I would move to Los Angeles in the spring of 2020. The pandemic changed my plans of this. In the Fall of 2021, I landed my first job as an SFX makeup artist for a film and started working at BatCity Scaregrounds haunted house as a makeup artist. From the fall of 2021 until now, I have worked on more than a dozen projects, including films, music videos, personal clients and events. I am very excited to see where the future continues to take me in this industry because I know this is just the start of everything to come.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No, not at all. Some of the struggles along the way included self-love, depression, COVID, and life situations. There were many discouraging moments that I felt set me back from continuing to stay focused on the right path.
After moving to LA, little did I know, my plans would be upended a week before leaving due to the shutdown of everything from COVID and quarantines. My dreams suddenly washed away and I felt very discouraged. I had to rethink the situation and where I was going from this point on. I stopped doing makeup and just let the months go by while working at my job trying to survive the pandemic. My personal life changed that same year which took a toll on my life. The end of 2020 through 2021 was a very hard time with many challenging obstacles. This was the time for personal healing and growth to take place.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a self-taught makeup artist. I have been doing makeup for 10 years. I specialize in high fashion and special effects for clients, films, music videos, and more. I am known for my special effects (blood and gore) the most.
I am most proud of my dedication to continue chasing my dream of being a makeup artist after being denied and told multiple times I would not make it. Looking back on the years, I have put so much time and effort into my artistry and continue to work at it. Another thing I’m most proud of is my progress over the years and how original and true I’ve stayed to my own ideas and not taking much inspiration from social media influencers.
What I would say sets me apart from others is my creative style. I don’t follow the current makeup trends and continue to let my artistry naturally come out. If I see it in my mind, I try to find a way to create it.
Many clients have told me I am not like other makeup artists, I never understood why and they always tell me that I listen to what they are wanting and I don’t make them look too different from their natural appearance. I have always wanted to do makeup to make someone feel beautiful in their skin as themselves and to embrace their look. I always tell my clients, “All I did was enhance what you already have.”
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice for those just starting is to learn as much as you can from other artists, take your time to perfect your craft and practice on yourself and others to become a better artist. Try not to become defeated and just remember you’ll get to where you want to be over time.
I wish I would have known how supportive other artists can be to each other and to just take those chances, take that leap of faith regardless of what people may have thought or said about myself or my art.
Be true to yourself.
Pricing:
- Personal Clients: $80-$175 including travel
- Films/Music Videos: Contact for pricing
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timelessbeautybylainie/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/timelessbeautybylainie
Image Credits
Simone Rae Photography
JRCxPhotography
