Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Krein.
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?
I have been a freelance, on location hairstylist and makeup artist for the past 5 years. I specialize in wedding and event looks and also do house call haircuts. I love the flexibility of the lifestyle so much. Switching to freelance was a jump I had considered doing many years ago, but I wasn’t sure I had quite the skillset yet. In 2021, I was forced to make the leap out of salons and start traveling due to injury. I worked in salons doing hair and makeup, cutting and color mostly for 11 years. In the end of 2020, I suffered a severe muscle strain in my mid back doing too many major color transformations in a 2-week period of time. I did not take enough time off to rest (it was busy season) and kept re-injuring it again and again. I was forced to take a medical leave and re-evaluate where to go from there. In 3 months, I did every kind of rehab I could think of, but it wasn’t enough. So, I had to pivot. I started working for an on-demand app (which I still work for). I also joined a few bridal beauty teams. I even spent a few months teaching cosmetology school which turned out to not be a good fit. However, 2022 turned out to be a huge year for weddings in Texas, so even without doing brides for a while and just the wedding attendants, I started honing my skills and building up a portfolio pretty fast. Soon I was able to start my own business, which is now called “Beauty by Natalie Krein”. I still work for a couple apps and occasionally another bridal company, but mostly I have my own clients now. For house call haircuts, a few of my clients have disabilities, health concerns, or neurodivergence that makes going into a traditional salon less comfortable For my brides, I attract the generally low maintenance, career focused woman who likes a more natural look on a daily basis but wants to feel her absolute best self on her wedding day and maybe doesn’t know where to start. I regularly help people with photoshoots, headshots, videos, and looking their best for speaking engagements. I do also have some regular blowout clients. If for whatever reason you don’t want to do your hair yourself, I can be there! I love this aspect of the industry because now I am really involved in peoples’ big life events. Helping people feel more confident and their best self gives me a lot of pride.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, and that’s an understatement. Before I even started doing “on location” work, the 11 years I spent working in salons wasn’t a smooth road. I moved across the country 2 times (Illinois to Florida and Florida to Texas) and both times had to start pretty much from zero again. My way to try to establish myself and prove myself in each new place was to go through another apprenticeship program. Out of those 11 years, I spent probably 5 full years assisting other stylists. It was invaluable though, everything I learned from all those mentors has made me who I am today. When I left salons and attempted to teach cosmetology school in 2021 and 2022 during the pandemic, I can’t tell you how many things went wrong. It kind of broke my confidence. But right after, I got a position helping to do hair and makeup for a small, local film production that lasted a couple months. Between that and learning how to do special occasion hair better, I started to regain my confidence in my abilities. This industry does sometimes force people to pivot. Nobody is great at ALL aspects of hair and makeup, and lots of stylists have to cut down their hours when dealing with pain and health conditions. I now suffer from chronic pain, in my back and shoulder, so it limits me a bit. I probably cannot and will not ever go back to working in a salon full time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
For hair, I’m really great at doing blowouts. Bouncy, frizz free, voluminous blown out hair. For formal styling, I love classic, timeless, and romantic looks, like making someone look like a princess. Makeup I specialize in natural to soft glam looks: to help people look like an elevated version of themselves, but still true to them. I pride myself on being flexible with my time and reliable. I do many early morning clients because sometimes people need to be ready as early as 8:00 or 9:00 am. What sets me apart from others is the house call haircut and blowout aspect. There aren’t many of us who offer those services in the Austin area. There are still many people out there that don’t even know that’s an option, and cost wise, is similar to going into a salon.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in Champaign, Illinois, home of the University of Illinois. My parents both had PhD’s and were professors, so probably thought I’d follow in their academic footsteps. But school was always hard for me, although I did get good grades. I have literally been doing hair and makeup since I was 4 years old. I would practice constantly on my Barbies, American Girl Dolls, and babysitters. I would read all the teen, beauty and fashion magazines, and try new styles on my own hair. In middle school and high school I did friends’ hair and makeup for school dances. When I was 13 I started getting involved with a local community theater. I liked acting, and acted in over a dozen plays, but wasn’t that great at it. I started doing hair for all the shows very early on, especially the period pieces, which was so fun. I had had no formal training, and didn’t even know what teasing was yet, but I did the best I could. Senior year of high school I directed a play. I was in charge of casting, costumes, props, lighting, and sound. It was all that managing behind the scenes that was really more my speed. I did go to college, for 5 years, but hair was always calling to me. So, after I graduated, I went straight to cosmetology school and never looked back.
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