Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Martinez.
Gabriella, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I think I’ve always loved makeup. I distinctly remember strolling through the mall as a little, little girl and never missing an opportunity to rush into Sephora or MAC to apply every lip-gloss I could possibly get my hands on. Overtime, it went from stopping in for a quick lip-gloss application to swatching every single eyeshadow palette that had the “try me” sticker displayed.
During Christmas morning of 2015, I received everything that comprised my 17 year old self’s makeup kit: NAKED2 eyeshadow palette, 5 Sephora Collection brushes, a black Covergirl mascara, Milani’s Rose blush & a lip-gloss from Victoria Secret’s Beauty Rush collection- just a few items that I made suffice to begin my exploration in makeup.
Naturally I’m a bit of a night owl, so I began spending nights till dawn in my bathroom- my phone duct taped to the wall to provide direct light from the flashlight app, my handheld mirror propped up on a stack of textbooks and my cosmetics laid out in front of me. Didn’t take too long for my mom to notice I was just getting to bed while she was waking up for work, which didn’t sit well with her and said I was no longer allowed to be going to sleep so late when I had school the next morning. My headstrong self (or hardheaded- whichever works!) of course was not going to listen to my mom. Instead, I began putting a towel in the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor to prevent the light within the bathroom to reflect down the hallway; and just kept right along with my midnight hour makeup sessions. *laughing* Looking back now, I’m so glad I didn’t listen.
My first paying client came about during my senior year of high school, specifically booking for her prom night (i.e.: one of THEE most important and fabulous night of a teenage girl’s life- so yeah, you could say I was internally freaking out considering the fact that I had never worked on anyone else’s face other than mine). She wanted a blue smokey eye to match her navy blue dress, so my next step was to run to CVS and buy an eyeshadow palette with blue tones that would fit in my non-employed, highschool-er budget; thankfully enough, she ended up loving it! After talking to my family later that night about my successful first client, my sister encouraged me to start up an Instagram account solemnly for my makeup; that’s the night Glammed Up by Gabby came to be!
4 years later and completely self-taught, I’ve evolved from 1 palette to about 20, 5 brushes to about 50, and from 1 face to over 100 faces, this year alone.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part it’s been a pretty smooth journey. I think the hardest moments I’ve overcome are the moments of self-doubt. Those moments have come about during the slow peaks of the makeup artistry season, when I’d get maybe 1 or 2 bookings a week, if that; making me think “there’s so many more exposed artists out there, of course I’m not getting booked. Maybe this isn’t for me”. But they’ve also come about for me during times of declination. About a year ago I applied to work at different cosmetics stores, hoping that I’d be the perfect fit for their team so that I could expand in my skill and expertise. However, both times I’ve been deferred with emails saying, “I’m not what they’re looking for at the moment”. Maybe that’s been for simple reasons such as my limited availability or because I don’t have enough work experience, but I’ve interpreted it to be much deeper than that. “My work is not good enough. I’m just a rookie. I’M not good enough.”—or so I thought to myself. But little did I know, that God truly works in mysterious ways. And perhaps the reason I never landed those positions or never got booked more often were because he had something much greater in store for me. As time has gone by, the opportunities that have come about have been the reminders I’ve needed to instill in myself that I am so much better than I give myself credit for. They’ve instilled that I am thee best version of my very own self and that is MORE than enough. They’ve also been the perfect reminder in the oh so cliché saying, “everything happens for a reason”- at the moment we may not know what that reason is, but in due time trust that that reason will reveal itself unexpectedly.
Glammed Up by Gabby – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Glammed Up by Gabby, as previously mentioned, came about one Friday evening after being inspired from my successful first client. I never thought this big hearted, yet small driven business would’ve been as successful as it is today. Glammed Up by Gabby offers makeup artistry services for any event you could think of and in any location desired- whether it’s a celebration or Halloween, to your long-awaited big wedding day or even just because you feel like a little pick me up is long overdue!
Within Glammed Up by Gabby, I’m most proud of a few things. First and foremost being the fact that I’m completely self-taught– No. No YouTube, no tutorials, no courses- just me, my brushes and my cosmetic collection. With that, I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve managed to work on over 250 faces, both locally and across the state, and in just a short amount of time reaching such success all the while still keeping up with my studies in nursing school. It’s definitely a tough time-managing pill to swallow but I do this all with passion and drive to make a difference in someone’s life, whether it’s health wise or aesthetically. Which leads me to the next question. Despite the insane amount of detailed talent these Miami artists have to offer, I think what sets me apart the most is that everything I do, I do with love and I believe it is shown and it is definitely felt. I love doing what I do and receiving a tear-jerking reaction when they have their big reveal in the mirror or when I receive compliments like, “I cried as I wiped off my makeup because I don’t think I’ve ever felt as beautiful as I did tonight. Not even on my very own wedding day.” and “I’m 90 years old and I’ve never had my makeup done. Ever. And I’m so glad you were the chosen one because you will be the only one, forever.” (the abuelitas are my favorites!)
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of the proudest moments thus far has been being requested to work with one of Miami’s top bridal hair and makeup teams. Having the opportunity to work with some of thee best this city has to offer has been so flattering and uplifting! Considering these artists have been in the industry for years and have built such a reputable name for themselves, being considered to be part of their team proved how true it is that the extent on what you can achieve is so large when when real love and dedication is put into your creations.
Brides, however, are definitely at the top of my proud moments list. It gives me a feeling of such satisfaction knowing that I was chosen to partake on a day most girls fantasize about. I was chosen to be the one to make them feel the most stunning they’ve ever felt and contribute on a day that is sure to be an everlasting memory!
Above all though, my absolute proudest moment came about this year when I booked clients from out-of-state! Those by far have been my “Woah!” moments, like I really just landed clients from California, NYC.. PARIS even! Each and every time I found myself in the booking process with these clients the only thing that ran through my mind was “if my artistry has reached far beyond just this area code in just a short period of time, then the limit on what I could accomplish in some more time is completely undetermined.”.
Pricing:
- Standard Makeup session with the application of faux strip lashes: $65
- Travel to a desired location is available at an additional fee.
- Hairstyling services are also offered! They are often done by the talented @sophies__touch. Rates vary depending on the desired style.
Contact Info:
- Address: Miami, FL 33165
- Phone: 786-391-8827
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glammedupbygabby/?hl=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/glammed-up-by-gabby-miami-2
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