Meet Andrew Carter

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Carter.

Andrew, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, I loved art so much that I begged my parents to let me take as many art classes as possible. I got my start from doing theatre. I loved singing and acting as well as working behind the scenes doing props, lighting, and sound. Combing my passion for theatre with my fine arts background I fell in love with makeup as a form of art. Originating in San Jose, California in 2006, Andrew Carter Beauty was born on the belief that enhancing and capturing one’s beauty through makeup, hair, and photography provides a person with not only a physical but also an emotional sense of transformation. I was quite young when I started doing makeup, hair, and photography for friends, neighbors, etc. So much so that I had just started high school the year I created my company. Insane, I know.

I was always very determined and enjoyed working. While refining my interpersonal skills thru high school and college I was planning my goals and career path. I would drive almost 6 hours from San Jose California to Los Angeles to get more experience and do work. I couldn’t afford to live there but would stay with friends for a week or so at a time before going back to my family home. I soon made the decision to move out on my own across country to South Florida so I could further my career. Luckily it was much more affordable than L.A. and there was so much to do here with photoshoots and the fashion industry. I’ve lived in the Fort Lauderdale area for maybe eight years now and have had the opportunity to do makeup and hair for countless weddings, proms, television, films, fashion shows as well as teach makeup master classes.

Over the years, I have represented many skincare, makeup, and hair care brands for both retail and special events, gaining further insight into the beauty industry, from both a creative and business standpoint. I have to say even though the move was scary and risky it forced me to be even more determined. I have built an extensive resume that includes names of well-known actors, supermodels, tv personalities, and socialite clientele which I am proud of. From the opportunities I’ve had since my move to Florida, I have been flown all over the country for product photography, makeup for important events, editorial shoots, and brand consulting for other brand startups. In 2018, we (Andrew Carter Beauty) launched custom hair extensions and full lace high definition wigs. Now I am launching a line of beauty products as of July 10th, 2019. This is one of my biggest business endeavors and I am so excited for people to love the products.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Other than moving across the country with a small amount of money in my bank account it was a struggle figuring out what to do next to further my career goals. Those around me, although very supportive of me and my goals in general, did not have a comprehensive understanding of the industry I was entering, therefore I have had to navigate the industry by myself. I was lucky to find financial stability in the retail sector of the beauty industry early on while developing my own skills further. It’s easy to get comfortable in retail work but I knew that I was practically putting my business goals on hold continuing to work for other brands sometimes up to 80 hours a week.

Most entrepreneurs, especially early on, have to sacrifice some amount of stability in order to focus on building their brand/company, and learning to accept that and find focus without that security and comfort was a challenge. It may be clear that I am a bit of a workaholic. My personal life has definitely suffered due to work. For several years I have had an off and on long distance relationship which was a blessing on one end because I was so busy but challenging because we were not able to spend as much quality time together as we wanted.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Andrew Carter Beauty – what should we know?
Andrew has an impressive 13-year career as a professional published makeup artist, hairstylist, and photographer. He has done men’s grooming for several television, film, and Broadway actors, glammed popular Netflix actresses, famous singers, even global supermodels. Andrew has had his work featured on the news and in movies, as well as on the runway. Being a former performer himself, Andrew understands what it takes to make sure your hair and makeup are stunning.

“My parents always told me if I ever wanted anything special, I would have to work hard for it. From a young age, I learned to be patient, hardworking, and driven.”

My fine arts background has been able to tie into everything I do. I have a unique style that people gravitate towards. I tend to do very dramatic makeup that is blended so much that it doesn’t appear harsh or too heavy. My signature look is a glamorous sophisticated smokey eye with sculpted facial features and a nude glossy lip. I always incorporate color into an eye looks. Even if it’s a neutral eye I will deconstruct the main colors. Say brown for example. The color brown contains many other colors mixed together to create it. So if it’s a warm brown there may be reds and oranges in it. If its a more cool toned brown then I may opt for mauves and navys to embellish the look. This technique is used in fine arts painting but I very rarely have seen it utilized in makeup in this way. It created layers and depth that I have not seen before.

Of course, there’s color correcting which is a widely used technique for professions but that is still very different that color deconstruction. As far as my hair services are concerned, I specialize in hair extensions and extreme blonding. This is when the hair is lightened so much so that it can appear almost white. I call it unicorn hair because when you are able to safely lift the hair so light, you can tone it to white or make it any magical color you want such as lavender, pink, or almost holographic looking if you incorporate many different tones into one look. Many hairstylists are afraid to do these looks maybe because cosmetology school doesn’t teach you these techniques. Their focus is to make sure you don’t injure a client which is of course very important, but it often doesn’t emphasize experimentation to develop such unique techniques.

For my photography, I look at composition and try to achieve a very aesthetic result. I specialize in retouching work. Many photographers I have worked with over the years have hired me to retouch for them because I don’t just blur skin or use presets. I treat each photograph as an art piece. I will hand draw all the required corrections directly onto the digital image in several different layers creating a very natural looking yet dramatic result.

What are your plans for the future?
I will be further developing my brand. I started with the custom extensions and full lace high definition wigs and now its curated cruelty-free mink eyelashes and accessories. I plan to expand upon the lash collection and add more styles in the future as well as launch an array of profession beauty tools and other cosmetics of course. I will be continuing to make educational videos for my YouTube channel for other professionals as well as consumers who want to know how to do certain looks. I am working on collaborating with other companies such as The Makeup Club in Hollywood, Florida. They are a retail store for professionals that offer all kind of niche beauty products as well as teach makeup courses. I am planning a master class with them for future.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andrewcarterbeauty.com
• Instagram: Andrewcarterbeauty
• Other: www.youtube.com/c/andrewcarterbeauty

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