Meet Leslie Medina of Makeupbylesliem in Miami Lakes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Medina.

Leslie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My makeup story begins a few years ago, in my room. I had begun to explore YouTube and finding what kind of videos interested me most. I started off by watching lifestyle and fashion youtubers. I quickly started using YouTube as a learning tool and finding out how to do new things. I still remember the day I searched on YouTube for something along the lines of, “How to do Smokey eyeshadow.” An abundance of makeup videos popped up and it was like the beginning of something big for me. I remember clicking on a NikkieTutorials Smokey eyes makeup tutorial. This opened up my interest in makeup and I began to practice makeup on myself and creativity flowed out of me.

My parents and other family members realized on how I had started to wear makeup on myself and also on how much knowledge I was quickly gaining on it. Thankfully they were always supportive on what I did. I had gained love for makeup and it was a source of relaxation for me, or how others may call it “Makeup therapy”. My family members and friends started wanting me to do makeup on them and I was more than happy to do this. It was almost like if I enjoyed doing makeup on someone else more then I loved doing it on myself. Seeing how it made someone more confident in themselves really brought a smile to my face. Fast forward to two years later, November of 2017. I opened up a makeup account. I did this just for fun, not really thinking of what it could turn into. I posted eyeshadow looks and pictures about makeup products. I quickly started to gain a following and I was very surprised that people actually enjoyed my work. I then started getting emails from company’s wanting to send me free makeup products so I could feature them on my page. I was so thankful for those opportunities since it was a life changing experience for me, I would have never thought a company would actually support my work. I also started creating makeup tutorials!

Today I am now on several Pr list of bigger brands such as Pixi Beauty, Pop beauty, etc. As for today, I have turned into not only a upcoming social media influencer but also a makeup artist. I have gotten booked for photography makeup, wedding guests makeup, special occasions and even for concerts! This is something that I would have never imagined I would achieve but I am so grateful for it and it’s a perfect example of turning your hobby and your passion into your job. I also had the amazing opportunity to participate in a Master Class by Celebrity Makeup Artist Mario Dedivanovic. This has taught me so much more about makeup and how to do makeup according to every persons skin type. For example, youthful skin types, mature skin, Dry skin, oily skin, combination skin and so much more! I use all these tips on my clients today and have seen how happy people get when makeup truly fits them.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Thankfully most of my journey has been smooth sailing. However, this all didn’t just happen magically. I worked very hard on my makeup account and truly was dedicated in making myself better at what I did. I am perfectionist when it comes to makeup. This can be a bad thing since I expect nothing other than perfection when I do makeup but this has also challenged me to do better. This is the only way I pursued into becoming great at what I did, so I did not become lazy when it came to makeup skills. When I do a clients makeup, I want to always create what they expect to look like at the end. I listen to what they tell me they like and what they don’t like. I try my best to fulfill what they want, seeing someone happy on how they look makes my day. I want to encourage others that are discouraged in how they do makeup to not give up. It takes practice and practice and more practice. This is also the reason why I started offering makeup classes as well. I want to help others truly reach their full capacity and try something new. It’s always a good thing to do.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Makeupbylesliem – what should we know?
I specialize in special occasion makeup. So basically everything. I do makeup for, photo shoots, party’s, weddings, concerts, maternity shoots, anything you need! As I said before, I also do small makeup classes. I include goody bags filled with key makeup items that I believe help start off someone’s makeup collection. I enjoy seeing the happiness on someone’s face when I finish their makeup or when they are able to do makeup on themselves in my makeup lessons. I love helping people be able to do something they’ve always wanted to. I also gain so much knowledge from these experiences and I’m always open to learning something new and making myself better.

Constructive criticism always helps. As a service provider, I’m mostly proud of how I’ve been able to achieve a lot of things at such a young age, I would’ve never imagined this for myself. I love looking at the work of other makeup artists, and I like learning about what techniques they use since everyone has their own personal techniques. It’s really fascinating. What I believe sets me apart from others is that I’m always looking on how to improve myself. I love getting tips from other working artists and trying out the tricks they tell me about. I’m such a hard worker and I don’t give up when something isn’t going right. Always try your best.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @makeupbylesliem Instagram.com/makeupbylesliem

Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.