Today we’d like to introduce you to Randy Silva.
Randy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My excitement for makeup started back in 2008 while I was going to college, getting my degree in Education at the University of Puerto Rico. I was finally of legal age (in Puerto Rico) to start visiting bars and clubs and that’s when I first started seeing Drag queens and Drag queens shows. I was amazed at how makeup can change or enhance faces and body features and I started to wonder how they do all that.
While I was not interested in becoming a Drag queen there was something in me yearning to learn how to do makeup on others and the ability to transform them. I saw this ability, this art as a superpower and I wanted to be able to do so too.
One day while I was casually walking back to my house from taking the bus back from College, I saw that someone (Miss Anne) was opening a make-up school. I could not believe my eyes, I remember saying: “Here? In my neighborhood? Oh wow, this is for me, this is my sign and I hope it is really good and that I can afford it”. Well, with some of the money I was making from a small job and the amazing support of my mother, I was able to sign up, learn and acquire the necessary skills to start doing makeup professionally. There I learned about beauty makeup and theater makeup and while the last was the one I was really excited about, later I learned that my real passion is beauty makeup. I was encouraged to make a business card, a Facebook page and I even hung small signs all over the neighborhood and that’s how Randy’s Makeup started.
Eventually, I started getting clients and with the help of my little Facebook page at that time, I also gained exposure and opportunities I never imagined could come my way. The 1st big opportunity was to work in the Daddy Yankee video “Lovumba” doing the dancers makeup and where I worked with many talented artists, there I thought “Wow, they are very talented, what am I doing here?” but just liked that I was called to work on another Daddy Yankee video “Perros Salvajes” and this time I told myself “I am so thankful for this opportunity and yes, I, because of my talent and professionalism, deserve to be here!”.
I was also called to work on another music video “5 Minutos” with Juan Carlos who is the first runner-up in the competition “Puerto Rico Idol”. This time I was the key makeup artist and did both Juan Carlos and the model’s makeup.
While I was getting more clients for birthdays, quinceañeras, Halloween, etc., the opportunities kept coming, and this time I was called to do makeup for the Puerto Rico’s own cosmopolitan magazine “Revista Contorno”, I was thrilled when I saw my work printed in a magazine!
And that’s my core, those were the experiences that allowed me to make Randy’s Makeup a steady small business and a reality, from a young man that dreamed about learning and doing makeup the moment he laid eyes on Drag queens makeup to learning makeup, waking up to emails and text messages from clients and different types of opportunities.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With growth and becoming a responsible adult come challenges, I finally graduated from college and while I was waiting for my Teacher’s Certificate to start teaching in Puerto Rico’s Education System, I got a full-time job where I worked 5 to 6 days a week. With that my availability to do makeup was very limited and had to pass on a few offers and opportunities. My heart sunk knowing that I couldn’t do makeup as much as I wanted but this job was allowing me to be completely and responsibly independent while waiting to be a teacher full time.
Did I forget to mention I also love to travel? Well, I have three passions: Makeup, education, and travel. When I was in high school and right after I started college, I was looking at ways on how to travel more, and guess what? I thought of becoming a Flight Attendant and even quit college for it, of course, my mom will not let that happen, so I continued college and started doing makeup. While I was working at the office, I kept thinking about traveling and makeup.
While I was still waiting for the Certificate to arrive, I started to apply at several airlines for the Flight Attendant position and after many attempts, I was finally hired by a US major airline. I thought well, everyone is saying this is a very flexible job so I will be able to do makeup on the side and my life will be complete. Ha! I did try to squeeze the makeup business into my schedule but the first few years of being a Flight Attendant are not as flexible as I thought and with that, I completely dropped the makeup industry and started traveling around the world.
After a few years of flying, my schedule got very flexible and I knew makeup was missing in my life, even though I was still doing makeup on friends and family for special occasions. I had a few attempts; I will build my makeup kit a few times and a few weeks later, I was demotivated. It was not until the pandemic that I realized that I really needed to continue with my art and to really make it happen again.
But the real challenge showed up: MYSELF. There was this feeling of “you are not good enough to come back”, self-sabotage. And that kept going for months. When I finally expressed that to my circle of friends and family, they were very supportive, and they believed in me more than I believed in myself that time, they made me realize that I already had what it takes to continue to do what I love: the passion for the art and creativity.
And so, the struggles made me strong and this time, I’m here to stay. I’ve been steady for almost two years and continue to grow and get stronger. The road had a few bumps but here I am, a Makeup Artist at heart thriving again (thanks to my clients!) one day at a time, a Flight Attendant and a soul that is still passionate about Education.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional makeup artist and specialize in beauty makeup, while I have a few tricks and skills in my pockets my approach to makeup is to create natural and beautiful looks, in other words, “enhancing the amazing and natural beauty of my clients”.
My proudest moments are when clients tell me “I love it”, “I never knew I could look this beautiful”, “I look like a movie star on the red carpet”. In those moments, there is an amazing feeling of pride but at the same time humbleness that continues to inspire me to keep doing what I’m doing, I always make sure to show my gratefulness for being allowed to do that client’s makeup.
What sets me apart from others is not only my approach to makeup but also my professionalism, my work ethics, my ability to make my clients feel comfortable, and setting up the right environment regardless of if they are coming to me or I am coming to them, but most importantly my deep understanding and respect for my client’s cultural diversity, backgrounds, and cultures. Did I forget to say I also speak Spanish? I do! Hola, mi gente! All that and other great things are what set me apart.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the diversity of people in the city. The least I like about Orlando is the traffic on I-4 but hey, it’s part of the culture and I am used to it by now (haha!).
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randys_makeup/
- Other: https://booksy.com/en-us/489159_randy-s-makeup_makeup-artist_134763_orlando
Image Credits
Photographer: Willimar Sinclair
