Happy B-Day To The Mike Behind The Beauty!
Hey There Beauty B's!
Today is a bitter sweet day for me. Today is my birthday and I turned 30 today. 30 to many is a big mile stone as they are transitioning from that period of being lost to the period of being found. Being 30 in the south is different. Many people that I went to school with already have their careers going, have their own house, are married, and have children. Many of my friends though didn't leave the bubble and experience life. Many of my friends didn't have to spend their later years being able to finally freely express themselves and stop hiding from the world who they were and who they wanted to be. Today I turned 30 and this was the plan in life by this time:
-My career in the beauty world would be getting bigger and bigger and I would be on the right path to leave my fingerprint on the beauty industry.
-I would be engaged with a man that accepts me for all my flaws.
-I would be still living in NYC or another major city where the beauty industry is booming and I could make a big splash there.
-I would have the house that I wanted to start my new life with my Mr. Right.
-I would be able to provide for two very important people that cared for me when no one else did. These two people shaped who I am today.
Sadly life happened and I am going to be honest I almost didn't make it to 30. Depression sucks guys and finding ways to cope is not easy. People ask me all the time why do I enjoy makeup so much, why am I a boy that wears make up? Why do I dress this way, or act this way. Well here's the break down of everything. I have been wearing makeup since I was 13. I started with bronzer and before I knew what I was doing I was wearing bronzer all over my face. Somehow though it gave me my tan and looked good so I got away with it. I then started playing in stage makeup when I got into the performing arts high school. So I started wearing you will laugh stage makeup but god It looked so good. Later I would start working for actual cosmetic companies and find my love in beauty. Years later it finally dawned on me why I liked being a boy who wears makeup. First off, I do not want to be a woman and for those that do I fully support them. In fact I have friends that are Transgender and I have no issue what so ever with this. We are all people. Two yes I am feminine, but that doesn't mean I can't go with a full face and backwards cap to a Yankees game and drink beer with my friends or my boo. Thing three makeup brought me to life. Literally before working in the beauty industry I was confident so it seemed, but deep down inside I always felt like I never looked good enough, this pimple is huge, my brows are bushy, my skin is dry, or I lacked pop and flair. Well one company that I worked with literally brought me to life. To them I owe everything too and will never forget them. This company taught me that being different was okay, that makeup no matter how simple is an art, and that the simplest thing like a lip gloss can make a person walk away smiling and happy and have the confidence boost they may need to face the world. During my battle with PTSD and Depression there were days at a time where I never left my house, where I didn't wear makeup, where I just literally hid from the world. I battled this for three years. However there were times that I did go out, and would paint my face and people would compliment me and ask me questions and actually be amazed at what I knew.
Feeling beautiful as vain as it sounds saved me. Not only that but working in the industry and helping others feel beautiful saved me. I can't tell how many times clients wow me with how relaxed they are about a boy wearing makeup. It's funny the city I ran away from is slowly changing my mind. I feel more and more accepted for being different. For instance a lot of straight guys see me as them fem pretty boy that's gay and probably going to hit on them. I always laugh and educate them that I sadly don't fantasize or hit on straight men what so ever. I then tell them I am a good wing man though because ladies always love a gay man, and often times I can suggest go matches for everyone but myself. I also think that it's amazing that people judge a book by it's cover before they dive into the pages. I will say makeup can cover the pain that someone is in. Say the sad Michael who went to a bar with his best friend painted all the time, he looked happy and flawless but really underneath all that makeup he was falling apart and in pain. That is one down side to beauty that I sometimes forget, but to me personally the good a beauty has outweighed the bad for me in my life. I would also like to say that you never know what little things could help cheer a person up and give them a little pep in their step. I will leave you with this story which gives you a little more insight to me and a little more insight about how the beauty industry isn't as bad as many people make it seem. We aren't all vain, and bitchy...a lot of us have hearts of gold and are just misunderstood.
-A few years ago I worked for Sephora 34th street in New York City. They called this Sephora the beast and after working there for a while I knew why but loved every minute of it. I am not going to lie I move fast and often times could assist four or five clients from finding thing to foundations matches in about 20 mins. One day we were busy and I guess with my energy blaring and me saying my signature Suzie Sephora line of "Hello Gorgeous", I caught the attention of a women who looked a little down. First she came to me and say darling you are beautiful, which guys this made me blush because whenever I hear that I get uncomfortable as I don't take compliments well but I am working on it. I couldn't help but ask her after saying thank you so much but I am just average what brought her in today and why she looked a little down. This woman told me a story that touched my heart....yes I joke and tell people I am heartless after a lot I went through but I guess I have a heart of gold. The woman just finished chemo and she beat cancer. She told me that her skin has changed since going through chemo and that no makeup would stick to her skin no matter what she tried. I looked at her face and I couldn't help but do what my heart said to do. I wasn't scheduled to be at the beauty studio so I took the woman to a quiet corner in the color section and said wait her. I hooked her up with first applying Marula oil to the skin, I then followed with the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, after that I followed with a believe it or not Make Up Forever HD foundation. Literally her skin started glowing as soon as I was able to restore the hydration to her. The makeup she said was not going to stick but guess what, I proved her wrong. I then gave her a quick tap of Makeup Forever HD Powder as I didn't want my lovely new friend to go out into the city not polished. I finally had a brain blast and I saw that she did still have brows they just needed a little love in areas that they were sparse. I hooked this lovely lady up not even going or thinking that it would end of being a sale. I hooked her up because she was down and she was feeling bad about herself. This woman that just beat cancer and went through chemo should not and was not going to leave me feeling down. She is a survivor and she should be able to parade around in the world and be proud and happy. At the end she did two things that surprised me. She first asked me to get all the items for her and told me she wasn't planning on spending a lot but that I have touched her like an angel. The second thing she did after I had all her products in a basket that I went and got personally for her was she gave me a hug and to this day this comment haunts me...she said that it's people like you that make the world a prettier place.
For My Birthday I have many wishes.......I wish for a few very important things to start to happen in my life. I also have one special wish for everyone. I wish that you would step outside your comfort zone and meet someone that dares to be different. I wish that you read the actually pages inside their book before you judge the cover. They may surprise you and you may learn something new which changes your opinions about others. The world is changing slowly which is exciting and scary but just remember the small things we do could help shape and make positive things happen in the world.
Make a wish
xoxo Beauty By Mike
Today is a bitter sweet day for me. Today is my birthday and I turned 30 today. 30 to many is a big mile stone as they are transitioning from that period of being lost to the period of being found. Being 30 in the south is different. Many people that I went to school with already have their careers going, have their own house, are married, and have children. Many of my friends though didn't leave the bubble and experience life. Many of my friends didn't have to spend their later years being able to finally freely express themselves and stop hiding from the world who they were and who they wanted to be. Today I turned 30 and this was the plan in life by this time:
-My career in the beauty world would be getting bigger and bigger and I would be on the right path to leave my fingerprint on the beauty industry.
-I would be engaged with a man that accepts me for all my flaws.
-I would be still living in NYC or another major city where the beauty industry is booming and I could make a big splash there.
-I would have the house that I wanted to start my new life with my Mr. Right.
-I would be able to provide for two very important people that cared for me when no one else did. These two people shaped who I am today.
Sadly life happened and I am going to be honest I almost didn't make it to 30. Depression sucks guys and finding ways to cope is not easy. People ask me all the time why do I enjoy makeup so much, why am I a boy that wears make up? Why do I dress this way, or act this way. Well here's the break down of everything. I have been wearing makeup since I was 13. I started with bronzer and before I knew what I was doing I was wearing bronzer all over my face. Somehow though it gave me my tan and looked good so I got away with it. I then started playing in stage makeup when I got into the performing arts high school. So I started wearing you will laugh stage makeup but god It looked so good. Later I would start working for actual cosmetic companies and find my love in beauty. Years later it finally dawned on me why I liked being a boy who wears makeup. First off, I do not want to be a woman and for those that do I fully support them. In fact I have friends that are Transgender and I have no issue what so ever with this. We are all people. Two yes I am feminine, but that doesn't mean I can't go with a full face and backwards cap to a Yankees game and drink beer with my friends or my boo. Thing three makeup brought me to life. Literally before working in the beauty industry I was confident so it seemed, but deep down inside I always felt like I never looked good enough, this pimple is huge, my brows are bushy, my skin is dry, or I lacked pop and flair. Well one company that I worked with literally brought me to life. To them I owe everything too and will never forget them. This company taught me that being different was okay, that makeup no matter how simple is an art, and that the simplest thing like a lip gloss can make a person walk away smiling and happy and have the confidence boost they may need to face the world. During my battle with PTSD and Depression there were days at a time where I never left my house, where I didn't wear makeup, where I just literally hid from the world. I battled this for three years. However there were times that I did go out, and would paint my face and people would compliment me and ask me questions and actually be amazed at what I knew.
Feeling beautiful as vain as it sounds saved me. Not only that but working in the industry and helping others feel beautiful saved me. I can't tell how many times clients wow me with how relaxed they are about a boy wearing makeup. It's funny the city I ran away from is slowly changing my mind. I feel more and more accepted for being different. For instance a lot of straight guys see me as them fem pretty boy that's gay and probably going to hit on them. I always laugh and educate them that I sadly don't fantasize or hit on straight men what so ever. I then tell them I am a good wing man though because ladies always love a gay man, and often times I can suggest go matches for everyone but myself. I also think that it's amazing that people judge a book by it's cover before they dive into the pages. I will say makeup can cover the pain that someone is in. Say the sad Michael who went to a bar with his best friend painted all the time, he looked happy and flawless but really underneath all that makeup he was falling apart and in pain. That is one down side to beauty that I sometimes forget, but to me personally the good a beauty has outweighed the bad for me in my life. I would also like to say that you never know what little things could help cheer a person up and give them a little pep in their step. I will leave you with this story which gives you a little more insight to me and a little more insight about how the beauty industry isn't as bad as many people make it seem. We aren't all vain, and bitchy...a lot of us have hearts of gold and are just misunderstood.
-A few years ago I worked for Sephora 34th street in New York City. They called this Sephora the beast and after working there for a while I knew why but loved every minute of it. I am not going to lie I move fast and often times could assist four or five clients from finding thing to foundations matches in about 20 mins. One day we were busy and I guess with my energy blaring and me saying my signature Suzie Sephora line of "Hello Gorgeous", I caught the attention of a women who looked a little down. First she came to me and say darling you are beautiful, which guys this made me blush because whenever I hear that I get uncomfortable as I don't take compliments well but I am working on it. I couldn't help but ask her after saying thank you so much but I am just average what brought her in today and why she looked a little down. This woman told me a story that touched my heart....yes I joke and tell people I am heartless after a lot I went through but I guess I have a heart of gold. The woman just finished chemo and she beat cancer. She told me that her skin has changed since going through chemo and that no makeup would stick to her skin no matter what she tried. I looked at her face and I couldn't help but do what my heart said to do. I wasn't scheduled to be at the beauty studio so I took the woman to a quiet corner in the color section and said wait her. I hooked her up with first applying Marula oil to the skin, I then followed with the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, after that I followed with a believe it or not Make Up Forever HD foundation. Literally her skin started glowing as soon as I was able to restore the hydration to her. The makeup she said was not going to stick but guess what, I proved her wrong. I then gave her a quick tap of Makeup Forever HD Powder as I didn't want my lovely new friend to go out into the city not polished. I finally had a brain blast and I saw that she did still have brows they just needed a little love in areas that they were sparse. I hooked this lovely lady up not even going or thinking that it would end of being a sale. I hooked her up because she was down and she was feeling bad about herself. This woman that just beat cancer and went through chemo should not and was not going to leave me feeling down. She is a survivor and she should be able to parade around in the world and be proud and happy. At the end she did two things that surprised me. She first asked me to get all the items for her and told me she wasn't planning on spending a lot but that I have touched her like an angel. The second thing she did after I had all her products in a basket that I went and got personally for her was she gave me a hug and to this day this comment haunts me...she said that it's people like you that make the world a prettier place.
For My Birthday I have many wishes.......I wish for a few very important things to start to happen in my life. I also have one special wish for everyone. I wish that you would step outside your comfort zone and meet someone that dares to be different. I wish that you read the actually pages inside their book before you judge the cover. They may surprise you and you may learn something new which changes your opinions about others. The world is changing slowly which is exciting and scary but just remember the small things we do could help shape and make positive things happen in the world.
Make a wish
xoxo Beauty By Mike
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