Meet Brielle Bahr: Make-Up Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brielle Bahr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brielle, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The most important thing that I have done in the process of starting my own business is investing in my resources & my education. Even when I can look at my work and be so proud of what I’ve created, I always acknowledge the fact that nothing I do is ever absolutely perfect and there is ALWAYS room for growth (and this can apply whether you’re just starting out or an expert in your field). Investing in furthering my education & always striving to do better has meant paying for courses that teach me new techniques & styles of doing hair and make-up and subscribing to organizations & groups of women who are like-minded in that strive to learn more in my industry. And an important thing to note–‘investing’ doesn’t always mean you’re forking out loads of money… sometimes your time is also a very valuable investment to furthering your skill. For me, this meant taking the time to practice my craft on my ‘days off’ and blocking out time to reach out to other artists who work around me and asking for advice or opinions. I have always carried this mindset of ‘my work is never perfect, so I can always do better’ which I think has truly helped me to continue growing and do better rather than plateauing in my skill.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I really do believe that there are few jobs out there as rewarding as being a make-up artist. As a woman who is constantly working with & for other women, I believe its so important to foster an environment of confidence & empowerment for each other. Which is really what makes me so proud & excited about my job… I get to use my skills and something I am so passionate about to help other women feel more confident. For myself & many of the women I speak to about this, I know that true confidence can be like a roller coaster: coming and going, always rising and falling. To have someone look at themselves and feel emotions like empowerment, self-love, and confidence because of something that I did for them… seriously, there’s no other feeling like it! Make-up is such a powerful thing, & not because it can snatch the nose or draw attention to the eye, but because it fuels a power within us when we really do feel like the best version of ourselves. We all know that feeling of walking in a room and having that “yeah, keep staring… I KNOW I look good” kind of mood. My job & my art fosters that feeling in other women, and how could I not be ecstatic about that?! Getting to the point that I’m at in my job required a few difficult decisions to be made along the way. I attended college for 5 years & graduated with a bachelors degree in business. I was fortunate enough to have the help of my parents funding my college career, so it didn’t feel like I was doing them or all of my hard work in school justice by turning around and deciding to do make-up after graduation, rather than going for a corporate job. The biggest challenge was probably allowing myself to take a leap of faith and do what I knew would make me happy, rather than choosing a career path that came with healthcare benefits and a 401K. During that time, there was nothing more valuable to me than the people around me believing in me and supporting me, because as a textbook overthinker, I was constantly in this mindset of “am I making the right decision?” or “what if this doesn’t work out and I end up broke?”. Getting through that beginning stage was rough to say the least, but I maintained that drive to do something that brought me joy and excitement and actually put myself out there & went for it, and it paid off ten-fold in the end. If there’s one thing that I hope the person reading this takes away from my story, its the lesson of believing in yourself and taking the jump. I was hypercritical in the idea that anyone out there actually “loved” their job… until I started doing this. And typically, the main thing that keeps you from doing what you love is simply you choosing not to do it. You are your biggest obstacle in life, and opportunity rarely just falls into your lap. So, excuse me while I quote the line you’ve all seen on a shoe box, but… just do it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve grown up in/around Atlanta my whole life, so my fellow Atlantans would probably exile me if I said my favorite things to do are the most touristy and overdone spots in the city, but here we are… I love the aquarium and have been there a thousand times, but sign me up for a thousand more and I’m a happy gal. My boyfriend and I have attended a fair share of Braves games and, once attending sporting events becomes legal, you’ll probably catch us at Truist Park all throughout the summer. You can’t go wrong with Piedmont Park & a homemade charcuterie board from a local Trader Joe’s… (it really can’t get more basic than that). I’m a huge fan of Ponce City Market… food, shopping, rooftop bars, all the works. There’s an edible cookie-dough shop there that I wish I could have on-demand at all hours of the day. We also just recently adopted a dog, so I’ve been dying to check out the Fetch dog park in ATL. Speaking of the dogs, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hiked with them on Red Top since the corona-craziness started–there’s so many trails to check out and the views are pretty cool.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If anyone is deserving of a shout-out in the context of my work, it is absolutely my incredible team of hair & make-up artists at Formal Faces. I have learned so much from the women on my team & from the start, they have always shown such willingness to teach me & help me grow. I am endlessly thankful to our owner, Jennifer, for granting me the opportunity to join her company & better myself professionally & personally through it. I always say that I feel so lucky to have the greatest job in the world, and the women on my team are a huge part of that.

Website: www.formalfaces.com

Instagram: @beautyxbrielle

Facebook: Beauty by Brielle ( @beautyxbrielle )

Image Credits
Emma Escobedo