Meet Samaira (Aviance) Harley | Makeup Artist, Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samaira (Aviance) Harley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samaira (Aviance), what is the most important factor behind your success?
Regardless of what everyone else is doing, stay true to yourself and recognize the potential within you. When I started my business as a makeup artist, the first thing I worried about is how good I would be. I would consistently look at other makeup artists on Instagram and TikTok, and when people would book me I would think to myself “why me and not them. They’re more qualified and their work is astounding.” One day as I was preparing to do makeup for a photoshoot, I had the same mindset: That I wasn’t good enough. As I spoke with my friend, she told me something so simple yet impacted the way I saw myself. She said, “Samaira, if they didn’t think you were fit to do this then why would they hire you?” Ever since then, I took my mindset and my talent in a positive light. From the neutral makeup looks, to the vibrant creative ones, everyone’s looking for something. So even though I love doing the bold looks you may see on social media, I’m known for my natural artistry. The ability to make anyone’s face still look like them flawlessly. What I like to call, “enhancing one’s beauty.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My brand has always and will always be about enhancing one’s beauty. What this means is that I don’t erase the features (freckles, beauty marks, etc.) that makes my clients stand out, but instead enhance their true beauty. My job is making people feel and look beautiful. My ability to do so puts a smile on my face and makes me proud of the work I do. How I got to this point in my career, helping clients from all around the world, is actually pretty straight-forward. Determination, relatability, connection, and of course creativity. The key component is to be happy about what you do. No matter the date, time, or what I’m going through at the moment, I always find a way to be friendly to every client and give them the service they deserve. Once I set that connection with them, they start to recommend me to others. At first, it wasn’t easy balancing these connections and showing up my most positive self despite how I was feeling, but once you do it so often, it becomes natural.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First Friday at the underground, cafe intermezzo, and Piedmont Park. All three of those places spark my creativity and give me the time and space to just relax and let everything flow into place.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My supportive grandmother and loving parents. Without them I would have given up on my dream a long time ago. My father has given me his strength, my mother her knowledge, and my grandmother her endless support. I’ve told this story many times, but without my grandmother I wouldn’t even have gone to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). She always told me to follow my dreams and anything I ever wanted in life she supported me 100%. Growing up I was always taught to go the traditional route by getting a good paying job and working on my passion whenever I had the time. The thing about that, is I wouldn’t be satisfied with working a job I didn’t enjoy. Long story short, once I grew up, I realized that I wanted to walk my own path, on my own terms. And so, when I told my family I wanted to have a career in something I’m passionate about, my grandmother believed in me and my parents did the same.

Website: https://avixalarm.wixsite.com/aviance

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aviance.vanity/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samairaharley/

Image Credits
Sarah Keaves
Rou Marcellus