Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheryl May.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I was a little girl I used to love watching my mom sew clothing and draw. I was so fascinated by it I began to draw myself. I was always in my room drawing and trying to get as good as my mom. Being the oldest of 5 siblings and growing up in a noisy house.
A drawing was my quiet time to get away from it all. I would be in my bedroom drawing all the time. I would grab a magazine and find a picture of a pretty model and try to copy it. I also developed a liking for fashion, hair, and makeup.
I would get Vogue, Mademoiselle, Glamour, and any other fashion magazine I could find. I would watch my mom sew all kinds of clothing. And then I would buy patterns and make my own outfits so I could be different from everyone else.
I began playing with makeup and hair and eventually my sister and I ended up going to a Modeling School in Worcester Mass. called LaFemina School of Modeling. We would do classes in makeup, hair and how to walk the runway.
My sister and I were going back and forth from Worcester to Boston doing modeling shows. We had so much fun but I needed to find something else because the modeling world got a little hectic for me.
I eventually moved to California and went to the school of Fashion Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles California graduating with an Associates in Art and Fashion Design.
When I graduated I worked for a fashion Designer in Santa Monica for over a year and watched and learned everything I could from her. Then I worked for a company in Gardenia California called Apparel Ventures.
They designed ladies swimwear, which I helped design and put together storyboards with the chosen fabrics. I loved every minute of it so much I began to design my own line of beaded jewelry. I did great with my jewelry and did a lot of craft fairs and events.
But I needed more to me I felt there was something more for me to do. I was looking for something more to do with my newly learned talents. I then went back to my drawing and painting and did various odd end jobs.
I did murals, pencil drawings for companies and also did a painting for the Veterans, which contained the American flag, an eagle and POWs, MIAs and it was hung in the Veterans Hospital in Dallas Texas. It made me feel like a very accomplished artist.
Then I was introduced to Mary Kay Cosmetics by a friend. I thought I would give it a try because of my love of makeup. I began my Mary Kay business in May 2012 and have been doing it ever since. I love how I make women feel after I teach a skincare and makeup class.
I loved it so much I decided to become a freelance makeup artist along with my Mary Kay business. I keep the two very separate, but with my makeup skills it helps me with teaching women the right makeup looks they want.
One way I market my business is doing the Worcester Bridal every year at the DCU center in Worcester Mass. There I get to meet new Brides and offer my talents in Bridal Makeup for her and her bridal party. I love doing Bridal Makeup so much and helping the Brides look their best on there wedding day.
I began using models to put together a portfolio of makeovers and Bridal looks. Even though Brides are my main focus, I also do makeovers, prom makeup and makeup for fashion shows. I found my passion! Its a combination of everything I love.
Fashion, Fashion Design, hair, painting, and makeup. I get to use a face as my canvas and the makeup as my paints and create a look that women love and it feels good. I plan to develop and grow my business as a makeup artist and get my name out there in the New England area.
It took a while but I found it, I found what I love and enjoy, and its the best feeling you could ever have.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It wasn’t a smooth road for me. I had some life-changing challenges that came about.. First was when my mom passed away on mother’s day in 2000. I was lost when she passed. Because I felt she knew me like no one else and she was my rock.
Now she is watching over me and smiling. Two was my battle with breast cancer. I was so scared when I found out from my doctor. It didn’t run in my family history, so I was the first in my family to have breast cancer.
It was the hardest thing I had to do in my life and I needed to find everything in my body to fight for my life. The chemo and medications alone with all of the information took a toll on me, as well as being fatigued all of the time and not being able to eat much but I fought through it all.
Today I am cancer free and a survivor. I had so much support which gave me a reason to fight. Especially for my sons, husband, and family. Third I had another scare where I had another long surgery and 6 to 8 weeks of recovery and could not do much walking or exercise and got very depressed.
I pulled through again and now I am proud of myself and all of the accomplishments I have made in my life. I was a diamond in the rough…
Please tell us about Makeup by Sheryl.
I am a Freelance Makeup Artist trying to get my name out in the New England area. I do Bridal Makeup, Proms, makeovers, fashion models and also models for photographers. My specialty is Bridal Makeup. I am most proud of how far I have come in my life.
Not too many people find what they have a passion for in life. The thing with me is I kept going and going until I found it, I went through a lot to get there but I found what I love. What sets me apart from the others is my patience and making sure the Bride is taken care of. I put myself in her shoes.
It’s her special day and how can I make her feel important. I do her makeup and her bridal party, but what I do is stay to touch up their makeup for photos. Who wants to take pictures after they been crying and ruined their makeup.
So this is what sets me apart from the others. Also, my pricing is reasonable and it’s according to how many are in the bridal party. If it 5 or more in the bridal party having their makeup done I do the Brides makeup free.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over I don’t think I would do anything differently because if it wasn’t for my battle scars along the way I wouldn’t have the character I have today. I have grown and learned from my mishaps and mistakes and that’s what makes me who I am.
Contact Info:
- Email: maydiamond08@gmail.com
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