Photo courtesy of Jaleesa Jaikaran
Jaleesa Jaikaran is a Makeup Artist, Content Creator, and Beauty Business Coach. She primarily works with brands on campaigns, content creation & product development projects. Her work has been featured in publications like Elle, Glamour, Essence, Instyle, and Teen Vogue. She is the host and creator of The Life of a Makeup Artist podcast, a beauty podcast that gives you a real insider look (with no filters!) on how artists really live. She shares everything from beauty talk to business chats with industry insiders and founders. Jaikaran has recently collaborated with Crest and UOMA Beauty to launch a holiday deal for beauty enthusiasts.
Briefly describe what you do and the area of beauty you work in.
I work as a makeup artist in beauty and fashion. I’m either doing makeup for beauty brands or for fashion shoots like MAC Cosmetics, Coach, Instyle Magazine and Teen Vogue. I also create content around makeup and skin care spanning across multiple platforms.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day is always different. Some days I am on set, so I am spending time reorganizing my kit and prepping for the shoot. Some days I am on camera or creating content at home. One thing that’s constant with my days is my morning routine. I meditate in the mornings and find that my beauty time is almost therapeutic. I’m all about celebrating natural makeup with a splash of color, so one of my favorite beauty duos is a white smile with a fun lipstick. I always reach for my Crest Whitening Emulsions because of the easy application and fast results, and I love the UOMA Beauty lip collections – they have every color for every mood I’m in.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned in your career?
Believe in yourself and follow your own journey. Your path doesn’t have to look or be like anyone else or the people that came before you. Do you and all will fall into place.
Describe how you set goals and evaluate your success.
I write my goals down every year, I am a huge fan of writing things down and making them happen. I evaluate my success by not only how many goals I’ve checked off, but how happy and healthy I am. I’ve been way more cognizant of my self-care, so acupuncture and yoga are now a regular habit of mine.
What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps career-wise?
Say Thank you! It’s the one thing that has opened doors for me that have absolutely changed my life. Go out of your way to show appreciation to those who’ve given you or shared opportunities. I don’t take those things lightly and it’s the reason I have my amazing agent today. I also share tons of career advice via my podcast, “The Life of a Makeup Artist.”
