Life & Work with Leah Louise of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Louise.

Hi Leah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I got started in makeup at 19 while living in Chicago. Honestly, I just needed a job at the time. I was walking through Water Tower Place and saw a bareMinerals boutique. I walked up to the manager and told her, “I love your store, I love makeup, and even though I’ve never done makeup professionally, if you give me an opportunity and teach me, I’ll learn fast.” She took a chance on me, and I kept my word.

From there, I continued building my experience and eventually worked with brands like NARS and Chanel, including at Neiman Marcus. Over the years, I’ve also had opportunities to work with Grammy award winning artists and clients in luxury beauty spaces.

A big part of my journey has honestly just been persistence. I’ve learned by continuing to put myself out there, trying things, failing, improving, and figuring it out along the way. I’m very passionate about beauty, and I think that obsession with constantly wanting to grow and get better is what’s helped me get to where I am today.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, and honestly, I don’t think anyone’s entrepreneurial journey ever really is. Learning the art of makeup alone takes an incredible amount of discipline, focus, consistency, and practice. People sometimes think makeup is something you can learn overnight, but becoming truly skilled at it takes years. Then on top of that, learning the business side is a completely different challenge. That takes a lot of trial and error, risk, mistakes, and figuring things out as you go.

I’m also a caretaker for my mom, so balancing personal responsibilities while trying to build a business has added another layer to the journey. There really hasn’t been a blueprint for what I’m doing. I’m a solo entrepreneur, and I honestly don’t know many people personally who have done this path successfully, so a lot of the time I’ve just been building it while flying it.

I remember when I was living in Chicago, I didn’t even have a car. I would take two buses and two trains from the north side to the south side to work under a celebrity makeup artist. I was earning commission, but after paying for transportation and even simple things like lashes from Walgreens, I would walk away with maybe $25, if that. I did that for years through snow, rain, heat, all of it.

There were also times I quit jobs without having a backup plan because I knew this career was the one thing I truly wanted to pursue. When you’re someone willing to bet on yourself and take risks to build something bigger, it’s rarely an easy road. But I think that persistence, resilience, and passion are what have kept me going.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a luxury bridal and special event makeup artist, and I specialize in soft glam that enhances someone naturally and makes them feel like the absolute best version of themselves, almost like a red carpet version of who they already are.

What I’m most proud of as an artist is honestly the way I care for my clients. I value integrity, honesty, and listening. I can truly say with my whole heart that every single face I’ve ever touched, every makeup application I’ve ever done, I’ve given 1000% effort to every single time. Whether I’m being paid or not, this is what I love. Makeup is my happy place. It’s what I’m naturally gifted at, and I pour myself fully into it.

I also think one thing that makes me different is that I genuinely listen to my clients. I want them to feel involved in the process. I want it to feel collaborative. I want them to feel seen and understood. It’s not just “sit down, get your makeup done, and leave.” I really believe beauty is something we curate together.

To me, that connection is a lost art in this industry sometimes. I think there can be a lot of ego in beauty, and while I’m very confident in my skill after 13 years of experience, I don’t approach clients from a place of ego. I approach them from a place of passion, creativity, and care. I want people to leave my chair feeling beautiful, heard, elevated, and still like themselves at the core.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
That’s actually a really good question, and honestly it’s something I think about a lot myself. I can’t fully say whether luck has or hasn’t played a role in my journey, because timing and opportunity do matter in life. But what I can say with confidence is that hard work, persistence, and consistency will outlast almost anything else.

I also think people create what others call “luck.” To me, luck is really devotion, perseverance, talent, and being willing to keep showing up over and over again. When people see someone finally have a breakthrough moment, they don’t always see all the years of rejection, failure, sacrifice, and uncertainty that came before it.

I believe probability creates possibility. The more willing you are to try, fail, learn, improve, and keep going, the higher your chances become. Of course being in the right place at the right time matters, but usually people forget that those same successful people have also been in the wrong place at the wrong time many times too. The difference is they kept going long enough for opportunity to finally meet preparation.

So when it comes to luck, I really believe we create our own through persistence, passion, and the willingness to keep betting on ourselves even when things are uncertain.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leahlouise.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamleahlu