Today we’d like to introduce you to Ewurabena Shaw-Taylor.
Hi ewurabena, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hey! My name is Ewurabena Shaw-Taylor, and I go by Raben Taylor for my business. I am a makeup artist from Maryland.
My story with makeup started when I was a young girl. My mother and grandmother were always looking their best. Whether they were stay-at-home moms or working moms, they always made sure they looked their best, and they instilled that same tradition in me and my sisters.
Fast-forward to high school. I became really sick and started losing my hair. It was my senior year, when so many important events were happening, and I became too insecure to attend them. This was when I had to make a shift.
YouTube makeup tutorials were huge during my teenage and young adult years. I would stay up day and night watching tutorials and practicing on myself, really doing anything I could to make myself look better so I could feel better. My mother would always say, “Never look like what you have been through or are going through.”
So, I started applying makeup on myself and practicing constantly. I would go to work at my bank and retail jobs wearing a full face of makeup. Compliments from customers and coworkers eventually turned into inquiries, and I started freelancing.
I wanted to expand and experience something new, so I moved to Pittsburgh. (I know… not exactly the right place to expand, lol.) My brother was living there, and I had also met someone there. I eventually started working at Nordstrom in the beauty department.
Working for Nordstrom was one of the best jobs I ever had. I was able to learn how to apply makeup to everything from youthful to mature skin and work with complexions ranging from rich, deep tones to cool, bright tones. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to meet people from so many different walks of life.
While living in Pittsburgh, the relationship I was in became violent and abusive. Makeup became my escape and one of the only things that brought peace to the storm around me. I was able to breathe when I was working. I focused on trying to feel normal, painting over the bruises and masking the pain.
I was able to hold on until COVID happened, and I was pregnant.
Suddenly, I had to stay home. We were all in lockdown, and my escape, my breath, my peace, and my break were taken away. I was in lockdown with my abuser.
That road was rough.
I had my child and eventually managed to leave Pittsburgh with the help of my family and start over in Maryland. I began freelancing again and transferred to another Nordstrom location, where I was finally able to start feeling like myself again.
My clientele grew to the point where I was consistently booked for makeup applications. Then, my abuser found me at my new job, and the harassment began again, affecting both me and my coworkers. For everyone’s safety, I was placed on leave without pay.
I had just given birth. I needed to work. I had a son to provide for.
That was when I decided to take my freelance makeup business seriously.
I started from the ground up, creating flyers, advertising, networking, and even doing makeup for free just to get my name out there and rebuild. I stayed on the grind, working hard and putting in long hours to build my makeup business.
Doing all of this with a newborn while breastfeeding was tough, but I refused to allow anyone to take control of my life or limit my success. I had something to prove, not only to my son, but to myself.
By the grace of God, the hustle never stopped, and the grind continued.
Over the years, I have been able to use my story to connect with and relate to so many of my clients. My makeup enhances, highlights, and brings out the beauty that is already there, just like I learned to bring the beauty out of my own story.
Booking an appointment with me is about more than simply getting your makeup done. I want that time to feel peaceful, refreshing, and comfortable because that is what makeup has always been for me. It became a place where I could breathe, feel confident, and feel like myself again.
Today, I get to create that feeling for other women.
My goal is to one day take my artistry even further, doing makeup for movies and runways while continuing to grow everything I have worked so hard to build.
My story has only just begun.
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?
While living in Pittsburgh, the relationship I was in became violent and abusive. Makeup became my escape and one of the only things that brought peace to the storm around me. I was able to breathe when I was working. I focused on trying to feel normal, painting over the bruises and masking the pain.
I was able to hold on until COVID happened, and I was pregnant.
Suddenly, I had to stay home. We were all in lockdown, and my escape, my breath, my peace, and my break were taken away. I was in lockdown with my abuser.
That road was rough.
I had my child and eventually managed to leave Pittsburgh with the help of my family and start over in Maryland. I began freelancing again and transferred to another Nordstrom location, where I was finally able to start feeling like myself again.
My clientele grew to the point where I was consistently booked for makeup applications. Then, my abuser found me at my new job, and the harassment began again, affecting both me and my coworkers. For everyone’s safety, I was placed on leave without pay.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a makeup Artist and most proud of my growth and ability to enhance without changing the beauty of my clients
Pricing:
- Makeup $100
- Lash extenstions volume $120
- Lash extenstions hyrbid $115
- Lash Extentions classic $110
- Bridal Makeup $350
Contact Info:
- Website: https://book.squareup.com/appointments/as9y3ln0v90z5w/location/LWFJBHGA7PKFK/services?fbclid=PAVERFWATpdUpwZG9mAmZkaWQWUMUX5gT6Onab83xKQ1qoXd9N7VmG5GV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABpxNB4O9wVd2YCNeMxiCOQTViLbEjyuDRTxo2J7B-wglspcfh65smTL4DsP73_aem_8ZCbACPzB6ZUEplXl9wUug
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeup_byraben
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rabentaylorbeauty?si=q6jioIaEQC5GRXY9
