Best In Beauty: How This Hair and Makeup Artist Rose to the Top Before 30
Starting with just $200 in her bank account, hair and makeup artist Ali Lomazzo decided that nothing and no one was going to stand in her way of creating a business to call her own. Five years later, the 28-year-old now owns Ali Lomazzo Beauty (the leading bridal hair and makeup company in Rhode Island) and her incredibly talented team of lady employees have played a part in making over 650 brides feel beautiful on their wedding days. And her Yelp reviews ain’t too shabby either: In 2018 alone, her beauty biz was named “Best Wedding Hair & Makeup” by Wedding Wire’s 2018 Couples’ Choice Awards and “Best of Weddings” by The Knot, as well as taking home “Best Wedding Hair and Makeup - Statewide” at Rhode Island Monthly’s 2018 Best of Rhode Island Awards.
As the wise Pharrell Williams once said: “Don’t wait for the stars to align. Reach up, rearrange them the way you want them to be. Create your own constellation.” That’s just what Ali did and now her future is so damn bright.
making the cut
“After graduating cosmetology school in Rhode Island (where I’m from) in January of 2011, I worked in a salon and quickly realized that standing behind a chair all day wasn’t for me. So the following January, I headed to NYC to attend MUD makeup school. That’s when I fell in love with makeup artistry and hair styling. I moved back to RI in May of 2012 and jumped right into the New England bridal market. I ended up working for a few bridal hair and makeup companies before I decided it was time to venture out on my own. And in July of 2013, I started Ali Lomazzo Beauty.
We started off with just five stylists. Today, we have 11 and service over 200 weddings a year, as well as doing hair and makeup for other special events; and we teach makeup classes too. In fact, we are about to hit our five-year anniversary this month!”
the beauty of taking risks
“in the beginning of 2013, I was unhappy working for other companies. I loved what I was doing and I loved all of my brides, but I just didn’t feel like the employers I was working for were up to my potential. After a few months of being unhappy and feeling stagnant in my career, I literally woke up one morning and said to my boyfriend (now husband): ‘I’m doing this.’
My biggest fear when starting ALB was failing. I started this company with $200 in my bank account and no idea what I was doing. I had so many people telling me I wasn’t ready and that I should wait until I had more experience. But despite my fear and what people said, I moved out of my apartment to go live with my parents—since I was broke—and just ran with it. And I’m so glad I did. I thought: ‘I may fail, but I won’t know until I go for it. What do I have to lose? I could always go back working for companies if things didn’t work out.’ But I always knew I could do it.”
a brush of motivation
“One of the things that has helped me, not only in my career, but in my everyday life, is music. Music has always been a motivator for me or a way for me to cope with my emotions. If I get to my studio one day and I’m in a funk, I put some good, upbeat music on, dance around for a bit before my client arrives, and I instantly feel better. Even when I have a long car ride to a destination wedding or something, I blast some music and it helps me start the day in the best way possible. I don’t know how I would handle many situations without music, to be honest.”
shear wisdom
“If I could give one piece of advice to younger me, it would be that everything will be okay. Everything will work out if you just work hard.
I spent my first two years in business so stressed, and I barely slept. I always worried if my team would show up to the weddings, if a bride would hate what I did, if I would get a bad review. I finally learned how to be confident in what I do and what we offer, but it did take me a long time to get there… and many sleepless nights.
If you hustle, always remember your integrity, and don’t step on people to get to the top. That way, you will be successful, I promise.”
Got a wedding coming up? Don’t forget to check out Ali Lomazzo Beauty. And be sure to follow her on instagram and facebook.