Meet Kyler Finnell | Makeup Artist & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyler Finnell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyler, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always had a love for makeup and all things beauty-related. I started doing freelance makeup work while in high school and steadily grew my skill and client kit from my senior year of high school to the present. While in my freshman year of college I wrote a paper titled “The Price of Beauty” where I identified many harmful chemicals and ingredients present in American beauty products. It was because of my research for this paper that I decided to start my own vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics line, Dollface Cosmetics.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Makeup is the thing that gets me out of bed most mornings. I never fully understood the meaning of a passion until I discovered my love for makeup. It brings me genuine joy to perfect my application technique, and I take pride in every face I am trusted with because I know our appearance, especially on special occasions is important. I take every opportunity I can to learn from people who are where I want to be and get hands-on practice to continue to grow and develop my skillset. Starting out was difficult, especially because it took me spending my own money to purchase the products in my kit, but I did this because I wanted the few clients I did get to have a professional full-service makeup experience. After purchasing everything I needed for my kit I started doing free faces on my college campus to anyone who would let me, in order to practice my technique, gain experience on a variety of skin tones, and build my portfolio. Through this entire process, I learned that sometimes you have to put yourself out there. There are people who want to see you succeed, who can help you get to where you want to be, or serve as resources in the process, you just can’t be afraid to try. I want others to know that my passion is authentic and my want to grow in the makeup industry is fueled by a genuine passion for the art.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since I am a pandemic college student, my time exploring the city has been very limited, however, I would take advantage of this visit by doing escape rooms, visiting trendy downtown brunch spots, visiting Kemah, and letting adventure guide us the rest of the way!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother has always been my biggest fan. She supports everything I want to do, and motivates me to continue even when things become difficult. The name Dollface Cosmetics was actually derived from the nickname “Dollface” she gave me as a child. When I was thinking of names for my line, “Dollface Cosmetics” just flowed beautifully, and the origin made it that much more beautiful to me.

Website: cosmeticsdollface.com

Instagram: @beatbykyler @dollfacecosmetics_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyler-finnell-3a1418224

Twitter: @Kylerbri

Youtube: Kyler Brianna

Other: TikTok: @Kylerbri