Today we’d like to introduce you to Livia Havens.
Hi Livia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started experimenting makeup six years ago in middle school. I would spend hours in my room practicing and experimenting with makeup and knew I wanted it to be a part of my career. All throughout high school I became less and less interested in college and a more “traditional” career and fell more and more in love with the idea of cosmetology school. I had teachers, family, friends, everyone tell me that I should have a back up plan or should just find a real job instead. I decided to do what I wanted to do instead of what others wanted me to do and I enrolled for cosmetology school after high school. When the COVID19 pandemic hit in 2020, I began to get more creative with makeup. As I started to feel more inspired by other artists and trends I started to post my makeup looks on social media even more and take it more seriously. I began to experiment with UV reactive eyeliners and discovered a true love and passion for editorial makeup, and decided to pursue a career as a freelance editorial makeup artist. I began attending the Aveda Institute in the Twin Cities for my cosmetology license and eventually working on models for creative photoshoots. I started to become very involved in the creative community in the cities and began getting amazing opportunities and even magazine publications. When I graduated from cosmetology school I was able to truly turn this into a business and a career, Having more time to network with others, plan and attend photo shoots and events, and experiment really changed the game for my career in every aspect. It has been almost a year since my first photo shoot with models and since then I have grown as an artist, a business, and a person. The most amazing feeling is seeing your dreams come true, proving to yourself that you can really do anything you set your mind to, no matter what others think.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve faced many struggles to get where I am today. One of my biggest struggles was the stigma behind college and a “traditional” “successful” career. All throughout school we are taught that after high school you go to college, find a job for your degree, and work to be successful. I remember telling people in high school my plan to go to cosmetology school and become a makeup artist, and would get more negative or doubtful reactions than I did positive ones, “Oh so you don’t want to make money?” “Don’t you want a real job?” “Right but what’s the real plan?” “You don”t have a back up plan?” I remember being told by teachers and councilors that it wasn’t a real option and to do all of the college prep anyways. I noticed that this attitude wasn’t just towards jobs in the beauty industry, but anything that didn’t involve college. The lack of support I had was really hard and felt isolating until I met other people doing the same thing I was years later. I still faced similar reactions when I decided to become a freelance artist instead of becoming a stylist in a salon. It is hard to be a freelance artist, but it has been 100% worth it. Another struggle I have faced is acne. I have had terrible cystic acne for years and because of it I only wore eye makeup. I ended up going on Accutane for six months to help clear my skin and take away the pain it caused. In the beauty industry, the stigma of “needing clear skin” for a perfect makeup look is insane. I advocate against it as much as I can but because of how deep it is it can be very hard to accept yourself and your skin. However, when I posted online many people loved the fact that I didn’t cover up my skin. It inspired them to stop covering their skin because of how it looks and to feel more confident in themselves. This was something that made me also feel more confident and proud of my skin which I found to be a really beautiful thing. As a freelance artist social media and networking are crucial to my career. Almost all of my opportunities have been through or because of social media. Sharing my work, connecting with others, supporting others, it is all important for the growth of my business. Social media can be exhausting, toxic, and a ton of work, but taking a break can be really hurtful to my business, so I’ve had to navigate a balance which I’ve found surprisingly tricky. Trying to balance an independent career with other jobs can also be difficult, but once again the success and progress is worth all of the struggles faced. All of the struggles that I have faced have helped push me to learn and grow into the person I am today.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a freelance makeup artist who specializes in editorial looks. My favorite looks, the ones I am most known for, are UV eyeliner looks, intricate eyeliner looks, and looks with rhinestones or pearls. I’m most proud of my collaborations, opportunities, and publications in magazines. After spending years on social media watching and learning from other artists I noticed a lot of the same eyeshadow looks and styles with the occasional fun eyeliner look. When quarantine hit in 2020 I decided to start doing what I thought would be cool instead of what others were doing. After experimenting I came across the UV eyeliners and more intricate eyeliner looks and began to really love it. When Euphoria makeup became a big trend I fell in love with the rhinestone and pearl makeup looks. I would wear what others considered “fun” and “crazy” makeup looks to school and work and to go out and everyone loved it. Its become more normalized over the last couple years to wear fun makeup in your daily life which has been so much fun to see. Although fun makeup is more normalized, I still don’t see as much of the intricate line work and UV eyeliner looks, this is what I’ve found most different about my style compared to others. I prefer to work on bare skin because of the stigma around “needing perfect skin” for a makeup look to be good and advocate for no base whenever I can.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I was a ballet dancer for 10 years. Throughout my childhood, I was a dancer and dreamed of being a professional. When I grew up I actually wanted to be one of the stylists that did hair for performers, the intricate braids and styles for shows. This made me braid my own hair and anyone else who would let me all the time. I’ve always been very familiar with all things beauty but being a dancer is where I got most of my experience and is what brought the idea into my head for the first time.
Contact Info:
- Email: liviahavens@gmail.com
- Website: liviajae.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/liviajaemua
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@liviajae
Image Credits
Maddy Loch
Grace Theriot
Olivia Robinson
Ryuka Jurgens
Hollie Leggett
Sidney McConkey
Sabrina Yegorov
Jane Newby
Brianna Spraggs
Tori Taugner
Cait Doty
Harajutu Jaafaru
Ava Huge
Yutshua Lee
