Transcription

• Speaker #0

  Welcome to Boussaiti, the first French podcast dedicated to professional hair and makeup artists. I'm Valentina, a bridal hair and makeup artist based in the French Alps. Specializing in destination weddings across Europe and beyond, every summer, as you drive to your weddings, I open this week to accompany you on the road, keeping you inspired between two venues, two trials, two early mornings. I invite aspiring wedding professionals from around the world We talk about their journey, their expertise, their mindset, and what it truly takes to build a meaningful business that empowers women and elevates our industry. Let's talk the real talk. Hello How are you doing?

• Speaker #1

  Hi Good, good. How are you?

• Speaker #0

  I'm fine, thank you. Happy to have you here today.

• Speaker #2

  I'm so excited to be here.

• Speaker #0

  Me too So, enchanté.

• Speaker #2

  I like that.

• Speaker #0

  Serious, serious. Let's say a little bit serious because we're going to talk about serious stuff, you know. So, welcome to the podcast. Welcome to the podcast. Today, we are receiving Lily Gomez, makeup artist based... You're based in Washington, right?

• Speaker #3

  close to Washington yeah close to Washington DC yes it's um it's a state called Maryland right next to DC so I'm a little bit closer to like Baltimore Maryland yeah people know more so

• Speaker #0

  welcome today you're you're a makeup artist so uh could you tell us about you your journey how did you become a makeup artist Thanks. We already know where you're based, what you're specializing, etc. So that the people listening to us could know more about you.

• Speaker #3

  Yes, definitely. I'm happy to share. So my name is Lily. My business, my baby is called Lux by Lily. So that's what you'll see me online as. I've been doing makeup now for, it's nine years, ten years this summer in August. Wow. So it's been a very long time. Yeah, yeah, it's been a long time. But it started off very, it started off very on the side. So when I was in when I was in college, I had kind of started my interest with makeup and I joined a local to me there was a bridal beauty on site service team. So I joined just like a part time job while I was in college. And then I really grew to love weddings. I did that all the way until 2020. first one there was the global pandemic and a lot of weddings had to be canceled then um at that point I kind of had to decide you know do I want to continue this work working freelance or do I want to find another team to work for um so yeah so then I just decided okay I really do love this job I want to just pursue it freelance now um so I've just been working for myself since 2020 so half the time was with a team and half the time has been uh for myself so so yeah and I specialize Otherwise... Primarily in weddings, but I also do a lot of photo shoots, events, whether it's, you know, the D.C. area has lots of random events happening all the time. So there's people who, you know, just are looking for some glam and go. And so I'll do that, too. But primarily weddings. And right now it is, let's say, March 3rd. So this weekend kicks off our busy season here. So weddings are kicking right back up this weekend. So, yeah, we're just jumping right back in. But that's me. Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, so I have it just before, like, the fire starts, you know?

• Speaker #3

  Exactly.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, I'm shocked by, like, 10 years in the business, in the makeup industry. I'm like, what? How old are you?

• Speaker #3

  I was a baby when I started. I am 30 now, so I started when I was 20.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, 30? Okay. I think I've never asked you this question. I'm so shocked. okay i'm flattered that you're shocked yeah i didn't i i i couldn't know because i thought you were younger than me but actually i'm younger than you so yeah that's why i'm like what 10 years like how how that's possible okay and yeah in fact the uh when we started talking together i think it was one of the first question i asked you about like Do you also work on events? Because I know that there are a lot of like cocktails, dinners and other stuff close to Washington DC and that was effective one of the first questions I asked you before when we get to know each other. And would you say that wedding is like the biggest part of your business actually or maybe like 50-50?

• Speaker #3

  I definitely think weddings are the biggest part. They take up a lot of time, as you know. It takes up a lot of your energy throughout the year with all the communication and touching base with other vendors, photographers, planners. I'm really fortunate to be working with clients now that really value my expertise. So they really keep in touch a lot throughout the year. So it does require a little bit more of my... of my time and energy. So it definitely takes up a lot. More recently, I started doing lessons. So I'm hoping that that starts to become a little bit bigger of a dent in my work as well, because I do have a background in teaching. That's what I was in college for. I didn't become a teacher, but that is kind of my professional background. So yeah, so hopefully lessons will kick off, but weddings definitely are a huge part of my work.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, okay. So you're going back to your college, like the beginning when you went to college and you're going back to teaching. And that's very interesting. So what are you going to give? What kind of lesson? Do you make up lesson or something else?

• Speaker #3

  Yeah, definitely make up lessons. I've started over the past year doing one-on-ones. So I'll have girls or folks come to me who are just interested in learning how to do their everyday makeup. This weekend, I actually... Another set of lessons for two sisters. So they're celebrating one of their birthdays and they wanted to just do a makeup lesson as kind of their hangout for her birthday. So it's a really cute thing. I hope that it expands a little bit more. I don't I don't know if I see any kind of like huge classes in the future, but maybe like small groups, you know, groups of two or up to six kind of more intimate settings that can be very tailored to each person. That's kind of what I'm hoping to start off with this year.

• Speaker #0

  Oh, okay, nice. So that's more for like particular clients, like maybe some old bride that you had, or like you say, the two sisters, etc. And do you aspire maybe a day to like teach lessons also to makeup artists as well? Or you prefer to just teach to particular like people that are in the business?

• Speaker #3

  Yeah, that's a good question. I would love to definitely teach professional artist lessons. I have right now an artist that works with me she helps me out with weddings throughout the year when it's larger so we try to do regular trainings with her which gives me kind of that experience of teaching another artist she's super super talented but we work on things like not just technique but even communication sometimes that can be you kind of learn it with experience especially in weddings you know after after a certain amount of years you know how to read people's body language and like you know how to pick up on their cues So that's kind of something we're working on lately. But yeah, hopefully more artist lessons in my future too. Because I do think I kind of gaslight myself sometimes. And I'm like, do I really know that much to be teaching? And then when I start talking about it, I'm like, oh, I do kind of know my stuff. Yeah, yeah,

• Speaker #0

  yeah. Yeah, I like the imposter syndrome that always comes out when you're like, oh, like, do I know enough to teach? Like, you always know enough to teach someone because you just need to have like 10% more. To teach to someone, that's enough. To be a teacher, to be an educator, that's really enough. And you are very talented, so you have a lot to teach and to give. So wishing you to achieve all your goals, all your educational goals. Yeah. Yeah. Before you said that you started, when you started your business, you were working for a team, and then after on your own, What do you prefer? team or working on yourself or are there something that you prefer in one side and something that you well not dislike but less fan of in the other side yeah

• Speaker #3

  I I feel like I could talk a lot about that because I think um I I've been primarily just working for myself for the past five years I do have a good network of makeup artists in the area that I assist sometimes when they need help um and honestly I really love assisting because I I don't have to do anything. I just fill up into makeup. It's so nice, especially when you have like in the middle of busy season, you've got like, you know, so many things going on. And then to have a day that you assist is such a nice break. So I still really like assisting. I haven't worked with a team in a long time. So I'm not sure what the kind of, I guess the vibe is with teams nowadays. But in my experience way back when this was pre 2020, which you know i'm sure you know it's like such a different time in the beauty industry but in pre-2020 Yeah, I just found that I didn't have a lot of ownership of my own work. I learned so much. Like the owner of the team that I worked for, she really prioritized education. So I learned a lot from her. I learned a lot from the other artists on the team. So I really do value my time with them. But I was also just a beginner artist at the time. And I just, you know, I didn't necessarily want to own my portfolio yet. I was just looking to learn. But I find that now that I'm working. More independently, I have that kind of control of my portfolio and my work. I can create the kind of vibe I want online on social media, and that attracts the clientele that kind of matches that as well. So I think I just really like having a little bit more ownership over it and being able to be the face of things. And I think with my years of experience, I can do that now. I couldn't do it in the beginning, which I think is where the team really helped kind of propel me a lot. um but yeah i think both have pros and cons um it's definitely nice because you don't have to do the admin of it all if you're on a team you just show up do the work yeah honestly sometimes the worst part about it it's like i wish i could just show up and do makeup every time but yeah

• Speaker #0

  but yeah but i definitely enjoy a mixture of both yeah this year i have a wedding i'm going to be assistant for the first time because usually i'm the one calling for assistant and the first time I'm going to be assisting someone. And I'm like, I'm so excited because, like, I'm just going to come and do hair style and makeup and that's all. Like, bye-bye. Like, no need to do the admin. I'm so excited because it's going to be in the middle of the season, you know. So it's going to be a really good pose, you know.

• Speaker #3

  Yes. Oh, yeah. No, that sounds so nice. You don't have to do the timeline. You don't have to do the emailing. Like, you just show up.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, that's all. That's all. Like, just show up on time. Yeah. Yeah. yeah yeah that that's that yeah yeah yeah yeah that's all weddings not only when you're a sister but like but that point like since it's not my own wedding like i feel like it's a little bit i'm a bit stressed about that just come on time make sure you're on the good place because my fear at each wedding is like to miss the place you know because some place especially in france some place have the same name though so that's my bigger fear but everything's gonna be okay So, like, talking about team, I think also maybe the interesting thing when you were in team, it was having, like, a team around you, like, you were not alone. And the fact that two of us, we get to know each other in the Level Up Club by Kelly podcast, you know, like, I call it Kelly podcast, but that's not her last name.

• Speaker #2

  No, yeah, her last name is podcast. Yeah,

• Speaker #0

  you know, by Kelly podcast, but that's, that's our old people know, I don't even know her last name, you know, but I know she's Kelly. But well, I went to the Level Up Club, and there was the like, it was for the challenge for the followers, I think 10k followers, I think. And then we get matched as a business partner. And as I was saying, just before we started registering the episode like we were in touch during the challenge but it was so beneficial because it it came at a good time like um we had a little bit of exchange together but there was so quality and they really changed a lot of things for me because i had a lot of questions at that moment and you were able to answer uh my question and with so so much kindness like um i'm someone i'm very very like It's very with me, you know. And. having an opinion of someone in the same industry that understand the industry that understand the same struggle and the same and understand everything i was so that that was so resourceful for me so i would like to say what did you expect from this experience at first when you entered the challenge well first of all

• Speaker #3

  I just want you to know that when we connected, I also was in a place where I needed so many answers. And I felt just confused and stressed and exhausted all the time. And connecting with you and learning from you and just, like, knowing that we became friends across the ocean was just, like, so magical to me. So I really value our connection, our business relationship, our friendship. I just wanted you to know that. It really I feel like I would voice note you when I was like, oh my god, I'm driving, it's my third wedding of the weekend, like I'm so tired. And just like hearing from you really felt so like, it just felt really magical. I was like, you know, it's cool that in what other way could we have ever met? And now here we are, like, you know, just friends across the ocean. Oh,

• Speaker #4

  oh my god.

• Speaker #3

  I know.

• Speaker #4

  Oh, I'm so emotional, why?

• Speaker #3

  Sorry. Oh. Sorry. I feel like you're listening. No, well, just to answer your question to get us back on track. Lock it. Lock it. Just to get us back on track. When we first connected, yeah, I joined Kaylee. I'd been listening to Kaylee's podcast for a really long time. She was actually, I've talked to her about this, but During 2020, when I had decided to go from working on a beauty team to freelance just for myself, I needed a contract and I needed, you know, documents. And Kaylee was actually selling contract bundles on Etsy. So you could like buy the contract from her and she would edit it and put your logo on it and like the verbiage and all that. So I bought a bundle from her in 2020. And we were kind of going back and forth on like. like customizing the contract and things. And then that was that. And then she went from being a makeup artist that was selling online tools to then also, you know, launching the Level Up Club and then doing the podcast. I've learned so much from her podcast. And I really hesitated on joining the Level Up Club for a long time because I don't know, I just felt like it seemed like a really big community and I didn't know that had the time to also be a good member of the club, I guess. And I still kind of feel like I could be a better participant in the club, and I still keep up with it in the chat and all the trainings and stuff. So I'm kind of like a ghost member. I feel like I do keep up, but I have minimal time.

• Speaker #0

  Guilty. Guilty.

• Speaker #3

  No, thank you. Thank you. That makes me feel better. But, I mean, aside from that, like, yes, the challenge came around. And I was really like, okay, I really need some accountability. I'm someone that works well with like, if someone else is giving me like, prompts or projects or things like I can deliver, but it's just about that initiative. That's hard for me. Especially when I'm really busy. So then, so yeah, when we got connected, I think what I what I expected was not what I got. And I mean that in a positive way. I, I expected just to have someone who's like, Hey, how are you doing this week? Good, good. How are you? And that was it. But instead, you and I, like, we got so deep. We were talking about, like, our goals, like, right away. I'm like, we were like, I feel like I was sending you voice notes of, like, 15 minutes. Oh, my God. 20 minutes.

• Speaker #0

  Like,

• Speaker #3

  podcast.

• Speaker #0

  Like, I responded by podcast, like, you know.

• Speaker #3

  Exactly. It was literally podcast because I would be driving and I'd listen to your voice notes, like, on the way to work. But, yeah, I think, like, what I... like I mentioned what I really took out of that was just like inspiration that I think like in different parts of the world um we're still like you said experiencing similar struggles and and the loneliness that comes with being a business owner I know we had talked about that too sometimes it's things that like only you can deal with like no one else can step in and do the emails for you and I say emails but it's so much more than emails it's it's easy to simplify the emails is so much more. But even just to like give yourself emotionally to your clients that way to be there for them, to help them kind of feel better on days that are really stressful to them too. Even if it's not a wedding, sometimes if it's a photo shoot, it's, you know, still a big deal. If it's an event, something they're nervous about. So I think it really helped ground me to just connect with you and to do that challenge as a whole, just to help me realize, okay, like what I'm doing is much bigger than just, you know, playing with makeup.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, that's so true because Like we're not in the same country, like we are separated by a notion, as you say, and but it's always the same struggle, the same, all the same, like we go past the same thing. Like, as you said, we give so much to the client emotionally, like organization, everything like is so, so energy consuming. And sometimes people cannot understand, like when you finish a wedding, like when you're on the wedding, you're so excited, you have the adrenaline. you have like all the people like bubbling etc etc but like when you come back home you're like oh exhausted and like you're uh you're like empty like because you gave all you you cool to the bride and the the guests etc and then when you come back you grab the admin like you have to ask for a review you know ask for a review thank you for trusting me blah blah blah then after oh here go again the next bride oh remember that well i'm coming at your wedding at this you know that you You say email, but it's more than just email. Not same country, but same struggle, you know, and it's so resourceful to have someone that really understand, like, you don't have to explain why you're tired, why you are feeling this way, why you're like, just look at and you understand. And it makes things really more simple. And like, you're like, oh, wow, thank you.

• Speaker #3

  Absolutely. I agree with you. I think like. Sometimes I'd come home and especially because weddings happen usually on weekends and a lot of friends are making plans for Saturday night, Friday night, whatever. And I would sit out. I'd be like I'd tell my husband like you go ahead. I'll stay home. I'm just exhausted. I need to recharge because I have another day tomorrow. Like I need to get my emotional batteries back up. So it was definitely like it feels a little bit like you're missing out on things because you're like everyone spending their Saturdays and Sundays, you know, going to brunch, going to dinner, doing this and that. And I'm, I'm dedicated to my job, which is majority working on weekends. So it's just nice to connect with other professionals who understand that feeling of like, hey, you don't have to explain yourself. You know, if you want to come home and just rot on the couch for like two hours, just do that, you know, not talk to anyone. And I think that's, it's honestly, it's like, it's hard sometimes to like have to explain it, even like with my family to be like, Oh, I know it's a Saturday, but I'm actually, you know, this is a work day for me and I still have to work again tomorrow. So, you know, it's hard to explain to others.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. And usually the fun stuff is always in summer. Like, you know, like, yeah, you have Christmas during the holiday, the winter break, but usually barbecues on the summer, you know.

• Speaker #2

  Right.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. Yeah. So. how much do you think is important to find someone that really understands your ambition and really understands you? How much do you think is important? I think people already understand that's very important, but how much do you value this and how much could you recommend this to other hair and makeup artists?

• Speaker #3

  Yeah, do you mean in terms of like a partner or friends or kind of all of that?

• Speaker #0

  A part like yeah uh someone in the business because i i don't know um maybe in america is a little bit less but in france um like it's a bit the the the wedding industry the beauty wedding industry is very competitive like i have a business a french business partner here like we uh we like we uh we like to chat together like we don't see a lot but when we see we talk so much and every time we're like oh wow that was very nice to have that chat you know And but the problem is that I feel like with other vendors, other makeup artists is more difficult because there's always that competitive side of the business. Like we are doing the same job, but yeah, we're doing the same job. So we should be able to understand each other, not fight each other. You know, I don't know if it's the same in America, but in France, I really feel that way. And I feel it's more difficult to have someone that can understand you here in France. then maybe it's the same there or maybe not at all. I don't know.

• Speaker #3

  Yeah, honestly, that's a really important conversation because, well, first of all, I can only speak to the community here in Baltimore, D.C. area, I think, because where I've always worked. I think each city is going to look a little different. Like, I've had friends who work in New York and it's a little bit different, you know, in New York or Chicago or wherever you are, right? But I do think... at least in the Baltimore area, I have gotten so lucky. Like I have my little circle of vendor girls who are just creative and just good people. They're just so kind and like just good. That's like the only way I can explain them. A couple of them are photographers. Some of them are hairstylists, makeup artists. Others might be florists. but I have a connection with vendors locally that really feel like they we all encourage and celebrate each other so much. And I do think that's just to your question. It's extremely important because, as we said, it can be really lonely to operate in this world of freelance because at the end of the day, you're a creative person, but you're also a business owner. And that can be really just hard, like just to, you know, call local local offices and file your taxes and. do all the paperwork for your business and your LLC and all this, it can be so lonely because you, there's no one who can tell you how to do it. You just have to do it.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah.

• Speaker #3

  So I think it is extremely important to have that circle because, um, I don't know, like they just make everything feel like it's not as scary anymore. Um, we, my little group, we like to get together for like craft nights here and there. So we'll get together and paint. But we just craft. We just make little things. Like last time. Yeah, yeah. We just, last time we made Valentine's together. So we had a bunch of construction paper and little stickers. And we're just making Valentine's. Like, just take your mind off. It's really cute. And I just love them. Like, they are, like I said, they're just so warm. And everything feels like it's going to be okay when you're with them.

• Speaker #2

  Yeah.

• Speaker #3

  So I think that is, it's important. Because I do, I have, like. so many friends from throughout different parts of my life, like in college or from high school, even. And they're amazing, but they work different types of jobs, you know, they work in an office or in, you know, just regular, more typical nine to five type jobs. And as much as they are super supportive, and I feel their love all the time, it's just different when you don't have that, that understanding of like, you know, what what it means to be a freelance worker. So So, yeah, I think it's really, really... And I, I mean, on that note, my, my husband is a really great support system too. Like he's someone that like on Saturday nights, he's washing brushes with me to work the next day. You know, he's in the mornings, like for early mornings, he's driven me to weddings so I could sleep on the way there.

• Speaker #2

  Oh, wow.

• Speaker #3

  If it's too early, he's really good. So, so yeah, I think I have a really good, a really good support system around me and I'm, I'm really lucky. I'm sure you've seen the phrase like in order to be a village, you have to be a villager. So I try to emulate the same thing towards my friends, too, is like when they need someone to show up for them, I try to show up for them as much as I can. Because we're all doing it for each other and you have to. And yeah, there's definitely some sense of competition, maybe in some areas. I'm really lucky to not feel that with my friend group. We're all just very much community oriented.

• Speaker #0

  Oh, that's nice. That's very nice because it's very important to have like a village. Like it's almost the same when you say, you know, for for when a woman gives birth, like you say, it takes a village to to to carry a baby. So it's almost the same village to take care of an entrepreneur. It's the same. It's the same at the end. And that's very interesting because you are not only a group of makeup artists, but you're a group of creative people. Like you said, a photographer and what...

• Speaker #3

  kind of other other um speciality do you have inside the group yeah we have um well there's a couple of photographers one of them is um she works a lot in social media another girl uh does a little bit of everything she does social media she does um installations design like everyone's just got a really creative brain um so it's just really cool to be around them even even when my husband is around them he like walks away and he's like wow you guys are all just like Thank you.

• Speaker #0

  artists like everyone's just a creative person I'm like yeah that's my little that's my little group like everyone's just a creative like really cool girl really cool artist person like it's just fun oh wow that's that that gave me some idea like because I'm also trying to look for makeup artists so maybe I should look for photographers also and all this stuff you know like that's very interesting I want to do some crafts craft night also now

• Speaker #3

  I want you should you should it's so

• Speaker #0

  it's so like it fills your cup like you just feel good you feel like a little kid again you're just like yeah painting just reason like just for fun yeah like like a read book like um you know this um read club like reading club also like do you do some reading clubs outside or or just more like crafts crafts craftsman things or what what else do you do i'm very interested on this Like, why are you so far? Why?

• Speaker #3

  I mean... We can have a book club overseas if you want. We can meet on Zoom and talk about our books. That would be fun.

• Speaker #0

  Oh, nice.

• Speaker #3

  Planting the seed. Yeah, I've done a book club before with some of my friends from college. We've done book clubs. And it's been really, really fun. I think I try to, as I get older, just, like, prioritize things that I'm doing. not because it's paying me, but just because it makes me feel good. I think a lot of times

• Speaker #0

  Especially being business owners, like you have that business mindset where, you know, if you're crafting something, you're like, oh, I wonder if I could sell this or if someone could pay me to do it. But I think it's really important to separate it so that you're not just always doing things because you're getting paid for it, but also just because it makes you feel happy. It makes you feel good. You get to spend time with your friends and that's it. That's the value that you get out of it. So I've done book clubs. We've done like craft nights like that. um I've tried to do like even just girls nights at my house where we all like have a little theme like everyone wear your pajamas and come over um so yeah I'm just like you know I'm like I'm 30 now but I want to be a kid forever in my in my soul so I just like make sure I'm I'm fun so um so yeah I definitely definitely I'm down to do a book club if you want to do it well actually I I think I'm going to...

• Speaker #1

  pick a boat and arrive like just wait for me just wait for like three days i'm coming okay what made you feel inspired the last days maybe weeks or even months what makes you more inspired oh i like this one um

• Speaker #0

  actually you know i like around the holidays i I feel like I really lost some inspiration because the holidays are so much work like it's just so stressful um so I think like all I have on my mind is you know getting through Christmas and then what's everyone doing for New Year's and then like you know am I supposed to be setting New Year's resolutions it's just like so many things that you see online that I really kind of had to take a break um so I I kind of fell off of social media for like a month um which feels like a really time, especially because, you know. the algorithm wants you active and all that stuff. But I fell off. And I actually started reading again. I hadn't read a book. And so I started I read a book, I am on my next one right now. I started watching a lot of movies, like I've been trying to watch all the movies that are up for the Oscars Best Picture. So usually, Oscars awards come around, I never know what these movies are. I'm like, Oh, I've never even heard of that. So this year I'm trying to see if I can watch the Oscars nominations. But even just watching good stories or reading good stories has been really inspirational for me. I feel like it changes even the way I communicate with people. Sometimes, like, I feel like I don't know how to be social. But then I, you know, take some time to myself and, like, you know, read a book, watch a movie, watch a good show. And then suddenly I feel reorganized, like, in my mind to communicate with people. I think good stories always really inspire me. So whether that's like, you know, a book or you're binging a show or watching a movie, I think that always gets me, gets me really kind of thinking.

• Speaker #1

  Could you give us like three books that you read recently and maybe some movies also? Maybe that can inspire other people.

• Speaker #0

  Oh, I love this. Okay. Yes. I'm a big movie girl. I love going to the movies. So I have movies for sure. I saw Hamnet, which is a story. I don't even know if I should say anything because maybe it's spoilers, but Hamnet, I cried so hard watching Hamlet. Not Hamlet, Hamnet. I also really liked, I watched a show called Dark on Netflix. It's a German show. Oh, yeah. But have you heard of it? It's like science fiction.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. I've heard of it. I tried to look at it, but I like. I try to look at it, but I have difficulties to stay focused in watching this series. Like, I have a little bit of ADHD, you know. If I don't catch up from the first episode, it's very difficult for me to go ahead. But I really tried really hard. Like, three times I tried to watch it because I really want to watch it. It seems really interesting. I think I will try again very soon. Sorry, go ahead.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, I. No, no, I agree with you. Dark is one of those shows that like, well, for me, of course, I was reading subtitles, too. So you have to really be focused. But it's also so complicated that like, if you miss an episode, you're really behind. It's so like convoluted. But yeah, Dark was really, really good. I do recommend it. Take your time with it, though, because it is a lot. And then as far as books, I also read, it's called Clara and the Sun. It's a book by, I cannot remember the author, but I'll send it to you. But Clear in the Sun is like, it's this kind of future world where you can buy an AI assistant, like a robot assistant, and look like very human. humanistic or humanoid whatever um but it's really interesting because it's through the perspective of the robot and it's about her kind of like learning about the world so you know like learning where the sun comes from and learning like uh human emotions and why do people get angry and i think it's just like a really interesting interesting view because she's almost like a little baby like learning everything for the first time yeah yeah so yeah those are I really do like a... I like a sci-fi story. I also like anything that makes me think about, like, the meaning of life. Makes me just sit and, like, stare outside and think. Yeah.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah, nice. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'll definitely try to look dark because it's been years. Since the series came out, I've been trying to look at it. Because even my videographer, the videographer of my wedding, we were talking about dark. He said, you must watch it. Like, oh, I need to watch it. But... Ah now you have me and i'm telling you you have to watch it yeah i definitely have to watch it like oh my god okay okay next week i'll start dark oh my god it's so exciting yeah yeah yeah you need to be very concentrated because i definitely agree with you it's like those kind of uh film episodes like if you miss like five minutes you've missed all you have to start over again. Like, oh, my God.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah.

• Speaker #1

  Oh, wow. So let's go for the signature questions. Okay. Let's do it. So tell us, what was your best wedding or not wedding experience that you ever had? And also the worst, the best and the worst. And for the worst experience, what lesson do you take from it? Like, yeah, I think I say two times worse. So best and worst. Start from the one you prefer.

• Speaker #0

  Okay. This is a good question. I will actually start with the worst because it's the first one. Yeah.

• Speaker #1

  Always. Always.

• Speaker #0

  Right. Exactly. It's always the negative stuff that comes first. But the worst wedding experience, and I feel like worst is. It's almost like too harsh of a word to describe it. It was just, you know, it stands out. It was the bride. The bride was lovely. She was amazing. But the groom made her cry on her wedding day. He, like, he told her she, he kind of insulted the way she looked with makeup. He was like, you know, you kind of look like a clown with all that makeup on and whatever. And she cried about it. them and This was so long ago, too, so I don't even know, like, where they're at. I hope she's doing well. But she cried about it, and I had to touch up her makeup after she cried. And she was apologizing to me because, you know, she's like, I'm so sorry. Like, you worked on my makeup, and I had to fix it. And I was apologizing to her that, you know, that she had had that experience on her wedding day. So I think what I really learned from that is, like we were saying earlier, like, how much... of an emotional toll that weddings can take on you because I really tried everything I possibly could to just have her feel better and feel more confident. She obviously was still going to get married that day. I wanted her to like go into that moment with like better energy than what she had. So I think, yeah, that really taught me that like what we're doing is a really emotional job as well. And it just taught me to be prepared for anything. Um, and also to set boundaries with when the bride is getting makeup done. Like I'm, I'm sure, you know, like people are bothering the brides like much when she's in your way too much. So it also taught me to not be afraid to speak up for my bride, to be like, Hey, give us an hour, give us an hour. And then you can ask her anything afterwards. But for right now, she's with me and we got to focus and you know, she's trying to relax. Um, I, when I have brides in my chair, we take deep breaths together. We like, you know, I massage their, their skincare, like anything to just like calm them. So, um, it's kind of, it's, it's really tailored. My approach with doing makeup is like calmness is my priorities. Like you're, you're only going to look as good as you feel.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting. Like, like I wouldn't even know how to react at such moment. Like, she's going to get married to that person and you're like, are you serious? Like you,

• Speaker #0

  I know, I know.

• Speaker #1

  Like you just have to stay calm because like just shut shut shut up shut up like yeah

• Speaker #0

  It's actually free to shut up, so just shut up.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah, but you can because it's the group. It's also his day. I hope it was just because some boys are really, really... Because my husband is a little bit like that. Every time I put makeup on, he's not used to seeing me with makeup. And every time I put makeup on, he's like, Oh no, I prefer when you don't have makeup. And I remember one day I was like, you know, I gave Berta a son. So, you know, hormones, all this stuff. And you just want to be nice, pretty, etc. So I made some effort to do makeup. And it was like, oh, no, I prefer when you don't have makeup. I was like, shut the fuck up. You know, like.

• Speaker #0

  Have you seen the TikToks where they're like, here, take this piece of tape. It's for your mouth.

• Speaker #1

  No, I haven't.

• Speaker #0

  good for you and yeah it's hard because it's like you know as a woman you're like I know what what that feels like to feel like an insecure yeah I'm saying like to and I don't know sometimes men like they think they're giving you a compliment by saying that like just so natural but that's not what you want to hear because you just spent so much like you said to feel good and like to feel confident and they're like

• Speaker #1

  oh take it off you look better the other way like yeah their situation like on the wedding day that's not the place to sit the kind of stuff like you can't say no other day like if she feel like yeah but not on your wedding they just say you're beautiful and we're getting married like if there is any groom listen to this please don't say that just say you're beautiful I love now you get married that's all that's all you have to say for

• Speaker #0

  everybody in the room even if the bride Bye.

• Speaker #1

  literally looks like a clown and she's wearing white face paint with the red cheeks and the red lips whatever even if she looks like a clown you tell her she looks like the most beautiful person you've ever seen yeah because that's it if she feel beautiful that's most important that's all that's all that's all oh that's very oh like oh okay yeah i know i hope i hope i hope to i hope I hope it was just like, how do you say in English? I don't know. Like. it maybe is like it didn't meant to be rude but there's a i don't know if there's a way to say it but i just hope that's all and that's not that is not deeper than that i hope she's well i hope that at the end the wedding was nice etc but oh that's not a really nice way to start your wedding day you know oh be dead right be shed um bichette uh i kind of say oh darling lovely my dear like something like that you know something like that but a little bit more babyish you know i love that i'm gonna use that you're gonna you're gonna see me use it oh bichette my bichette i'm going to do some french lesson now on the podcast

• Speaker #0

  oh you know what i would love that oh i took friendship right i know like this this much okay un petit peu un petit peu un petit peu yeah un petit peu so what's your best experience now okay best um i i have so many so many good ones the first one that comes to mind though but just because it was recent it was this past fall um it was a bride that um she had booked me um pretty I would not last minute but like kind of last minute like because she was having trouble finding a makeup artist uh but basically she booked me for the whole day so I was with her like from the morning we got ready and then she booked me to go to the venue with hers and touch her up throughout the day and I spent the whole So, afternoon with her up until the ceremony and the reason it was so good is because she um she's a makeup girl she was like a big makeup fan so she has all her favorite stuff like her she brought her bag of makeup and literally like she has all the best high-end stuff like really really good um and she like I felt so much trust from her where she was like basically you know You can use my stuff, you can use your stuff, whatever you want. I just brought it all, like, whatever you do sounds good. She trusted me the whole way. And I think what really made this day so good is then when we were at the venue and I was doing touch-ups on her. Um, another vendor was like, oh, you know, Lily, do you want to jump in and do a touch up right now while she has a second? And the bride, um, she, she was getting a little overwhelmed with everything going on. And she looked at me and was like, Lily, she said something like, Lily's just here for comfort. Everyone stop bothering Lily. She's just here to comfort me. And I was like, oh my God, she doesn't even like want me to be here to touch her up. She just wants me to be here. She feels better.

• Speaker #1

  And,

• Speaker #0

  and I don't know. I just. really good about like what I do and and the fact that like my presence was bringing her like a little bit of peace that way so yeah that was a really really good one um I have so many good ones but that was that was recent and that was a really nice nice day the chills oh my god wow that's

• Speaker #1

  exceptional to us like a makeup girl that gives you so much trust for a wedding day because like makeup girl is almost like doing makeup on the makeup artist like that's that's that's a little bit of pressure but at the end it was like very nice wow it wasn't yeah I I did feel the pressure because I was like you know she knows what she's doing she knows how to make up but yeah she had hired me a few different times of the year um

• Speaker #0

  she also is a hairstylist herself so she was doing like her branding photos for work and she hired me for that we did like two different trials because she was just trying a bunch of different stuff like So I just felt like at that point, by the time her wedding came around, we just had spent so much time together already that, you know, we were just innate friends. Yeah. Yeah.

• Speaker #1

  Nice. What would you say is the most false idea about our, our industry, about the beauty industry? Sorry.

• Speaker #0

  you got me with that one i gotta think um let me see okay two things okay one it is uh number one um that natural looking makeup on social media is like no makeup um because i think i have this conversation with clients a lot where they come to me and they're like oh I want to hire you because you do natural makeup and I'm like yes and no like you know it looks natural on camera you're gonna look like yourself but it's still makeup you know and when I put it on it's not gonna feel like nothing so I have this conversation almost every day so that is number one um and then number two that um I feel like hair and makeup as a whole is always like the last thing people think about even though it's the first thing you do on your wedding day um so i try i feel like i i don't know that's something that i wish people knew people valued more um that it's not just you know showing up and like throwing some lipstick on you that it's like setting the tone for the whole day uh because i feel like even when it comes to like uh booking like people book their hair and makeup people last um or sometimes even with like scheduling the day like I've had so many times where like the planner will make a schedule for me um kind of like making assumptions that like oh you can do this in like 30 minutes right and they make my schedule yeah I and I feel so like I'm like um no how are you gonna tell me how long it takes me like yeah yeah no no no no no 30 minutes is for me to say hey Bye. literally

• Speaker #1

  30 minutes is me coming in putting my stuff down getting my water like that's it that's all um yeah so i think yeah those two things natural makeup you know what that means and then also just valuing hair and makeup more than it than it is yeah i feel there's still a lot of work to do in that side um because like as you said make her and make up a book last well like it should be booked like earlier as soon as they have their location as soon as they have the dress like it's very important to have the choice to choose the good hair and makeup artist you want and just not take the one remaining you know um and since i like there's some bride that book like three months before the wedding like i don't take brides three months before a wedding like unless you're like my dream bride i do not even give you like the energy to to to go for them just say i'm not available because like three months before like that's too much stress because you have to do the trial you have to get to know each other and in three months that's not enough for me i don't know if you have a uh limits time to to book someone but like i know that for me three months is my minimum minimum to be ready uh like psychologically you know like that's a lot

• Speaker #0

  No, that's a good point. I don't currently have a minimum like timing like that. But that's a great idea. Because yeah, anytime I've booked a wedding, that's like within, you know, even for three to four months or something like that. It's it is stressful. It's like, okay, well, I need to make the schedule right now. I need to book your trial right now. Like everything happened right away.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah.

• Speaker #0

  So it is a lot. And even on them, like, you know, what if they don't? like me for some reason like you know i i want to receive their it's their day at the end of the day like so i if you're doing that within four months it doesn't give you any time to to be you know choosy or picky yeah yeah that's true that's true well that's

• Speaker #1

  nice that's very nice um i'm hesitating um yeah let me let me let's see what's what do you think is coming for Lily Gomez in the next five years like what's your what's waiting for you in the future wouldn't

• Speaker #0

  I like to know like

• Speaker #1

  I also have that question well I'm the one asking question not you okay okay so just answer that's all things are stripped around here

• Speaker #0

  um okay okay let me think uh i would like to uh in the next five years i would like to have a really good social media presence um i think that's something i want to do this year um Not just because it's what makes sense for business, but also because it's just fun. I think that challenge we did with Kaylee, it helped me realize like you can get really creative with what you do on social media. And I think it's just fun. It's a good creative outlet. I would like to not just have weddings be my primary, but also maybe do more consistent like weekday kind of. like photo shoots and like kind of kind of diversify the way that I do makeup not just for events but maybe um maybe in teaching and lessons um maybe have a big class one day in the next five years um we'll see but yeah that's that's kind of what I've got I I have um a studio right now that I work out of that I'm in right now um it is in my home so it's a home studio um I I go back I can force on if I would want, you know, a full. storefront kind of studio but if I did it wouldn't be anytime soon and maybe that's something that in five years I could see for myself but for right now I'm doing all right here clients really enjoy coming here so it's working for me right now but but maybe in the next five years well

• Speaker #1

  actually I feel like home studio is the best because like it's at your place and like for I I try to have like... Not really a studio, like a door front studio, but it was on a truck, like, big story, like, long story. What? Yeah, because I live in the city, so I'm in an apartment, so I couldn't do space in my house. So I was like, I don't want to have a door front, like, you know, I don't want to have a store, like, that's too much of pressure, etc. So I was like, oh, let me just do a beauty truck, you know. So I did this project to have a beauty truck so that could be also my studio to do tryouts for Brad etc But long story short everything messed up

• Speaker #0

  I'm gonna need the long story long at some point.

• Speaker #1

  Long story long. Well, let me just say that I call a company to build my truck because I didn't want to just do like, you know, a camping car that you just do by yourself, something like very nice, but like you can see it's homemade. I really wanted a saloon that when you go inside the truck, you don't feel like you're inside a vehicle, but really in the store, you know? So like you had like a fancy chair. you had like because I was also a hair colorist at the time because now I only do weddings but I was also a hair colorist so I had like like you know the shampoo with massage everything like really a salon like in 10 meters 10 feet not really saying a D-med carrier 10 meters round you know in France you say that because in in the US is like you talk on feet and also I will never understand why you told me other stuff like imagine a box of one meter and tell me like something like that well like i'm like a room like a room like a room yeah and it was really a salon everything like mirrors lights etc very very very luxurious and very very um i took time to very design every details where i had an architect to do the details etc but I was never delivered like I paid the money and never saw my truck and I had to go in justice and etc and and I was like never again voila so that's the long middle story oh my god so far that happened that's crazy yeah did it get your your money back or no I haven't got my money back but I had the the the court that decided that I won that so because I because I had the information in November 2025 so this story started in 2023 I was supposed to be delivered in 2023 and never been delivered and I started the court like end of 2024 starting 2025. And then after the court decided that I was on my right to have my money and my truck bag, but I've never, I haven't still had any news. But like French admin is very, very long. So like long, because that's going to take a little bit, a little bit of time. But at the end, I'm really happy that that happened because even if that didn't happen, I maybe I will never know you, you know, like. I wouldn't have started the podcast because the podcast was an idea that I have since a long time um doing training courses uh coaching calls etc it was something I want really wanted to do but I was like no I'm in the business for only three years like who am I to learn to teach people some stuff but I had a lot to bring to people like I was like oh well I know something like as you as you said before when we started the the episode And I was like, okay, like, well, like, I don't have the truck. I can't work. So what should I do? Let's start now, you know? So I had a lot of time because I couldn't work because, like, I was supposed to work in there and I couldn't work. And I didn't want to continue doing it because I used to be an hairstylist at home. Like, I go to my client's place. But I wanted to stop that because it was so overwhelming. I wanted to stop that. That's why I had the salon. And I was like, no, it's not for me. possible for me to to go and continue going to people home like like I was in a period when like people called me I was like crying I didn't want to answer to book people like no I don't want I don't want to book like stop and I was like what do I really want so I started asking myself what do I really want what am I going to do with my life because we're like what am I going to do with my life oh my god yeah

• Speaker #2

  you had the meltdown

• Speaker #1

  Yeah, really, like very, like I got scared. My husband got scared at that period. But at the end, what comes out of all of this, that's why I like to ask people what the worst experience you ever had, etc. What came out is that I really questioned myself or what I really wanted. And then I started thinking about, hey, what about that podcast that we're talking about? Like, let's start it. Like, oh, we say we're going to do some coaching. for hair and makeup artists in some years. Well, let's start it now. So that gave me the time to develop something and I think that if I had my truck I would never have the time to do it at that moment and maybe I'll do it like in five years but at least I'm doing now and at the end I'm very happy that it's gone wrong, you know, so voila. I don't even know why we're talking about this.

• Speaker #0

  Thank you for sharing that. That's, that's, it's really amazing that you're able to, you know, something beautiful was born out of such a traumatic experience like i'm sure that you know it took a lot of resilience in you to to come out of that and not just come out of it but to create something like the podcast now the business you've created for yourself like it's that's really amazing yeah yeah i'm sorry that's some horrible shitty people in the world yeah yeah that's true but you

• Speaker #1

  really i stop because my friends are really they're very when every time i say this they are very like valentina's this but i'm like well i really thank that man because he's yeah he's a monster etc but thanks to him i could do all i all the things i did since since since that happened like i feel i feel i'm really more connected to myself because before you know you have ambition etc but you have the ambition like when you're young you know like y'all and then after you and then after you get older you know and then you're like I need more alignment I need more more and I feel really I'm feeling more I really feel more aligned now that I'm doing all the stuff you know I really work and do what I like and not what I should do you know it's a big difference you know and that really helps

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, I think when you're younger, you have a little bit, you kind of have like the balls to do stuff to be a little bit like daring and adventurous. I feel like sometimes I think about the version of me that started doing makeup on that beauty team, you know, 10 years ago, and it was only 20. I was just a little baby. And I have pictures of my very first kit. And I went to a craft store and I just got, I don't know if you've seen, they have like rolling. in cases for scrapbook things that you can put your scrapbooks in um and I use that as my makeup kit I would show up with like a little like you know craft store kit um and it just like it's so funny because I look back on that version of me and I'm like oh my god I would never do that now like you're so scrappy you're like I'm gonna figure it out I'm gonna do something yeah but yeah I mean you still have to have a little bit of that adventurous side as you get I think that's... We have to keep playing. We just have to play. Yeah. You know, go outside. Go do something. Use your free will. Do something. Because we have to keep that whimsy. Keep the whimsy alive.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah. So that's perfect. That's a perfect transition. What do you think that the people at Listing to us should retain from all this conversation we had? Because it was so resourceful. I really adore talking with you today. So what do you think they should take from this episode?

• Speaker #0

  I think we should take that things don't happen right away. I think that's a big story of my life, at least, is that things don't happen overnight. Every drop in the bucket is contributing to your big goal. So even if that just means getting up one day and, you know, stepping outside to get some inspiration, that is a small act that contributes to a larger goal. Um, so that's what I, that's what I always try to hold on to. And that's what I would hope, um, anyone takes from today too. And to invest in your community, um, like invest in your relationships, be a villager, like, you know, show up for, for your friends, um, you know, like their Instagram posts, even if it's irrelevant to what you do, like do something because, um, we're all out here just trying. And, and we've, I think we've entered a space in like society where like, sometimes it can look cringe when you're trying. um but it's okay to try it's okay to get out there and like maybe maybe you look silly maybe you don't who cares just do it you know we're only here for a very limited so you know do you really want to spend your time on earth scared of doing things like that or do you want to just say like you know what i tried that it didn't work out for me but i tried it and that's it was cool yeah yeah the most part is to try and then you see you

• Speaker #1

  you try you you mistake you you do better and all over again and that's that's that's good that's that's perfect that's life yeah oh thank you oh my god my cheeks are going to die this evening like oh my god Same. I feel like I have to, like, massage my cheeks. Thank you very much, Lily. I'm so happy that you came today. Like, I was waiting for this episode for so long, and I'm so happy, and it was all perfect. And, well, I wish you all the best, and see you soon.

• Speaker #0

  Thank you so much. Wishing you all the best. Sending you love across the ocean. Anytime you want to Zoom, talk about books, talk about makeup or anything, you just say the word. I'll be there.

• Speaker #1

  Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for listening. If this episode resonated with you, make sure to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It truly helps the podcast grow. You'll find all the details about today's guest as well as how to connect with both of us in the show notes. And if you'd like to connect directly, you can find me on Instagram at ValentinaDenis. See you next week for more Real Talk.