Meet Gunay Miriyeva | Makeup artist

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

Hi Gunay, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think life is about risks, if you don’t take risks, how do you grow? I have taken huge risks in my life and never regret about it because if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My first huge risk was leaving everything behind and move to the United States to start my life from 0 (zero). It was scary but I was ready to pursue my dreams and I knew there were no other ways. To this day I continue taking risks because that is how you learn and overcome your fears.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am makeup artist specialized in beauty and fashion. My journey started when I was 16 years old. My inspiration was music videos where I would see singers with beautiful makeup and hair. I was using my mom’s makeup recreating their looks. After practicing a lot on myself, sister, and mom, I started doing makeup for my friends and as I was doing it, I started getting requests to do bridal makeup. There was no social media at that time so I was not able to save or demonstrate my work on global level like we do now.
It definitely was not easy. I worked at the salon and then worked at the beauty counter. There were times when I was not sure if I was making the right choice choosing beauty industry but my passion for makeup is so strong that I just can’t let it go and I never gave up. I failed so many times and it was difficult because at that time beauty wasn’t one of the top industries.

What I have learned from my experiences growing is to never rush and take it easy, step by step. Failure is EXPERIENCE. You don’t really ever fail, YOU LEARN. However, be aware of the events and opportunities that come your way and take it without overthinking.

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?
I love San Diego, the weather, the ocean, the palms. It is just beautiful! I love the diversity here and you can eat all kinds of food. My favorite place to go to eat is Little Italy because I love Italian food.

I would take my friend to Balboa park, visit art galleries and San Diego Zoo. Also hiking on Torrey Pines is amazing with the ocean view, just breathtaking.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Certainly I couldn’t do it all by myself. When you start at a new location, no one knows you. I started collaboration with models, and photographers during Covid 19 lockdown. And the first photographer who was amazed by my skills and work ethic is Aaron Hall. He encouraged me to do more collabs and start networking with more photographers and professionals in the industry. I would definitely give him a credit for that. Then he connected me with Mireille Bertrand, the founder of Maquillage USA makeup school. I got the best education not only for makeup skills but also for the history of makeup and how to grow in the industry as a professional makeup artist as well as business owner in beauty and fashion industry. I would like to give huge shoutout to Mireille Bertrand who saw the potential in me and has been helping me in my journey till now.

Website: www.gunaymiri.com

Instagram: gunay_miri

Facebook: Gunay Miriyeva

Youtube: Gunay Miri

Image Credits
Photographers: Aaron Hall Daniel Graham Sabrina Banks