Meet Jena Huynh | Hair & Makeup Artist

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

Hi Jena, what matters most to you?
The most important value(s) and principle(s) that matter to me are consistency, authenticity, resiliency, persistence, and hard work. I always believed in being able to do anything you want in life, if you just believe in yourself and put your mind to it. My personal goal is to not just be good, but be great at everything I do. I’ve always been ambitious in life, wanting to make a difference in this world, be a leader, and follow my dreams. Consistency is extremely important to me as we all have faced defeats and being consistent in your values and principles will lead you back to success. I’ve always put in 110% in anything I do, and try to be better than I was yesterday. Being resilient to me means being able to problem solve on your feet, overcome challenges, and being flexible to all circumstances.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My favorite hairstyles to perform are Hollywood waves, half up- half down with one sided or double sided braids or twists. I would say my style of art for hair is the boho, beachy, whimsical look and a soft glam for makeup. What sets me apart from others is my reliability and flexibility to work with every client, vendor, or business at a moment’s notice to ensure their day of service runs smoothly. Being a perfectionist helps ensure every level of detail is considered through every step of the styling process.
I’ve always had a passion for styling hair growing up, but never pursued it, because I focused on my education and corporate career growth. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and a Masters Degree in Business Analytics. Currently, I work as a Business Systems & Solutions (Business Process) Analyst. I’m also a huge animal advocate, and have spent my time volunteering for non-profit organizations for a few years during my spare time.

During the pandemic, since we were all on lockdown, I convinced my fiancé to let me practice makeup on him out of boredom and although it did not turn out so great, I had the best time! Growing up, I’ve always been curious about different curling irons, and my mom bought me a $100 Enzo Milano wand that I still use today! I’ve taught myself to curl hair in middle school, and in high school, I was always the go-to gal for styling my friend’s hair for their dance recitals, homecoming dances, violin recitals, first dates, and etc. After talking to my best friends about how I wanted to pursue working in the beauty industry during the pandemic, they all encouraged me to create a social media platform and start putting my work out there!

Since putting myself out there, I am 90% booked for the year, taking on two weddings a day every so often! I’m most proud of myself for not giving up, and putting in the work to be the best version of myself every day. I enjoy doing branding shoots, styled shoots, collaborating with other vendors, and working weddings! It has not been easy getting to where I’m at today. One of the biggest challenges was feeling that I was not good enough. However, I was lucky enough to have other artists who did not know me, reach out and express how much they love my work and comment on the potential I have. One of the lessons I’ve learned along the way is to not take things personally, because there are others who will see your potential and know you’re worth their investment. Also, sometimes you’ll fall, but just be able to take that as a lesson learned, improve on it, and pick yourself back up.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were visiting San Diego, and they’ve never been here, I’ll get us a cute Airbnb place, we’ll go to brunch near the beach, tan at La Jolla beach, order carne asada fries or a California burrito, shop at the mall, grab a Boba drink, and have dinner in downtown. During the week, we will head to Disneyland, 6 flags, Knott’s Berry Farm, wine tasting in Temecula, Glen Ivy Spa, explore San Diego Downtown life, and hike around San Diego!

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?
I’d love to give a shout out to my mom, fiancé, my best friends, family, mentors and all the amazing people I’ve met along the way. They have supported and encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and put myself out there to show the world who I am. At times, I’ve doubted myself and felt defeated, and that was an obstacle that was difficult to overcome. However, I have an amazing support system by my side that believes in me and that guided me to where I am today. I’m extremely thankful for all of them and for those who took a chance on me earlier in my career.

Website: https://stylingwithjena.square.site

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylingwithjena/

Image Credits
Juan (J.P.) Casino – @jp.casino Angelina Ong – @sqvlina_media Nikki Smith – @nikkigotspirit