ECU makeup artist releases lip gloss line
An East Carolina University student has been working as a makeup artist for the past four years, doing makeup for ECU students and clients in the surrounding Greenville area, while releasing her own lip gloss line as well.
Ryann Carter, a sophomore majoring in business management, started doing makeup during her sophomore year of college while working at a salon in her hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. She began working with clients in the Greenville area last year.
“I used to work in a salon in Greensboro, which is where I’m from. There was a guy there that did drag makeup and I would go to some of his shows. He asked me, ‘Why don’t you try to learn how to do my drag makeup?’ I used to be so interested in it all the time, so I started doing his drag makeup for his shows. That’s kind of how I got into it,” Carter said.
While Carter follows some makeup artists on Instagram, she said that she doesn’t really have many makeup artist inspirations, as she believes some artists within the industry don’t do a good job at doing quality makeup for a reasonable price. She wants to “clean up” that reputation for makeup artists by giving her clients quality service for an affordable price.
Carter charges $40 for a full face of glam makeup, which includes false lashes, $30 for soft glam makeup, which is a full face of natural makeup with false lashes included, and $20 for natural makeup, with a $5 upcharge for false lashes, according to her website.
According to Carter, a lot of the clients she works with are from bridal parties in Morehead City, where she currently lives, as well as ECU students for special events. The number of clients she works with on a weekly basis depends on the type of event.
“I actually work at home with a salon and I do wedding makeup. If there is a wedding, I’ll do (makeup for) about 14 girls in two hours. When it’s sorority rush week, or something like that, I’ll probably have like 10 (clients) a week, or 10 every three days,” Carter said.
Along with being a makeup artist, Carter also sells her own lip gloss, called The Carter Collection, having released her first line last November. She is currently working to release a new line as well.
“I just started doing that (selling lip gloss). What I want to do when I’m older is I want to have a makeup line, but you must be FDA (Food and Drug Association) regulated to do things like eyeshadows. My lip gloss is 100% natural, cruelty-free. All the ingredients are good for you,” Carter said.
Carter primarily works alone doing makeup and working on her lip gloss brand, but said that her boyfriend, Brandon Francis, has helped her release and distribute her products.
“It’s just me, but my boyfriend honestly helps me a lot. When my last line came out, I was really trying to get them out, and he helped me fill the bottles, so he’s helpful in that aspect. I don’t really have anyone else helping me,” Carter said.
Francis, a sophomore majoring in hospitality management, said that he helps Carter come up with new ideas for her makeup line, while helping her set up her website, where clients can book appointments with her and purchase her products. He said he is impressed with Carter’s progress on her social media.
“I’ve seen her page grow tremendously in the past couple months. I remember when she had about 50 followers, and now she has almost 400 followers in a matter of months. I’ve seen her grow with her lip gloss. She’s a very independent and strong woman, and she’s already thinking about new products. The sky's the limit for her,” Francis said.
According to Carter, the location where she will do her clients’ makeup depends on if she’s working in Greenville or in Morehead City. Her ECU clients will typically meet her at her apartment, while her clients in Morehead City will meet her at her salon, or, if she's doing wedding makeup, she will meet them at the wedding venue.
Carter believes people should come to her for her to do their makeup because she consistently uses quality products on her clients.
“I do not cheap people out. I use as much product as I can. I know what I’m doing. I don’t use bad products either, my product quality is good. I tend to use very high-end makeup. I think people come back to me because they know the quality of work will always be good,” Carter said.
Shyla Fitzhugh, a client of Carter, recently got her makeup done for her birthday celebration. This was the first time Fitz had her makeup done by Carter, and she is looking forward to going to her again in the future.
Fitzhugh said she found out about Carter from seeing her Instagram page, @thecartercollection, where Carter posts about her lip gloss brand, as well as pictures and videos of her doing her clients’ makeup.
“I had seen her do makeup on her Instagram page. I knew she was a part of a modeling troupe on campus, so I looked more into it. One of the people I worked with for a camp is her roommate,” Fitzhugh said.
Fitzhugh said she was impressed with her makeup when she got it done, and got many compliments from her friends. She also appreciated Carter’s prices.
“When I got my makeup done, it really popped. It was so nice. It looked natural, but at the same time, it was a nice bold look. It was amazing. She has good prices, she’s a professional person, and she does a good job,” Fitzhugh said.
For more information on Carter and her makeup line, visit her Instagram @thecartercollection, or her website.