Life & Work with Henna Pearl Sexton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Henna Pearl Sexton.

Hi Henna Pearl, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always known I was an artist, even as a child. But how that would apply to a job is THE question most artists, at some point, must come to terms with. After getting my BFA and working hard as a graphic designer, marketing director, and creative director, then back to being a graphic designer at a new company, I thought, “Well, this is as good as it gets.”

I’ve never had the entrepreneurial drive I always hear people talk about—probably because I’m in marketing and I actually know what it takes to be successful, as well as the risks you have to take in the hopes of success. Let me take a step back … if you’re an artist you’re good at things that others aren’t, like hair, makeup, fashion, etc. You have “the eye,” as my dad calls it. Even though you don’t have training, you’re still the best because it comes naturally to you. My dad’s an artist, and he could do my hair better than my mom. Gender doesn’t decide what you’re good at. Your God-given talents do. That’s not to say with lots of hard work you can’t be good at something, but will you ever be great? So here I was a 26-year-old, semi-successful woman working at a great company as a graphic designer, and the Lord started to speak to me. (Not in like a fiery bush kind of way but, gosh! that would have worked better.) He started talking to me in the way that I know it was Him, which is through other people. I kept getting requests to help people with their makeup. I did my sister’s wedding makeup in April, and after that I was hounded by several people to do their wedding makeup. One person whom I really didn’t know that well just kept telling me, “I don’t care if you say no, you’re going to do my wedding makeup.”

I mean can you imagine? Some rando wouldn’t take no for an answer and I wasn’t even a makeup artist! At this point in my life, I had $1k in the bank and that was it. I’m not stupid. I knew what it would take to start a business and the cost of the products I would need. How was I going to make this work? I kept praying, asking the Lord to just give me a sign that this whole makeup thing was wrong and that I shouldn’t do it. But it wouldn’t get out of my head. I did NOT want to be a makeup artist. I went to college and got a degree so I wouldn’t have to be in the service industry. But something happened when I decided to spend every last penny I had to go buy makeup. For the first time in months, I had peace. If it sounds insane than, you’re right, it is. I spent almost a thousand dollars on makeup in a day and I felt peace.

Once I decided I was going to do this, I was going to really, really do this! Insert happy ending. Just kidding, of course, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Clients didn’t come flooding in. I knew nothing about the makeup industry. I took classes for makeup artists of course, but no one says, “Hey! over here is where all your clients will be looking, and by the way, this is how much to charge, etc.” I was lucky. I knew a photographer in the wedding business, and she helped me so much. But it was grassroots. I spent the time finding my clients. I tried things that didn’t work. I took jobs I would never take today. I basically paid people to have me do their makeup at times. I lost money, I got swindled, I was taken advantage of, etc. But one day I woke up and it had been four years and my entire calendar was booked.

I didn’t stop. The wedding industry, especially the service part, is cutthroat. Profit margins are low, and people pay twice as much money for a DJ to make them a playlist and play it than they do for their actual face to look amazing on their wedding day. But I knew what I had that others didn’t. You can know how to do makeup and be good, but are you an artist? In marketing, it’s called your USP or Unique Selling Point. I took color theory in college and my illustration minor had an emphasis on portraiture; this is my USP.

See God had a plan that I could not foresee when that “rando” was hounding me to do her wedding makeup four years earlier. A year prior I had been attacked by two women. It’s a long story, but the crux of it is I didn’t know them and they attacked me on the street. Eventually, they were found guilty of assault and had to pay for my medical bills. But what they took from me was more than chunks of hair. They took away my independence, my sense of security. I was afraid to leave my apartment. I was contemplating moving back in with my parents, because I wasn’t able to go to the grocery store on my own without having a panic attack. I was attacked in broad daylight less than a mile from my apartment. I went from a confident, independent, young adult to an anxiety-filled mess all in one fell swoop. You think you’ll be a badass and fight back but I didn’t. I just laid there while they kicked me and slammed my head against my car (which still bears the dent like a badge of honor.)

Makeup is my occupational therapy now. It forced me out of my apartment, it forced me to see people I didn’t know, it forced me to get up and move out of the way so God could move in. I can’t not go because I’m afraid. I have to show up. I’ve never canceled a wedding that I’ve booked. I understand that this is someone’s wedding—a day they will remember for the rest of their lives and it’s my responsibility to make sure I make that a good day.

I’m nowhere near where I want to be. But I know that what I give each bride is the confidence she will look amazing on her wedding day. I’ll continue to face challenges but I look forward to those now.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Makeup artist – specializing in weddings and events known for – long-lasting makeup, artist eye, correcting and enhancing people’s natural beauty, never uses filters or apps to “fake” good makeup.

Most proud of – Never missing a wedding, getting over my fears, doing this 100 percent on my own.

Sets me apart – My unique selling point is I’m a classically trained artist with an artist’s eye. I don’t put makeup on you. You are my canvas, and I bring out your beauty with makeup. I also have a background and education in marketing and advertising.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Personally – most people aren’t aware that I have crippling anxiety and have to work on that every day. People often tell me I’m so calming and confident. I give all the glory to God. I pray for that strength every time I have a makeup job. He gives me strength.

Brand – Henna Pearl Makeup Artist is my company name but Henna Pearl is my real name too. Pretty fitting for makeup! I’m named after my great-grandma Dorthy Pearl and she always let me play with her makeup as a child when she watched me. Henna comes from the Song of Solomon, “My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna in the vineyards of En-Gedi” Song of Solomon, 1:14.

Henna is both a thick thorny bush used for the protection of important crops as well as a fragrant flowering bush. It is referenced in the bible story most think of as a love story. How more appropriate for a makeup artist who does weddings?

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hennapearlmakeup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hennapearlmakeup
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hennapearlmakeup?lang=en

Image Credits
Society Inc.