Meet Emily Harper | Makeup Artist

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

Hi Emily, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started my business, the only thing on my mind was facilitating a life for myself that revolved around what I loved to do. I was dying to escape the monotony of every day life and work. If it meant moving cross country, it was worth it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
After training and working in Canada for two years, I reapplied for a visa renewal and to my surprise – my visa was denied. I had to relocate – effective immediately!

Prior to being denied, I had just landed my first union film and having to leave meant that it was over. It was all over. In hindsight, it was the best worst day of my life… Because it landed me where I am today.

Following the rejection of my visa, I promptly packed up my car and drove down to Los Angeles, CA. I showed up with no plans, no connections, and ultimately no place to live. The rental marketing in L.A. is brutal – IYKYK. I had two rentals back out on me within a day’s notice and as a 23-year-old moving alone to a city with a population of ~4M people, I felt like my whole life was being ripped from under me on repeat.

Luckily, the third time’s the charm! Because I was able to secure an apartment with a really great guy and begin my career in LA.

I learned early on that working in glam is in fact not glamorous. Though I love it, I crawled my way to where I am now. I worked at makeup counters, babysat, took on unpaid work, etc. until I was able to build the book of business that I have today. However, it could not have been possible without the generosity of artists who shared work early on and clients who chose me over any of the other MUAs in LA. Everything I have is because of building relationships.

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.

My best friend Jessica still lives in Vancouver, BC (she’s lucky enough to be a citizen, lol). If she were in town, we’d start our day at The Grove – grabbing a Vietnamese coffee from Groundworks. Then, we would walk around – browse the shoe section at Nordstrom and likely go on a Zara bender. Yes – The Grove is basic. I don’t care!! I love it. Following The Grove, we would head to my favorite beach spot. I love El Matador beach in Malibu. It’s a beautiful private-feeling beach with low foot traffic on weekdays.

As for food, K-Town has some of my favorite restaurants. Korean BBQ and hot pot options are plentiful (as well as day spas). Depending on your individual interests, this could be really fun or really horrible. Ha!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My first handful of jobs following graduating from makeup school were handed to me by my makeup instructors. I will always credit them for my beginning and for teaching me the ropes. I also would credit the artist community in Vancouver, I made a few connections with fellow artist that brought me onto movie sets in Vancouver. This really jumpstarted my career in the beginning.

Website: www.emilyharpermakeup.com

Instagram: instagram.com/emily_harper_

Other: Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@emily_harper_?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
in order of upload 1. Taraneh Jafari 2. Emily Harper 3. Taraneh Jafari 4. LA76 Photography 5. Jamie Kang 6. Adam Mont 7. Jamie Kang 8. Taraneh Jafari