Meet Justin Mayfield: Celebrity make-up artist, philanthropist, entrepreneur

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

Hi Justin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After founding the nonprofit “I Wore Lipstick” I knew I wanted to find the support of a cosmetics line to help fund and promote our mission. Given many cosmetics lines are owned by larger umbrella corporations, it proved difficult to find one who’s values and contributions were aligned with our mission of equality & creating opportunities for the marginalized. Finally I decided I needed to create this entity myself. I had always noticed the lack of representation of beauty campaigns. Race, gender, body type; it was all ignored and human dolls were all that you ever saw in an add or on a billboard. Creating ADVEKET’s “Gender Fluid Beauty” and “Beyond Binary Skincare” has allowed me to showcase the beauty found in every human on the planet. Not only does ADVEKET support I Wore Lipstick in its message, we also pledge to donate money from every sale, as well as donate products to donation drives and sponsor community events. ADVEKET has taken the message one set further by giving each product in our beauty line an uplifting name that when combined (Lipstick + Lip liner + Lip Gloss) creates “Lip Mantras”. One day could be ” Create-Exceptional-Love” and the next “Empower + Exceptional + Hope”. It has been a beautiful experience creating this entity from the ground up.

What should our readers know about your business?
ADVEKET is leading the gender revolution in beauty. We may be a small indie line, but our message is pure and true. This line was created to support & promote beauty throughout the gender spectrum and help to create opportunity along the way. Supporting humans throughout the gender spectrum is our number one priority, not just a sales ploy (like some other lines who shall remain nameless). I created this line with the few dollars that were available to me because I wanted to create something beautiful that may create some positive change. No, this was not an easy task. Being self funded presents it’s own set of hurdles to jump over. Creating a line promoting gender equality in the beauty industry is not something every retailer wants in their store or website. We’ve have overcome these challenges by finding likeminded individuals who share in our dreams. I’d say the lesson I’ve head to learn time and time again is to try and take smaller steps. I am very headstrong when it comes to accomplishing my goals and in retrospect taking smaller steps would’ve eliminated certain challenges along this path.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love horror movies!! So when visiting Los Angeles we are going to visit all of the filming locations of our favorite horror films as well as all the haunted spots around town! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out my long time friend and mentor Tony Losavio. I first met Tony nearly 20 years ago around the start of my make up career. I was working at a Chanel retail counter and he was the National Artist that toured around the country. I was in awe of not only his success, but how much he cared for ever client he saw. He was able to conduct himself in a professional and educational manor while staying human and being able to relate on a personal level. At one point he was an educator for Chanel and expressed the importance of making eye contact with everyone, he called it “shooting ducks”. Another lesson in how to be effective in social situations, learned through a make up and skincare class. Not only is this human an excellent artist, but an exemplary teacher. As we both grew and jumped around within the industry Tony has always been my “go to” for career advice. When I created ADVEKET I think Tony was the person who I was most excited to tell. It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten to laugh together face to face, but with every new challenge I face with this business and the charity I think to myself about how Tony would approach the issue and go from there.

Website: www.adveketcosmetics.com

Instagram: @adveket

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mayfield-b2693317

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCipZSIPUiHJIZeAqzU3vVYQ