Angelique Velez: Breakups To Makeup

My name is Angelique Velez and I am a makeup artist.  I have been doing makeup for 15 years and founded Breakups to Makeup after going through a really bad breakup.  At that time I didn’t want to do much of anything at all, not even leave my apartment.  The only thing that got me up and going was my job, as a makeup artist.  Applying makeup to others and interacting with them, seeing how their spirits were uplifted inevitably started to make me feel better about myself and what I was going through.  Being a makeup artist, I already knew the power of makeup, but I felt so many people outside of our industry didn’t.  So many see makeup as “just” lipstick or “just” mascara, when for us as artists it is so much more than that.  It is our creative outlet, it is how we express ourselves.  I wanted to create a way to help spread that message in a fun and quirky way.  Hence the birth of Breakups to Makeup.

We are known for our makeup clutches which are designed so they can be used as a statement piece alone or to store product for travel.  They are not only for makeup but can store smaller items such as your phone, jewelry, watches, etc.  What they are most known for are the sayings on the front which are all uplifting and inspiring.  They are your reminder throughout the day of who you are and all of the things you’ve accomplished in your life.  That no matter what you are going through that you will get through it with your crown held high.

How long is this article lol.  There are so so many challenges, but I will focus on some that are reoccurring, especially now with everything going on.  The first is balance.  I honestly feel as if it doesn’t exist.  I used to be so hard on myself, especially since becoming a new mom.  I was trying to balance everything and get all of the things done and it’s just not possible.  Some days you will be able to focus on one thing more and on another day you will have more time for something else.  You just have to be okay with it and open to that.

To piggyback onto that, another challenge is forgiving yourself.  You are not going to be able to do everything all at once or complete all the tasks in a day, and that is okay!  Don’t be hard on yourself because of that.  You are not a failure and you should definitely not use that as an excuse to give up.  As long as you stay on course, that’s what matters.  Life throws you a bunch of curve balls, like what is going on right now and we can’t plan for those things.  You just have to be okay with pivoting and changing your course for a bit, while still making small strides towards where ever it is you are looking to go.

Even with everything going on, I have to admit, this year has been pretty exciting for Breakups to Makeup.  In March we launched on Walmart.com!  Then on Monday of THIS WEEK we launched on QVC!  We were finally able to announce that I was one of the winners of QVC’s the Big Find which is SUPER exciting.  It has been quite a whirlwind so far!