Stephie Lane

Hair Stylist, Makeup Artist, & Clean Beauty Advocate

Owner of Be Love Beauty since 2013 www.belovebeauty.com

I’m proud to say I am a one-of-a-kind artist who always has something fun and inspiring going on. I started in the beauty industry in 2006. My Be Love Cosmetics brand launched in 2013, and has evolved to Be Love Beauty today. Whether on set for production, or crafting a salon service, I want to create a ripple effect of love to the global community. I am passionate about hair, clean cosmetics, and the makeup industry. When I’m not on the clock, you’ll find me creating handmade crafts to sell in my Etsy shop, doing yoga, or hiking in beautiful Colorado and beyond!

1. What are the Education requirements for this job?

Anyone trying to enter into beauty school must have a GED or a high school diploma and be 1 8 years old. Some states have concurrent program that allows students under enrolled in high school to attend beauty school at the same time as high school. If you are interested talk to your counselor to find out more! In Louisiana you only have to be 16 and satisfactorily completed the 10th grade. Finishing high school is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and I highly recommend graduating. Beauty school or whatever you want to do after high school will go so much better if you have that high school diploma.

2. What is the average salary? The average annual salary is between 19k-45k which is a big gap and that is because the beauty industry has so many ways to make money. Owning a salon, being an educator for a brand, social media stardom, selling products and of course being a top stylist working in the salon and on location doing productions like commercials, film, tv, fashion, editorial, ecommerce, the possibilities are endless and all of these avenues can add up to a lot more income than 45k.

3. How long would beauty school take? Beauty school hour requirements change depending on the state you live in. In Louisiana, for example, you can finish a cosmetology certificate in 1500 hours while in Oregon you have to complete 2300 hours to finish. Some states offer an apprenticeship program that allows you to complete the hours under a cosmetologist in a salon. This is a really wonderful way to obtain the license because you get hands on learning. To be honest even when you complete beauty school you need to do an apprenticeship afterward because you need way more techniques for cutting and color than you learn in school.

4. What is your favorite part of this job? My favorite part of being a cosmetologist is being able to help people to look and feel better about themselves. I love educating clients about ingredients in their products in order to help them make smart A lot of people think that working in the beauty industry is all about outward appearance, however it has a lot to do with providing a service for people. I love seeing people grow over the years of providing hair services to them, I get to know their families. The relationships created in the salon ripple out into the community because I believe that when someone leaves my chair feeling beautiful they are more likely to be more kind to others and that kindness ripples outward. It is the reason I do what I do! Another wonderful part of my job is that I can do so many different jobs. I can work in a salon. I can work on set. I can go to other locations like hotels, homes, and businesses to provide service to clients. Everyday is like a new adventure. If I ever find myself without a job I can get a new job in less than an hour. I never have to worry about being out of work, in this industry if you have a license you have a job, it’s that simple.

5. What are some of your weaknesses in this job? Some of my weaknesses are the computer/business side of things. I am very bad at social media and keeping up with all the technology stylists need to be posting on. I always forget to take pictures of my work and making videos are practically a full time job for me. I made one “how to” video and it took me over 12 hours from start to finish. I struggle with all of the aspects of technology and social media because I was already a grown woman when myspace came out and if you don’t know what myspace it came out before facebook. Another big weakness of this job is that if you aren’t working, you aren’t making money. You have to find multiple income streams because if you are an entrepreneur like me this job doesn’t have sick days, I have to save money and spend wisely because I don’t have

End message:

Thank you for letting me share your classroom today! One last thing I wanted to share with you all today is the habits you form today will be the same habits you have five years from now and 10 years from now. So make a pact with yourself now to include healthy habits that will get you closer to your goals. I believe that anything is possible as long as you know exactly what you want and never give up. Dr Suess said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Questions for the students:

1. Does anyone have any hair or makeup questions?

2. Does anyone have any questions about starting your own business?

3. How many of you think you want to work for yourself or be an entrepreneur?