Makeup artist and entrepreneur 'follows her plan' as she grows beauty business, inspires confidence in others
In February, we recognize the invaluable contributions of Black Americans during #BlackHistoryMonth. This article is part of this series, highlighting Black entrepreneurs, creatives and business owners from the Greater Manhattan, Kansas area. Want more stories on Black-owned business? Click here to read more.
When Jessica Andrews, owner of J’s Makeup Artistry, reached out to Hy-Vee in October 2022 to ask them about carrying her skincare and makeup line in their store, she got an answer she didn’t expect. “I went to Hy-Vee here in Manhattan, and I said, ‘What do I need to get into your store?’ I told them what I did, along with my credentials,” she explained. “And they said, ‘Jessica, we would love to have you in our store.’ I said, ‘Really, that easy?’ and they said, ‘It is that easy’,” she recalls.
For Jessica, an entrepreneur who was used to working hard for her dreams, it had not always been easy. Growing up, Jessica spent a lot of time with her father, going to the gym and doing other activities with him. Although she thought of herself as a ‘tomboy’, she also had an early interest in the beauty industry. “I always wanted to be a model, but then I ended up doing makeup instead,” says Jessica.
At age 14, Jessica found an outlet for her love of makeup and beauty when she joined her church’s dance team and had to do her own makeup for recitals. Starting out, Jessica struggled to finish her makeup on time. She recalls her teammates rushing her through her work when it was time to go out and perform. However, Jessica persisted at her craft, and she became so skilled, she started doing other dancers’ makeup.
Jessica continued with her church dance team until she graduated high school in 2004, and two years later, she realized she wanted to pursue makeup and beauty as her career. At first, she says, “I just did it freelance. My ex-husband was a hairstylist and barber here in Junction City, so I would do makeup in the shop,” says Jessica. Eventually, she and her former husband moved out of the area for several years.
When her relationship with her former husband ended, Jessica made the decision to move back to the Flint Hills area, now as a single parent with her son. In terms of her career connections, she felt she was starting over. “When I say started back from the bottom, I came back with practically nothing,” recalls Jessica.
Learning to teach
Wanting to continue pursuing her career in the beauty industry, she applied to Bellus Academy. She doubted her acceptance into the program, not knowing if she had the right educational background. In April 2015, however, Jessica’s optimism and hard work began to pay off when she discovered she had been accepted into Bellus Academy. Upon receiving her letter, Jessica recalls, “I was driving home, and I was crying, ‘Oh my gosh – I got accepted!”
At Bellus Academy, she focused her studies on aesthetics and makeup artistry. However, she was no novice. Jessica’s makeup artistry work had been featured in several magazines, opportunities that came about from a variety of connections she made in Kansas City.
Having had these previous successes, Jessica decided to stretch herself with a big, new challenge: she applied to Miss America as one of the student makeup artists. “I applied for makeup artistry, did my video submission and application, but I didn’t get picked. I couldn’t believe it,” says Jessica. Riding high on her optimism and the momentum of her successes, not getting accepted into the Miss America program was a setback she wasn’t expecting. Jessica was temporarily discouraged by this outcome.
However, her boss, family and friends saw her talent, and they encouraged her, saying, “Jessica, it’s just not your time yet.” Once again, she persisted and continued her education at Bellus, graduating in December 2015.
As she was graduating, one of the Bellus instructors’ spouses took a new job, requiring the instructor and her family to move. Before leaving, her instructor recommended the school interview Jessica for her position as Director of Makeup Artistry. Jessica knew this position would be a challenge for her since she had only taught individual makeup lessons, not an entire curriculum, but she knew this was the kind of chance she had been looking for. “I loved the opportunity, and I knew that it would be great for me at the start of my career,” says Jessica.
In March 2016, Jessica was hired and took over the position as Director of Makeup Artistry. “Everything - since I had moved back and gotten out of my relationship – was just falling into place,” remembers Jessica. As she developed in her director role at Bellus Academy, Jessica continued to nurture even more aspirations for her career. In 2019, Jessica started her lash line, with goals to further her product line. “I say, I do a full-time job and work part-time, which is for my personal business,” says Jessica.
“It’s tough, but we support each other”
In 2021, Jessica started to see herself as not only a makeup artist and educator, but also an entrepreneur. She applied for her business license in Kansas, registering as J’s Makeup Acadamy (JMA).
Being an entrepreneur was a new role for Jessica, and she knew she needed support from other entrepreneurs who could relate to her journey. “I am a part of this group called Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills, and that has been amazing. Sheila Ellis-Glasper is the founder, and when I say she stuck her neck out there, she really tried to pave the way for Entrepreneurs of Color to get access to more benefits and resources that we need. So, that has been positive,” says Jessica.
The Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills is not the only group where Jessica has found her place. SistahBiz is a global network of predominately Black woman entrepreneurs. “We do business retreats every year to plan your next year out,” says Jessica.
In Jessica’s experience, being an entrepreneur can be lonely. These groups helped Jessica fill that void. “It’s people just like me. They look like me. They have issues like me. They are on this journey, and it’s tough, but we support each other.” She views these resources and support networks as critical to helping her see the success she experiences today. “It’s people I can bounce ideas off of, and just sit and talk. In a positive way, I have felt heard.”
“It lit a fire underneath me”
This past year, Jessica Andrews was nominated for and received the Emerging Entrepreneur Award at the 2022 Women in Entrepreneurship Awards.
With a background at the intersection of beauty and education, Jessica wanted to offer customers a unique experience. “I wanted to be a one-stop shop, where people can feel comfortable and know exactly what they’re doing, and have products that they can use easily,” says Jessica. She felt the best way to help her customers feel at ease with a product was to provide something she noticed the beauty industry lacked: education. “I wanted to be that person that has detail-oriented videos based upon the products that I carry,” says Jessica.
Armed with her knowledge of makeup artistry and a desire to educate, she was only missing one thing: a product line she designed herself. In October 2022, she learned of a pitch competition opportunity, and she decided to develop the concept of her skincare and makeup products in her pitch.
Her idea was met with some initial recognition. “I got chosen as the top 15 out of 77 people in total,” says Jessica. She wasn’t selected as the winner, but this time, she didn’t let discouragement slow her down. “I had never done a pitch in my life. I didn’t win any money, but I won more than that. It lit a fire underneath me,” says Jessica.
“Follow the plan, and things will come to you”
When she returned home from the competition, Jessica was determined to offer the products she developed for her pitch. She researched and found a U.S. based company to formulate her skincare line. She finally had her product.
All this momentum brought her to the moment at Hy-Vee only a few months ago, where finally, she head someone say, ‘It’s that easy’. “If you have a plan, stick to it, and things will come to you. It’s just about being your time,” says Jessica.
She took her own advice and followed her plan. By the end of October, she successfully launched her skincare line in the Manhattan Hy-Vee store.
In the near future, Jessica’s growth plans include expansion to other stores throughout her network, as well as expanding into the Bellus Academy in Manhattan and other Bellus campuses in California. “We are going to start at one store at a time, and then work our way,” says Jessica.
Although Jessica’s beauty products are one aspect of her business that makes her unique, she sees one of the greatest values she can offer a customer is education. Through a library of detail-oriented videos on her YouTube channel, she teaches users how to apply makeup, one technique at a time.
Her skincare line is already helping make a practical impact in the lives of her customers, specifically with young adults who use her products that target acne conditions. Jessica tells the story of a mother who purchased her skincare line for her teenage daughter who was suffering with acne. The mother reached out to Jessica and said, “’Three days after [she started using the product], her acne is clearing up, and she is so happy and confident. I got to get my son a set now, because my daughter won’t share with him.’” It is these success stories that motivate Jessica to continue to reach and help more individuals. “It’s about how you feel about yourself, it’s about having confidence and self-esteem,” says Jessica.
Part of inspiring confidence and empowerment, Jessica says, is an awareness of the importance of self-care for anyone, no matter their economic background. “When you grow up and don’t have a lot, you look at the spa, massages, and self-care as [something] that's for rich people, people who have money. But it is very important to have self-care.” Jessica continues. “I feel like educating your young children [is important], because you may not have had the opportunity, but you can give your kids an opportunity,” says Jessica.
Jessica shares that her ultimate goal is to help people discover confidence. “It goes deeper than makeup for me. It’s really about helping people find their strength, empowering all people, building self-esteem and confidence, through education and makeup artistry.”
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Jessica offers free makeup classes at Hy-Vee once a month. The next class is Saturday, March 4. This month’s topic is “how to apply eyeshadow”. To attend the class, you just need to purchase one of Jessica’s products and show your receipt to enter the class. “I do these classes to build upon, so people can have the time to master one thing at a time and add from there.”