Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Witman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I think I have been in love with beauty and makeup for most of my life. I remember being a little girl and watching my mother apply makeup to go out. I remember thinking, “she looks so beautiful” while I watched her apply this red rose petal colored Loreal lipstick. I also remember memories of my sister and I sneaking said lipstick and smearing it all over our little faces. Needless to say she wasn’t happy! But for me those images are of some of my core memories. Then when I was around 11…I remember renting the same Bobbi Brown makeup book from the local library over and over again. I would stare at the models, and Bobbi Brown’s techniques really inspired me. We didn’t have a lot of money but I would find myself experimenting with products I had- you know wet n wild, covergirl, makeup from the Deb shop…I was always trying different looks! I was a teenager in the late 90s and early 2000s and glitter, metallic lipstick- even a goth era…I was always using makeup to express myself.
Then as time went on, I’d do makeup on my friends, family. Then I wanted to really study it so I took formal classes. I thoroughly studied the techniques of Vincent Kehoe and theatre makeup. I studied at The Austrailian Institute of Cinemagraphic Makeup, Hajar Beauty Academy- then eventually went on to study at The Salon Professional Academy and get my esthetician certification.
I am also a nurse. I have been a practicing nurse since 2014…which is kind of crazy because at times I feel like I am professionally two completely different people! I think to be honest, growing up my dad who was an engineer never really supported my desire to do something super creative- he used to call any form of art “unstable work” so I think that is why I became a nurse. That stigma was always in the back of my mind. I spent my 20s doing gig work on the side. A friends wedding here and there, some local theatre, or really anyone who wanted makeup done. I’d work freelance for local teams here and there. Did some smaller projects, editorials- I used to really gush over creative makeup. Then in 2021 at the height of the pandemic I was just really burnt out as a nurse during COVID. I felt so depressed and joyless. We lost a lot of patients back then. I left bed side that year and switched my specialty to allergy & immunology. I loved it but I just felt like something was missing? One day a coworker during lunch was looking for recommendations for a makeup artist for her wedding. I volunteered and she loved the makeup. She booked me-went amazingly. And I just knew then. I felt something spark inside me that had been dormant for a really long time. It was a light bulb moment. It was strong too. I found myself messing with names and logos at 2am. I found myself daydreaming of me in my 20s working gigs. I just felt whole and I realized I needed to do this. I needed my own company…not working on a team under other artists..no I needed my own identity. So despite the stigma- I embraced this idea…this idea of me being who I had been wanting to be my whole life. I was true to myself and all my years of study and creativity…they came into being…and it was this true eureka moment. So in 2022 Red Carpet Ready Beauty was born & I am so grateful. Almost 5 years later I still feel in love with my career. I also think accepting who I am healed so much of my depression, resentments…it was like 16 year old me was finally proud of me for choosing what we really wanted in the first place!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been a smooth road. Throughout my entire life I have struggled with depression, low self esteem at times imposter syndrome. I think I am honestly my own worst critic. I am always in competition with myself to be the best, to improve, to create. I am in my 40s now and I sometimes feel out of place within my industry at times as a lot of other artists are younger. I also have 2 children and am married and at times feel a lot of guilt for working weekends. My children inspire a lot of my drive to succeed though. I have a daughter who is turning 16 and I want her to look at my life as an example that as a woman she can thrive and succeed in life. That she really can do whatever she wants to do. I want her to be proud of me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At this point in my career I do not travel to major cities for work. I occasionally do editorial and print work, branding shoots- the occasional creative makeup. But the majority of my speciality has evolved to bridal makeup artistry. I have used the techniques I’ve learned as a cinemagraphic mua and applied them to bridal makeup. I really focus on how a bride looks in person and how her makeup is also going to photograph. I am really big on skin. I want her skin to look really fresh and not overdone. I have gone as far as develop my own techniques and application methods too. I average around 50 weddings a year and I have won several awards for my artistry. I also have fallen in love with custom facials as an esthetician! In that sense I have merged my nursing education, with my esthetics and artistry. So I am proud of being able to help clients heal their skin barriers, acne concerns. I specialize in rosacea and sensitivities in my esthetics practice.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I really love music. I am so much more of a music girl vs a podcast or anything else girl. I also feel like I have a very eclectic taste in music! I love anything from Fleetwood Mac, Noah Khan to Wu Tang Clan and Tool. Music makes my life go round. I love to sing, I love to listen to music while working. Lana Del Ray and Florence & The Machine play a lot in my studio…as does Muse, Chappel Roan & Bastille. I am also a huge Star Wars nerd lol. If I could do special fx pieces for Disney- I’d be there tomorrow lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.redcarpetreadybeauty.com
- Instagram: @rcreadybeauty
