Her Story
About Ebony
I've been in the beauty field for nine years now, and it's been quite the journey. I started working in retail sales in 2017 on the beauty side, which is where I really became passionate about makeup and skincare. I had always watched YouTube influencers since graduating high school in 2008, and they inspired me to start my own YouTube channel in 2017. What makes my work special is that I've been able to blend my story of having alopecia areata with my beauty content. Because of my condition, I lose my hair and eyebrows, and my mom and eldest sister taught me how to draw eyebrows during my junior year of high school. That experience sparked my love and passion for makeup artistry, especially eyebrows, which I consider my area of expertise. When I looked online, I didn't see too many girls who looked like me, and I wanted to create a space where other women in the alopecia and hair loss community, especially women of color, could look at my platforms and say 'if Ebony can do it, so can I.' I post videos, reviews, and tutorials to help people learn skills like drawing eyebrows, applying eyebrow transfers, and finding the right foundation match. I've worked with and for Sephora and Ulta, where I received extensive education on makeup application and perfected my craft. I'm currently an affiliate for Ulta Beauty, Sephora, and The Lip Bar, and I previously modeled for Geek Cosmetics. Beyond beauty, I'm most proud of my advocacy work. I never expected to become an advocate since I was very shy and soft-spoken growing up, but I've been advocating for the alopecia community for a decade now. I've served on the national level with organizations, advocated on Capitol Hill, and met with lawmakers hoping to get a bill passed to have wigs covered under insurance. I've also taught in-person at seminars and held eyebrow demonstrations at local hospitals to provide resources for the alopecia community. My goal is to educate others, connect with the community, and show that everyone is beautiful no matter their journey.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ebony
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to just be yourself and don't focus so much on performance. Just get out there, post your content, and connect with your community. Being authentic is what's most important. I've been told not to worry about follower counts or comparing myself to other influencers who are already established, because that can be discouraging. Instead, I should focus on the positive comments I receive and remember why I started in the first place.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say just start posting and continue to work on your craft. Don't worry about the follower count. Just be authentic with what you do, because it can be very easy to get caught up in the way that society is. Don't worry about the following size or comparing yourself to other influencers and creators who are already established. There were times where I've gotten discouraged and a little insecure about it, but I would always go back to all the positive comments that I received. Focus on the positive, connect with people, build that community, be authentic with what you post, find your niche, and don't focus so much on perfection. Just get out there, and if you want to work with brands, tag and use your favorite products in those videos, tag those brands, and the more visibility you have, the better chances you'll have at getting opportunities to work with those brands. Just start posting and be you.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I do think that the industry is overly saturated, but I also don't think that should stop anyone from wanting to pursue their passion, because there's more than enough room for everybody to make it as a content creator or influencer. It's just about finding your passion and your niche. Whether you want to work in beauty, food, travel, or arts and crafts, there is something out there for everybody. So no matter how overly saturated the industry may be, you should get out there and post your work, because you could be that very voice that somebody needs.
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