Arts

Sophomore has big plans for makeup services business, ‘Faces by Tee’

Affordable prices and quality work have opened doors for Monroe native Tajah A’Kira Saulsberry to “beat” faces of many girls at Grambling State. Courtesy photos

Tajah A’Kira Saulsberry is a sophomore from Monroe, La. best-known for her extraordinary makeup skills.

She has built a clientele of girls in Grambling who like to get their faces “beat” for events like birthdays, graduation and the Tiger Fest concert.  

“I’ve gained loyal clients since I began doing makeup at GSU,” Saulsberry said. “I’ve gained so much more exposure than I had before. I post a lot of my makeup looks I complete on my social media.” 

Saulsberry named her makeup services business Faces By Tee.

“At home my nickname is Tee,” Saulsberry said. “I thought it would be good to incorporate my nickname into my business name. That is essentially how I came up with Faces By Tee.”  

Saulsberry  is a self-taught makeup enthusiast. Over time she has picked up several different makeup styles and techniques. 

“I really learned from watching YouTube videos,”Saulsberry  said. “There are tons of videos online and I spent all day everyday watching makeup videos and practicing. I really found inspiration watching Jackie Aina, Aaliyah Jay and Alissa Ashley. I practiced doing makeup on myself.” 

Saulsberry  learned to do several types of looks, however, she is best known for her glamour looks.

“I like to do it all to be honest,’’ Saulsberry said. “I am very diverse with the style makeup looks I do. I can do a soft natural beat and I can also do a over the top colorful glam face. One of my favorite looks I’ve created was when I did a rainbow on a client’s eyes. Using different colors and making the look cohesive was a challenge.” 

Saulsberry said that she was inspired to do makeup by first focusing on improving her own look.

“I believe I inspire myself to do makeup overall,” Saulsberry  said. “Before when I was doing the bare minimum I loved how I looked. I wanted to learn more and get better at it.” 

Saulsberry enjoys doing makeup to transform people and make them feel confident. 

“I love doing makeup because I love making people feel beautiful and feel good about themselves,” Saulsberry said. “Their reaction to the finished look is priceless each time.” 

Saulsberry  is very passionate about makeup. She continues to progress her makeup skills by testing out different techniques and products.

“My favorite products are Morphine, BH Cosmetics, Nars, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Maybelline and Laura Mercier,” Saulsberry  said. “I use some high-end products from Sephora and some drug store products as well.” 

She is so invested in makeup that she even plans to make this her career by expanding her business after Grambling.

“This will be my career,” Saulsberry  said. 

“In the next five years I see myself living in a bigger city and launching my own makeup line.” 

Students can contact Saulsberry by social media. Her Instagram name is @tajahakira__. Her Twitter name is @tajahakira.