Meet Cymbal Pollard | Beauty Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cymbal Pollard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cymbal, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I had to learn the importance of rebranding and niche marketing. That’s the most important factor behind Cymply Beauty’s success. Knowing who your ideal clients are from not ideal, will save you time, money and stress. I think of niche marketing as bigger fish in a smaller pond.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Hello, I’m Cymbal (pronounced like a drum cymbal) and I specialize in Bridal Makeup. I aim for fresh, dewy, and classic makeup.

After falling into a deep depression from multiple miscarriages, I found makeup to be a coping mechanism. I discovered a young lady on Instagram by the name of Angel Cumberbatch. I studied her page and came across products that she recommended.

My husband purchased my first (4) Morphe palettes. When the palettes arrived, I was so excited to recreate my first look. However, that didn’t go so well. I immediately gave up and made demands to send the palettes back. He intervened and informed me that every expert doesn’t start off an expert. It takes time, patience, and consistency. I thought things through and put my game face on. I began waking up at 2 or 3 am to practice in my living room. Any downtime at work, I practiced. I began recreating looks until I was satisfied. I had finally got the concept 2-3 months in.

I’d built up just enough skill that when we’ll go out, people would compliment or ask who did my makeup and so on. I began posting my looks on facebook and quickly gained the attention of potential clients. However, I wasn’t ready for that part of the game. In order to grow I began practicing my skills on close friends and family. This is when I learned quickly that you may do great work on yourself as an artist but doing someone else’s makeup is a whole new ball game. To say the least, one of my makeup models received feedback that crushed me. I didnt throw in the towel this time. I went back to the drawing board and educated myself on the importance of skin prep.

Fast forward a few months later. A well known photographer reached out for me to service a wedding shoot. I was shocked, scared, doubting myself and all the other fears that comes along as a newbie. Anyways, I did the shoot and delivered. A month after, a well known magazine reached out for me to service another shoot but this time for a radio host (STL). Again, I was met with anxiety and fears of not being good enough or no one “knowing me” etc.

This is when I learned my first lesson. NEVER LEAVE YOUR HOUSE WITH A SCARCITY MINDSET OR KIT. I packed (1) foundation based off a picture of the client. After I applied it , the foundation was 2-3 shades lighter than her skin tone. I ran to the rest room panicking in a full blown sweat! I came back, wipes it off and was shaking uncontrollably. However, the client supplied her own foundation and the makeup results were beautiful. She even requested that I become her personal Makeup Artist.

My husband pushed me through most if not all of the previous mentioned experiences. He began investing in more products, equipment from chairs, ring lights, and a customized vanity set.

I began taking clients in the living room of my home. My clientele start picking up and I was on the roll. Nevertheless, it was short lived.

I relocated to Dallas from St.Louis, Mo. in hopes of furthering my career. I quickly realized that changing locations presented new challenges. The odds were definitely against me. The biggest struggle being not knowing anyone.

When potential clients were in search of beauty experts, there would be 75+ comments of other artist posting their work. That in itself was discouraging. I started to ask myself should I post or not, is it worth it?! In that instant, I knew I had to come up with a game plan. In an effort to find success in a new market, I decided to add myself to every DFW group I could find, advertised 3x’s a week, and connected with local vendors. After months of marketing, I realized there was little to no return. I was marketing to a broad audience, and when you market to everyone you market to no one at all. I began investing in marketing materials to help set me apart from local vendors. The reason for my success is because I set out to find my target audience. I rebranded and gravitated towards weddings.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Omg, there’s so much to do in Dallas! I have a grocery list of places. However, I’ll keep it short & sweet. For great photo ops and brunch, I’d recommend XOXO. Rh rooftop, and The Common Table.

For fine dining such as steak houses, I’d recommend Dakota’s Steak House, Ocean Prime, and Texas De Brazil.

However, the list doesn’t stop there. I’d recommend downloading the Nudge app which is basically a Dallas planner in your pocket!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shout out Tiyana Robinson for creating courses that allow Makeup Artist to think bigger and expand outside of “doing makeup”. She’s absolutely amazing and has helped many Makeup Artist turn their hobby into a jobby. Her knowledge and materials have played a major role in Cymply Beauty’s success. I’m forever thankful♥️

Website: www.cymplybeauty.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=qbn4z8qve2w&utm_content=3dlfpwi

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Cymplybeauty/

Image Credits
IG: don.shotme IG: itsth3goat