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

Hi Deanna, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Ahhh…this is a tough question for me to answer as I’ve been a quote collector since I was a teen. Seriously, I have a notebook filled with quotes that have impacted me through the years. Trying to narrow it down to one is tricky, so I will share two of my everyday quotes/affirmations that are important reminders that keep me going. “You can never go wrong being yourself.” Derived from the quote, “I never went wrong being myself.” from my favorite makeup artist of all time, Kevyn Aucoin. Throughout my life, I felt like I didn’t fit in a lot of times. My father was in the military, and we traveled a lot. I went to five different elementary schools, that took a toll on a little biracial kiddo. I’m half Filipino and half white. Being racially ambiguous made me the target for mean kids, especially when they couldn’t nail down my exact ethnicity. I had to learn to adapt and go with the flow in order to have friends. As I got older, I learned to embrace all the uniqueness that was me—my true authentic kick-ass self! “The best is yet to come.” Grateful for all that I have in my life right now, yet knowing there are more amazing days and experiences to be had. It all starts with your attitude and mindset. Mindset is everything.

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.
Everything I do comes from my passion for helping and empowering others to look and feel their best. I have over 20+ years of makeup artistry experience, five of which has been focused on “clean beauty” spanning every medium coupled with nine years as a portrait photographer. I’ve also built a flourishing “side-hustle turned primary business” with Beautycounter, a clean beauty brand, working from home. It’s been exciting to turn my passion for clean beauty advocacy into an incredible business. I get to help other women all around the U.S. and Canada to create a flexible and thriving business of their own. What sets me apart from others? As a makeup artist all these years, the experience is so valuable as it’s the foundation of all that I do. It’s woven into my makeup lessons, YouTube tutorials, portrait photography, and my Beautycounter business. What are you most proud of? I’m most proud of the work I’ve done as an advocate for clean and safer beauty. When I found Beautycounter 5 years ago, I had no idea about the lack of regulation within the beauty industry. There hasn’t been a major law passed to regulate beauty ingredients since 1938, that’s over 80 years. Couple that with the 80,000+ chemicals that are on the market today that don’t have human safety data. This is not okay, and I wanted to be part of the change. Through this work, I’ve been able to meet with local lawmakers to get their support on changing these antiquated and dangerously behind laws. How did you get to where you are today professionally? The spark that ignited my professional journey into makeup was in high school and college theater. I liked the acting but loved the makeup. What fascinated me most was learning about light, depth, and sculpting the face into whatever I could envision. After working as an actor on a few commercials and some theater, I felt the entertainment industry calling me, so naturally, Los Angeles beckoned. While pursuing acting, I still wanted to do makeup whenever possible; this led me to work with the retail makeup counters. Don’t knock it. Retail was a blessing in disguise. It gave me so much exposure to different skin types and tones, face shapes, and features. A new palette to perfect every day! I’d built up a thriving business working for photographers and in TV and film. It was an enriching 12 years and a ton of fun! After moving to Dallas in 2006, I’ve been fortunate to build a faithful and growing clientele for my makeup services. I’ve also made a substantial business delivering gorgeous and professional portraits. It’s a privilege to help create lasting memories for all my clients. My journey through oceans of cosmetics, three major surgeries in five years led me down a path of educating myself on the health effects of a host of environmental factors, including personal care products. What I put on my skin, and my clients was the first stop in my quest for better understanding and making changes. Given my profession and because I’m a beauty junkie at heart, I’m always searching for high-performing yet safe products from different clean brands and sharing if they’ve worked for me. Almost if by fate, as I continued on my journey, I found Beautycounter. I fell in love with the products and instantly connected with the company’s mission to get safer products into the hands of everyone. It was then that I knew I had to be part of the clean beauty movement. Was it easy? It has taken me years to come to terms with needing to work for myself in the creative space. I had always had a love of business, but my artist’s side would be there in the background waiting for me to take the plunge by combining the two. So happy I did! What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way? >>I’ve learned that my voice matters, so use it, especially on issues that are important to me, like safer beauty laws and equality. >>Not everyone will get me or understand me, and that’s okay, and those are not my people. >>”Done is better than perfect.” Another quote that I have on rotation in my head on the daily. You will be paralyzed in inaction if you focus on perfection. Perfection doesn’t exist. Period. Can you tell I’m a recovering perfectionist? Ha! Whether I’m doing virtual makeup lessons, taking portraits, advocating and educating on safer beauty, or being a business mentor…I have so much gratitude for being able to do what I LOVE Every. Single. Day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m super touristy, haha, when I travel, so I would take her to all of the Dallas must-sees… Dallas Arboretum Bishop Arts District The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Klyde Warren Park Dallas Museum of Art Northpark Center Highland Park Village Deep Ellum White Rock Lake Eats/Drinks: Lounge Here Bob’s Steak & Chop House Cattleack BBQ Alice

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my Shoutout to my incredible and supportive clients! I would not have the thriving business I have without them. Whether it’s my makeup artistry, Beautycounter, or my portrait photography, only through my loyal client base and client referrals do I even have a business like this. They are my biggest fans, a lot of them have become great friends, and to that, I have the best “gig” around! And I cannot forget to give my partner in life, Jason, a shoutout! He is my best friend and has had my back from day one with everything I’ve endeavored to do and try.

Website: https://www.deannaboyd.com
Instagram: @goodnessgreenish
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannaboyd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deannaboydmuaphotographer/ or https://www.facebook.com/goodnessgreenish/
Youtube: Goodness Greenish : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBx0lLQHkyo-Yoglzkmbi2g
Other: https://www.beautycounter.com/deannaboydinc?goto=/

Image Credits
First page of pics (#1 picture or me on phone) Mandy McGeath Photography Otherwise, all makeup and photography by me, Deanna Boyd Second page (#2 picture of me applying makeup in black turtleneck, Mandy MgGeath Photography) Otherwise, all makeup and photography by me, Deanna Boyd