Meet Maria Villarreal: Professional Makeup Artist & Lash Lift Expert

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

Hi Maria, how do you think about risk?
Born and raised in a small boarder town , you don’t really get a lot of opportunities. I would dream about living in a bigger city and my work being acknowledged , but I never thought I would do it . After completing my cosmetology coarse I decided to leave everything behind including my family and move to Dallas , Tx . Not a lot of people knew me and most defiantly didn’t know my work so I had to start from zero . I’m not going to lie, it was scary because I didn’t know if I would be successful but with God anything is possible . Once I was settled here I started working at Ulta Beauty . Since it is a makeup store I would always have what you call a “ full beat of makeup “ on and people started noticing my work . That was the start of a new beginning.

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.
There are many reasons I am proud of myself and the biggest one has to be never giving up . There has been a lot of days where I just wanted to quit , but I just wouldn’t be Maria if I didn’t do what I love . Makeup is more than what meets the eye , it is art . What sets me apart from other is I put my heart ,soul and time into my work . I take my time to get to know my clients skin type and ask them specific questions to try to get the right look they’re trying to achieve . I want the world to know that I really do put my heart into what I do and this is more than just a job , it is my life .

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend came to visit I would have a whole list of places I would want to go ! To start off It would probably just be a weekend thing since we are both mothers . First we would get all dolled up and would take her out to bunch at The Original Pancake house before starting our day . Then go to the Sweet Tooth museum where we get to take all these cute pictures of ourselves all dolled up . After that we would go out for drinks and dinner at Gloria’s and just catch up on things. The next day we would have breakfast at Eggsquisite Café in McKinney (they have an amazing chicken fillet!). Then go ride go carts in the afternoon and have a fun girls night out after .

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 have a bad habit of self doubting myself and I honestly owe my life to a very special lady , Sally Abreu . She is one of the strongest independent woman I’ve ever met ! Not only is she my boss but she really has shown a lot of support and has seen potential in me that I’ve never seen in myself . She has pushed me to see my true value and I will forever be grateful for her .