Meet Shafira Pratiwi

We recently connected with Shafira Pratiwi and have shared our conversation below.

Shafira, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I’ve always loved makeup since I was little. I grew up being very insecure and hyper aware of my face and body. I was told multiple times by family members that I should laser off my freckles, lose more weight, and do all these different things to look “beautiful” in their eyes. Which I tried. It didn’t work. It didn’t work not because I didn’t do a good enough job but rather because it came from a place of self hatred and feeling not good enough for anyone. I had to learn to feel good enough first to then learn how to do it differently, to be able see things from a different perspective, and I learned I only have to feel good enough for me, not for anybody else.

As I grow up, I’ve found ways to use makeup as a tool to help me with my self love journey. I’ve learned that I don’t need to laser off my freckles and that they’re actually really cute and makeup looks good with them. I’ve learned that I don’t have to fit into any standards created by the society. I can just be me.

Yes it takes inner work to feel beautiful inside and out and for some people it can be hard to start from the inside, which is what I’m here for. I’m here to make women feel beautiful, I’m here to help women fall back in love with themselves through makeup.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Shafira, I’m a Jakarta based makeup artist specializing in minimal makeup. I started doing makeup four years ago and actually started in fashion & commercial before switching niche to bridal.

I learned the technique of minimal makeup in fashion, I just love how we get to make the model’s skin look like real, raw, actual skin. In Jakarta, there aren’t many makeup artists in the wedding industry that do this specific style of makeup and that’s when I decided to fill in the gaps. I was able to find my people, it turned out so many everyday women LOVE to have this minimal makeup look for their big day. It took me some time because what was more popular on the market or dare I say was the standard was that heavy, matte, full coverage look. I challenged the standard and decided to create a new one for my people.

Right now besides taking bridal clients, I also teach makeup. A lot of women struggle with doing their own makeup and feeling beautiful wearing it because they don’t know how to do it like a pro, and that’s what I teach them inside my workshop called Feature Focus.

Feature Focus is my group makeup workshop where I teach everyday women who are sick & tired of “manglingi” makeup (aka makeup that makes you look completely different than yourself without it) how to do their own makeup. I teach them my signature minimal makeup look that will last through the hot & humid Jakarta weather using less product. The first round is this May on the 25th! Keep an eye out for the next round 😉

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

As a makeup artist–I can’t emphasize enough on this–you really need to master color theory inside and out before you learn any trendy technique or get the new, popular products. It’s so easy to be caught up in this, especially on social media, where you feel like you have to keep up with everything to be relevant but learning the basics will get you further with your skills.

What I think is also important is learning how to market & sell your service. You are not just a makeup artist, you’re a business owner. You’re an entrepreneur. I see so many artists can’t make a living out of doing what they love because they don’t know how to sell their service. They rely on assisting senior artists and they just keep assisting for god knows how long, thinking they can climb the ladder one day. I’m telling you, you don’t need to when you know how to market & sell your service.

There are many resources for you to learn these three skills on the internet (and for free too btw), you just have to be curious. Surround yourself with like-minded artists that will help you grow. Be a part of a community. Stay curious!

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is women who just want to look like themselves on their wedding day, nothing less, nothing more. They like things to be subtle. They know that they don’t have to try to be in the spotlight on their big day, they will just effortlessly be. They’re not afraid of anyone stealing their spotlight either just because they do a minimal makeup look on their wedding, they know less is more. They really just wanna feel beautiful with makeup on, that’s all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shafirapratiwi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shxfirapratiwi/

Image Credits

Nofal Farras, Rizzardi Badudu, Thanthowie Jauharie