Meet Brandy Kocks of Eye Candy by Brandy

I started doing makeup on friends in high school as just a fun hobby. I always had a love for art and anything artistic, and found myself expressing that through makeup. At first I didn’t really anticipate it taking me anywhere. My confidence level in my craft wasn’t great. I would honestly be surprised and a little embarrassed when people would ask me to do their makeup.
Over time I grew to love makeup and the beauty industry more and more. I was (and still am) obsessed with watching beauty tutorials on YouTube. I would watch, analyze, and take notes on any tips I learned from those influencers. I would sit for hours a day doing my makeup along with the tutorial, taking it off, and doing it all over again. YouTube was my main source of education in my beginning stages, and I still continue to learn so much through that to this day.
After high school I went to college and received my associates degree. In those years there was nothing that really sparked my interested and I was conflicted on what career path to choose. Finally I stopped quieting my desire to do something artistic and creative and enrolled in beauty school where I received my esthetic license.
Life since receiving my esthetic license has been nothing short of amazing. In that time I have built my own makeup business, where my main bookings are in bridal makeup. I love everything about being a key part to making a bride feel her most beautiful on her special day. I have met and continue to meet so many wonderful people in the beauty industry which has also opened doors for me along the way. Work doesn’t feel like “work” to me and that is the most fulfilling feeling in the world.

As far as success in my business, I can honestly say it has been relatively easy. It has definitely taken time, and I mean TIME, to grow and build my own business. Nothing comes quick or easy and you definitely have to work for what you want. I have been lucky enough to meet amazing people along the way who have helped mentor me and give knowledge and insight to the beauty industry.
I would say my struggles in my experience is more in myself. Finding my voice, standing up for myself and what I think I deserve for the work put in. Reminding myself to not compare my success to others is a big one. I think it’s easy to do so in this day and age of social media where you are constantly exposed to everyone’s “best self” on social media networks.

I am a makeup artist in Arizona and I specialize bridal makeup. I am most known for doing soft, glamorous makeup. My ultimate goal with makeup is to enhance my clients natural beauty. I don’t want my client to feel like they are wearing a mask or feel like they don’t look like themselves. I focus on making sure my makeup application is never too heavy, and I think this sets me apart from others. I gain all of my clientele through my makeup page on Instagram. I would say I am most proud of the amount of referrals I receive. My business is based solely off word of mouth and pictures of my work, so having people speak to others positively about my work is huge to me!

I would define success as being in a place where you feel happy and content. Success for me is measured in different ways. I strive to be successful in relationships with clients, bookings, presence and image, income, quality of work, and self worth. As long as I am meeting my standard of success in each and all of those points, I am satisfied. I don’t think it is necessarily something that just happens one day. I think it comes through stages, you learn and grow and in that build upon things that later make you successful in the wealth and knowledge of whatever you are striving towards.