To gear up for our Summit21 Conference this year in Atlanta, 21Ninety has scored exclusive interviews with some of this year's participants.

One of this year's participants is makeup artist, Arielle Antoinette, who wants others to feel beautiful with her business Double-A Makeup. She administers makeup classes, one-on-one lessons as well as flawless makeup applications.

Read 21Ninety's exclusive interview below:

21Ninety: Can you give us a little of your background? What inspired you to create your business? What was the vision behind it?

Arielle Antoinette: Born In Nyc. Raised in Atlanta. Degree in Health Administration.
I worked in corporate for a while, and I realized that wasn’t the life for me. Its draining and no one sees your real potential. Your just another employee to them. A name on the list.  I always perfected my makeup skills after high school. I went through Trial and errors learning makeup with a lot of my friends. I got so good people were willing to pay me for my services. It didn’t feel like work, and it came naturally. The joy it gave me inspired me to pursue the beauty business. The vision was and always will be to be one of the best makeup artists. To make the makeup application process and makeup in general easy for other women and aspiring artist coming up behind me. The rest is history.

Photo: Double-A Makeup

21N: How long have you been creating these hair/ beauty/skincare products? Was this always your chosen career path?

AA: I've been creating my beauty products for a little over two years now. It has been fun and makes me happy to provide easy to use products to the masses. It was not my first intentions, but I wanted to create a way to reach other women and enthusiasts around the world without having to be in front of them physically. Natural products that I love and they will love.

21N: What was the process like in building the business and how long did it take to get it up and running? What inspired the name choice?

AA: The process for building the business was a tough one. But very rewarding. It has taken me a couple of years to get to this point. Nine to be exact and I don’t take anything for granted. A lot of word of mouth and showing up as a genuine person played a big deal in how far I’ve come. If its a quick check that you're looking for in entrepreneurship, then it’s not for you. It Takes time and passion for seeing anything come from it. My name choice for the business is simply about my real name. Double-A is Arielle Antoinette.

21N: What kind of work goes into the process of creating these products? What types of ingredients do you use?

AA: To create these products, a lot of trial and error goes into it. Testing and production. The ingredients vary and are mostly natural. They are listed on the products as well.

Photo: Double-A Makeup

21N: Which products were the most fun to create? Any favorites for clients?

AA: The most fun products to create would have to be my lash line as well as the glosses. These are my absolute favorites when it comes to makeup. So creating my own version was awesome. And we continuously grow. My favorite to use on clients is my “Tiffany” Mink Lashes paired with “Prissy” lipgloss.

21N: What do you love most about the work that you do?

AA: I love to create enhancements for other women and the joy it gives to see their reaction to simple makeup enhancements. I love connecting with other people. And creating experiences. Whether I'm on set, a photo shoot or makeup applications for a special occasion Its always fulfilling. Also showing women how easy it is to recreate.

Photo: Double-A Makeup

21N: What do you hope to gain from attending Summit21?

AA: I hope to gain access to new connections and building relationships. I hope to show women and makeup enthusiasts more about makeup. As well as create awareness for my beauty products. Double-A Makeup Cosmetics. As well as recognition for the launching of my first beauty matching beauty kit & online course.


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