The Journey of Life

 

Makeup artist and beauty blogger Rhona Cullinane was inspired to author a book to help those with cancer and now she’s launched her new beauty and skin care brand with part of the proceeds going to the Marie Keating Foundation. 

 

Back in the day, Rhona Cullinane was a make-up artist to celebrities and the go to person for high profile red carpet events. In her varied career she swapped accountancy for beauty and tried her hand at reiki and qualified as a wedding celebrant. She was a single mum at 30 and during her busiest years became mum to three children with special needs. Rhona was a well-deserved winner of a Woman’s Way Mum of the Year Award, one to add to the many accolades and awards she has won over the years. But it was her experience, first as a volunteer with the Look Good Feel Good cancer charity, and then seeing the devastating side effects endured by her brother-in-law Howard when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, that inspired her to launch her own beauty business. Rhona has been through many changes in the past year, Howard sadly passed away, her own work as a makeup artist and wedding celebrant dried up and she was busy home-schooling three children with special needs. Somehow, during all that, she made a decision to launch Journey Skincare & Beauty. Oh and she also decided to go for gastric bypass surgery. She is just a few weeks after the operation when I pose these questions to her. So here she is in her own words…

 

Tell us a bit about you - early years - did you always want to be a makeup artist?

 

My Journey to where I am now has been a bit of a mixed bag! When I left school, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. My brother was an accountant, so my career guidance teacher encouraged me to follow that route. I did a  two year course as an Accountant Technician but really didn’t enjoy it. I had always an interest in makeup and had assisted my aunt who is a model and fashion designer on some of her catwalk shows. Back then there was no such thing as a makeup artist, you had to train as a beautician to do makeup. So, I started working for my brother doing accounts during the day and trained at night. I loved it and intuitively knew this was my path. As makeup artistry crept into the country and people started to get their makeup done for weddings, I set up my own business and became one of Irelands first, of a very few, freelance wedding makeup artists. I wanted to try out every aspect of the industry which I did. I worked on counters, films, commercial and editorial campaigns. Getting a job in TV3 (now Virgin Media) on Ireland Am and working on celebrity guests was one of my highlights. As my confidence grew, I won many makeup artistry Awards including the renowned IPBA Makeup Artist of the Year 2008. I got recommended by public relation agencies and photographers, which led to bookings for many international celebrities and campaigns including Idris Elba, Caprice, Georgie Porter, Calum Best, and events like the IFTA Awards. Later in my career I co-founded the hair and makeup agency, The Powder Room Girls. 

 

During this time, I also became mum to three wonderful children – Jamie, now 17, who has Asperger’s, Joshua now 6 who has Autism and Molly now 4, who has Down Syndrome and a congenital heart defect. I blog about their journey on my Facebook and Instagram page @mollyandjoshua and have won the Woman’s Way Inspirational Mum of the Year and various other awards for my advocating. 

 

My passion now comes from over 30 years’ experience in life and as a beauty expert and makeup artist. I now concentrate on beauty blogging aimed at women over 40. 

 

I wrote a book called Look Good Feel Good in 2008 with 100% of the proceeds going to the Marie Keating Foundation. The book was focussed on helping women to use makeup to look good and feel good. I decided to finally launch my own beauty and skincare range, Journey Skincare & Beauty in December 2020 mid-pandemic. It’s always been something I’ve had a passion to do but I knew I had to have the right products. Then my brother-in-law Howard was diagnosed with terminal cancer and witnessing some of the terrible side effects of the disease and his treatment, I knew what I wanted my skincare brand to be.  I wanted to create products that would not only be suitable for women with dry, sensitive and menopausal skin conditions but that would also be beneficial for men and women going through cancer treatment. My skincare range is 100% chemical free, with the highest quality ingredients the earth has to offer, all natural, all cruelty free and hand blended here in Ireland. I donate €1 from every skincare product to the Marie Keating Foundation. My beauty range includes lashes, magnetic lashes, and tattoo eyebrows and I plan to expand my range over the next few years specifically targeting the over 40s.

 

What led you to write the book? 

Apart from all my regular clients, brides, and photoshoots I had worked on various events over the years for the Marie Keating Foundation. I also became a volunteer makeup artist with the Look Good Feel Better Foundation where I went into oncology wards and gave makeup lessons to cancer patients to help them draw on eyebrows, cover red sensitive skin and general makeup tips. During this time, I met Sue – a cancer survivor whose personality won me over in seconds. She, like me, has such a positive outlook in life we connected instantly and are still best friends. She explained how just adding a little brow and wearing a wig helped her look like ‘Sue’ not a ‘cancer patient’. She, as well as some of the most amazing client’s I met, inspired me to write the book. The book is an extremely easy step by step makeup book with everything from skincare to makeup tips, easy makeup applications, product and brush tips. There are also sections dedicated to cancer patients such as how to choose wigs with skincare advice. The central message of the book is to spend a little time on yourself everyday to look good and feel good. It also shares the stories and makeovers of six great women.

 

It started you on a different path - was that a gradual decision or a eureka moment?

 

Its all been quite gradual – Hence I named my brand Journey – life is a journey and all the elements in my life from my career to being a special needs mum have brought me to where I am today and I’m probably my most confident and happiest now.

 

 

We’re there pivotal moments in those early stages of the business and were you ever tempted to give up ?

 

Not really – it was a slow journey as times were quite different back then. Today every second teenager is doing makeup online and blogging.  I had moments in my career where I thought maybe I should just give up and go back to office work, but they were short lived. There were different sideroads along the way though. I trained as a dermal filler Practitioner, a wedding celebrant and a reiki practitioner as well – I like to keep busy. But I’m a huge believer in following my gut and staying true to my dreams so that’s what I do.

 

Self- belief is all important in starting and growing a business - were you always confident?

 

In my work life yes but in my personal life no. I was a shy teenager and in my 20s after a tough relationship I became very unsure of myself, but I was always able to put on a good front when I needed to. I was comfort eating behind the scenes. Unexpectantly becoming a single mum at 30 changed everything. It gave me purpose and strength that I didn’t know I had and the determination to let nothing stand in my way.

 

 

What do you think you do that’s different?

I meditate every single day. I can’t stress the benefits enough and I’m not talking humming in a weird pose for an hour – just five minutes when I do my skincare routine. I spend those moments shut out to the world, being thankful for what I have and for what’s coming to me. I clear my mind so I can face each day positively.

 

When the pandemic hit what happened to the business?

Well, the pandemic totally changed everything in my business. For the first time in my career as a makeup artist and wedding celebrant I had no weddings, it was bizarre. But it also gave me the space and time that I would never have had otherwise to create, produce, and launch my own brand, Journey Skincare & Beauty, which I’m incredibly grateful for. 

 

When the pandemic hit what happened to you?

Apart from the work behind the scenes to get my new range ready, I spent so much time with the kids. I built a huge sensory play area out of wooden pallets in my back garden and I joined TikTok

with one of my first videos going viral to millions. I’m now a regular over 40s beauty and makeup specialist on the site with a lovely following of like-minded women who want to look and feel good!

 

Where to now - what’s on the cards for the year ahead? 

Well, I will be adding more products to the Journey Skincare & Beauty range and hopefully launching in the UK and USA. Just recently I decided to do something for myself and I had Gastric Bypass Surgery. I am two weeks post op now and two stone down and loving life. I am blogging my journey and will be getting my life back and trying lots of new things which I will share on my over 40s page. I am using a ‘Live List’ for the second part of my life and plan to do so many things I could never have done before so watch this space. You can follow Rhona on Instagram @rhonacullinane and for more about her beauty range visit journeybeautyandskincare.com.