At 18 years old, Alexis Oakley ditched her small-town Missouri dwellings and stints doing makeup for weddings and prom. Her mission: to become a celebrity makeup artist. Inspired by the beauty YouTube videos she’d watch (and looks she’d recreate) of Bethany Mota and Blair Fowler, Oakley moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in makeup school. Three days after graduating, she landed her dream job as an assistant to famed makeup artist Rachel Goodwin. Oakley’s notable assisting opportunities only grew from there, including gigs with Ash K Holm and Denika “Dendoll” Bedrossian. Now, at 23, Oakley’s assisting days are behind her, with solo work with Jessica Alba and Paris Hilton in her portfolio, and a laundry list of industry professionals who trust and recommend her work.
What’s been your proudest career moment thus far?
“Going on tour with Rachel Platten and Avril Lavigne. Since moving to L.A., that’s always been my big goal. I feel so connected to music and love working with musicians. It was such an amazing experience being able to travel. Touring taught me a lot about myself, and it was such an experimental time when it comes to makeup application. I miss being on the road so much and cannot wait to do it again.”
Who’s your most consistent client, and how did you cultivate that relationship?
“Currently, that’s [YouTuber and singer] Tana Mongeau. I see her sometimes every day. Tana and I were attending the same party, and a mutual friend introduced us. We exchanged info that night and, shortly after that, we began working together. We’ve been working together for years now.”
Take us behind the scenes of a day in your life on the job. What’s something people wouldn’t expect?
“My day-to-day work life always looks different. Some days I have back-to-back clients throughout the day spread out all around L.A., and on other days, I’m on set for a photoshoot or a music video with one of my clients for 12 hours straight. I think a lot of people see the Instagram highlight reel of my life and think I just hang out with celebrities all day. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many incredible perks of my job. But there’s so much hard work that goes on behind the scenes. When I’m not with a client, I’m responding to emails and DMs, booking myself for other jobs, sending invoices, reaching out to brands, filming content for my followers and trying to gain more clients.”
To see all 24 Gen-Z names defining beauty, click here.
