NAHA ‘Makeup Artist Of The Year’ Winner Jalia Pettis Talks Persistence, Passion, and Pushing Forward

Makeup artist Jalia Pettis is ready for her close-up. For the past two decades, Pettis has been laying the foundation for her success in the beauty industry — and it is paying off. 

[SEE ALSO: Here Are All The 2022 NAHA Winners]

The boardroom-turned-beauty room boss just won Makeup Artist of The Year at the 2022 North American Hairstylists Awards (NAHA). For those who don’t know, this is basically the Oscars of hair and beauty. And her winning “LINEAGE” collection is taking center stage. The series features melanated models strategically splattered with golden flecks, graphic eyes and markings, bold brows, and crush-worthy crowns. We were in love at first sight.

“It is an ode to celebrating the regalness of people of color,” Pettis shares with Sadiaa Black Beauty Guide. “As a light-skinned Black woman, I have been asked about my ethnicity all my life. I suppose it’s hard for people to see that we come in so many flavors.”

“That also holds true for those who are Asian, Hispanic, Native, etc,” she explained. “When you know who you are, you should be able to hold your head high and celebrate that with pride.”

But her journey to success hasn’t always been this golden. This wasn’t her first NAHA experience — she was a finalist in the same category five years ago, but didn’t take top prize. Neither did “Lineage” when she first submitted it.

“I created the collection in 2019 and actually entered it in 2020,” Pettis reveals. “It didn’t even make it into the finals. I felt so deflated but I told myself no one would know I had entered and didn’t make it unless I shared it.”

Instead of giving up, she submitted it to SHEEN Magazine for publication, and then to the International Beauty Industry Awards, where it won the “Culturally-Inspired Makeup” award. She says the journey made the win that much sweeter.

“This win lets me know my perseverance paid off,” says Pettis. “If I would’ve let how I felt just sit and simmer [about not being selected the first time], it wouldn’t be recognized in the number of mediums that it has.”

This kind of persistence has been part and parcel of her entire career, which started in human resources management and marketing. Before becoming a freelance makeup artist, she launched 3Jay Productions, a B2B and B2C firm providing consulting, management, brand, and consulting services for beauty professionals.

From there, she went on to get certified in makeup artistry but had trouble breaking through. Knowing the power of education, she went back to school for her license in esthetics and then in cosmetology. Along the way, she eventually grew from “kitchen beautician” to editorial campaigns, tradeshows, and more. 

She also launched her own makeup tool brand, Blnd Beaute, and, is now traveling the country as a beauty educator — most recently at America’s Beauty Show in Chicago. 

In other words, Pettis is booked and busy and loving it. 

“I’m back [and] on my grind of editorial and commercial work,” she shares, with hopes of expanding into even bigger arenas. “I plan to see my work as a part of major beauty campaigns as well as continue to pour into the next generation of creatives.”

With so many projects on her plate, one might wonder how she keeps it all together. She says that her driving forces are her faith and kids.

“I know that each skill and talent I have is a gift,” explains Pettis. “It’s my responsibility to cultivate those gifts and use them for what I’m purposed to achieve.”

She adds: “Just like with my kids, it is my responsibility to raise [my gifts]. I am purposed to be their mother, so I have to nurture and cultivate them while giving [my kids] a visual example of reaping the reward of hard work.”

The added bonus is that Pettis is happy to be doing what she loves. 

“There is no stress relating to my career. I am being fulfilled as a creative entrepreneur in every way because no one day is the same for me,” she gushes. “It feels amazing to be able to exhale and live that!”