During COSMOPROF NA as we began to prep for our Fall Issue featuring our Double Cover with Kendall Jenner and Giannandrea we were fortunate to come across the ever so talented @hankandhenry_ and get to know him a little more.
This is what we learned…
Tell us about yourself…
“Well my name is Henry and I’m from Southern California (Inland Empire/ Los Angeles area). I’m 32 years
young and have been in the beauty industry for 12 years and professionally for 9. About 4 years ago I stepped back from applying makeup and began focusing on my passion which is product development, branding, and overall business consulting for cosmetics companies.”
Where did “HANK and HENRY” come from?
“Simply put Hank is me with Makeup, Henry is me without. Hank is the art, Henry is the heart. I guess you could say he is my alter ego. For those that do not know, Hank is the nickname for Henry and growing up I played by myself a lot and even had an imaginary friend. My uncles named him Hank and it always stuck with me. Even as I grew older there was always something in my house named Hank. When I wear makeup, I feel so much more confident and even find myself acting totally different from how I am without…. So, I thought Hank was a perfect name for my “alter ego”.”
…And the owl?
“It’s for my grandmother, Frances. If you know my grandmother, you know everything about her and everything in her house are owls and it has become like a family crest and symbol of her. Owls have different symbolisms but the most frequent is wisdom, and the person I am today is because of her. I owe her my life.”
What about your hashtag - What can you tell us about #TheNightOwls?
“If there is one thing I know about my followers it is that they speak their damn minds all the time. The Night Owls hashtag they created. During one of my instagram lives one of my followers, her name is Kat, said that I should have a name for my followers, and without me even saying anything all the people watching my Instagram live started coming up with ideas and #thenightowls is what they came up with, which makes sense since I always do my lives at night.”
Tell us about your family…
“First, let me start by saying, a lot about our social media world is that there are a lot of faces in our industry but not a lot of voices. We are all products of the lives we live and everyone has some issue. Mine was my mother’s addiction to drugs, being the oldest of 11 kids, losing my brother to SIDS, and the list goes on, however everyone is so afraid of not looking perfect on an app on their phone that they never share their stories. And it’s important to share your story.”
Now, I’m sure everyone is wanting to know how did you get into makeup? Did you always want to be in this field?
My friend Savannah and a drag queen named Raja were the reason I chose to pursue makeup professionally. I’ve always had a fascination with art growing up so it just became something that interested me, however, it was the encouragement and education from Savy and Raja that made me stop and say, “makeup is what I’m supposed to do with my life”’
When we met you showed me a beautiful white jeweled case with an owl… What can you tell us about it?
“That is the container of the first collection I am coming out with for my makeup line. I am really excited to launch my cosmetics line. It’s called HANK & HENRY (@hankandhenrybeauty). I’ve worked so long helping grow other companies that it was time I started to do it for myself. We started working on it 2 years ago so it has felt like forever.“
Lastly, tell us your life motto -
“My grandfather told me this not very long before he passed from cancer and it has always stuck with me.
“Forgive those that hurt you, forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made, and get back to work, because time doesn’t stand still for anyone, and your dreams are not going to catch themselves.”’
YOU TOO CAN NOW LEARN FROM THE PRO – Sign Up For His Workshop Here.