Senior Ashleigh Maple is growing her platform by starting her own business doing other people’s makeup.

Growing up, Maple watched her best friend, Amelia, experiment with photography, often practicing makeup on her during mock photo shoots. Sitting in the chair and watching the transformation sparked something.

“The more she practiced, I felt inspired to practice on myself,” Maple said.

By seventh grade, Maple was already deeply invested in learning makeup techniques. While she wasn’t allowed to wear much makeup outside the house, she often experimented with different styles of makeup and quickly found her signature look.

“I loved doing my eyeliner and I still do it the same way to this day,” Maple said

Unlike many young makeup artists today, Maple didn’t initially learn through YouTube. Instead, she drew inspiration from people she saw in everyday life.

“I remember walking around [San Francisco] with my family and seeing this girl with the most beautiful eye makeup,” Maple said. “Her eyeliner really caught my attention.”

Maple officially turned her passion into a business late in her junior year. Around the same time, she began an internship with Melissa Guerrero, a licensed esthetician and makeup artist. A licensed esthetician is a trained skincare professional certified by the state board to perform skincare treatments, hair removal, and makeup application.

“I love working with [Maple],” Guerrero said. “She always jumps the gun to learn something new.”

Guerrero, who works at Melissa’s Glow Alchemy in San Ramon, helped Maple develop her business by creating an Instagram page, a business contract and pricing. Maple makes bookings through her Instagram, beauty_by_ashleigh08, which has 320 followers.

What started as a few small bookings quickly grew. Maple soon found herself working larger events, including fashion shows, and even assisting at weddings alongside other professionals. Nayeli Rodriguez is a licensed cosmetologist in Castro Calley who works alongside Maple at weddings and fashion shows.

“[Maple] helps a lot especially when I’m feeling overwhelmed,” Rodriguez said. “Even though she’s young you can really see how much experience she has in the industry.”

Still, the job comes with its challenges. One of the most difficult aspects of it is getting clients to trust the process, Maple said.

“People love to peek before I’m finished, which I hate,” Maple said. “Makeup can look kind of funky before it’s complete.”

Despite that, Maple said the reward always comes at the end. She’s fascinated by the wide range of people she meets in her chair, but her favorite moment is the final reveal.

“I love when a client sees themselves in the mirror and realizes their own potential,” Maple said. “That confidence, that’s my favorite part.”

Senior Amber Grumley has been a client and model for Maple,who practiced a full face homecoming set on her.

“I loved the end result,” Grumley said. “I don’t normally do eyeliner how she did and I actually really liked it.”

As her business continues to grow, Maple has shown that with creativity, mentorship, and dedication, a teenage passion can become something truly professional.