A love for beauty and cosmetics is combined in the Cincinnati-based AKA Esthetics.
Allison Kief, a Cincinnati native and Xavier University grad, has had a passion for makeup since she was allowed to wear it.
“I quickly became the go-to makeup artist for all my friends and family when they had a school dance or an event to go to,” says Kief. “I realized I found more joy in getting ready and planning al look for events than the event itself.”
Not only did Kief love helping others get ready, she also enjoy the confidence she was able to help give others when she did their makeup.
What was once a love for helping others look beautiful became much more than that after Kief planned, paid for, and booked her own vendor for her wedding in 2019. “I realized what aspects of the experience I liked and didn’t like,” she says. “I could tell when I was being treated like a number rather than an individual.”
Weddings aren’t cheap, and Kief wants every vision of another’s perfect day to live up to those expectations, so she was inspired to become a makeup artist that treats her clients as people. “I want to be someone who is there to help them feel confident, beautiful, and hopefully share some laughs along the way,” she adds.
Kief says that she offers a variety of services, that include but are not limited to: weddings, bridal parties, brides, engagement photos, family photos, and special occasions.
No matter the reason you’re seeking Kief and AKA Esthetics to provide you with makeup services, you can rest assured that she takes an individualized approach to every client.
“I am behind every interaction: I communicate with each client from inquiry, to booking, to meeting them in-person on the day of their service,” she says. “With this, I not only get to know them, but I know exactly what they’re looking for. I aim to form a trusting relationship for each client so they feel completely comfortable on the day of service.”
In addition to the personalized service offered by AKA Esthetics, Kief says that she is able to vary her makeup style depending on the person and their goal.
“I do not have a ‘go-to’ look,” she says. “I begin each session asking them what they want, or what they want to stay away from. We all have had a bad makeup service at least once in our lives, my goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I want each AKA client to walk out of their appointment feeling like the most confident version of themselves, however that looks.”
Services from AKA Esthetics are provided on-site, so Kief travels wherever her clients choose to get ready.
To learn more about AKA Esthetics or to see Kief’s work, check out their Instagram page.
Photo by MKF Photo
