ART by RUNWAY
Sammi McKee
Story By KATIE CANALES | Photography by MEGHAN GARNER
S
ammi McKee has never taken a makeup class in her life and yet she
was the only makeup artist from Texas to work Fashion Week in
New York and Los Angeles in Fall 2015.
Recently relocated to Sola Salons from her Downtown Bryan
location, Sammi the Stylist has earned a reputation with her highdefinition hair color expertise, currently decking out her own hair
and eyebrows in a purple-pink hue. One such hairstyle can take
anywhere from four to 10 hours to complete. “When you get known
for doing one thing, everybody comes to you, which is good, I enjoy
it. I enjoy doing something completely different,” says Sammi.
Sammi worked in the dental field for 10 years before pursuing
her more creative endeavor. While living and working in Brenham
to let her daughters finish high school, Sammi chose to commute
to Charles and Sue’s for hair design school. Her first year out of
school, she won the top producer of the region award at her former
Brenham hair salon.
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A self-proclaimed overachiever, Sammi sought makeup artist
education outside of school, turning to soap opera characters’
makeup, among other influences, and teaching herself. “I’ve always
been really blessed in the fact that I can see something and duplicate
it,” says Sammi.
Sammi was constantly in a learning environment during Fashion
Week this past season, observing makeup artists from around the
country and how they performed their craft on models. “I feel like
if I stay within the industry, I tend to trust that information more,”
says Sammi.
Sammi befriended a woman on Instagram who admired her
work and, and after a year of communication with her, was invited
to New York. Little did she know she had met the recruiter for New
York Fashion Week’s makeup stylists. “I didn’t get on any of her
professional pages, I didn’t even think about it,” says Sammi.
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