Meet Brittany Trice

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Trice.

Hi Brittany, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Middle Tennessee State University and beginning my Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management at Bethel University, I started my career in Human Resources. I have been with the same company since 2014. During my time there, I became intrigued with beauty and how to enhance it.

A little backstory… I haven’t always been extremely confident about my own looks. For most of my life, I was overweight and worried about what others had to say about me. Slightly over three years ago, I just got tired. At my highest weight, I was 363 pounds. I’d tried everything (diet pills, fasting, exercise, etc.) to lose the weight but to no avail. I ended up having an accident in 2015 which altered my ability to work out.

I was diagnosed with sacroiliitis and nerve damage which also caused me to get sciatica. I was in pain so much that I wasn’t really able to work out like I wanted to. The doctor put me on steroid shots which made it even harder to lose weight and contributed to my weight gain.

I finally hit my breaking point and decided to look into weight loss surgery. On February 25, 2019, I underwent a weight-loss surgery called Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG for short). I have since gone from 363 pounds to 245 pounds. At my lowest weight, I was 231 pounds. Every day is still a struggle but I continue to press for what I want.

Now, let’s get back to the world of beauty and why I decided to start Da’Nay Beauty. As I said, I was not always confident in my looks. As I watched myself transform, I began to gain more confidence. I would put on makeup just for fun and to feel cute. My kids’ father would tell me, you should be a makeup artist but of course, I’d brush that off because I didn’t think I was that good at it.

I continued doing my makeup and researching different products and techniques on YouTube just for my own personal use. When COVID hit hard, my company decided to move us to fully remote work. At that time, I moved back to my mom and stepdad’s home for a while. I still continued what I was doing with my own makeup. One day someone asked me, “Do you do others’ makeup?”

My immediate response was “No” because I was simply terrified to try. That person booked with me and for almost the past 2 years I have been pushing Da’Nay Beauty. I have been able to enhance the beauty within others that they sometimes don’t even realize exists.

Beauty to me is taking the gem that’s already there and making it shine more brightly. My goal is to enhance the beauty that already exists rather than transforming a person into someone totally different. I have been a makeup artist for photoshoots, weddings, baby showers, birthdays and so much more. Becoming a makeup artist is not something that I ever saw coming but I would never change that now that I am here.

Yes, I started Da’Nay Beauty with the person but I decided to go further and put my story and face out there in the social media light. I have no shame in sharing where I’ve been and showing the world where I’m going.

I have grown my TikTok and Facebook following tremendously over the past year and a half and plan to continue. I share my weight loss journey, makeup-related videos, as well as my personal thoughts on things, and to my surprise, most people are intrigued.

From my weight loss surgery to coming into my own (confidence), to my social media platform, I have been able to touch lives in a way that I would have never imagined. I have people reach out to me regarding my weight loss, my makeup artistry, as well as how I was able to grow my social media presence.

I wouldn’t trade this newfound confidence, weight loss journey, etc. for anything because I enjoy seeing others be inspired by what I have been able to accomplish.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, to say the least.

I’ll begin with my weight loss journey. As I said, I’d tried everything until I decided to get weight loss surgery. Weight loss surgery is not always the final solution. It still takes hard work and dedication to lose the weight but also to keep it off. You have to maintain a balanced diet and work out like you would if you were trying on your own.

The hardest part for me with the weight loss is that I still have sacroiliitis, nerve damage, and sciatica and suffer from that pain almost daily. I still have to modify workouts if I work out. I still have to find the motivation to keep the weight off and do the right thing for myself.

In relation to my makeup business, I have had to deal with finding the right products, sometimes difficult customers, and also finding the time to do makeup since it is just my side job. Every product does not work for every person so you have to have the right product to fit the right skin type which can get expensive.

In any industry, you’re going to come across some difficult customers but I work in a service-centered career so I know how to handle people with respect. Most weekends for me are filled with makeup artistry but I also have to find time for just me or for me and my children so they don’t lose out on mommy time.

Social media is sometimes hard when you’re in that light. You never know how people will respond and sometimes the negativity almost makes you want to quit. The thing that keeps me going is seeing how people are inspired by me and my story.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a freelance makeup artist specializing in makeup artistry for weddings, photoshoots, and special events. I am most proud of my growth within the industry in such a short amount of time.

I have been a makeup artist for several events and special moments for my clients and it is an extremely amazing feeling to make someone look and feel beautiful.

I believe my attention to detail as well as my personality sets me apart from others. If you sit in my chair, you get to see the same person that you see on social media. I like to think that I am witty, silly, and someone people can open up to. I am always “myself” in any situation.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I decided to move back to the Nashville area in October of 2021 in hopes that my business and career will continue to flourish.

Contact Info:

• Email: brittanytrc86@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radiantbeauty1986/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bdtrice
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/BrittanyDa%E2%80%99Nay
• Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdH2c97C/

Image Credits
Sann Productions (Joshua Neely) and Chris Ellis Photography (Chris and Nicole Ellis)