Manny Gutierrez, who came to fame under the name Manny MUA, is a trailblazer.
The challenges have only made him stronger, though, and motivated him to work even harder.
Let’s learn more about the blogger andYouTube star; here is the untold truth of Manny MUA.
Makeup has been his passion since childhood
Growing up, Gutierrez looked up to his mom.
“She’s beautiful inside and out,” he toldTeen Vogue.
“I was very sheltered growing up so the only real beauty exposure I had was my mom.
And still to this day she is my number one beauty icon.”
Gutierrez’s fascination with it began when he was a kid, watching his mother put on her makeup.
He was initially on track to become a doctor, a move that his family supported.
When Gutierrez began exploring his love for cosmetics, it led to some tension in his family.
As his media presence grew, however, he couldn’t keep his growing fame a secret any longer.
“They didn’t understand then that it was my creative freedom.”
“I wanted to make them happy,” he toldMarie Claire.
“I got straight As in school.
I was the perfect child, except this one aspect of myself.
His parents eventually came around and learned more about the LGBTQ community.
Once they began to understand their son’s sexuality, they came to accept it.
He argued that fathers need to teach their sons how to be “real” men.
Gutierrez responded by tweeting anopen letter from his dadto Walsh.
Fortunately, he didn’t let this stop him and decided to pursue his passion anyway.
He had been working as a waiter in a restaurant that was about to close.
Knowing he would soon be out of a job, he decided to give makeup a try.
“I thought it was a fun thing.
So I applied and I got it even though I had no prior experience.
So that’s what I started doing.”
Gutierrez pointed out that many people are missing a critical step.
“Stay hydrated!”
“That’s the most important thing in my opinion.
Drink plenty of water and use moisturizer every single day.”
According to Gutierrez, hydrating not only keeps your skin healthy but also helps keep your makeup looking fresh.
“That stuff is more important to verify that the makeup looks better on your skin.
People always ask me, ‘Why does my makeup not last all day?’
or, ‘Why do I look so oily throughout the day?’
One of Gutierrez’s closest friends is another male beauty influencer, Patrick Simondac, also known asPatrick Starrr.
The two share a deep bond, and together are helping to redefine the beauty world.
While some might expect the two to be rivals, Gutierrez says that this isn’t the case.
“Patrick is my best friend, and that’s truly all that matters,” he toldRefinery29.
He pushes me to be better.”
Simondac also has Gutierrez’s back.
“Our friendship is like no other,” he toldTeenVogue.
“He’s like a brother to me.
His first product was an eyeshadow palette.
“I really wanted this palette to be for everyone,” he toldGlamour.
“There have been so many doors opened for better inclusivity in beauty recently,” he said.
“I feel like there’s no excuse for brands to skip over deeper complexions or superlight complexions now.
He launched his first eyeshadow palette from Lunar Beauty in the month of June for a reason.
Gutierrez isn’t just repping his community, but also men in the beauty industry.
“I feel like, as a whole, the world has shifted a bit,” he said.
“People are much more accepting and are willing to go to bat for you nowadays.”
“When I was starting off… it wasn’t easy,” he toldGlamour. "
“It’s just because I love it.
