That experience, of course, was only the kickoff to Daley's rise up the celebrity makeup team roster. After fleeing the cold of Chicago for Miami, and before eventually making way to New York City, the artist booked a flurry of clients via word of mouth — from Kelly Rowland to Serena Williams to Lala Anthony. Her star, it seemed, was on the up.
"I've been able to work with some of the most amazing women in the world," she said. "I couldn't tell you the exact scenario that made all of it happen. I can only sum it up as: I just put my head down, I went to work, I stayed focussed, kept clear of the drama, and just tried to be consistent with what it is that I was doing."
Not that the work stopped there: "I didn't want to go to New York because I didn't know what to expect. All I knew was I wanted to do makeup, so I packed up and lived with my uncle for four months until I could find a place and figure it out. Then I grinded it out every single day. I never turned a job down and I did whatever it took to make sure that I was going to succeed, because I had my father and my mother looking over my shoulder at the end of the day."
Meeting Zendaya — and Paving the Next Frontier of Beauty
Daley had been booking a steady stream of jobs in New York when the opportunity to work with Hollywood's biggest up-and-comer presented itself. "I met Zendaya when she was 15 through her stylist, who I have a great working relationship with through Lala [Anthony]," she said. The gig was for a Macy's campaign surrounding the Material Girl collection, and the partnership has been going strong ever since — extending from magazine covers for Elle and InStyle to brand campaigns and even an Emmy win.
"It's been a long, joyful, wonderful ride," Daley said.
Still, despite the thousands of photoshoots under her belt, and the hundreds of red carpet moments she's crafted behind-the-scenes — not to mention the co-creating a synthetic and cruelty free false mink lashes line called Elora Lane Beauty with Kelly Rowland — one thing is clear: there's more to be done in this space.