Aimee Connolly: It wasn’t confidence that started Sculpted, I just didn’t overthink it

'I want to be remembered as a nice person who did it'

Make-up artist Aimee Connolly says her business mindset comes from her mum, Clare.

I am from a tiny family. I’m an only child with a single mam, and I’ve got two aunties and an uncle, no cousins. Growing up it was always me and my mam. I was definitely always a girly girl, one of my earliest memories is having red lipstick smeared all over my face — I think I was two.

I went to an Irish-speaking primary school and on to Coláiste Íosagáin. I am a self-professed nerd. I loved school, loved study, loved getting the grades. The pressure never came from my mam, it was always myself. Transition year was a real pivotal year for me. That’s when I did my work experience — two weeks in Benefit Cosmetics in House of Fraser. That really propelled me on to my part-time job, the make-up counter at Urban Decay, which I thought was unbelievably cool. That helped hugely with my confidence.

Aimee Connolly pictured at the hayu STELLAR InstaSTAR awards at The Alex Hotel in Dublin. Picture: Brian McEvoy

I had big ambitions for what I wanted in my Leaving Cert, so I learned to work well under pressure. I would do my study during the week and evenings, in block hours at the weekend, and go to work Saturday and Sunday. I loved the independence it gave me. Coming from a single-parent home, it was up to me to get disposable income for myself... but I absolutely loved that. I bought my first car when I was 16 and thought I was absolutely deadly. Then I went on to college in UCD where I studied Commerce and French. I started Sculpted by Aimee alongside that. I think a lot of my ‘business mindset’ comes from my mam, Clare. She’s a total workhorse, really determined and not scared to take risks.

I do think I was born to be the person I am. I feel very purposeful, I’m very clear on what I want to achieve. I am a Capricorn — they are known to be stubborn, ambitious and leaders. People often ask me what’s it like to be an only child? What’s it like to be from a single-parent household? I don’t know any different, but I don’t feel any worse off that I haven’t had both a dad and a mam. And that’s a testament to my mam. I definitely feel like I am where I’m supposed to be and the journey that I’m about to go on in terms of internationalising the brand is obviously full of unknowns, but really exciting.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is trying to please everyone or trying to do everything for everyone. I think that does get easier with age, and definitely in my late 20s now versus my early 20s, I see a big difference. It is hard being the boss of a team of people that you care about. Trying to please everyone, caring about what people think, those are things I’ve always kind of carried. It’s gotten easier, but it’s definitely a personal challenge I’m always conscious of.

EY award winners Aimee Connolly, Brian O’Sullivan and David Henderson.

My proudest achievement changes all the time. [With Sculpted by Aimee], we have these little wins all the time. Recently, I won the EY emerging Entrepreneur of the Year in the most insanely competitive category. And to be honest, I felt like an imposter when I was even nominated. So that was a real vote of confidence for myself personally and for the business.

I think my greatest quality is that I’m very self-aware. I haven’t been a CEO or run a business before and I’m very aware of what I can do and what I can’t do. I think that’s a really important quality to have in your relationships, in your social life, in your business life. Not everyone is willing to say what they can and can’t do. I think I’ve learned that from having to be a manager to people over the last few years as I’ve been growing up as well.

The people I turn to most in life would be my mam, Clare, and my fiancé, John. My mam would hype me up for tying my shoelaces! Me and John have been together for like the last seven and a half years, so we were together before Sculpted was even born. He’s really seen the growth from start to finish. And he has absolutely no hesitation in challenging me! He definitely keeps me grounded.

Aimee Connolly recently announced her engagement to longtime partner John Greene Picture: @aimeeconnolly_com / Instagram

If I could change something from my past, I would have loved a brother and sister. I think I’m very family orientated. I don’t hold any resentment, I have such an amazing relationship my mam, but I think as you grow old, you worry about losing your family. So I would love a brother or sister who was in my kind of generation.

The life lesson I would like to pass on is not to hold yourself back because of fear. One of the most asked questions I get is, ‘how did you get the confidence to do it?’ In reality, when I started the business it wasn’t confidence, I just don’t overthink things. I just go for it.

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given is to go with your gut — you actually know far more than you realise. It’s all instinct. If you have any sort of negative feelings, it usually comes to fruition. Your gut is so powerful.

I would like my legacy to be that I built a global phenomenon brand that made a difference in so many people’s make-up bags around the world. But also, that I stayed a nice person, I looked after my friends and family. I have such big ambitions for the brand. I just want people to remember me as a nice person who did it.

• Aimee Connolly is one of Ireland’s top make-up artists and the creator of the award-winning make-up brand, Sculpted by Aimee Connolly, and founder of Sculpted: The Academy.