FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #81 A Former Investigator Shares How She Turned Creative Spark Into a Community-Focused Beauty Business
What happens when a background investigator swaps case files for contour palettes and a rolling kit? We sit down with Jeet of Glam by Jeet to trace a bold career pivot that blends precision, creativity, and a deep love for people. From early days jumping into military ball season to shaping a mobile beauty brand across Fredericksburg, Stafford, Loudoun, and the greater DMV, Jeet opens up about building trust, celebrating natural features, and crafting looks that feel like you.
We walk through her full client journey—how discovery calls uncover style goals and pain points, why Pinterest boards are a goldmine for finding what truly resonates, and how she balances comfort with transformation. Jeet explains her signature “shop and learn” service: heading to the store to custom-match skin prep and complexion products, then teaching technique at home with a hands-on, half-face lesson that empowers clients to recreate the look. Along the way, she shares how to keep freckles visible by request, match undertones across the palest to the deepest complexions, and stock a kit that handles everything from soft lashes to stage-ready drama.
The conversation also explores the heart behind the work. Jeet talks about moving during the pandemic, returning to the region, and expanding into permanent makeup for brows. She reflects on losing her sister in 2021 and how that loss led to more openness, more courage, and a carpe diem approach that clients can feel. Whether you’re a bride, a professional stepping into a client-facing role, or someone who just wants a routine that doesn’t feel like a mask, you’ll find practical advice and genuine encouragement.
If you want inclusive, confidence-building beauty that lasts through real life, this is your roadmap. Follow Glam by Jeet on Instagram and Facebook at @glambyjeet, explore brows by Jeet for permanent makeup, and browse the portfolio at glambyjeet.com. Like what you heard? Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more neighbors can discover local stories that matter.
Jeet Bahra
Glam by Jeet
Jeet.bahra@glambyjeet.com
+1 301-518-8082
4405 East West Highway Suite 509, Bethesda, MD, United States, Maryland
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker:Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. We have Jeet Bahra joining us with Glam by Jeet. Welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
Speaker:I am so excited to dive in and learn more about you and your business. So let's start there. Share with us a little bit about your business.
Speaker 2:Sure. I started Glam by Jeet back in 2014. I had previously been a background investigator for security clearances and gone to University of Maryland for a criminology degree. And once I had children and life, you know, sometimes changes, I was looking for a secondary career that would allow the flexibility I needed for my family and also give me a creative outlet since I come from a family of creatives. My mom is an artist, so she was always sculpting, painting, doing all sorts of stuff when we were growing up. And um so I have that innately in me too. And my creativity mainly came out in getting my friends ready for things like that. So um I took some classes with a makeup artist that I'd met at my own five-year anniversary boudoir shoot. And um, she was like, Are you comfortable like with different skin tones and stuff like that? So if that's where I like learned, and then I jumped in military ball season 2014, and I never looked back. Uh I was full-time within a year.
Speaker:That's amazing. So what a uh change of careers, and it shows that you've got um you're extra talented. You've got the right brain, left brain thing going on, you've got the technical side of you, and then you've got the creative side. So that's so cool. I love it.
Speaker 2:And I've gotten to dabble a little bit more with tech as well. Like I've I've second shot for photographers, I've dabbled with videography, I've done promo videos, I've done all sorts of stuff in my career. So it's been really nice to connect with everybody that I've met along the way.
Speaker:Yeah, so that's really cool. So kind walk me through a um a client experience from the time they find you and all the services that you offer. Kind of share with us what that experience is like.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure. So uh first point of contact usually is via Instagram or Facebook from a personal referral, in my experience. And then sometimes it's from Google. Um, and so usually the first point of contact is uh sending the email, and then I set up a phone consultation usually so we can chit-chat about what you're looking for. Um, I do have a lot of repeat clients, so those are always fun to get to know again. But um, yeah, so we we book and then we consult about what we're looking for. I do both hair styling and makeup, so I'm usually talking about like what they're wearing and um sort of what the occasion is, what fears they have, maybe what they don't like about previous experience they've had before with uh hair and makeup. So that's where we start. And then I do have a sizable portfolio, so they're able to kind of look online and see sort of like the general style, but I do also pride myself on uh kind of making everybody happy since I've come across so many different types of people and like uh diversity in both color and um ethnicities, as well as um like how much makeup people wear is something that's always been important to my business and my portfolio. So um I usually end up having to um, you know, kind of like talk through that whole process. Like, hey, if you're somebody who doesn't wear makeup all the time and you're looking for a complete transformation, I can help you with that and sort of like make sure your skin still feels comfortable and and you're not feeling like you're itchy and you know, feeling like a mask is on you. Um and I have other clients who are like, hey, completely transform me. I don't want to recognize myself, and you know, then we go from there as well. So I and same thing for hair. Sometimes it's for a wedding, sometimes it's for special events or photo shoots. So we talk about just like what they look like on a day-to-day basis, um, you know, what they envision. A lot of people have like Pinterest photos ready for me. So um, if they don't, usually have them go back and look for about 10 pictures of makeup and 10 pictures of hair that are sort of speaking to them. And then we'd look through each one and talk about like, hey, what stood out to you for each photo? And sometimes it's like, hey, I like the lips on this one, I like this contouring on this one, I like the eyebrows on that one. So it just helps me get inside my client's brain as much as possible. And so that's on the makeup and hairstyling sides. And the next time I would see them is when I actually show up to their home or their venue or their hotel where they're getting ready. I do also have a studio that is a little closer to my hometown up in Bethesda, Maryland, but that is an option for those who are um going to military balls and things like that in DC, for example. Um, so that's one big service I offer. And another one that became really popular in about 2015 was my shop and learn. And so a lot of my photo shoot clients, um, since I work a lot of boudoir maternity headshots in that space, Monday to Friday, they would be like, I can't believe my makeup doesn't feel uncomfortable. And I actually like how I look like, so can you teach me how to do a version of this every single day? And so I started with a mom who had contacted me for her teenager who she didn't want her daughter to go through like the ugly makeup phase. So, like, not trying the hot pink lipstick, blue eyeshadow at the same time. So I that was my first ever shop and learn that I did, and we went to Walmart because she wanted to keep the budget in a certain number, and so we went to the store. I custom matched all of her complexion um products that she would need, tools that would fit her face and her eyes, for example. And then um we made a cute little makeup kit, and then we went back to her mom's house and we taught her how to do an everyday look. And so from there, I mostly was doing adults, but I also do a lot of like like parties, like for like, you know, teenagers, for adults who are doing like a girls' night in. Um, but the main thing is we go to the store, we get the skin prep, the complexion and products that fit the fit their skin type and colors. Um, I match for them, like what blush should go on their complexion based on their goals. Um, and then we go back to their home, we do a whole lesson on like techniques, why we run the brush the way we do across the skin, um, like all of the steps. And then I do half of the face and they do half of the face, and it's that's the um hands-on portion of the lesson. So I try to hit all of the learning styles for people so that they can um replicate the process next time they sit down.
Speaker:That is a really, really cool service that you offer. I love that. I love that so much. I I mean, you're saving people so much time and money and a heartache of, I mean, I'm I'm 52 years old and I'm still trying to makeups.
Speaker 2:So that's really cool. There's different reasons people have done it from um I've had flight attendants who are like, hey, we have a whole like facci that we have to follow for our job all the way through like women who've been promoted and they're in a more client-facing role and they don't want to worry about what they're looking like. They want to feel confident. And then others are like, hey, like I kind of got by in my 20s, and now that I'm 30 something, I need a little more help and and to look more polished, or like others, it's just like, hey, I got like 10 weddings this year I need to attend in different states, and I can't take you with me. So can you please teach me how to get myself ready? So there's a lot of reasons why people do it, but mostly it's I just want to look refreshed and like a look tailored to my skin tone and like how I dress normally. I even go in their closets sometimes and I look at like the color palettes and they're all in their closet because a lot of girls are like black, black, black, black, black. So something neutral is more suitable, and other people love color and like playing. So I I'm able to do that second. I do like one main look and then we learn how to like play with looks as well. So that's that's my most popular service outside of like traditional hair and makeup services for like events and stuff like that.
Speaker:That is really cool. I love that. I love that. Well, so for those listening, uh Jeet has actually made over my daughter a couple of times for her prom in homecoming a long time ago. It was pre-COVID. But something that I really love that you did, uh, my daughter has tons of freckles. And you made sure that you didn't cover her freckles and you still made her look glamorous for her prom, but let her natural, you know, um traits come out. And I thought that that was really special that you did that for her.
Speaker 2:Thank you. And I I always ask that because uh freckled our freckle friends are different sometimes. So some of them hate their freckles and others love them. But I usually I usually try to urge them to love them a little bit because I can't get them. I want them, I can't even get them. So I feel like they're unique and beautiful. And most people have a unique trait about themselves. And I'm always like, you're not ugly or anything, it's just something you can enhance and like love about yourself.
Speaker:So that's awesome. I love that. So do you find that you come across any myths or misconceptions about the industry?
Speaker 2:Um, I think I've lived that a little bit. So um I think uh I think as makeup artists, a lot of us do wear the all black or we're like um always in fake eyelashes and things like that. And so um in like just feeling overly intimidating and stuff like that. I've heard from clients or they're like, we were afraid of like maybe um not being glam enough for the services and stuff like that. But you know, it's funny because on the business side, we all have to present ourselves as a like luxury brand or like you know, whatever it might be. And so we do all the fancy photo shoots and like the promo videos and all that stuff. And um, I kind of, especially in the Stafford, Fredericksburg area, I felt so at home. I felt like I was hanging out with friends and sisters, and so it was like I always showed up like kind of as I am, like I'm even wearing some makeup today. Most of the time I wouldn't even wear it. And so I really like had that more family feel um with my clients and they embraced it and they never were intimidated in that way, but they appreciated my like uh my literature and my website and all that looking professional so that they felt confident in my services, but um, they never felt like I was unapproachable or you know, I I I really developed a lot of connections and friendships um over the years, and so that's been like really important to me and just word of mouth and um just a trust that comes with just um just entrusting all your family and friends with the the people that you work with, right?
Speaker:Yeah, that's amazing. And so tell me what is your service area? Do you cover so you're in Maryland, but you also come down to Fredericks? Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Yes. I so I'm from Montgomery, Caroline, Montgomery County, Maryland, originally. Um, I lived in the Stafford, Fredericksburg area for over a decade. Um, I've also lived in Warrenton, so I've made connections all over. Um, and I've worked really closely with photographers in Lake Gainsville and Ashburn, all the way through Annapolis, um, Frederick. So I've kind of worked all over the place. And that was part of the perk of we moved away just during COVID to try a slower pace of life and a lower cost of living out in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That's the reason I'd left Stafford for just about a year. When we tried to come back, because it wasn't it wasn't for us, but when we tried to come back, it was like the height of the market. I um I had friends telling me, they're like, Do you want to go to your old house and tell them that it's haunted and they need to get out so that you can move back in your house? Like I had a whole army of women like ready to do that for me. It was so funny. Um, but we tried, um, and none of the the offers work because like the same 20 families are fighting over the same homes. But um, so now I ended up settling near my parents. So I'm like 10 miles away from my parents. I get help with the kids when I need it. I'm close to my family and friends from that part of my life, but also I'm very centrally located. And so I'll go up to like Baltimore, like I said, Frederick, Loudoun County, um, Lake Culpepper, I come all the way down to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County. Um, so I have friends and family everywhere. Um so I just kind of I just I don't mind driving. So I still service a lot of the same people I did before. Nice.
Speaker:That's awesome. So let me ask you this. If someone came to you and said, hey, I'm inspired by watching what you're doing, and I love hair and makeup, and I want to start my own business doing this too, what advice would you give them?
Speaker 2:I think uh the biggest piece of advice is to never stop trying because it's very intimidating to not only are you dealing with the canvas itself, right? But you have different personalities and you have different types of people you come across. So the whole experience can be very overwhelming. Um, I've worked with introverts, I've worked with extroverts. Um I think extroverts have a little bit of an easier time uh connecting with people and then like kind of not being intimidated by the process. But a lot of artists are introverts, so it's a little hard to work on those um sort of interpersonal skills that are required to do a customer service role like we do. Um, so that's on that side. Um, and then I'd say like all the Sephora sales and just scour all of the sales and grab as many things as you can in all of the shades that you can. I know one big thing I did when I started was um I picked a prominent YouTuber in every single ethnicity and skin tone, and I really watched them. I looked at the products they recommended and why, um, and learned the tips and tricks for each of those sort of subcategories so that I could relate better to my clients since diversity was a big cornerstone stone of my business, even when I started. Um, I think that was what was missing in Stafford at the time. They were like, we have a lot of, you know, women of different skin tones, but we don't necessarily have makeup artists that reflect that. So we would love people who are like available all the time and also can do a Filipino skin tone versus like even even the girls who love to go tanning and do spray tans and stuff like that, they were like, people are still matching our skin tone to our like um untanned face, and then our body's brown. So like we want some. So that was like a lot of what it's a lot of just like trial and error listening to clients. Um, and so for me, I think the interpersonal relationship and like listening skills are a lot more important. And I think as a makeup artist, you should practice, practice, practice on all your friends and family, all different types, ages, everything, because literally every everybody's so different. And I think as many uh faces as you can get your hands on, it's like super important to just have those conversations and practice the lines and practice the contouring and all those types of things that come across like real clients when a lot of times people I work with, um, I don't ask for like a selfie ahead of time, whether it's a personal client of mine or I kind of learned that when I worked with all the photographers, especially in the boudoir community. Um, there's like five prominent photographers around your area, and so um they wouldn't tell me who was sitting in my chair that day. So I had to build a kit that would take me from the palest of pale to the deepest of skin tones, and then also accommodate people who wanted pageant size lashes all the way through people who've never worn them before and maybe don't want something so big. So I had to keep a pretty stocked kit. So those are like the things that I really want people to pay attention to when I mean, I think any area in the DC area, um, sub-area you might live in, like it's it's just a diverse area, you have to be prepared.
Speaker:Yeah, that's really good advice. And what a uh interesting and challenging profession every single job you have is going to be obviously completely different. So uh embracing that is probably very important to just be willing to go with the flow and be surprised.
Speaker 2:And there's such an intimacy too with clients because similarly to how um I think it's because we spend a couple of hours with each person, you really get to know each other very well. So I've heard people's like like pregnancy stories first. I've heard like breakup stories, I've heard I, you know, a lot of girls, it's like your nails nail artist knows everything about you, your hairstylist knows so similar with makeup artistry. So I've had I've shared tears with people, like there's just so you it's very much a people, a people person kind of job. So that's something to keep in mind when you want to start doing makeup artistry.
Speaker:Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you for that. Yeah. So, what is something that you wish the listeners knew about you or your business?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Um yeah, I I feel like who I was pre-pandemic and after the pandemic has changed a little bit more and just vulnerability. I used to be a lot more like business focused and I've been a little bit more lifestyle focused after because so many of my clients like became so close to me and they watched me, right? Like I left Stafford pregnant. Um, so a lot of my client clients were gifting me. Um, I had diapers, I had clothes for the unborn baby. Like it was so special to me. Every single appointment that I went to, somebody had a gift bag ready for me. And so that was so special to me about that area. Um, and so that's I was dying to get back to because I literally felt like I'd um a family away from my family there. And um, but I, you know, uh those who have followed me closely know I lost my sister like at the 2021 mark. So it's as people were starting to go back to work and starting to do things. Um, and a lot of them had met her because she would tag along with me when she would visit. And so she had a blood disorder, and a lot of people followed that. They donated um when they found out, but so she's been a big part of my story and a lot of reasons why. Like I've done more boudoir shoots, I've been less afraid to post things about like my personal life and things like that. It really she lived with a carpe diem life, like um, like motto to her life, right? That's how she kind of framed the world because she was always told she wasn't gonna make it to 20, she wasn't gonna make it to 25, she wasn't gonna make it to 30, and she made it to 33, and we were still devastated losing her. But I think she was just such a testament to being your true self, you know, do something first, ask for permission later. Or sorry, what is it called? Ask for forgiven forgiveness later type of personality. And so I've had to be a lot more brave and just I don't know, it just made me just not be as like I I just connected better with people. I feel like everything that I've gone through, I feel like my clients in some way, shape, or another always have. I feel like people say that your clients always find you. I literally had a bride who had like a mirroring story to mine, and it was so it's so crazy, but it happens all the time. Um, and I just feel like we are online, right? We're personalities that are online and we put ourselves out there, and so some people it's really scary for me. I love it because people know like me so intimately and they're able to connect with me when I'm before I even meet them, and it helps me just kind of have that trust there. Um, but yeah, my sister is channeled through a lot of my work, and it's why I just don't like I I started traveling more, I started doing different types of projects. I've worked with children all the way through the elderly, like I do a lot of stuff to challenge myself constantly, and I feel the need to like really live, you know. And that's something that's come across, I think, since 2021.
Speaker:That's amazing. It's really beautiful that you have taken uh the lessons from her life with you moving forward.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker:I love that. So if the listeners want to learn from you, want to work with you, where can they find you?
Speaker 2:Sure. Um, I have had a pretty strong social media uh presence on Instagram and Facebook business for a long time. So I'm on both of those. Um I've kept my handle very simple all over all of the platforms. It's Glam by Jeet. Um so um I have a separate page. I started permanent makeup as well during the pandemic because I thought weddings were gonna be a thing of the past at that point. Nobody knew what was gonna happen. But also a lot of my clients loved the brow transformations I had done for them during photo shoots. So it was something that I've mostly done for prior clients, honestly. Um they're like make me allow myself to wake up every day the way you did my makeup, right? So um I have a separate page only for that that I called browse by Jeet. But otherwise, Glam by Jeet is where you can find me all over Instagram, um, uh TikTok, Facebook. Um, I'm not that active on TikTok though, so don't look for anything crazy there. But um yeah, so that's where you can find me. Um, and then um my website is also just glambyjeet.com and I have I have all of the things I do on there, and you can take a look at the whole portfolio and pick what you want to what what you want to buy from me.
Speaker:Amazing, amazing. Well, congratulations on your success. I am so impressed by you and all that you have to offer, and I appreciate you sharing your story and your wisdom with us.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me. Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG Neighbors Podcast.com.