Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Kenyon.
Hi Haley, 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 backstory with our readers?
My name is Haley and I am the owner/service provider of Drop Dead Beauty LLC. I am 30 years old, originally from upstate New York and I’ve spent most of my life in North Carolina. I dreamt of becoming a beauty professional from a very early age and always aspired to one day own my own salon. There was a cosmetology school next to my high school and I envisioned myself going there probably since I was 8 years old. I did enter the program my sophomore year of high school and completed 1 year of cosmetology studies. At that point in my life I lacked a lot of confidence in myself and working with clients, so I did not continue the program. I was very young and had a lot of life and learning to go before I would find my way back to my passions.
I ventured to Wilmington NC after graduating high school to attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where I received my Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies after only 3 and 1/2 years. I also earned my Associate’s in Arts degree while in college due to a reverse transfer program that factored in online college courses I took while in high school.
During my time at UNCW, I also began working for Belk as a retail associate and was recruited to Clinique as a beauty consultant. I spent roughly 5-6 years altogether working with Clinique as well as other Estée Lauder companies as a clinical consultant and also as a counter manager. I attended many trainings and lectures throughout my career with Clinique, built clientele, trained teams I worked with, hosted educational sessions for clients, and really developed more of a passion for the art of makeup and skincare.
My path did take some other turns over the past decade. I found myself working in other roles, trying to find my way in the world and process events I endured in my early twenties and honestly even before that. More recently, I had multiple life altering experiences that encouraged me to finally pursue my dreams.
A few years ago now, I was fired from a job that I loved and really poured myself into. I’d never been fired before and I was truly living paycheck to paycheck with no backup plan and no indication that I was at risk for losing my only source of income. When it happened, it put a lot of things into perspective for me. I knew I had been pouring into something that wasn’t truly aligned for me and it was time to invest in myself after years of allowing my insecurities to get in the way. I will never forget as I sat sobbing outside of a coffee shop in the rain after being entirely caught off guard by this experience and terrified of how I was going to make ends meet, an older gentleman approached me and he told me “When one door closes, many more open”. It was something I’d heard time and time again, but in this moment of shared humanity and witnessing each other’s vulnerability, those words stuck with me and I think of him often now as I look back on my personal evolution over these past few years.
I decided to start pursuing my freelance makeup artistry at this time and spent quite a bit of time building, networking, and expanding my skills. I have maintained multiple “side hustles” to support myself as I’ve journeyed this path, and honestly enjoy a variety of professional endeavors as it seems to really suit my brain and ways of doing. I made the decision to go back to school to become licensed in Esthetics and proceeded to do an accelerated program at Aveda Institute of Wilmington which required me to be in school 30 hours a week. On top of this, I continued working other jobs and transforming my business just as I was. I graduated, took my state board exams, and earned my Esthetician License in February 2026. Since then, I have officially registered my business ‘
“Drop Dead Beauty LLC”, opened my doors to my private studio and more recently was approved by the NC Cosmetics State Board with a Grade A.
I currently offer facials, back treatments, waxing, microneedling, brow/lash tinting, and makeup applications. I have my sights on expanding my skill set even more and look forward to seeing how my business continues to evolve. My studio is open by appointment only and I am located in Downtown Wilmington. My services can be found and appointments requested on my booking site (dropdeadbeautyandskin.com)
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?
No it has certainly not been a smooth road. I spoke earlier about some of the challenges I faced. It has been an uphill battle for me to move past my inner anxieties and insecurities to build the confidence it took to get to where I am today. I was faced with many traumatic events, difficult circumstances, and financial burdens throughout my life. I worked extremely hard and pushed myself to rise above the limits I placed on myself and limitations that were sometimes out of my control entirely. I give a lot of credit to the struggles I’ve experienced and the strength I found to overcome them. I do not regret and I do not wish things to have been different. Every bump, twist, turn in the road has led me to exactly where I am and for that, I am grateful.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a licensed Esthetican specializing in facials, waxing, dermaplaning, microneedling, brow/lash tinting, and makeup services. I’d say what I’m known for and what sets me apart are one and the same. I am known as someone who is authentic, non traditional, open, caring, and out of the box. I bring a certain energy to my services that is unique. Although I am very passionate about skincare and makeup, what truly ignites my passion is so much deeper. My goal is to offer a safe space where others are comfortable to be who they are, relax without needing “a reason”, and experience inner healing and transformation as much as external. My services, facials and makeup especially, are fully customized and I heavily focus on relaxation, massage, energy clearing, and lymphatic drainage. One of the things I hear most often is how amazing my touch is and that is a prime example of what I meant by “the energy I bring”. A service booked with me is supporting someone who is truly invested heart and soul into what they do, and whose goal is to build a life for themselves doing what they love.
I am also a creative in other areas of my life, I love to perform and am a member of a local Cabaret group in Wilmington “La Big Bouche Cabaret”. We dance, sing, do comedy, all in beautiful costumes, bringing joy and community together. I do really enjoy modeling as well and have worked with quite a few photographers, have been featured on two magazine covers, and also work behind the scenes often – assisting on photoshoots with lighting and videography. I have a very close friendship and business partnership with Alisha Browne, owner and photographer of “Atlantic Boudoir”. Together, we share space and have continued to expand our businesses individually and collaboratively.
In addition, I’m a huge reader, writer, and painter. My favorite’s to read are thrillers, horror, psychological, spiritual, and fiction. I love to write poetry and aspire to write a book(s) in the future. Mostly anything creative lights my soul up!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something surprising that people might not know about me is how introverted and anxious I tend to be. I think from the outside I may appear and come across as very confident and outgoing, when in reality I’m probably freaking out inside. I think first impressions can be misleading in that way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dropdeadbeautyandskin.com
- Instagram: @dropdeadbeautyllc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dropdeadbeautyllc
- Other: https://share.google/WcWmb0vPqymXDgYf1
