In June, I felt a divine calling to share my story, to build an altar to God, giving Him all honor and glory for the grace and miracles that have shaped my life. My journey is a testament to His faithfulness, and I pray it encourages anyone feeling lost, stuck, or awaiting their breakthrough. By sharing both the valleys and victories, I hope to reveal how God works behind the scenes, orchestrating everything for our good, even in the waiting. Trust His divine timing, hold fast to faith, and embrace the process with joy.
I’m ready to share my story from my banking days onward. One day, when I’m prepared to share from my school years, it will be for His even greater glory.
For now, here’s how God led me from Banking to Makeup, humbling me and guiding me to a life of purpose.
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I often get asked what was I doing before becoming a Makeup Artist.
When I mentioned working in banks before becoming a makeup artist, the reaction was always, “Wow, that’s such a big change!” I always replied, “It was all God.”
I got my 1st International Diploma in Makeup Artistry in 2007.
I tried to break into the industry but struggled to find clients, convincing myself that makeup artistry wasn’t a viable career.
That same year, I was going through a weird thing that led me to seek a telemarketing job to retreat from the world while earning a steady income.
In my mind a telemarketing job should be earning at least around 1k+ per month?
A chance conversation with my MSN friend Eric changed everything. He mentioned a telemarketing interview and invited me along. To my surprise, it was for UOB’s telesales team. I never imagined working in a bank, but I landed the job and earned more than expected. I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is so easy and pays so well I’m going to do this forever!’
On my last day at UOB after 5.5 years, my manager admitted he didn’t think I’d last three months. As a night owl since my teens, I was always dozing off during training and napping at my desk. Yet, God’s grace covered me. I consistently delivered strong results, and in 2008, I was stunned to learn I was competing with a top sales agent for the year’s highest sales. And I won both the highest number of sales and the total sales amount. I was the dark horse no one, including me, expected to triumph. It was all God. Thank You, Daddy God Hallelujah!
During my banking days I also had the calling to open a Makeup studio but I didn’t want to take the risk. I followed the calling to do Makeup again and got to do Makeup for some celebrities for Today Newspaper too thanks to Jason.
Applying oil on Elvin Ng’s body was also part of my job as a Makeup Artist hehe!
Also started serving as a Makeup Artist in New Creation Church.
Although I was consistently producing good results in both UOB and DBS, fast forward few years later, I had this knowing that Banking wasn’t where I see myself forever so I left banking after 7 years to start my own business.
I had the money but had no business or marketing skills. Since young I always hoped to sell clothes as I love shopping for clothes!! And seeing how online blogshops always selling out their clothes and having their clothes always on backorders so I thought I will do well too. I did everything from sourcing for clothes overseas, to finding models, doing their makeup, find studio, take studio photos,
edit photos, rent racks from Kissjane,
Miyoc,
Blogshopping, do measurements, do pricing, upload photos and descriptions on website, do marketing on Instagram,
find influencers,
send clothes to the stores etc etc but the rental was eating up most of the profits so I decided to stop after 1yr+. I really enjoyed the journey at the start. 1st time shopping for my business was exciting and the monthly travels to get stocks was fun but the passion without much profits could only last me that long. I’m still really thankful for the experience and to fulfill a childhood dream.
Post-venture, I planned to stick to sales, where I’d seen success. I ask my UOB boss if I could return. He welcomed me back with a promotion and raise. I’m forever thankful to both Eric Lims at UOB. The friend who brought me in and my forever boss.
1 day when I was serving in Church, I saw a split second vision of me working at MAC Cosmetics thus I shared this vision to a few friends. My friend Angelina had connections at MAC and very shortly after, I left UOB again ( sorry boss ) and was really working at MAC Cosmetics.
Working at MAC felt like home to me. I could put very thick Makeup, color my hair and wear black every day and be surrounded by Makeups! It felt like I was Home to who I truly was.
I always had the impression that MAC girls all have attitude and I really gave my assistant manager attitude thus was asked to leave shortly after a few months.
That took the 1st hit on my ego.
My friends who used to do car sales did very well and I remembered thinking to myself then, “if I do car sales I will surely do well too.”
My results at the banks really boosted my ego. I was proud. Thinking I will do well everywhere I’m at.
At the car sales job, my manager was very patient training me and my colleagues were nice to me. But another manager felt I was wasting their sales leads and asked me to leave after 1 month+. This was the 2nd time to be asked to leave.
That, really took a big hit on my ego. This humiliation truly humbled me. I got so used to doing well consistently I have thought that it was me who was the good and great one.
I kneeled down at home crying out to God asking Him why is He doing this to me. I felt so down and lost.
Now I could see that He was humbling me and bringing me closer to Him. It was then the only thing I could do is surrender.
After closing my business, I did start posting my Makeup services online thinking Makeup will be my side thing and sales will be my main.
I failed during a bridal trial unable to do what the client was requesting so she got angry and said “no wonder you want to collect money first” and stormed out of my home, that really shocked me and I took a big hit that made me want to just give up doing Makeup altogether but it also became my wake up call. I thought to myself. Even if I want to do this at the side I must be accountable to my clients and to myself to provide good results for them. If they are happy with what I did then I will be happy. I was always chasing for the joy and satisfaction from doing Makeup.
During that same period, Christine Chia’s page ( it must be God. Thank God ) kept showing up on my Facebook page and I really love her Hairstyling ( I struggled a lot with hairstyling then ) thus I reached out to her to teach me and she did.
Thank you my forever number 1 mentor Christine Chia!!!
She saw me in and out of jobs so she told me 1 day, ‘ you spent so much to learn from me. If this job ends again, just go do anything that is related to Makeup.’
That one sentence changed my trajectory from wanting to do sales for life to doing Makeup instead.
Before starting to search for a new job, my childhood friend Ruiling messaged and asked if I was still doing makeup and if I was keen to work at Mediacorp. I said yes. God’s timing was perfect. If Ruiling asked me first, before my mentor’s 1 sentence or if she asked me when I was working full time anywhere, I wouldn’t had been able to accept this opportunity!
Thank you Ruiling!
Starting at Mediacorp in 2016 was a dream come true. Despite long hours and modest pay, I loved the behind-the-scenes experience, working with celebrities and seeing shows come to life. The regular jobs at Mediacorp launched me into being a full-time freelance Makeup Artist.
Looking back, my pride from banking days would’ve kept me from accepting this role. But God’s humbling refined my mindset. As long as I was doing any jobs doing makeup, I was happy.
Truly God was always working behind the scenes. He led me to learn from Christine Chia, gave me the opportunity to work in the makeup lover in me’s dream place MAC cosmetics, and also gave me the opportunity to do car sales to let me experience what it was like to work in somewhere I had 0 interest or knowledge in before starting on a journey I truly enjoyed and loved as a Makeup Artist, and being offered to work at Mediacorp before even knowing where to go when I was feeling super down and lost!
( If I wasn’t asked to leave the 2 places, I might just still be working at MAC cosmetics till now as I felt so at home over there and miss out on all the connections I had with my dear clients, adventures overseas and all the amazing divine experiences. )
There was one time Christine scolded me very badly in front of her other student which clicked a switch in me. I always took notes and videos in her class but never once looked back so I always came back to class asking the same questions and making the same mistakes. Her scolding finally woke something in me to go home and look through all the videos and notes I took in her classes intensely then I finally started to understand things better.
She once told me this – Once you get it, you’ll get it. And that is true. I just suddenly got it much better after that day.
She also taught me how to find Bridal clients, directing me to the right places and also linking me with a popular Bridal studio that gave me regular Brides. Come to think of it, it might be because I was so down that time so she took pity on me and felt more open to guide me. It was really a blessing in disguise. Note to always stay humble.
I was really hard to teach. It was hard for me to learn things. Really Thank God for her patience and guidance through it all. She will always be the number 1 mentor in my heart. Thank You So Much Christine Chia!!!!!
She once even told me, since I have so many hair lessons, can she use 1 or 2 of my classes to teach me Makeup as she really cannot stand my Makeup style ( I personally like my style haha but I’m also super thankful for her grace to teach me her Makeup skills! )
Forever thankful to the Bridal studios whom let me work with them in my beginner days – Digio, The Gown Warehouse, My Dream Wedding, Dream Wedding and Kelly’s Bridal.
Thankful to all my friends who willingly be my models for classes and interviews.
Thankful to all the clients who accepted me as their Bridal Makeup Artist at the start.
1 day, I felt a strong calling to leave the Tanjong Pagar bridal studios. I had good relationship with them but the calling was strong. I followed my calling while being worried what if my schedule doesn’t fill up?
After I obeyed, my ala carte clients started to fill up my schedule. I got busier and was also earning more from my own clients.
Thank God for not letting me give up. Thank God for every nice client You put in my way. Thank God for the courage for the times I obeyed.
I always had this mentality – every client I meet is planned by God and there is a reason for us to meet.
In 2021, five years into my makeup journey, I heard God say, “This gift I give to you is not to be given to you alone, it is to be shared with the world.” I made some videos but struggled to give fully, feeling selfish and uncertain.
By 2022, the sixth year, my schedule was packed with brides, pre-wedding shoots, corporate gigs, and overseas jobs.
I was earning more than ever, traveling the world, and living my dream. My brand grew, and being sought-after felt like a badge of honor.
But pride crept in again. I drifted from God, overwhelmed by busyness, with little time for myself or loved ones. My fuse grew short, especially with those closest to me. In 2022, my mom avoided me, and I couldn’t see how I was treating her. I’m thankful we reconciled in 2023, and I can now be present with her.
I was earning even more as a Makeup Artist than I ever did as the top sales agent of the year in UOB, or even when I broke new records in DBS.
I was constantly overwhelmed, always rushing in and out of my house, always rushing everywhere, always on the go.
I was busy. Very busy and that seemed to me what success looked like in the eyes of the world. But deep inside, I knew this wasn’t the life God desires for us. God wants us to walk closely with Him, to live in His peace and rest, to not measure our worth by how busy we are, but by how much we trust Him, seek Him, and love others through Him.
Also want to give praise to God for keeping me safe on the roads. I’m often struggling to keep awake on the road driving in between places and always screaming ‘ Jesus help me! ‘ to keep awake. It’s been a routine. A scary routine. Thank God for always keeping me and the car safe through the years. Thank You Daddy God.
In 2022 I felt a calling to leave. It definitely did not make sense to me to leave at my peak so I stayed on.
I started to feel the struggle inside. 1 day the struggling feeling felt so much till when my new couple I’m meeting for the first time came for the Bridal trial on July 2023, I immediately asked if they were Christians and told them how I felt. It felt like a counselling session during the trial. Thank you Li ting and Daniel for being my Angel counsellors then.
There was once I even teared uncontrollably after work in the midst of a massage because I was struggling so much inside doing something where the season had already ended.
I usually feel and obey my callings and feelings but this was really hard to let go because it felt like everything to me. My brand, my busyness, my identity, my overseas trips, it was what people deemed me as a successful person in the society. But the joy and flow within was not the same anymore.
So many times when I’m eating my meal in between work before a night bridal trial or after a whole long day of work I always think to myself this 1 sentence : work so hard just to eat, really need to work so hard ma?
Thank God for the man who was always there for me through it all. Even my food was always bought by him. Car was provided by him ( I was driving a Mercedes around as a Makeup Artist or being ferried to and fro thanks to him )
I lost balance in life. My time was very limited due to a lot of work so my fuse was very short especially to people close to me. To most of my clients, they always say I’m patient. But I was only patient when with clients. I was another person outside work. My mom didn’t even want to meet me in 2022. Cannot imagine how I was treating her because I couldn’t see me myself. Sorry Mom. Thankful we have reconciled since 2023 and I can be present when I’m with her.
6 Aug 2023 I met my Mom for Church. Told her to pray for me as I was feeling very weird. I couldn’t even move or sway my body to the worship music during the start of service. It was just super weird.
During the Church service, I was shutting my eyes in the service and kept seeing this vision, ‘Bookings closed’.
When service ended, Pastor David Storer had another round of worship and the worship song kept repeating this sentence “break every chain” until I felt chains loosened from my body and my body finally starting swaying. It was an amazing feeling. My mind was 90% decided to announce booking closed and joy and peace just gushed in.
Mom wanted to buy Holy communion so I brought her to The Rock shop to buy. Felt drawn to a daily message booklet and led to open up to the 6 Aug page which reads, ‘ Life–changing introspection begins with a single question: What does God want from me? Once you understand His expectations, you can take steps to fulfill them.’
Once I read this message, I knew it was my confirmation message to close my bookings.
When I confirmed the decision to close my bookings I heard a voice saying, ‘Now you are not a Makeup Artist anymore you can start to give.’ But you know what?
We will always have the free will to make the choices.
Now in 2025 when I reread this msg I realized something.
This was the confirmation message for me to close my bookings. I understood the message the moment I read it but I did not register it into my system. Perhaps it’s because it defies my human logic. Human logic made me run from this assignment to fulfill His expectations because human logic to me is, if I announce closed bookings = I will do something new.
God already gave me the plan and the reason to back me up if I obeyed but it just didn’t make sense to me so I kept holding on to my human logic + I did not know how to go about this giving thing.
I did try to find help for this hoping someone can guide me and till now I still do not feel the flow even with vaults of content ideas and directions from AI.
What I think now is because I am now an ‘expert’ in this field so I will feel more judged if the content is not good enough so it keeps holding me back thinking the content is not good enough.
In this period I also got to try a lot of different things, got to travel a lot and got to live my life again doing a lot of things I couldn’t do due to my busy schedule the past few years and I’m truly thankful for the freedom.
In March I announced I’ll give because honestly after announcing booking closed, whenever I wanted to post anything related to Makeup, I will immediately feel that it’s not right because I have already announced bookings closed. So the March video was like a pass for me to post anything Makeup related freely again and to hopefully complete my assignment this time as the answers to a coach’s coaching questions let me realize if I continue not doing anything for this assignment. It will be a regret in my life.
But announcing I will give does not = I am an expert in giving immediately. I often do things by feels and just trust as long as I feel a peace in my heart that the decision is right mostly without a plan forward as I always trust that God will have His best plans for me. This is how I always lived. Apparently there will still be waiting periods but I’m really thankful for making this post, reminding me of how He truly is working behind the scenes even during the waiting, or even bad or dark situations. I just need to trust Him and live it out and I’ll understand why when I connect back the dots in future like what is happening now!
I have been spending time with God every day for a long time. on 4 June 2025, I woke up feeling angry with God as I had expectations that if I kept spending time with Him I will have more clarity but I still felt lost and that day, my emotions was all over the place. I felt so out of place. It was a bad feeling.
It was also that day that I realized the joy and peace that came from within daily came from spending time with Him first which set my every day right. And writing out this blog post also made me realized that He had already told me what to do since the day I announced bookings closed. I was just running away from it. He has already told me to continue giving and to do art!
Now, I live with a new mindset: trust, surrender, and be present. Doors open in God’s timing. Abundance is doing what you love, trusting all is well, and knowing God provides exceedingly beyond what we can ask or imagine. Success is walking closely with Him, living in His peace, and loving others through His grace.
My journey from banking to makeup artistry to art shows that God’s plans unfold perfectly. Seasons change, and waiting tests our faith, but He is faithful. I hope my story inspires you to trust His timing, follow your heart, and enjoy the process.
This is a plate my mom gave me since young and it’s now placed at a place my eyes will often naturally look at whenever I blow my hair. Thankful for the constant reminder to just Trust in the Lord with all my heart!!!!
I’m very thankful for life everyday now. I get to spend more time with God daily and truly be present with myself and with the people and my pets ( my baobeis ) who truly matters to me and be present in every situation and doing everything in a more peaceful and flow way trusting that God is always working behind the scenes and I just have to follow His lead.
I also started doing art since last year because when I meditated on Psalms 23, the first time ever when I could feel and see myself with Jesus on the green pastures beside the still waters, I asked God what do You want me to do and I heard Him reply, ‘ Universe Art ‘. That was when I started doing art. Most of the arts are not done by me alone. The Arts are Co Created with Divine Energy.
You can view them at www.tracyimmanuelart.com.
My Art and my freedom to live the way I want makes me feel truly abundant and I’m truly grateful to feel this way every day!
My Mom once told me she cannot take the way I live. She is a safe and stable person. I am a creative. Everyone is just made differently.
Want to thank her and George for always allowing me to be me.
I finally learnt what balance is and I strive to maintain balance in my life and work from now on.
Thankful to this girl Vivien who recently did a post like this that sparked me to finally do this post with a structure. I told her I felt that she was my answered prayer because I was asked to give what I know in 2021 but didn’t give or do enough then she came along in 2022 and started giving tips online. She is now giving classes to teach people how to be Makeup Artists!!
Go find her if you are looking for a teacher to become a MUA at @vivsbeautynotes!
Thank You, Daddy God, for every miracle, lesson, and open door. All glory to You, Hallelujah! To anyone reading this, may you find courage to chase your calling, trust God’s plan, and shine His light. Your breakthrough is coming, keep giving, keep trusting, and let His love guide you. Live fully and embrace every moment with joy.
Hope this helps. God Bless!
Love,
Tracy Immanuel