My love affair with make-up began at age two when I ate my first tube of Emerge Ruby Red lipstick (I know, gross right?). From that moment on, I was destined for a future in make-up and skin care. Fortunately, I was born with a gift: the vision of an artist. I honed my artist’s eye in classes throughout school, and found I had a predisposition for realism.
At fourteen, I discovered that my two favorite pursuits – art and make-up - could be combined for my future profession. Inspired by the work of the late, legendary Kevyn Aucoin and make-up maven Bobby Brown, I decided that I would, one day, become a make-up artist and develop my own line of make-up.
Formally trained in 2004 at the MKC Beauty Academy in Los Angeles by celebrity make-up artist Margaret Kimura, I am skilled in the full range of make-up styles for any occasion and high definition make-up for film and print.
In 2006, I augmented my experience with an extensive internship at a medical spa in New York. I worked with skin care expert and esthetician, Michelle Martel. Much of my training included camouflage make-up for post-operative patients.
I then returned to Pittsburgh to acquire a license in skin care and have since made my way into the Pittsburgh film industry doing makeup for local commercials, tv shows, photo shoots, ads, music videos, and weddings. For the past two years, I have also made up the models and wives participating in the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Fashion show.
My combination of talent, training and experience cultivated my ability to see distinctions in colors and skin tones which enables me to evaluate a client, model or actors skin and to match the shade of make-up to enhance that person’s natural beauty. I consider the face my canvas, and each make-up client my work of art.
This quote from my idol, Kevyn Aucoin inspires me each time I begin a new project:
“Today I see beauty everywhere I go, in every face I see, in every single soul, and sometimes, even in myself.”
The quote influences me in my work every day, and I make sure that my clients feel as beautiful as I sees them.