Well, I grew up with a mom in the beauty industry, so as I grew out of the Barbie phase and into the hair and makeup, my mom always had a huge selection of new makeup that I snuck into. I remember LOVING trying on all the different types of foundations and seeing which one made my skin look best, and there was this certain, shimmery pink blush that I always got compliments on in school. I was bullied in 6th grade, and naturally, that hurts your self-esteem quite a bit, so makeup was like my armor. It always made me feel so good. I brought it everywhere with me. The girls lined up in the locker room after P.E, and I would freshen our faces up with makeup. I got in trouble with my math teacher one day for having it out, and I’ll never forget what she said to me in front of everyone – “Your grades aren’t good enough to be playing in that.” I am a pretty determined person, so I’m sure that played a part in my journey. But truly, what I loved most was seeing my friends admire what they saw in the mirror. It felt so powerful to give that gift to someone else because I knew how much it gave me. 

 

I went to cosmetology school right out of high school, and when I graduated, I started at a local salon doing nails and facials and got my first makeup gig for a wedding on New Year’s Eve. I had so much fun doing that and couldn’t believe I got paid to do makeup. My mom, co-workers, and best friends were my biggest fans, and from there, it just started to grow. 

 

About 7 years into my makeup career, I grew tired of getting my products from a zillion different lines and sending my clients in different directions. It sounded magical to have my own line. So I started to do lots of research, and at that time, I knew that I wanted my products to be long-wearing since I was in the bridal industry, but I also wanted them to feel like you weren’t wearing a ton of makeup and have ingredients that weren’t harmful to your skin. I was 25 years old and didn’t have a credit score because I never had a credit card, so my mom went in with me to our local bank (thank God for small towns), and I’ll never forget his confusing question. “You need a loan for lipstick?” Yes, lots of lipsticks and a pink crocodile tiered makeup case on wheels. Never forget your beginnings. 

 

For me personally, I believe eyes are the windows to the soul, as cliche as it sounds.  They are so unique, like fingerprints. Sure we may be quick to sum them up by blue brown, green, or grey, but each eye is so intricate full of variation. And when looking at the face, the eyes dominate emotional communication, so that’s typically what we notice first. My style is considered eye-focused. I love making them the center of attention, and that’s what I think you’ll find by looking at my work. 

 

Well, I am a lifelong learner, and 5 years ago, my answer would lean more towards self-confidence- and don’t get me wrong, I absolutely still believe that, but as we know, we learn a lot on our life journeys. After my daughter had a health scare, my view on beauty changed, and I became more focused on the internal aspects than the external. And it really made me realize that we really put a lot more value on our outer beauty and not nearly enough on our inner selves, and I feel such a huge pull to help people start paying attention to it. Like I mentioned, the eyes being the windows to the soul, I believe our skin is a reflection of our health.