I’m often asked how I became a makeup artist and it’s difficult to give a short answer. I look back at my childhood and remember my dad always painting and drawing. My sister and brother are brilliant artists too. We grew up in a 200-year-old cottage in England and my mother would line the walls with our art. My brother’s sculptures were everywhere.
When I was nine years old, we went to a jumble sale and I came across an antique book published in 1936. It was filled with biographies and photos of movie stars of the day. I remember gazing at headshots of glamorous movie stars like Betty Davis and Joan Crawford, draped in fabulous clothes, their eyebrows dramatically arched. Their lips gorgeously defined with dark lipstick. That book is still one of my prized possessions.
Growing up as a teenager I discovered that wearing makeup was fun and expressive. I bought a Biba Paintbox containing 20 eyeshadows in colors like canary yellow and iridescent green. Every Saturday, my friends and I would hop on a train to London to marvel at the outlandish and creative ways people would dress. The punk and glam rock scene was in full force and we would wear glitter on our cheeks, thinking we were the bees knees.
At school, the two subjects I loved and excelled at were Human Biology and Art. I also had an interest in taking care of people, so for a while, I considered becoming a nurse. But I was also drawn to a more glamorous career and had the travel bug. So I enrolled in beauty therapy college and became an Esthetician. Doing makeup came naturally to me, after all, I was used to working with color and paintbrushes. I came to see that doing someone’s makeup was essentially painting a three-dimensional surface!
Working in spas and salons in England, Bermuda and Washington DC, I focused on makeup and skin care. I also studied photography and took my makeup skills to a new level when I began to specialize in makeup for photography. Recently I’ve begun to focus on eco-organic makeup artistry; seeing a need for good choices for the environment and for women’s health At The Still Point, I give makeup lessons and educate our clients on healthy choices for skincare products and makeup.
After all these years, I can honestly say that I LOVE my work.
