About the owner:
I’ve been doing makeup since I was a little girl, it all started when I would sneak into my moms room and sit at her vanity to play for hours in her make-up. When I was a little older, I would do my friends makeup; dress them up and pin a sheet to the wall to take photos of them for my photography class. After high school I went to school to study skincare and became an esthetician. While I was figuring out if that was what I wanted to do with my life, I started nannying on the side. It was on a trip to CA with the family that I nannied for that they helped me realize that I could pursue a career as a make-up artist. Before that moment, it never even crossed my mind! To start my career I went to the Make-up Designory, NYC in 2006; I wanted an excuse to move to New York and was pretty sure that would be the best place to start this journey. I started working for a custom-blend makeup line called GIELLA custom blend at Henri Bendel, which is where I first started blending makeup. I learned so much working on real woman of all ages, and skin tones. I still offer custom lipstick for my brides to this day! I’m from Pennsylvania originally and when I moved back, I opened a custom-blend makeup boutique in Philadelphia, and I set it up like a kitchen with makeup pigments in spice racks along the wall. This is where the name "Shimmer and Spice" was born. They didn’t do it like that at Bendel’s — I just always had that idea in the back of my head. Eventually I closed the shop to pursue more of a freelance route and that is where we are now, but who knows what the future holds! |
Three things that explain why I was meant to do the work that I am doing today
- I've always painted. Not great but it didn't matter, I love mixing and playing with color! {hence the custom blend}
- I've always loved photo shoots. When I was in middle school, my best friend and I would put on crazy outfits and take pics of each other "modeling" for fun. I still have them, some are actually pretty good ! {{I would also do this to my little brothers, haha}}