BACKSTORY
Since 2005 I have been a professional Makeup Artist. But my passion for makeup started at a much younger age; dance, voice and acting performances throughout my childhood exposed me to not only the stage, but what is required to step in front of an audience. With makeup, whether you are a professional going for an interview, a Bride about to have the biggest day of her life, a model ready to walk the runway or a Mom wanting some nice family photos (finally! haha), there is always an audience.
One of my earliest memories of makeup are my dance recitals and the studio I went to had us all wear purple and grey eye shadow for every performance, every costume, every year. I started dancing at the age of 2 and continued until I was 21, and since some of my very first performances I remember thinking "Why are we ALL wearing grey and purple?!" That was not only a moment for my interest in makeup to stand out, but the realization that I was not interested in conformity. I wanted to stand out, not fade into the background.
In 2002 I attended Rhode Island College and received my Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts/Theatre Performance. One of the required courses was "Makeup for Stage". I was a freshman and bough the kit necessary for the class, showing up for the first day with excitement to be able to get creative, only to my dismay to learn that you could not take the course until your junior year. So I had to wait, and wait I did. And after the third class was wrapping up in my junior year, my professor, Makeup Director for the RIC Theatre Program, stood behind me, looked at my work and said "You know, you're very good at this" and that was the first time I even considered having makeup as my career. From that point out I told myself, if I wasn't going to end up in front of the camera, then I was going to be behind it.
Fast forward some years later, after completing college with an Independent Study with a concentration in Makeup for Stage throughout my senior year, and landing a job at a highly reputable cosmetics company, my bosses started noticing my artistry and work ethic. These attributes landed my access to some of the most incredible experiences of my life; taking this little Rhode Island girl across the country, working events in Las Vegas, Nevada and Washington D.C., multiple seasons working back stage at New York Fashion Week with designers such as Michael Kors, Badgley Mischka, Tory Burch, Baja East, Thom Browne and Jeremy Scott, to name a few, being listed as one of the top 100 makeup artists in the country in the Elle Magazine Genius Awards, requested by world news anchor Alina Cho while covering a local story to being backstage for the Aerosmith concert at the Comcast Center applying Steven Tyler's makeup.
Drop Dead Gorgeous RI came about from having my daughter. After 17+ years in cosmetics retail I realized that I wanted to take more control of my life. With the goal of being able to execute and educate makeup the way that I found most effective and most importantly while spending more time with my family. I have been in the wedding industry since 2010, but never put a name to it. It was actually my husband that came up with the name Drop Dead Gorgeous RI; edgy, professional, definitely a name people would remember and gave that "stand-out" vibe - just the way I had lived my life thus far. It was a perfect fit.
Body Painting, Halloween, Brides, Prom Girls, Prom Boys, Every-Day, Professional, Drag, Runway, Mother-of-Bride, Grandmother-of-Bride, Club kids, Expecting Mamas - I've glammed them all. I've loved it all. And now I'm here to help you create your makeup dream. After being professionally involved in makeup since 2005, and wearing it since 1986, I've come to understand color, bone structure and ultimately how to bring out someones beautiful features from the most natural of applications to the boldest of looks. So let's brainstorm, get the ideas flowing and !