Let’s begin with how I was raised. My grandmother was my sole caretaker from a young age and she raised me in a 2-bedroom apartment. Although she was in a wheelchair most of her life, she took care of me just as much as I took care of her — if not more. She always told me to give everything my 110% and to do good by people. My perfectionist nature definitely came from her. Her methods of instilling perfectionism in me may have been a little outlandish, but they sure worked — for which I am forever grateful.

Fast forward to 2010 when I was studying to become a Dental Hygienist while also working as a fulltime sous chef. I soon realised that I absolutely hated that program and dropped out. Around the same time, my paternal aunt was a director for beauty pageants in Washington State. When she found out I dropped out of dental school, she offered me a position as a Makeup Artist. My first knee-jerk reaction was, “heck no, I could never do that, I don’t even have the supplies, craft or knowledge... who would even trust me?!” But her confidence in me encouraged me to pursue becoming a Makeup Artist. I realised that if I kept my drive up and worked hard (and boy did I ever work hard), that it would become a passion. 

Learning makeup skills definitely wasn’t as easy as it is today in 2022. Back in 2010 YouTube was barely a thing. You couldn’t find tutorials of any kind and “beauty gurus” or “influencers” didn’t exist yet. However, there was an up and coming channel by Kandee Johnson. She shared a lot about beauty on her channel and I was HOOKED. I absolutely became addicted to all of the beauty trends and tips she shared. 

Two years later, I quit my full time salary job working as a sous chef and became a FULL TIME MAKEUP ARTIST. What?!? Yeah.. cold turkey. No plans or set agendas, but I had the power of manifestation and the internet. I did endless photoshoots with photographers I had met through model mayhem. I remember how excited and giddy I would get knowing that someone wanted to shoot MY WORK!