Hello and thank you for stopping by!
I love all things beauty and I’ve come to be an expert in wedding beauty as I love working with brides! I specialize in South Asian weddings as I love honoring the traditions of Indian bridal makeup and hair. As your wedding artist, I will help you to create your unique, special look. I prioritize the bride and put all my attention toward her needs.
I will help you plan your wedding day morning schedule. I have done hundreds of weddings and events so I know how to schedule the day according to your timeline. This will be one of the most important days in a woman's life so my heart and soul is fully invested in every job that I do.
So, who am I? I am a PA licensed esthetician and have been working in the industry as a professional makeup artist between Pittsburgh and New York City for over 25 years. My makeup work and my advice on hair and makeup have been published both locally and nationally in magazines, print and also online.
I love all things retro! Vintage hair and vintage makeup are my specialty. I had a vintage clothing store online for years and used to manage a legendary vintage clothing store in the East Village, New York in the 90s. It was a great place to pick up makeup clients that's for sure!
Originally, I was a self taught makeup artist as the artistry came instinctively. Everything I learned about makeup application and the cosmetic industry came from hard work. There was no YouTube or Instagram. I assisted pros in the New York makeup scene anytime I could, and usually for no or very little pay. I was just happy to learn and get working experience. I would study books on theater and film makeup at the New York Public Library. I trained with MAC among other prestigious makeup companies, I took any class or workshop I could find and took every job I was offered. It was a very exciting time in my life!
I continued to do freelance makeup for years, In 2006. I was trained and certified in New York by Xtreme Lashes (eyelash extensions). Also, around the same time I was trained and certified for bridal and airbrush makeup by celebrity makeup artist and creator of Kett cosmetics, Sheila McKenna at Kett Studios in New York.
In 2008 I opened the very first makeup and lashes studio in Pittsburgh. My studio specialized in makeup artistry and eyelash extensions, and focused on bridal beauty. People thought it was a risky (and crazy!) idea to open a salon for just makeup application and eyelash extensions. Makeup studios just didn't exist and certainly not eyelash studios. Though I was always busy, the idea of my makeup studio took a while to catch on, but boy did it ever!! Now makeup studios and lash studios are in every neighborhood! That's a very cool thing. When I started, I was literally the only beauty advertiser on The Knot! It's hard to believe as there are now pages of artists to choose from. It’s really wonderful, and it's rewarding to see our area grow and thrive. I am blessed to have been a part of so many beginner artists' careers and in helping to "set the scene" in our area's thriving wedding beauty market.
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I believe that life is a learning process. I love learning new things and I love passing along my skills whether its to fellow artists, new artists or to clients who want a makeup lesson. That comes from my teaching background. I love training new talent and I always love collaborating with established artists.
So where did this all come from? I was an artist growing up. Painting, drawing, sculpture, fashion design, graphic art, I did it all and was first gallery featured at age 14. When I was awarded an art scholarship at age 16, I truly thought I would have a career as either a fashion designer (incorporating my love for vintage) or as an art teacher. My early beginnings as a makeup artist actually started when I was a dance teacher at my mother's dance school. Doing makeup for recitals and performances created a love of doing makeup as art. I would obsess over the pages of Vogue, soaking in the makeup and fashion. In 1993 I moved to New York City. Having a background in art definitely helped to give me an advantage in this industry. I've never looked back, I've been doing makeup ever since!
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I love to return to New York as much as I can for work or to take a class. This helps me to bring my clients the latest in beauty!
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Products used at the studio are cruelty free.
A portion of the proceeds from the studio go toward funding animal organizations, as I am very passionate (maybe too much sometimes!) about the welfare and rights of animals.
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Please enjoy the main galleries on this website, and also the ARS Archives section, which features more photos from current weddings and also beautiful brides dating back to 2009! (The eyebrows give away the old ones! haha!)
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Past credits are listed on Reviews, Features and Published page. There's also a scrapbook on that page with clippings of pages where some of my brides have been featured.
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Please contact me about booking or if you have any questions.
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Please note: It’s very difficult for me to talk on the phone or return phone calls during the daytime.so please email or use the contact form. I can shoot back an email a lot easier than I can call someone!
Thank you!
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