Kimberly Mareno

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I guess it all started when I was around 3 years old. There is a picture of me from back then covered in my mother’s makeup.  It was everywhere! I can only imagine what her makeup looked like once I was finished playing with it. When I turned 13, she took me to a local department store cosmetic counter so I could learn how to take care of my skin and apply my makeup. I wore more makeup than I feel like most 13 year olds should, but I was taught how to apply it in a way that looked natural. Now, this was the 80s and natural is a relative term, so we will say makeup looked age appropriate for that time. When I was 20, I started working for Lancome.  While working there, I began working for a hair company and got the chance to travel the country doing makeup for hair shows.  From that point I never looked back. During my career, I have worked with some really great cosmetic lines and worked side by side with some amazing makeup artists. 

 

Over the years I have learned that being a makeup artist is so much more than just painting a face. It is about connecting with someone on a personal level. It is about building a relationship with them. And for me, applying makeup isn’t about changing a client’s features. It is making them feel amazing in their own skin.  It is about empowering a woman to never feel like she needs to wear makeup. Makeup should be an accessory, like a beautiful pair of diamond earrings.

 

Beautiful Irony has been a dream of mine for a long time. I love things that contradict themselves. There is something beautiful in that. When we think of beauty, we often describe it as something feminine and soft. For me, feeling confident is beautiful. And in that kind of beauty is strength. I find power in that contradiction.​

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“I always find beauty in things that are odd & imperfect - they are much more interesting.” Marc Jacobs