AR: | Describe your earliest beauty memory. |
JP: | I asked for Little Miss Makeup (basically a doll head) for Christmas when I was maybe 5 years old and was so mad when I learned that you dipped the eyeshadow wand in water and the makeup magically appeared on the doll - I had no creative control over the look so then just used the doll head to teach myself how to braid and do other hairstyles. Sometimes I would borrow my mom’s eyeshadows and put them on the doll myself. I remember doing my aunt’s hair and makeup for her wedding in maybe 1992- I was 11. I also used to do my mom’s makeup before work most days because she said I was better at putting it on than she was. So I truly believe I was destined for this career. Even as an athlete I wore a full face of makeup to every practice and game - you gotta look good to play good! |
AR: | Who had the biggest beauty influence on you growing up? |
JP: |
I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s so I was drawn to natural beauty icons like Cindy Crawford and intrigued with the makeup on celebrities like Pamela Anderson. I followed makeup artists like Billy B and Kevin Aucoin and learned so much from them. I also worked in retail makeup and had so many amazing coworkers and trainers that really inspired me - Gregory Arlt, Gina Betelli, Raquel Moreno, Brian Bond, Jose Rivera, Gilbert Soliz and so many more. I started my career before YouTube and social media, so I first learned from the back of drugstore eyeshadow packages (it had a diagram on the back on where to place each color) then continued to learn from looking at magazines and attending in person masterclasses. |