For a long time, I didn’t think about combining my wedding makeup artistry with my work in counseling and education.

Then I realized that “trauma-informed” makeup artistry was a HUGE need -
and it was a need I could absolutely help to fill!

I started in the wedding industry as a makeup artist in 2016, and I fell in love with helping people feel beautiful during their most important moments.

I realized almost immediately that while I certainly loved being able to give someone a beautiful makeup application, what I really loved - and what was much more important to me - was that they FELT comfortable and beautiful during their time with me.

Alongside my artistry, I had professional training and a full-time career in higher education, coaching, and student advising and counseling. My work was not only to listen to and support others without judgement or shame, but to help them develop the skills, strategies, and tools needed for things like confident decision-making, relationship-building, communication, and healthy self-awareness.

That professional background in education and counseling hugely informs my makeup artistry, and I have built my company on helping my clients feel seen, supported, and celebrated far beyond the makeup chair.

As a trauma-informed makeup artist, I recognize, understand, and address the potential impacts of trauma on how someone might experience me and my services. It also means that at every point of interaction, my work is rooted in providing accessible, inclusive, and welcoming services to all humans. From trauma-informed application techniques to a deep respect for the ways our identities and experiences shape how we feel about “beauty”, I always feel most connected to myself when I’m able to help others feel connected to themselves, too.

Being a trauma-informed wedding professional also means I’m committed to equity, intersectional justice, and ongoing reparations within and beyond my work. To learn more, please feel free to explore the First Looks LLC Equity & Reparations Commitment!

My dream with First Looks is about celebrating a different kind of beauty.

The joy I get from helping people feel connected to themselves and their loved ones is absolutely unmatched. It sounds incredibly cheesy - because it is! - but I believe that to love beauty is about connection, not cosmetics. It’s a love for bringing attention to the parts of ourselves that most want to be seen. THAT is the most beautiful work I could ever do, and that’s what I love most of all!