From Fashion School Dropout to Color Theory Obsessed: How My Education Shaped My Artistry

Sometimes the path you think you're supposed to take isn't actually the path you're meant to be on.

If you had told me back in 2010 that dropping out of fashion school would eventually lead me to becoming a makeup artist, esthetician, and someone completely fascinated by color theory, I probably would have laughed.

But looking back, every wrong turn somehow led me exactly where I needed to be.

Let’s Go Back to 2010

In 2010, I was a fashion school dropout.

I had attended The Art Institute of Pittsburgh for about nine months, thinking fashion was where I belonged. I loved the creative/stylish side of it, but something just wasn't clicking for me.

I knew I wanted to create.

I knew I wanted to work with people.

But I also knew I needed something more hands-on.

So I stopped wasting time (and money) and started looking at new options.

That's when I found the Casal Aveda Institute and their Esthetics Program.

The program was centered around skin, makeup, beauty; the face — and I remember thinking, I love all of this.

So I went for it.

For the first time, I felt like I was learning something that really connected with me. I loved learning about the skin, the face, products, ingredients, and the artistry involved in making someone feel confident.

But there was one subject that really grabbed my attention.

Color theory.

The Beginning of My Color Obsession

During esthetics school, I was introduced to Permanent Cosmetics.

And the minute I learned about it, I knew that after graduation, that was what I wanted to do.

But more than anything, I was fascinated by the why behind color.

Why does one color neutralize another?

Why does a certain pigment look completely different once it's on someone's skin?

I was intrigued.

Color theory wasn't just about picking a pretty shade. There was actually a science behind it.

There were rules.

There were ways to correct, balance, neutralize, enhance, and transform.

And for whatever reason, that really stuck with me.

I wanted to understand it.

Not just memorize it.

Understand it.

I Wanted to Learn More

I graduated from the esthetics program in the proper timeframe and continued on to get my Certification of Completion & Managing Esthetics License in the State of Ohio!

My next stop was Florida.

I traveled to a Permanent Cosmetics Institute called Nouveau Contour and spent two weeks completely immersed in the world of permanent cosmetics.

And when I say I learned a LOT, I mean it.

I learned more about color theory than I even realized existed.

What I had originally found fascinating in esthetics school suddenly became a much deeper subject.

I began understanding that working with color isn't simply about knowing what colors look good together.

It's about understanding what happens when color interacts with skin tone, existing pigments, shadows, lighting, & the individual person sitting in front of you.

That totally changed the way I looked at applying clients makeup.

Color Became More Than Just Color

This education ended up influencing so much more of my career than I ever expected.

It made me look at makeup differently.

Instead of simply seeing a red lipstick, I started seeing what color it would make someones teeth once it was on.

Instead of looking at a complexion and thinking about what foundation shade matched, I started thinking about what was happening underneath the surface.

Instead of asking, "What color should I use?"

I started asking,

"What does this color need to do?"

And that question has followed me throughout my entire career.

It's one of the reasons I became so passionate about custom blending color.

It's one of the reasons I still love mixing.

And it's one of the reasons I don't believe makeup is one-size-fits-all.

My brides would sit in my chair, and I would create their lip color for them — often literally smashing and mixing colors together in a little cup until we landed on the perfect shade.

They would look at me and say some version of:

"Can I buy this?"

And eventually I realized...

I needed to figure out how to sell it.

And Then Came SMACK

The more I customized makeup for my clients, the more I realized there was something really special about creating color specifically for the person wearing it.

I didn't want to just sell another lipstick.

I wanted to create the colors.

That eventually led me to launching my own cosmetic line.

And somewhere in the middle of building that business, doing makeup, tattooing clients, continuing my education, and figuring out what this career was going to look like, I also started a family.

Life was changing quickly.

Then I got pregnant with my twins.

Suddenly, the physical side of cosmetic tattooing became much harder.

Hunching over clients for extended periods of time while tattooing was no longer something my body wanted to cooperate with.

So in 2018, I made the decision to retire from cosmetic tattooing.

At the time, it felt like I was closing a chapter.

But now, looking back, I realize I was really just turning the page.

The Career I Didn't Know I Was Building

Retiring from cosmetic tattooing allowed me to put my energy into what I am today — a full-time makeup artist, entrepreneur, and small business owner.

I wouldn't change a thing.

Not the fashion school dropout phase.

Not the esthetics program & hours of continuing education.

Not the two weeks in Florida.

Not begging strangers to let me tattoo them.

Not even the decision to retire from it.

Every single chapter taught me something that I still carry with me today.

Most importantly, it taught me that education doesn't always end when you graduate.

Sometimes the things you learn in one chapter become the foundation for something you haven't even dreamed up yet.

For me, color theory started as a subject I found fascinating in esthetics school.

It became an essential part of my work as a cosmetic tattoo artist.

It helped shape the way I approached makeup.

It eventually played a huge role in creating custom cosmetics.

.... Now all these years later, I still find myself mixing pigments, correcting colors, questioning colors, and getting way too excited about why two colors work together.

I guess some things never change.

And I'm really glad they didn't.