I'm like Liberace on ecstasy. I'm sparkly and aggressive. I am your eccentric leader.
I have essentially nothing to do with the makeup and clothing industry, aside from being a loyal consumer. I have no endorsements, no paid opinions, and no surprise gifts have shown up at my door. I have no formal background on any of what I write about. My meditations are merely my own unadulterated opinions on pretty things.
I grew up in a small town in eastern Iowa and I hated it. I had perfect grades and wonderful friends, but I loathed every moment I spent in that town. My education was piss-poor, my classmates were popular culture sheep (assholes), and there wasn't a Starbucks within reasonable driving distance. I peaced out of that forsaken land as soon as I received my college acceptance letter.
Coe College is a small private college also in eastern Iowa. It was about an hour and forty five minutes away from my hometown. In four years I graduated with degrees in philosophy, journalism, and gender studies. Essentially, I was bored and studied whatever interested me. I liked arguing and distributing my opinions, so I was a natural. During my time at Coe I spent two summers abroad, both in the United Kingdom. I had my fair share of good times, but much like my hometown, I was more than ready to move on when I was handed my diploma.
The University of Northern Iowa is as mid-sized public university in the same part of the state. I attended this school for two years and earned my Master's degree in student affairs. I am comfortable in the college atmosphere and, for the most part, enjoy working with students.
As you can tell, I'm not exactly a formally trained apparel designer or makeup artist.
When I hit middle school I was introduced the world of makeup as a tool for more than just dress-up. As a child I was always destroying my mother's makeup by smearing it over any surface it could stick to (so, basically everything). It was nothing more than play time when I dragged a tube of red lipstick across my face. When I starting to become more than a child I began to understood that makeup and clothing were means to redefine one's self. I became progressively more transfixed on how these objects could create exactly what I wanted.
When I hit college, the women who lived around me were always asking for me to help them find outfits, style their hair, or do their makeup. By this time, I had turned my fixation with style and makeup into a perfect hobby. I had collected such a breadth of knowledge that I had become an unofficial expert. I understood textiles and knew how to sew. I was bilingual in English and apparel. I could wield makeup tools with grace and understood application processes. Eventually, I just got really good.
Now I'm here. I have a whole bunch of degrees and an obsessive hobby.
