Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikaella Glaros.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mikaella. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a professional and published makeup artist and painter. I specialize in editorial Styles. I’m known for my grunge and edge in and out of the beauty industry. I have been a part of the most memorable days of peoples lives and that is what makes this all worth it.
I always had a love and passion for art and fashion from a young age. I grew up in Houston, Texas. I always feel a little different than my family and peers I’d spend my summers at my Yiayia’s (That’s Grandma in Greek). Instead of going out with friends, I’d flip through the pages of the Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and even Victoria Secret Catalogues she had stacked on the coffee table. Looking at the models, their features and styles; I developed a love for fashion, the human figure, and color. I would pull my sketchbook and pencils out and spend hours sketching and designing, not clothing, but characters. I intensely studied features of all the different faces and would try to recreate them using different mediums, like oil paints and charcoals. After I would come to a stopping point, I would then sit at Yiayia’s vanity for the hours up until dinner, and rummage through drawers of makeup. I would apply anything I found intriguing, which unsurprisingly was nearly everything… in particular, this loose bronzer I remember being in love with. Makeup became another medium for me.
People always ask me where did it all begin? What is the origin of your passion… my answer is always “art.”
I went to college after high school and claimed the false dream of wanting to be an optometrist. It wasn’t going to happen. All I dreamed about was being in New York, backstage at fashion week, doing makeup for famous fashion designer’s collection’s & their models. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a makeup artist…
I’m pretty driven… so I did. This will be my 12th year as a professional makeup artist. Sure, I haven’t been to fashion week yet, but don’t worry, I will. I still love makeup like it’s my first year in the industry. I remember when I constantly wanted to absorb other artists’ talents around me and constantly keep growing through my art, business, and career, and I still do. I treat makeup as fine art. It is delicate, it is bold, and it has power. I started my journey as a professional makeup artist at a counter in a department store, as most young artists did. I would never get to be where I wanted if I didn’t start from a humble beginning. I started at a well-known skincare line which was known for hiring a little experienced artist, but also known for a great education program for skin care. I developed the knowledge and love for skin care, which I use every day through my art. Without that knowledge, I wouldn’t have been able to elevate my career as I have. Soon enough, I was hired by my favorite artistry line; and in no time, I started climbing the latter in business and sharpening my skills in artistry. Here, I started meeting some great people who eventually hired me for some of the most memorable days of their lives, weddings, photo shoots, fashion shows, and special events. I started doing makeup and never stopped.
My style of makeup artistry is something I’d like to think of as edgy and fashion inspired. I am known for making, what I call “good skin.” I love a good runway look with dewy high points and flawless complexion. I see the face as a canvas, I like to customize colors for my models and clients to compliment their contours, and different textures and most importantly, make a statement; which does not have to mean heavy makeup. Less is more. It always will be. I want the looks I create to tell a story, to create mood and emotion. This is not just some girly thing we picked up along the way guys, WE’RE CREATING ART OVER HERE! I am passionate about my art, that is makeup. I have accomplished a lot in my career and am most proud of the growth I constantly endure, not just as an artist but as a businesswoman.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have definitely been through trials and tribulations throughout my career, whether it had been personal or business oriented. But those struggles have defined my character today and helped me grow not just as an artist, but also as an entrepreneur and one hell of a businesswoman. I just kept pushing and always kept focused no matter what obstacle held me down. I endured stumps along the way as anyone has, and they were not all negative. Right in the midst of my career, I found out that I was going to have a baby. This was something I felt elated about! I was super happy! However, I experience severe postpartum depression after her delivery in a way I never thought would be possible. I noticed I had no desire to even open my makeup bag or respond to email inquiries about gigs and future bookings. I truly felt unmotivated and uninterested. Thinking about makeup made me sad, it was almost as if I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. One day, I got a call from a celebrity client that reached out to me on one of my low days and asked if I was still “painting”, she was referring to faces. I told her “for you, I will come out of retirement.” Doing her makeup again awakened my passion again and from then on, I never let a personal relationship, financial situation, basic stress, or depression steer me away from what I love to do.
Even though I love what I do, there are times the stress becomes pretty intense. Just because business is good doesn’t always mean your personal life is. I have learned to use painting as an outlet, on days I felt anxious or stressed. I use it as a form of venting to rest my mind. I seem to pour all of myself into the paint. I create worlds and creatures that don’t exist, so it helps me escape for that time and really just focus on art. I paint my emotions on the canvas and try to leave them in there. It’s somewhat liberating. When I look at my paintings, I feel a satisfaction that I haven’t found in anything else. Everybody needs an outlet from reality.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I provide makeup artistry services for weddings, photo shoots, and special events based out of the DFW.
I also sell my paintings, prints, and create custom works.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
All runway and high fashion inspire me. There’s just something about it, it truly moves me. I actually just ordered a year subscription of VOGUE magazines so I can flip through actual pages of something again.
Contact Info:
- Email: mglaros@gmail.com
- Instagram: @mikaellaglaros_mua
- Facebook: Facebook.com/mglarosmua
Image Credit:
Jules Ponce photography, Paige Neal Photography
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