Q: What led you to clean beauty? Was there a specific moment or realization that shifted your entire approach to makeup?

Yes, there actually was a specific time when I made the shift to clean beauty. I was working at a pop-up shop that sold partly clean beauty products and partly non-clean products. At the time, my acne was moderate and very annoying to me, and I realized that the non-clean products—especially the skincare—would break me out, while the clean products, especially the organic ones, did not. After that, I started prioritizing clean beauty products and building my makeup kit with them.

The brand Dr. Alkaitis has a special place in my heart. I discovered it years after the above epiphany, but I noticed whenever I use their products, it really soothes and calms my skin. If you look at the ingredients in Dr. Alkaitis products, you'll see that they're all organic and you'll recognize all the ingredients, which is super special for a beauty product.

As a makeup artist, it is so important to me that I help my clients' skin feel amazing as well as just look amazing. When clients tell me that after I've done their makeup, it doesn't feel like they're wearing anything, I take that as a great compliment and as a result of using clean products.

Q: For someone just starting to transition their makeup routine, which products should they replace first and why?

I would start with moisturizer and then face wash. Moisturizer is something you put all over your face and you leave it on, so I think it's an important one. I think face wash makes a really big difference in our skin. It's probably the one product for me that I think is really key to get right so that I don't break out, as the right one will properly exfoliate the skin without being harsh.

Right now, I use the Evolve Organic Beauty Daily Detox Facial Wash and the Odacitè Black Mint Cleanser daily. When I want extra exfoliation, I use a product I found in Saint Barts (so a French brand) called White Clay Scrub in English by the brand Cattier Paris. In France and Italy, organic is called bio, and I'm always trying to discover new bio products while I'm on vacation. I really love the Italian brand Biofficina Toscana. I use their leave-in hair conditioner daily. When tariff prices come down again, I find the European prices are really reasonable for really great quality. You can buy bio Italian beauty products on this website.

Q: Most people don't think about makeup expiration dates. How often should we actually be replacing products, and what are the signs something's gone bad?

Many products will have an expiration date on them. Some will have an actual date, and others will have a little picture of a cosmetic jar with a number inside. That number represents the amount of months the product is good for once it's been opened and exposed to air.

Generally speaking, powder products are good for about two years, and for other products, it depends.

Smell is an important indicator when deciding whether something has gone bad or not. If it smells off at all from when you first got it, it should be tossed.

Organic skincare certainly goes rancid way faster than regular skincare, so it's important to keep that in mind and use products within a reasonable timeframe. Organic products are ones to use right away and not to save for special occasions only.

There are some studies that show antioxidant quantities remain higher for longer when products are kept at a low temperature. So sometimes keeping things like serums and moisturizers in the refrigerator or a wine cooler can be a good idea; it's also refreshing that way when you do put the products on. It's also why I wouldn't recommend storing makeup and skincare in the bathroom that you bathe in, as it tends to get very humid in there.

Q: How does makeup shift someone's energy or confidence? And how do you use color and application to bring out different aspects of personality or even archetypes?

I definitely think makeup has the power to shift people into feeling more confident. I know it does for myself.

I'm someone that really loves color. I also paint and draw flowers often. Color is so inspiring to me! When I work with clients, I'm always thinking about their coloring and what colors will be most flattering for them. Makeup is an art where you already have a canvas with color to start with, and I think that's a part of the fun. There is beauty in every skin tone and eye color. There's a lot more I could say about which colors I think look best for which skin tones and eye colors, but I don't want to be long-winded. I do think it's interesting for people to understand which undertone they have, whether that's warm or cool. And for eye color, it can be fun to pick an eyeshadow color across the color wheel from their eye color to make their eyes pop.

When I work with clients directly as opposed to working on brand shoots or editorial shoots, I ask a lot of questions and I try to get a deep understanding of how the person wants to be seen. I think my jobs often go the best when the clients bring in inspiration photos or make a mood board, and I can get a good idea of what they like because as much as I have a lot of opinions when it comes to makeup, I always want to do makeup in a way that the client feels uniquely like themselves.

Q:  What are the staple products in your kit that you genuinely can't work without? Which clean beauty brands have consistently performed well for you?

I love the Ilia complexion sticks right now for foundation. They are an amazing texture, and they are medium to full coverage and not overly shiny, so they photograph really well.
For eyeshadows, I love the brand Johnny Concert. They have an option on their website where you can make your own eyeshadow palette and choose the colors, and I've made a couple of those for my kit.

I love the brand Fit Glow Beauty. They are an organic brand and the quality of their colors and textures is so amazing. They recently released a lip color palette that is gorgeous. I also love their tinted lip serum products and always have one in my purse.

Inkia is another beautiful organic brand. I just got their eyebrow powder palette and I love it.

Caliray's mascara is very long-wearing and layerable while still being clean.
For powder, I really love Kosa's products.

Ogee has really beautiful lip glosses and lip color pencils.

Dr. Alkaitis is soothing skincare for all skin types. Their Day Cream moisturizer is incredible. I use it regularly on my makeup clients; it preps skin for makeup beautifully. If skin is broken out at all, their Soothing Gel is really calming.

There are many more to name, but those are some of my favorites.

Q:  What are the worst offenders in conventional cosmetics that you'd never let touch your skin or a client's face?

Petroleum-derived ingredients (gasoline is derived from petroleum) stand out. I personally find fossil-fuel-derived ingredients tend to feel overly heavy on my skin and contribute to breakouts. Commonly used cosmetic ingredients that are petroleum-derived include mineral oil and paraffin waxes as well as many others.

I make a habit of reading ingredients and not buying products where the ingredients sound overly chemical or derived from alcohols right away. Not all chemicals or alcohols are "unclean," but if you don't see any recognizable ingredients, I think it's important to look up the specific ingredients and understand what they are exactly.

Since ingredients are listed in order of concentration, I pay careful attention to the first few ingredients. I went to school for Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing at FIT, and I took a few cosmetic chemistry courses, so I'm pretty familiar with ingredients, but for those who aren't, the EWG is a great resource for looking up the ratings of cleanliness and hazard concern on specific ingredients and products.

Q:  Do you bring any ritual or intention to your work when you're creating a look for someone? How does that shift the experience for both you and your client?

My intention is always to do the best job I possibly can. That may sound simple and cliché, but to me it means not cutting corners. For example, I always make sure I wash my brushes carefully and clean my products after a job. Washing your brushes sounds simple, but I actually think there's a lot of technique to it and I just always try to do the best job that I can. There are many times when it would be easier and faster to try less, but I want to always do the best that I can.

I'm a big believer in seeing the beauty in people and not just covering imperfections. This again sounds kind of cliché, but I think there's a real difference between trying to erase and repaint someone's features versus emphasizing and enhancing their natural beauty. I personally can honestly say that I see the beauty in every client I've ever had and there has been no client that I haven't thought was beautiful in some meaningful way. Just like flowers are beautiful, I think human faces are beautiful too.

Q: Are you accepting new clients for weddings, shoots, or events? How can readers book you and where can they connect to see more of your work?

Yes, I'm definitely taking new clients now in New York City and also in the Hudson Valley. I can be reached on Instagram or through my website where they can see my portfolio.

Images courtesy of Miles & Miles, Michelle Paradis, Laerke Rose and David Justice.