Just Who Is This Webmistress?

2002
I said I wanted to get back into doing make-up. Well, I think I went a little beyond that! I have my own Face Painting business now. I do children’s parties & events. I discovered I have more artistic ability than I thought! I also discovered that paint is a lot more fun to play with than makeup! How often do you get to use purples, blues or greens on the face? And the mixing possibilities are endless!!!

Working with kids is really fun and rewarding. I have the sweet privilege of getting paid to make kids happy…and to give the birthday child magical memories. It is also very satisfying to have finally found something I truly excel at. I’m not just another Face Painter. Here in Orange County, I’m the best. Wherever I go, people are always in awe of my painting and they say the nicest things to me! I have a unique gift. Who knew?

I recently started taking Ballet & Pilates classes during the week. Someday my church is going to have a dance team and I plan to be ready! I have a great life. My only frustration is trying to carve out the time to paint and develop myself as an artist. 20 years from now, I don’t want to be Face Painting anymore. I want to be a “real” Artist!

Come visit my website and say hello! www.TheFacePainter.com

1998
I'm Lauren Pettit. I'm 32 years old and I absolutely love make-up! It started when I was a teenager. I got involved in modeling, went to a couple of modeling schools, went on a lot of interviews and worked just a little. Back then, most models were WASP and if you had an "ethnic" look like me, you did not work much. It also did not help that I was short and looked much older than my age. I'm glad things have changed. However, it was a little too late for me! But it was a worthwhile experience. I learned about perseverance in the face of rejection, and I learned how to do make-up.

I practiced on myself and on other models. In my last year of high school, I went to beauty school and earned my Esthetician's license through the CROP program. An Esthetician is licensed by the state to work as a make-up artist and also to perform facials and waxing. School gave me the opportunity to get experience doing make-up on women of various ages. I enjoy making normal (meaning not models) women feel beautiful and boosting their self-confidence. Doing make-up on the very young and very beautiful is not as challenging or rewarding. Well, I then went to college and loved it. I earned a B.A. in Social Ecology with a specialization in Human Behavior and a minor in Women's Studies from The University Of California, Irvine. I went on to do other things. Lots of other things.

It has taken me this many years to re-discover that I have an artistic and creative bent and am happiest working with my hands. While I'd like to eventually get back into the field of make-up professionally, I currently work with my husband on our family business. We have an online restaurant directory for the Orange County area in California where we live, and we build web sites for restaurants. You can check it out at www.LetsEatOC.com. For now, I have to vent my creative drive in other ways. Lucky for you, I have been playing with make-up and reading every beauty and make-up book I could find, as well as consumer books on cosmetics. I don't claim to be an expert, but I do have a lot of knowledge to share. As I continue to learn I will share new information with you.

My other creative and expressive hobbies have included cake decorating and Dance. I studied Middle-Eastern Dance for 10 years, Russian Imperial Ballet for a year, Martial Arts (Shaolin Kempo) for a year, and I have been and still am doing decorative wall-painting. Here are some pictures of my make-up work, my hobbies, and some pictures of my little family.

	I did the make-up for this photo shoot when I was 17.
	This is more recent. This is Wendy. My husband's hobby is photography and sometimes he does glamour shots for friends. We work together. I'm in charge of make-up, hair, clothing/draping them, and helping them pose. My husband took all the photos of me on this web site.
	Very recent. My kitty Trouble and I. For stories about my quirky little cat and some very cool cat pictures, check out The Trouble Update.
	My Husband Daniel and I. Yes, he took this one too. He had the remote shutter release under his toe.
	I won first place in my class and division with one of my doll cakes in the 1992 Orange County Fair. The parasol and all the tiny roses I also hand made with icing.
	This is my first (and probably my last) wall mural. I painted this in my house. I think I'll go back to doing more simple floral motifs and cartoon animals. It took me over a week to complete.