VANESSA EVELYN, the petite, pious and witty celebrity makeup artist was born Vanessa Petra Alexandra Evelyn in London, England. Petra means “rock” and Alexandra means “the great”, so this creative venture was destined to take shape.

At the age of seven years, Ms. Evelyn would take her dolls and cut up their hair, envisioning, even at that young age, edgy styles hidden in the long tresses of her dolls. “I would chop up their clothes to reconstruct new designs and styles. I would rub lipstick into their cheeks and use brown eye pencil to give myself freckles. I would even take nail polish and redo the lips of my dolls,” she says, re-calling a childhood brimming with creative juices, so the Art of Makeup has always been a part of her world.

In the late 70's, Ms. Evelyn was sent to the United States to live with her maternal grandmother. Her introduction to the industry was by way of modeling during the late 80’s and early 90’s. She was represented by the New York agency, Elite Petite. Being in front of the camera was exciting for Ms. Evelyn, but she found many of the makeup artists she worked with didn’t know how to do her makeup in a way that was flattering. She was often forced to alter her own makeup because she was so unhappy with it. Several photographers, who noticed the positive changes, suggested that she was actually missing her calling. Working with photographers as a model made the transition to make-up artist an easy and natural one for her.

In 1994, at the suggestion of a photographer, Ms. Evelyn began working on her makeup portfolio. Within six months she had her first major layouts with Mirabella and Glamour magazines. The job that launched her career was a photo shoot doing the makeup for rock legend, Iggy Pop with internationally renowned fashion photographer David Simms. This landed her representation by one of the world’s top makeup agencies, “Streeters”. Camilla Arthur in the United Kingdom have also represented Ms. Evelyn.

Throughout the years Ms. Evelyn’s skillful hands have brought grace to famous faces both in the U.K. and the U.S., such as Leonardo Di Caprio, Sting, Prince, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Rosa Parkes, Seal, Nicole Richie, Brandy, Joe Perry, Ben Affleck, Marc Anthony, Alanis Morrisette, Robbie Williams, LL Cool J, Fantasia, Vanessa Williams, Lisa Bonet, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, John Galliano, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jenny McCarthy, Outcast, Usher, Carmen Electra, Tommy Lee, Lenox Lewis, Oscar Del La Hoya, Denise Richards, Stephen Dorff, Backstreet Boys, Alicia Silverstone, Morgan Freeman, Al Roker, U.S. Senator Carol Mosely- Braun, Vincent Gallo, Patsy Kensit, Skunk Anansie, Anna Friel, George Best, Billy, Charlatans, Jibby Beane, Rufus Sewel, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Diana Ross, and Dick Clark. Her models list includes Tyra Banks, Bridgette Hall, Milla Jovovich, Gabriella Reese, Tyson Beckford, Rashumba, Alek Wek, Tullisa Soto, Susan Holmes, Caroline Murphy (the face of Estee Lauder), Sophie Dahl, James King, Patricia Velasquez, Louise Yvent, Amy Smart, Amy Wesson, Beverly Peele, Tatjana Patitz, Angelica Boss, Jamie Rishar, Tomiko Frazier and Josie Maran (the faces of Maybelline) and her credits remain endless.

As a sought-after makeup artist, Ms. Evelyn's work with the elite celebrities and the world's top models have appeared in A-list magazines such as Italian Vogue, W, Harper's Bazaar, Harper’s Queen, Vanity Fair, London Sunday Times, Glamour, Interview, GQ, Dazed and Confused, Esquire, People, In Style, Spin, i-D, Detour, Details, Mirabella, Arena Homme Plus, and Face.

And her photographers list consist of, Mario Sorrenti, Steven Klien, David Simms, Jurgen Teller, George Holz, Gray Scott, Dah Len, Melvin Sokolsky, Mark Brothwick, Anton Corbjn, Phillip Dixon, Rankin, Terry Richardson, Troy Ward, Mary Ellen Mark, Davis Factor, and Moshe Brakha to name a few.

It has been an incredible run that has lasted a decade. Ms. Evelyn who is true to the purity of her art, decided in 2004 to venture out on her own and follow her life long passion to teach makeup to men and women with aspirations in the field of makeup artistry, as she develops opportunities to educate, nurture, and promote their God-given talents in order to enable them to have the greatest positive impact on the lives of others.