Meeting Amanda and Shannon, the lovely ladies behind Mina Rose, was one of those moments when I realized that our paths have crossed for a reason. There's just something that speaks volumes about makeup artists whose motto is "beauty from the inside out;" so much of what is considered beautiful is focused on the surface, but these gals just want to help your inner light shine through on your wedding day. Now, THAT'S speaking my language.

Keep reading to hear about these two wonderful, passionate women:
When did you enter the wedding industry? What made you want to do so?
- We’ve been doing makeup for friends and family since high school, but made a decision to make it formal and open our own business about a year ago. So, we both went to South Hills Beauty Academy and got our esthetician’s license (estheticians specialize in skincare techniques), and also trained in NYC at the Temptu Studios to learn airbrush makeup.

What was your most glittering moment in your business?
- The first thing (though there are many) that comes to mind is coming up with the name! We struggled for a while because we really wanted it to mean something—because our mission and what we’re about is so much more than just makeup. It’s about empowering women and our motto, ‘beauty from the inside out.’ So when we finally realized that we should name it after women we looked up to and admired, it all came together. “Mina” is for Amanda’s great-
grandmother Jelsamina, and “Rose” is for Shannon’s grandmother. They were both amazing, simply put. The most incredible thing was that we later discovered that “Mina” actually means “lovely” and so we fondly refer to our clients as “Lovely Roses.”

What's your grit?
- Our grit is that we embody that deeper mission and purpose beyond applying makeup—inspiring confidence in women of all ages. For that reason, we consider ourselves beauty advisors as opposed to ‘makeup artists’ or ‘estheticians’. And, we’ve been best friends since 6th grade, so when you work with us, that really shows in everything that we do. We have fun with you! We hope you think of us as friends when we leave. But most importantly, we think it’s our ability to put you at ease and pamper you. Did we mention have fun?
What is your favorite part of what you do?
- We just love it. ALL. We love color; we love being creative. We both really love studying a woman’s (or girl’s!) features and figuring out what will enhance her natural beauty (as opposed to trying to conceal something, because everyone sees their flaws like they’re under a microscope when they are really more beautiful than they know.) Mostly, we love the look on their faces when they see themselves after the final touches because they are just so happy and confident and ready to have a blast for their special occasion.

Please share a most memorable moment in your adventures in the industry.
- Well, this is more of a funny story! We had a bridal party of nine in a hotel room with three hairstylists doing hair as well (so needless to say, it was crowded!) We always want to be near the natural light when possible, so we wedged ourselves butt to butt against the one lone window in the room. We must have stepped on each other’s feet a million times, and were just cracking up and having a ball as usual. Plus, the bride was just so fun and silly with music going, mimosas, tales of friendship and her future hubby…you name it! That’s what’s really great too is getting to know the gals and actually being part of that celebration before the big walk down the aisle, or whatever the special occasion is for.

Please describe your ideal client.
- We really don’t have an ideal client because we want to work with all of you lovely roses! And we don’t just specialize in bridal makeup, but rather in making all women of all ages happy and confident for any special occasion. We do prom makeup, ‘coming of age’ makeup parties/lessons, and more. We also do tattoo coverage and waxing. Our style is more natural, because again, the goal is to enhance our client’s beauty. However, if you want something a little more intense/exotic for say, a bachelorette party, we can accommodate that too.
Gritty Details
Established: April 2013
Price range: 2014 Bridal pricing: $100, hour session and lipstick.   Maids and Moms: $60, half hour session and lipstick.
  Lashes are $10.
  More pricing for makeup parties, lessons, tattoo coverage, etc. is available on the website
Location / travel boundaries: Our rates include travel from zip code 15017 within a 50 mile radius. A small travel fee   will be applied if travel goes beyond that.
Website: minarosebeauty.com
Facebook: facebook.com/minarosebeauty
Phone: 724.747.1784 and/or 412.952.9483
 


Comments


Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply