We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mariel Marino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mariel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In my career I’ve taken several risks — no risk, no reward, am I right? In my 14 years of experience in the beauty industry, I’ve worked in the retail space with job security. Although I was always a free thinker and rebellious I could never seem to leave the certainty, or a 40-hour work week. In 2016 after 7 years of working full time at cosmetic and department stores, I took thee leap in leaving my comfortable job in Bloomingdale’s to freelance full time on my own. I had no plans, I simply thought ‘the people will come to me, I will be alright’ Boy was I wrong! You know, a 26-year-old me was very prideful and thought I was the best of the best in my industry. I was quickly humbled when no one came looking for me, and soon I rewired my POV and got to work on my portfolio. After years of networking and working on notable projects the pandemic in 2020 happens and that caused a huge change in my world. I quickly shifted my mentality one more time and thought of a way to remain relevant with my clients’ minds and in the beauty community. So, I took my small savings I had and started my company, Mariel Marino Cosmetics. In my brand I started with cosmetic bags and now has expanded to lash products: a Lash curler and 6 different types of lashes. Of all the risks I’ve taken throughout the years, I’ve noticed that when my back was against the wall, I went out and made the changes to elevate my life and career to new heights.

Mariel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hey! I’m Mariel Marino, I’m a Makeup Artist based in New Jersey and work in New York City. I began my career in the beauty industry as a seasonal cashier @ Sephora, in Newport Mall, in Jersey City. NJ. After the holidays passed, they hired me permanently, and I expressed my interest in becoming a makeup artist and so the artists taught me about formulations and techniques, which I still use on set today. Since there were so many avenues in makeup, I started doing special effects makeup, then played in fashion shows, then evolved into bridal and production. I dabbled in everything because I wanted to see what was best for me and my journey. Currently, I’ve found my peace in working on television shows, film, commercials, and doing personal appointments. Although my workdays are early start and late nights, I still enjoy what I do and get to meet a lot of celebrities along with way. My favorite part of my craft is that I get to be a part of a moment in media history and essentially a moment in my client’s life. I take pride in working in production mainly because we work collectively to create what is imagined. It brings me great joy to sit with my talents/clients to get to know them, share experiences and boost their confidence (hopefully beyond sitting in my chair). Which inspired me to create Mariel Marino Cosmetics. MMC is the extension of me when the client is not in my chair, it’s a little reminder that I’m always there with them; I’m the beauty expert that makes them feel like they can achieve anything— especially
makeup! I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and truly couldn’t have done it without the shift in my mentality, the artists in my community, and connecting with peers in the production space.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Well, as a freelance artist, in the beauty industry, it’s all about pivoting and uncertainty. For a long time, my mentality was “I’m the best makeup artist in New York City” meanwhile there was thousands of makeup artists out there ready to work. I was quickly humbled when I wasn’t working as much as other makeup artists, so I had to change my mentality. I assisted a lot of well-known makeup artists, was signed to a bridal agency for a few years until I pivoted into the world of production. Each time I was finding my way, finding consistency, and learning what made me different from the thousands of makeup artists in the ‘city.’ Along the way, I learned how to style hair for all hair types [still exploring that talent] so I’m easily accessible to my clients. Putting my pride aside and learning that I must be teachable no matter how many years of experience I have is important as this industry is constantly evolving with new products, and techniques. I also found myself pivoting into the retail sector of the beauty industry when
covid-19 kept me out of work for months. I wanted to keep my connections with my peers and clients, so I created Mariel Marino Cosmetics, a cosmetic accessory line. It was important for my community to continue to keep me in mind when using my products and expanding my name into beauty conversations. Within MMC I find myself constantly moving at my own pace and listening to what my audience needs to fulfill their beauty needs. I am grateful for the support my customers show for my brand and hope to expand to greater heights!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My entire life has been an uphill battle with family. It all starts with my mother [who was diagnosed with a mental disability before I was born] which caused me to be raised by my grandmother most of my life. Because of this I had to grow up at an early age, and in my early 20’s I found myself taking care of both my mother and my grandmother —that had developed dementia at 90 years old. I never focused on myself so much because everything I did was always for them. In 2016, when I decided to take the leap into full time freelance, I found myself struggling to make ends meet. At the time I was living on my own and was still looking after them from afar. All a while, trying to figure things out with my career. In the end, I lost my grandmother (97) at the age of 26 and needed to reparent myself to learn a new way of living. Imagine being in your late 20’s not knowing how to treat yourself to a day off, buy yourself something nice because you’re busy taking care of others. Today, I’m 34 years old and history can still repeat itself, but learning to set boundaries, having those difficult conversations with loved ones has helped me feel at peace.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.marielmarinomakeup.com
• Instagram: @marielmarinomakeup
• Other: Instagram: @marielmarinocosmetics Tik Tok: @marielmarinomakeup / @marielmarinocosmetics

Image Credits
Portfolio imagine 1: Model Skye Johnson / Photographer: Sir Drake Portfolio imagine 2: Model: Vanessa G / Photographer: Paul Tirado Portfolio imagine 3: Alexandria Y / Photographer: Paul Tirado