We recently connected with Melanie Cristescu and have shared our conversation below.

Melanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

One of my greatest pleasures is sponsoring the Glam Lounge for women modeling in the annual Soroptomist International of Valencia’s Bras For A Cause breast cancer fundraiser. I am lucky enough to find makeup and hair artists willing to donate their time to make these women feel brave and beautiful.

The models are every day women going through treatment, have completed treatment, and women walking in honor of loved ones affected by breast cancer. They walk in gorgeous handmade bras created exclusively for them by members, including myself, to help raise money for women needing assistance. Auction baskets are made and lots of money gets raised.

It’s an incredibly moving experience. So many women and families are going through this. But last year, a model had lost her mother only weeks before and was really struggling with the evening. We got to spend quiet time together, share experiences and be strong for each other. It was very moving and a moment I really treasure.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been obsessed with all things makeup since I was a very young girl watching her mother “do her face”. I watched her paint her face and she always looked so very beautiful.

Since I can remember, I would read magazines at the grocery store, borrow books from the library, and even rented videos from the store to learn about makeup. I did makeup for friends in high school. Every thing I could do to teach myself. To this day, I am a self taught makeup artist.

I started my career in 2011, by working at Sephora and took every opportunity possible for education. I started teaching the classes for clients and became the Beauty Studio Coordinator.

I made the freelance leap in 2017 in to bridal and haven’t looked back! In 2018 I started teaching at a makeup school in Los Angeles and working on set for music videos with such artists as Migos, Nikki Minaj, Toni Braxton, Back Street Boys, Meghan Trainor, T-Pain and more. Music videos taught me a lot and I met a lot of people. Since then, Ive done such exciting projects! I have been part of beautifully styled editorial spreads published in magazines. Worked with amazing underwater photographers doing waterproof glam makeup. I’ve been able to work on commercials for major brands in some of the most historic and beautiful buildings of Los Angeles. I’ve worked on some incredible movies and I’m currently Makeup Dept Head for The Movers, shooting in Mississippi.

I can’t wait to see what lies ahead and who I am going to work with along the way.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I can’t even remember when I joined instagram, but building my presence as a beauty resource has always been a struggle. I was never sure what to post. Likes were inconsistent. Hello. But it wasn’t until 2020 that what I needed to do became clear.

March 2020, everything changed for everyone. To keep my sanity, I decided to do my makeup every day of lockdown and post a video. To give me something to do, and in all fairness, it was only supposed to be for 30 days. Haha.

By the end of that 30 days, a few things were clear. 1 was that lockdown was going to be longer and I needed to keep doing my makeup to keep my sanity. 2 was that I had to get over my fear of posting videos with no makeup online. Just get over it. And 3 was that of all the beauty things I posted, it wasn’t the gorgeous, young models that got the attention on my page. It was me. Baring my face sans makeup and doing my makeup. Showing how at 47 I was going to wear what ever makeup I wanted and every woman should do the same!

Now 3 years later I am 50 and I still post myself doing my makeup. I absolutely LOVE talking to other makeup lovers and answering questions. Helping women feel amazing at all ages. I answer all my DM’s with people seeking real help. I’m so happy to create a safe and fun place for us to talk about what we all love.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Well, during 2020 when working was not available, I had to do something.

I was so lucky to have paired with a model I had previously worked with and she found us photographer. We bubbled. We collaborated. We created a lot of content and worked hard, each for our own reasons. My reasons were simple. I was happy doing makeup. Touching makeup. Creating images. Being part of a team with the same goal. To make something beautiful that inspired us. And maybe something we’d only be able to do right then.

We shot in Chinatown in Los Angeles in May of 2020. We worked outside, with PPE, and following every precaution. To be the only people in the square. In the street. It seemed, in the world. It was an amazing day.

We worked so much together that we all grew and became better artists at a time when we could have done nothing. We did everything to work on our passions. And our goals. We never forgot our goals.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Wondermelmakeup.com
• Instagram: wondermelbeauty
• Facebook: Wondermelbeauty
• Linkedin: Melanie Cristescu
• Youtube: Wondermelbeauty

Image Credits
Photographers Jeffrey B Photography Faces by Fefeb Patrick Payton Photography