We were lucky to catch up with Nico Cortes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nico, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

As someone who deals with mental health issues on a daily and knows how scary it is to try and get out of your head, if I can give anyone out there reading this article any advice… It would be, DO IT. Just do it! That is the best risk to take. If you have been thinking about something, take that leap. Whether that is moving across the country to get away from a crazy ex and starting over or taking the plunge leaving that “secure” job to chase your dreams. Just F-ing do it! We are only getting older and time moves faster than you think and now that I am almost 38, things hit harder. I should’ve moved away sooner to find myself. Moving was the best thing I ever did. I grew up in ways that I did not know I needed to grow, I had adventure, I met some of my best friends, I had great food, all of the weight from years of whatever back in Michigan left me and I met my fiancé Sara! Then when I moved back home to Michigan (yes of course she moved with me!) I took the risk to leave retail makeup and the comfort of that paycheck to chase my dreams after 13 or 14 years of trying to stay to comfortable in a job that I deep down knew wasn’t for me. I met amazing people in the creative world of Detroit and have just been hustling ever since! I can finally say after 37 years… I am finally doing what I was meant and have always wanted to do. And its only going to get better from here I hope!

Nico, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My story into Makeup starts when I was a teenager. You see I grew up on a plant farm, my mom owned a plant nursery owned by the same family for over 200 years! We even have a historical land mark! At that time, young and being the rebel that I was, I could not have been more different than my mom. Getting dirty was a hell no for me lol. I was more interested in Beauty, Fashion and being a goth girl. I dabbled with drug store makeup but what really launched me into beauty was the first time I discovered a MAC Makeup counter. These humans in all black that looked fierce and like they were on top of the world, blasting awesome music and just looked like over all badasses. My fist product was this single electric blue eyeshadow called Electric Eel… I think I was 13 at the time. I used to smudge it all over my eye lookin a hot mess!!! I knew I had to be a part of that world as soon as I could! Over the years I continued to grow and play in MAC Makeup with all my different goth looks.

Life had other plans for me though because at 16 I became pregnant with my beautiful daughter Cammy. I was a young teen mom just trying to figure out life and growing up way to fast. I don’t know how single parents do it and if it weren’t for my hero of a mother who helped raise Cammy I don’t know what I would have done. I had pretty much given up on that dream to be honest. I was just trying to grow up, raise Cammy with my mom and tried finding jobs that didn’t make me want to pull my hair out.

A few years went by (this is where my timeline becomes a little fuzzy but I tried my best to accurately remember) and I believe I was around 22 or 23 and living my best life, partying, finding out I was actually gay, in a relationship and I met this woman who worked for MAC…. her name was Sabrina and my god the power she had on a room. We had the same lesbian friends and the first night I met her at a house party she looked HOT, makeup on point and when I found out she didn’t just work for MAC but she was a trainer to the MAC Artists I about died. It was like the universe was trying to show me the way. We were all drinking and partying and looking back it was not the most professional way to go about it but I was picking her brain!! I wanted the ins, I told her how much I loved makeup and about my first experience with MAC and how badly I wanted to work for them. I believe she said something like “Well OK, show me what you got!” And all I remember was pulling out those little shadow wands that used to come with drugstore shadow palettes. Do you know what Im talking about?! They had a little sponge applicator on both ends lol… Well anyway I pulled that out and she said “you’re fired” LMAO

Looking back I laugh so hard at that. Anyways Sabrina was the kind of Makeup Artist that could make ANYTHING look good. She is beautiful and has this lively personality that just sucks you in. I remember this one time we were all hanging out and we decided to go out but we all kind of looked like shit because it was during the day running errands and she just reached in her center console and pulled out random pieces of makeup and within 5 minutes in that car mirror made herself look runway ready. I was in awe of her a lot and was so grateful for her guidance and friendship. She also gave me my first MAC Makeup brush!

I finally went to the Macys MAC Counter later on to apply where I met my still to this day best friend Jenna. Jenna gave me my chance and set up my interview. Did I name drop Sabrina!?! You bet your sweet ass I did!!!

I also point out in every interview for Makeup that I have that the universe meant for me to do this because both MAC and Nars Makeup each carried a product named Nico. Nars had a blush named Nico and MAC had a lipgloss named Nico many years prior to me getting into the industry. And my name didn’t become popular until a few years ago recently.

Getting hired for MAC back then was not to be taken lightly. Or at least that’s how it felt. Everybody wanted to work for MAC and everyone always made cracks about how it seemed like a cult. It wasn’t but that always made me laugh. It was however the best family a girl could ask for. Im getting ahead of myself. The interview was I believe 3 steps. The in person, a makeup application and then another in person. Or was it 2 steps? I don’t remember but what I do remember was the stress of that makeup application interview!!! You show up looking your very best in all black MAC, dressed to the gods, beat face and bring your own model to which whoever is interviewing you, they take a magazine and tear a printed add out and you have to replicate it! I didn’t know the products like that and also have never tried to replicate something on that scale but I did it and I got hired. I remember Jenna telling me “You’re a lifer, I can tell” And I would have been if the company didn’t change. I ate, breathed and slept MAC. I felt like I imagine a celebrity would walking through the mall on lunch break and people would stop you and be like “You work at MAC don’t you!!!?” It was nuts and a constant rush with every launch and people lined out the door to have a taste. I wanted every high certification I could get and I worked my ass off!! MAC taught me damn near everything I know along with getting my Esthetics license. And It was the best 6 years ever!

When the company started changing and it was no longer about the artistry I decided it was time for a change. I left and went to Sephora where I spent the next 5 years of my life. Sephora was cool and I got a taste of a million other brands which I never had before. I met some amazing friends and I loved helping growing artists as much as I could. I still love to do that. During my Sephora career I also moved to Arizona so part of that career was working at Scottsdale Fashion Square mall which was just WOW. Learned a lot and had some really amazing managers there who helped shape me. Moved back to Michigan, spent another year at my original Sephora before leaving for good.

I wanted to grow with a business, help shape it, be a part of something big. So I started working for The Lip Bar which is in downtown Detroit owned by Melissa Butler who was on Shark Tank. Black owned, woman owned business and building something awesome and I was excited to be a part of it.

But not even a year in…. the panorama happened. Pandemic that is if you didn’t hear that joke on TikTok.

So that was that but fun while it lasted.

Let’s fast forward because nobody wants to hear the boring and depressing pandemic years. Once the world started opening back up at the end of 2020 I met Robbin. Robbin owns her own Bridal Makeup and Hair Company called Configure Beauty Detroit and she hired me on. Robbin is also an amazing union Makeup Artist that has been in the industry for over a decade and has really helped me break into the production world. That going forward is a huge focus for me. Getting more into that world. I want to be on movie sets and potentially move and I keep working my butt off to get there and I truly pray that it happens for me.

So that brings us to now. Now I am doing a multitude of things. I still do Makeup full time between bridal with CBD, bridal on my own, production jobs, skincare consults, personal beauty shopper for those that don’t even know where to start and gets overwhelmed walking into a Sephora or Ulta, Makeup lessons, live events, Fashion Shows and I also freelance for a skincare brand supporting stores and training staff as well as freelancing for 2 high end Makeup brands supporting stores and training staff. I am busy and loving every second. I need to be more busy though!!! lol My friends say that’s the Capricorn in me.

Over my 15+ years of doing this my work has been published in multiple magazines, I have worked with big clients like Ford, Chevy, Cadillac, Ally, Curaleaf, Delta, Starz and more. I have been a part of thousands of weddings helping women feel beautiful on their big day, I have had loyal clients that keep coming back, I have met amazing creatives in Detroit, and over the years have had some life changing cry worthy makeup stories! I still love to do photoshoots just to continue my growth and have fun with being creative. I mean there is so much that I am proud of but also so much more I want to accomplish. And I will continue to fight to get there.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I remember while I lived in Arizona this woman client came in to Sephora to get her makeup done. She was in a wheelchair and I was her Makeup Artist. After getting to know her, I learned she had Lyme disease which as she described left her a wreck. Her skin had patches of pigment gone so she had essentially white patches of skin all over plus she was in constant pain. I can’t remember why she was getting her makeup done but I do remember she explained that she hasn’t felt pretty in over 3 years and that she was nervous. It took me longer than normal because I had to do a lot of color correction on her skin to make it all one tone but when I was done and I turned her around she started balling her eyes out. I will never forget what she said. She said “I haven’t felt like a woman in years” And I burst into tears. I started crying again just writing this. We both cried, I fixed her makeup and I hope she had the best night ever free of pain and feeling beautiful.

THATS what I am talking about. That is what sparks me.

I have so many amazing stories like that.

I think there are a lot of things that make being a Makeup Artist rewarding. Personally for me.. Makeup is a chance to explore, to have fun, to be adventurous. It can make someone look and feel beautiful or it can make someone look old, creepy, scary, take you back in history and so much more. Plus if you hate it, you can just wash it off and start over. Makeup gives me a chance to express how I want to feel that day. So does fashion. I think its the same for others too. What mood are you in? Let me be a part of that for you. That is huge for people. Expression.

If we are talking about weddings, it is just rewarding to be a part of a love filled day. As women or anyone really on that particular day, we want to look and feel our absolute best and I am honored to be a part of that for them. I always get the compliment in reviews that I felt like part of the family. I love that. That is exactly how I want it to feel.

If we are talking about publications or production it is incredibly rewarding to see everyones hard work to make this blip of an Ad come to life or a commercial or a news person on tv. It is insane to see it really. I get such a rush and it NEVER gets old. I don’t think I could ever explain all the work that goes into something that us humans consume so freaky fast. It is incredible to work on those jobs and know what it took to get there and get to meet so many cool people. It takes such a skill to be able to communicate with producers and clients and figure out what kind of look needs to be created to invoke something, to sell something or to portray something. Once it is figured it out and I get to watch it on tv or published somewhere it gives me goose bumps knowing every one gets to see it and everyone will be proud of it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Oh my gosh the goals I have!!! You know what really drives me…. Love, Passion, Growth and Connection.

I want to do so many things that I don’t even know what they all are yet!

I want to work on big time movie sets. I want to do New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, I want to assist big time Makeup Artists! Maybe a celebrity in there! I want to start a Makeup Brand and Makeup Bags. I want to get married and have my dream wedding to my beautiful fiancé Sara. I want my daughter to discover her passion. I want my mom to have nothing but happiness. I want to help grow baby green artists into their own. I want to write a book. I want to help create art. And I want to discover it all with grace and love and compassion and humility.

I. WANT. TO. DO. IT. ALL.

Contact Info:

• Website: NicoCortes.com
• Instagram: ScatteredAllure

Image Credits
Photogs: Kevin @xvkbarr Katie @katienov Emily @emcrombez Anya. @anya.elizabeth.photo Hairstylists: Shannon @lovebeautifulhair Caidy @caidycreate Models: Anna @Anna_walker__ Mo @buzzcutmo Angel @angel_the_dandelion Shannon @shan.lorraine.official Gabriella @gabriellastephaniec China @china.capling Laurel @shada.jpg