cosmetics
Beauty in Action
Montclair resident Nydia Figueroaisa makeup artistto the stars and those in need WRITTEN BY CITLALLI GODINEZ
While on afamily trip to Point Pleasant , Nydia Figueroa found a Barnes and Noble gift card in the sand . The discovery changed the trajectory of the young girl ’ s life . “ Go buy yourself abook ,” her father told her . The book she bought , by makeup artist Eve Pearl , was about how to use cosmetics to highlight the eyes .
Avidly interested in becoming a makeup artist , Figueroa would learn all her techniques by reading books . Little did she know that afew years later , she would become Eve Pearl ’ s executive assistant — and go on to be asought-after makeup professional and media consultant who has worked at the Grammys , Emmy Awards and the United Nations , and with editors at magazines including Cosmo , Glamour and Harper ’ s Bazaar .
FAMILY HAD HER BACK
Figueroa lived inNewark until age 16 , when her family moved to Montclair . Her parents didn ’ t have much money , she says ; what they did have was tremendous support for their daughter .
TOUCH-UP Figueroa grooms Grammy Award-winning rapper Fatman Scoop
When she was 6years old , Figueroa took up an unusual sport for alittle girl who lived in Newark . “ My dad likes fishing , soIentered competitive fishing contests ,” she says .“ There was afishing derby , and Icaught a20-pound fish that was bigger than me . Itried to pull it out of the water , but it was overtaking me .” Instead of intervening , she says , her father told her ,“ Yougot this !” She ended up getting not only the fish , but a lesson in resilience .
Figueroa studied business management at vocational school inNewark and worked in retail stores . She spent her paychecks , she says , atthe M · A · C Cosmetics makeup counter in Willowbrook Mall , where she became awell-known figure , building relationships with employees , advising friends on what tobuy and impressing the saleswomen behind the counter . One day , one of them even asked her if she was amakeup artist . Figueroa lied and said she was .
“ I was just shopping with my cousin and being some kind of influencer , I guess ,” she recalls .“ She said , ‘ Do you want to work here ? Ilove your energy .’ She hired me because of my hunger to succeed and willingness tolearn .”
For12years , Figueroa worked at M · A · C counters in New Jersey malls . During that time , she met other artists in the industry and booked private clients , sometimes celebrities whose managers were seeking makeup professionals — among them , Olivia Culp ( crowned Miss Universe in 2012 ) and reality stars from the show Love & Hip Hop on VH1 . She responded to an ad run by amakeup artist group for the 2006 Victoria ’ sSecret Fashion Show , and the event became aregular gig for
@ montclairmagazine MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE MAY 2023
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