‘Sometimes when things are looking like they’re not going the best, you just need to take a step back, rework and go out full pressure.’

Uniondale

“I started makeup to express myself and try to push myself into a creative space. When I was in college, I started working in a makeup store at the mall and really loved it. I loved selling the products, product knowledge and most importantly, doing makeup on customers when they came in. Once I graduated, I started my makeup brand.

“Marketing yourself is so hard being a business owner. I said that I was going to quit, and then one of my old friends was like, ‘There’s money to be made out here. You love it. Just keep going.’ Literally the day that I changed my Instagram name to Nudeebeats, I got a call from someone that I’ve never spoken to before. That was my first client. All I can say is that sometimes when things are looking like they’re not going the best, you just need to take a step back, rework and go out full pressure.

“Nudeebeats is about a year old now, and it’s been working really well for me. Nudeebeats means just accepting and loving your natural state. I really stress that makeup can be transformative, but I don’t specialize in transforming a face. I specialize in enhancing your natural features. I want people to really feel comfortable in their own beauty, so when I do makeup, it’s all about keeping it natural, bare and nude.

“I had so much fun trying out new looks that were outside of my repertoire as far as the skin during Fashion Week. An old college friend that was the project manager for Denzel Dion’s fashion show needed another makeup artist assisting that day. So they put me on the project. It was probably everything that I expected it to be — super high pace, very on edge and anxious the whole time trying to rush through everybody.

“It was really hard, but it was super rewarding. I met some amazing people. I also learned a lot from them. It was so much fun working under him, and his models were from all walks of life. It was just a really loving environment. It might have been tough the whole time, but how I really remember it was a blast.

“In the future, I definitely plan on starting a cosmetic line. I actually want it to be a skin-care line. I would like to start off in that direction and then branch off into lip products within the next three to five years.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘We’re all together and try to work together to better our community.’

Uniondale

“I am an EEG technician. EEG, or electroencephalography, is used when someone has seizures. We attach leads to their head to assess them. It falls under the umbrella of neurodiagnostic technology. I’m a service line manager for Northwell, so I work with labs from Chappaqua to Bay Shore. I’m working with labs on quality competencies and just trying to elevate our field.

“I also co-own a school where we teach students how to do EEGs. It’s in Hempstead, and we’ve been running it now for maybe six years. I’m one of the lead instructors, and it’s a six-month program where we teach the fundamentals of EEG. My partner started by teaching out of his house. I started learning from him, and loved it so much, I said we need to open a school.

“I had worked as a correction officer for New York City for four years. But that didn’t really work out. If you can imagine working in jail, it’s not fun. I was like, ‘This isn’t for me.’ Then I said, ‘I need to start going to school,’ and that’s how I found EEG.

People loved it so much that people kept reaching out to us to do it. It ended up being huge.

“I’ve been a fireman for 14 years. I wanted to help my community. I love the camaraderie. It’s really a great place, especially for young kids that are starting out. I didn’t go to college right out of high school. I went into the workforce because I had a child, so I never got that whole feeling of the fraternities and that brotherhood. And I got it here. Just being around a lot of men that are white-collar, blue-collar workers who you just learn from.

“In March of 2020, I started 3C’s Productions with my sister and her husband. My sister had her birthday in March, so we had a party for her on Zoom. I played music, and we had some games. People loved it so much that people kept reaching out to us to do it. It ended up being huge. In 2021, we grossed over $100,000 doing virtual parties with corporations. I couldn’t believe it. We also did virtual memorials for family members who passed from COVID. We helped because people couldn’t go to funeral homes.

“I’m also the treasurer of the Uniondale Community Council. My daughter has volunteered for them, and it’s all a community thing. We’re all together and try to work together to better our community. I incorporate my family in everything I do.”

Interviewed by Dan Offner