Poway Teen Goes Extra Mile to Impress Makeup Clients

Before turning 15, the only makeup Danielle Verde was allowed to wear was lip balm.

Today, the graduate is turning her childhood taboo into a part-time job.

“After my 15th birthday, I always wore makeup,” Verde said. “It’s fascinating how a little makeup can change your whole appearance, and bring out the best in people.”

The self-taught makeup artist is one of Poway’s youngest budding entrepreneurs. She’s been promoting her talents with makeup and art through social networking sites and YouTube. The 18-year-old’s makeup tutorial videos have received nearly 30,000 views.

“It’s difficult to promote myself out there because there’s a lot of competition. I have to be different,” Verde said. “I sometimes work for free, just to build my portfolio, and pick up a few jobs here and there.”

Since February, she has been booked for more than a dozen photo shoots and professional gigs–including a fashion show–solely through self-promotion online.

Verde was mostly self-taught–reading books and watching YouTube videos about makeup–until she took extra-credit classes for makeup design her senior year at Poway High School.

After she graduated in 2010, Verde has been freelancing her skills while taking classes to satisfy her interest in 3D art and animation. In the future, she would like to work in an animation studio, and do makeup part time.

“Art and makeup are so fun. They just go together,” Verde said.

Verde’s online business started a year ago, when her mother gave her a website as a graduation gift. The website functions as Verde’s online portfolio featuring her makeup talent, artwork and 3D modeling samples.

“I think right now she’s doing better than I thought she would do, and she’s pretty good at it,” Verde’s mother, B. Verde, said. “I don’t know the industry, but once I started noticing she had more jobs, I thought, ‘This is great.’ ”

Few of Verde’s clients have booked Verde from face-to-face meetings.

“One of the hardest things for people in Danielle’s position is to help promote themselves,” said Marcus Couvson, Verde’s first client. “When I saw her YouTube channel I thought, she is headed in the right direction.”

Couvson, a part-time photographer for 10 years, booked Verde in February to do makeup for models in his portraits. Verde impressed from the start.

“She did a great job of making everything consistent,” Couvson said. “She was very professional, relaxed and comfortable. I was surprised when she told me she was 18—I thought she was much older.”

Verde and Couvson met through ModelMayhem.com, a social networking site for models, photographers and makeup artists.

Verde recently did makeup for models promoting apparel for the Surfrider Foundation at La Jolla Shores through the for-profit organization Angel Status.

“Danielle has a very bright future,” said photographer and founder of Angel Status, Troy Jensen. “Most people her age still have not invested or thought of getting a website. She is ahead of the curve.”

Verde’s site is what convinced Jensen to ask Verde to help out for a charity project benefiting the USO in June. The project was a two-hour photo shoot aboard the USS Midway where Verde applied makeup to a former Miss Indiana.

“The shoot was really cool,” Verde said. “It was fun watching the models work next to the big planes, and helping them into the planes.”

Since then, Verde has worked with Jensen on various charity shoots benefiting the World Wildlife Fund and earthquake survivors in Japan.

“I love her positive energy,” Jesen said. “I tend to call on her more than others because she makes everything light and fun. I’ve worked with numerous artists, and she has the best attitude.”

Verde, by her admission, likes to stay for the entire shoot–which can sometimes last all day–to help with touchups, tucking in tags and helping out photographers.

“I’m willing to help out and do whatever it takes,” Verde said. “I’m willing to go the extra mile.”