Abby is originally from a small town in the United States called Polson. Her love for makeup started at a very young age, “When I was 15 and just entering high school, I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Alopecia Totalis, which causes total loss of all hair on the head and body. It was really scary at the time, handfuls of hair were just falling out in the shower. Being bald as a teenager was really frustrating, as it’s such a crucial time of identity building and defining yourself. I started saving my allowance to buy makeup and began experimenting with eyeshadow colors and tried to really enhance my femininity through makeup. ” says Abby.

She decided to change directions with her career after graduating and completing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Art. Abby adds that ” I bartended 3 jobs to save up money, got a Canadian Visa and moved to Vancouver! It was definitely crazy at first, I didn’t know anybody, I didn’t have a job or a place to live yet. I bartended 5 nights a week while going to school full time to pay my bills, and absolutely loved living in Canada!”.

Abby followed her dream and enrolled in the Makeup Program at JCI Institute. “I had the BEST time at JCI. I was one of the oldest in my class, so I really enjoyed learning all of the trends and gossip from the younger babes. We were so lucky and had such a sweet and close class, I still stay in touch with a lot of my old classmates. All of my instructors were incredible, but special thanks to Andrea, Marie and Jennine, they really pushed me and taught me so much, even beyond makeup. I think the most important part of our learning was the professionalism and hygiene. I’ve since had clients and photographers comment positively on my set up, hygiene and professionalism, and I attribute a lot of that to the training at JCI.”, she says.

After graduating Abby focused her time into building her social media platforms and networking within the Denver industry, Abby focuses her time working side by side with her partner Wade running a production company and also working in many different areas of Makeup.

“I love so many things about what I do. First and foremost I’m so incredibly grateful that I get to work for myself. That’s something that really is such a privilege and I try to never take it for granted. Alternative Editorial has always my favorite work to do, but I’ve recently been doing lots of commercial shoots as well as Red Carpet glam. I’ve also been branching out into a lot of work through social media, which is an entirely different realm of the industry. I do a lot of partnerships and content for Instagram and TikTok, and I’m finally launching my YouTube channel this Spring which I’m so excited for!” she says.

Abby’s focus is to learn everything she can in the industry and becoming the best she can be as both an artist and a businesswoman. “I try not to look too far ahead, because you never know which opportunities will come about in the future, and I think it’s really important to have your feet firmly planted in the present and be open for change. ” she says. At some point, Abby also wants to move back to Montana and run a makeup school. “There really aren’t any resources for people wanting to get into the industry where I’m from, so that’s definitely a long term goal of mine” .