Conversations with Porsha Paradise

Today we’d like to introduce you to Porsha Paradise.

Hi Porsha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always say that the makeup life chose me. I was asked to be a model in a hair show. I saw how the makeup artist was making the models look. I snuck off to the bathroom to get myself together. When the salon owners saw me, they asked if I did makeup. I told them that I did not. That day they asked me to do makeup for their next shoot. The rest is history. Out of nowhere, it’s been 13 years in the game.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No path is truly smooth. There is always going to be potholes and detours. I think each era of my life presented a struggle that allowed me to transcend to the next era. Identity, space, belonging, voice. It’s fueled my makeup looks at times. Some of darkest days created some of my most creative looks. I think it’s important to document our dark days and how we got out of it. Pain is inevitable. Next time you can pull yourself out of the dark days faster. Shorten your bad days. Extend your good days.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a professional makeup artist. I specialize in airbrush and special effects makeup. I am known for looks that mix glam and gore. A killer teddy bear. A beautiful zombie with worms crawling out of a heart shaped hole. A third eyeball meant to look like an actual mutation. I love the juxtaposition.

I’m most proud of providing makeup services for the North Carolina Senate race in ‘22. The beauty business is built on vanity. It was amazing to do makeup for a purpose much bigger than myself, a purpose that would benefit North Carolinians. I met so many faces that makeup our beautiful community. I’ve also done makeup for six of the living Black Chief Justices, faces I had only seen in my textbooks.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is creating something that lasts , a legacy that speaks even when I’m not in the room. I want my work to make people feel seen, powerful, and remembered.

For me, makeup isn’t just about looking good. It’s about helping people see themselves differently, sometimes for the first time. I’ve watched people sit in my chair and leave with their shoulders higher, like they finally recognized their own reflection. That’s what keeps me going.

Consistency, integrity, and transformation matter to me. Every client, every project, every long day behind the brush is a piece of the bigger picture I’m building. I want my daughter to grow up knowing that you can create the life you want, not by luck but by showing up every day and putting your whole heart into it.