Best question thus far.....
Anna, what was your first memory of makeup?
Great question! Answer may be a little sad but reveals a happy ending. I can't recall seeing my mother putting on makeup. I was a daddy’s girl for sure. My ma, was a hair stylist but before that I think a waitress at the base club and then at some restaurant in KY. My dad, may he rest in peace, was in the Military until he was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 35. This caused is mandatory medical retirement from the Army. I remember moving from KS to FL because my parents said the weather would be good for my dad. Doctors said he had five years to live and that chemotherapy treatments may not work. Not sure what put the idea in his head but I love him for it…dad and I drove from Deltona, FL to Orlando one day and he asked if I wanted to attend a modeling school. He said he wanted me to learn the things that would make me a lady. He was going to pay for it. I think at the time the school was like $1,000. I thought that was super expensive and was still confused where this all came from. Well, time passed and I decided if daddy was suggesting it maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. Being the oldest and having only two brothers to hang out with I was more into football and surfing than dresses and stilettos. I started the school during the time my dad was severely ill. I mean to the point I could hear him in the bathroom; I think coughing up blood? Next thing I knew, my best friend was in the Gainesville, FL hospital and I had no one. I wasn’t really close to my mom at that time.
Some time had passed and I was graduating from the modeling school. It was a great experience. I learned how to walk in heels, groom my hair, and dining etiquette. I did a little acting and a few photo shoots. When we got to the basic skin care and makeup for teens I was in heaven! I saw the instructor transform this young girl’s confidence from nothing to everything. She sat up in her chair with her shoulders back and thought I can rule the world. I mean it was amazing! I had a blast! Every time we visited my dad I would tell him a little about what I was learning. He was so happy. Unfortunately he got so sick towards the end, he couldn’t attend my graduation. I bought this long black dress, pinned my hair up, did my own makeup, and strutted down that runway like I was Cindy Crawford. My mom and brothers were there and I was so proud but sad that dad couldn’t see it. We drove immediately from the graduation with my certificate to the hospital to see him. This is the day I know it was over. When I walked through the doors of his cold hospital room he said, “Who is that? Who’s that beautiful girl in the black dress?” I said, Daddy it’s me… its Jo-Jo (my nickname with my family). He was so sick and drugged with morphine, that he had no clue who I was anymore. This was the last day I remember seeing my dad alive. This is the day I changed from a young teen to a woman. Two weeks later he died at that age of 41.
I promised myself I would never forget what he did for me. I remember how the instructor made that young girl feel about herself. I whispered to my dad in the casket and said, “dad, I am going to make you proud.” To this day I live to the fullest. Yes, I’m not perfect! I don’t know “everything,” I’m not trying too! I know, I love to make people feel good about who they are! I love to help people! I thank everyone who touches my life and who assists me in reaching my goals. I am forever indebted to them for keeping me humble! I knew after that moment I wanted to do makeup like the instructor and show the world I could rule it with pigment’s, powder, and lashes. It’s my therapy! It’s my passion! To be able to reconstruct someone’s thoughts of themselves for the better! It’s what makes me an Artist!
Thanks DAD! I miss you and love you more than you could ever know!
XXO Besos!
ANNA CASTILLO
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