Right out of college, Julia Noel of North Carolina knew that finding a job was presumably the next step. Just as many college grads know, once school is over it is time to step out into the real world. It is a scary time in any young person’s life, severing ties with the institution of education that has defined most of their young adult life. What happens after you have finished doing what people have been telling you to do for the past 20 odd years? Julia Noel of North Carolina searched tirelessly for a job using her degree, but to no avail. She was in a similar situation to that of most recent college grads: having a college degree and no place to actually utilize it. She was determined, however, to find success and happiness, to chase the American dream until she had found it. What she did not expect was to find the American dream in her ability to manipulate makeup.

Julia Noel of North Carolina had been known to be good at her use of makeup. She would always be invited to do the makeup for friends and family at special events like weddings, family reunions, and other gatherings, simply because of how beautiful and interesting she could make people look. She discovered her natural talent of painting people’s faces in high school as a teenager when she was asked to help with her school’s theatrical production of Cats. She received critical acclaim for how well all of the actors and actresses looked with their faces entirely painted. With the work that Julia executed, the characters on stage seemed too real that night and the audience loved it. It was not until after college that Julia made the decision to use her makeup skills to potentially start a career. It was the right choice as she quickly found work and she did that work well.

Ten years later, Julia Noel of North Carolina has established a successful career as a professional makeup artist and spends most of her time with her husband, James, and their daughter, Lily. Julia finds still finds time in her busy life to pursue hobbies like scuba diving, painting, pottery, and ballroom dancing.