Meet Shereen N. Greene

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shereen N. Greene a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shereen N., really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I want to say my purpose found me. I have always been a pretty creative kid. As a product of the 80s and an only child for 10 years you learn to have a vivid imagination. But my grandmother was someone I was in love with. I would watch her do her hair and makeup and wear the best of the best. She was the epitome of hair done, nails done, everything did. So I would sneak and play in her makeup and one New Years Day, she let me do her makeup and mine. I came alive. A few years later while watching the Oprah show with my grandmother a makeup artist was the guest and I knew then it was and could be more than a hobby. The makeup artists’ name was Kevyn Aucoin. I would take (steal) my moms makeup and my grandmothers makeup and go to town. I had a pill box in high school where I’d have cut up lipsticks in each box a brown eyeliner we wore as lip liner and a lip brush. Each period I would have on a different shade of lipstick. Telling my friends “sit down let me make you your own shade” I was really an athlete running varsity track as a freshmen/sophomore so the older girls would let me do their makeup I even got the opportunity to do makeup for some of the proms. I graduated high school in 1999 the energy back then was electric. It truly was the beginning of the y2k era. The fashion that is hot right now I was in the middle of it naturally. So I told my mom they just opened this new store and I want to try and get a job. It was Ulta. The Ulta you guys know now is nothing like what was out back then. Imagine an Ulta and there’s no makeup brands. It was very small so it was perfect for me. That’s where I started my humble beginnings. I worked my way up which did take some years so by the time I was in my early 20s I felt comfortable enough to try another new kid on the block. Bare Minerals. Leslie who was the creator of the line was opening a boutique in the mall and I frequented. Now back in those days you needed a portfolio and a resume. All I had were the photos I took of the work I did on my friends. It worked. But around the corner from that boutique was the store of all stores. MAC Cosmetics store. I knew I wasn’t on that level but a girl could dream and spend her hard earned money. I wish I could paint the picture of how dope and elite MAC was back in the day. To be a MAC girl was MAJOR. There is no internet or social media, and you are being told what’s hot and on trend by these highly trained artists. I was in that store everyday on my breaks because they were more my energy. Bare Minerals at that time came from QVC and was pegged to one kind of audience. OLD. There was a day that changed everything. I was walking to the stock room and one of the managers from the MAC store stopped me and asked “so when are you going to drop off y0ur portfolio?” Who me? Yeah I’m not qualified to work there. She said ” who told you that?” ummm no one but… I start to stutter. She looked me dead in my eyes and said ” I expect to see your work next week” and walked off smoking her cigarette. These girls were too cool and fierce. Was I ready? I remember doing everyones makeup who worked at Bare Minerals including the big boss and taking pictures with my little camera running to Walgreens to get them developed and adding them to my portfolio. There was not one professional shot photo in my portfolio and that same portfolio got me some of the biggest gigs of my career. Did I get the job at MAC? I sure did and worked at that location for many years. Till I was fired! I was devastated. I had actually dropped out of college while working at MAC because I found my purpose. While trying to figure out life I decided to go back to school and get my degree. I thought I had a year left to finish. I dropped out with a semester left. I was so mad at myself I vowed to let makeup go and work in the field I had my degree in. I had graduated with a major in criminology and a minor in sociology. I know, completely different life from working NY fashion week. The day of my graduation I got a phone call from a friend/old MAC coworker asking if I wanted a gig. Sorry girl I quit makeup. She said “are you sure? You’re so talented” Girl, yes! MAC fired me I am done forever with makeup. She laughed and her next question was “do you have a passport?’ Yes but what and who is this for? Mind you I’m still wearing my graduation gown, cap in hand. She knew makeup and music were my life. She took the longest beat before saying “you’d have to sign a NDA”. At the time I had no idea what an NDA was. I said sure ok who’s the gig for? When she said “Timbaland” my knees buckled. TIMBALAND as in Missy, Aaliyah, Ginuwine? It is now 2007. The Hip-Hop sound and culture are at its peak. Yes yes yes I’ll do it. This was the first but definitely not the last time I questioned my purpose and was reminded by the universe.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have since traveled and worked on and with celebs on award shows, movies, music videos, photoshoots and print work. Tried to walk away from makeup a few more times and the lesson I had to learn was its ok to take breaks. To walk away when needed but if you have a God given gift it is your duty to share it with others and when life starts life’n learn how to pivot. God will carry you the way.

I recently decided to take an old idea from my early years with MAC and add a twist to it. I love consulting and teaching. Combining the two I created a service where I come to you and target all of your skincare, makeup and tools. I then go shopping with you and we pick the products you need. I then take the time to draw up a routine and look for the client. It is like having your own makeup artist/ private shopper who gives you the knowledge you can walk away with and confidence knowing you can achieve the look you desire. ” A Fine Day” look out for that soon.

I learned through out my career that when I’m actually fulfilled with my “job” is when I’m teaching/training and making women feel their best. I love a red carpet or music video but I don’t walk away with my battery full.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

This is a great question.

I would say color theory. I take color theory very serious. To me it is a tell sign of a real artist especially in my field. You can use your time efficiently. As well as you can save the day If you know color theory.

A great quality to have is being able to read energy. It’s great to be able to adapt and attend to people. But it also helps you conserve your own energy. So many nights I would come home drained and couldn’t figure out why. I was consuming way too many other peoples energy and burning myself out in the process.

Never stop learning. I had a trainer years ago that said ” the minute you stop learning, walk away. you’re done”

My advice would be heal you first. All of you. Mentally, spiritually, emotionally.
Find a mentor or someone older who’s willing to take you under their wing.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

Wow. Ok I wasn’t sure if this is a personal question or about being an entrepreneur, but I’d like to think that my challenges have also made me look at business completely different as well. its always a full circle lesson to be learned.

I would say time and grief. My one piece of advice I try to tell my younger family members is enjoy the current life they’re in. One day you’re running the streets at 20 something the next you look up and celebrating your 40th birthday. 20 years flies by. Folks will say stack “bread” and yes I agree, but I say stack memories.

Which then leads me to grief. In 2017 I was dealt with a handful of grief. I wasn’t ready to deal with. It has changed me dramatically. I now have a very different view of life and grief. Grief is not an emotion to be scared of or be angry about. I look at grief now as a gift. It’s all this love we have for the people we miss and those people that we miss want us to take all of that love (grief) and pour it into ourselves.

It’s not easy but can be done.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Shereennicole