Not Just Skin Deep - Make-up Artistry

Nov. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Nina Greville is a make-up artist living in Yorba Linda, CA.  Her company, Tickled Pink, provides make-up artists, airbrush tattoo artists, face and body painting artists for projects and events in Los Angeles and Orange County.

They teach make-up techniques as well as host face and body painting classes.  Nina’s two daughters who were her models and inspiration, one now a senior at Esperanza high school and the other a freshman at Santiago College both work in the family business and are competent face painters and airbrush tattoo artists.  For more than 20 years Nina has been hooked on make-up.  In high school she studied art and applied make-up for the drama department.  She went on to study Performing Arts at Itchen College Southampton, in her native England, where she learned how to apply make-up for the stage.


It wasn’t until after the birth of her daughters Natalie and Alexandra in the 90’s that Nina discovered the art of face painting.  Intrigued by the bright colors, creative freedom and opportunity to interact with young children, she was determined to master the art form.  She honed her craft painting on any willing canvas, some unwilling ones too, according to Greville who confesses to having bribed her children on many occasions with candy if they would let her paint them.  In 2001 she and her husband Lee grasped the opportunity to move to the USA with his job in marketing for the AM/PM brand of British Petroleum.  Without a work visa and not wanting to stagnate, Greville turned her skills to running the art program for her children’s school as a volunteer.

In 2003, a change in the law meant she could get a work visa.  Nina wasted no time and founded her company, Tickled Pink.  Seeking local exposure, she reached out to Sandy Segestrom-Daniels, founder of Festival of Children, to provide face painting at their annual month long event at South Coast Plaza.  Greville says, “Sandy and her team have been incredible, they were instrumental in the initial success of Tickled Pink.  Their continued support and partnership is greatly appreciated.”  The feeling is mutual.  This September Greville and her team were honored during closing ceremonies with a plaque recognizing their dedication and talent, described by Segestrom-Daniels as “a gift to Festival of Children.”

Nina has an extensive list of clients for face painting for children’s parties.  Celebrity clients include:  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, Natalie Maines, Brad Garrett, Dave Grohl, Flea, Jeff Probst, Laura Dern, and Joely Fisher, who hired Nina, introduced her to friends and continues to be a loyal client.  


Wanting to broaden her client base, Nina mastered the skills of airbrush make-up and body painting, trained her staff, and expanded the list of services available.  The next six years would bring continual growth and interesting projects such as Body Painting at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Playboy Mansion and the Tori and Dean reality show Home Sweet Hollywood.  Now an expert body painter, Nina describes the art form to be her absolute passion and obsession.

The economic recession proved to be very challenging, “Bookings slowed drastically” recalls Greville.  Wanting to improve her beauty make-up skills and enjoy a regular income, she sought employment with cosmetic brand MAC Cosmetics, one of several independent divisions of the giant cosmetics firm Estee Lauder (whose brand line includes Clinique, Bobbi Brown, and it’s signature Estee Lauder brand). When asked “why MAC?,” Nina describes passionately her first experience with the brand, “I had been in the U.S about a week when I first saw MAC, I was blown away, of all the cosmetic brands, to me it was the most creative in the market place.  I knew instinctively that I would work for them one day”.  MAC hired Nina at the Cerritos store.  She progressed quickly to become Product Specialist and was selected to be on Impact Team, where she would travel to various stores offering support and facilitating events.  Nina was a manager at the Brea location and has worked at Santa Ana, Santa Monica, and Riverside.  She was hand picked to assist the Dream Team to body paint at industry level events for the brand at South Coast Plaza and Town Square Las Vegas in September and October 2011.

Considered an expert in her field, Greville was recruited to be a panelist on the educational advisory board for Vital Link and the Orange County Board of Education to assist with defining the curriculum and identifying gaps in education based on industry trends in the field of make-up artistry.

Greville, who is now an American Citizen, enjoys the balance of part-time MAC Artist and part-time business owner and cherishes her ability to be able to give back with her involvement in CHOC, Smile Train, and Festival of Children.  When not working, she enjoys trips to her vacation home at Lake Mojave with her family.

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Make-up artistry service provider. We offer make-up, face painting, body painting, airbrush and glitter tattoos, for special occasions, events and projects.