Toby Klinger Does My Makeup and I Feel Beautiful

For my entire life I've struggled with feeling attractive. I went through a serious awkward phase in junior high school. I looked around at the popular girls and wondered "why can't I look like them?" As a 12 year-old I wanted to be beautiful. 22 years later, and I still struggle with the same thing. I want to feel beautiful, yet I don't sometimes.

Part of it (for me) is that after I had children, my body changed. I gained 10 pounds and I don't feel the same way about myself.

Enter Toby Klinger. I've known Toby since we were 15 years old and went to F.H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art & Performing Arts. I was a drama major and she was an art major.

We kept in touch through the land of Facebook.

One day, I was feeling yucky about myself. I remembered that Toby was a makeup artist extraordinaire. I knew that she'd done makeup for celebrities and fashion shows and was making a solid living as a makeup artist in NYC. I reached out to her and asked if I could hire her to do my makeup.

Now let me back the bus up. I have never worn makeup on any consistent basis in my life. I may have dabbled in the occasional liquid eyeliner for fun. But I basically have no idea what I'm doing with the stuff and I'm sort of afraid to try it because I don't want to look like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

However, I was curious to try.

Toby came over on Saturday morning with her suitcase of supplies. She entered my messy house with love and patience. She even brought stickers for Samara. We talked and laughed and reminisced about the past. She was a true professional yet a joy to be with. Well, she is a double Libra. You have to love her.

Finally, she made me look like this:

Toby, thank you for making me look and feel beautiful. I didn't know this was possible. You are a talented artist and a beautiful person inside and out. xoxo

For more information on Toby Klinger Makeup, click here.