Melissa Nelson’s obsession with Makeup and creating beauty began in childhood, sitting on the side of the bath watching her fascinatingly beautiful mother apply her own makeup before she went to work, wafts of Miss Dior circulating the air.

Her career in Makeup began in 2005, studying basic makeup training with Makeup Forever Pro Dublin Followed by Fashion and Photographic with Nicola Graham at The Makeup Room, and further advanced Makeup training with Vanity X Academy.

She has worked with major brands, Estee Lauder, Guerlain, Lancôme, and Clarins while always freelancing, bridal, backstage, and photographic.

In 2008 Melissa started a unique business HoneyTrap Boudoir, a corset, shapewear, and lingerie boutique with an onsite Makeup room. Welcoming, brides, burlesque enthusiasts, theatricals, vintage vamps, boys who like to look like girls, and societally assigned boys, who really are girls! – Here is where Melissa really honed her craft. Specializing in Beautiful radiant bridal makeup, stunning Trans-formation makeup, and polished editorial looks.

“Skin is everything…As my Grandpa Bobby who was a painter always said, ‘Start with a great canvas and you’re halfway there’ I like to really study a face and see what’s needed to be enhanced, illuminated, receded, or concealed without troweling on products”

Having had severe facial disfigurements due to a car crash at 17 years of age, and the subsequent experience of continual scrutiny and inquiry about her appearance through its various stages of recovery and lasting defects, Melissa is an extremely empathetic makeup artist who understands the importance of imparting how to make the very best out of your appearance for any occasion!

“Every face has a story; how would you like that story to be conveyed?”