Today we’d like to introduce you to Destinee Steele
Hi Destinee, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey started as a performer in middle school choir where we not only sang choral music, we also performed musical theatre productions. I continued my performance journey through high school where I became the President of our chapter of the International Thespian Society. Not really having an interest in college at the time, I then enrolled in a Cosmetology program after high school graduation in 2010. After earning my cosmetology license in 2011 I started working in a salon in Panama City Beach (my hometown) and enrolled in the local community college to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Acting. After completing my AA (2013) I transferred to the University of West Florida where I earned my bachelor’s in Acting in 2015. When I wasn’t cast in the shows I used my cosmetology license to help with hair and makeup for the productions which sparked the idea of going to grad school for wig and makeup design. I graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in 2018 with a Masters in Wig and Makeup design and since then life has afforded me a lot of amazing opportunities. I’ve worked on National Tours, designed for theatres and opera companies coast to coast, taught master classes and bootcamps, collected two Broadway credits, and so much more. In 2020 when the pandemic shook the world the entertainment industry halted in many ways. I was the wig and makeup supervisor on the national tour of WAITRESS and we all were suddenly sent home. While being unemployed I started brainstorming about how I could take the skills I had attained and turn them into something that I could still share with the world. Thats when I started The Beauty Menagerie which is my wig company that has build for Broadway, Off Broadway, streaming services, theatres, operas, theme parks, and most importantly, people living with hair loss. I also started teaching masterclasses on advocacy, equity and inclusion in the wig and makeup rooms for artists of color. Now I’m currently the resident wig, hair, and makeup designer for Opera Orlando current season and continue to travel the country designing and teaching continued education courses on textured hair and makeup for deeper skin tones.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road but it’s been a necessary one. I have learned so much on this journey so far. It’s been a challenge being noticed in an industry of giants. There are wig companies more established and amazing wig and makeup designers doing immaculate work all over the country. I strive everyday to be counted in that number. Another hurdle is every company I design for has different budgetary restrictions and although some situations are tougher to navigate than others, I appreciate how it pushes me creatively to still produce great work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a full time traveling wig, hair, and makeup designer. I’m the founder and CEO of The Beauty Menagerie I am a textured hair specialist, EDI advocate for artist of color in the wig and makeup rooms , and a teacher of all things wigs, hair, and makeup.
I’m the most proud of my company and what it stands for. The Beauty Menagerie employs the best wig builders from all around the country and provides them opportunities that they may not be offered due to not living in a place like NYC. Some of my wig artisans are stay at home moms, or live in rural parts of the country and now building for Broadway is more attainable.
What sets me apart is my desire to be my best self and produce my best work always. I strive to be a light in every room I walk into and find something in every project that becomes my “favorite thing”. I’m so blessed to be living the life I’ve manifested by being a full time designer and business owner.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Everyone isn’t going to agree with you, your vision, your decisions, or actions and that’s okay. Every job isn’t for you and every opportunity won’t all be sunshine and rainbows. But in every experience, learn something.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.TheBeautyMenagerie.com
- Instagram: @the.beauty.menagerie
- Facebook: The Beauty Menagerie
