Born and raised in Virginia, Kali Taylor found her way into beauty unexpectedly: taking cosmetology as a high school elective and graduating with her license. Her father, who had a passion for art, was the first to recognize makeup as Kali’s language. When she talked about contouring and highlighting, he simply said, “So you’re manipulating shadow and light,” giving her permission to treat the face as a canvas rather than a vanity project. At eighteen, Kali began freelancing and never stopped. In 2020, she was selected as one of ten artists for a competitive mentorship with legendary film makeup designer Kim Jones, an experience that helped shape the trajectory of her career. Now 29, with over eleven years of full-time freelancing, Kali has makeup-designed multiple Broadway productions, worked with celebrities, and traveled all over for campaigns. Yet her favorite part of the work has stayed the same: meeting new creatives, building something meaningful together, and helping the person in her chair feel more like themselves through her art.