T-R PHOTOS BY AUSTIN CHADDERDON Danielle Krasnovsky focuses on a blending method during the early stages of a makeup application session. She officially launched her freelance cosmetic business, Krasnovsky Kosmetics, on Dec. 2.

Danielle Krasnovsky is a longtime Marshalltown resident who works as a freelance makeup artist under the name Krasnovsky Kosmetics, which officially launched on Dec. 2. The business offers cosmetic applications for bridal and special events. The idea for Krasnovsky Kosmetics first emerged during Coronavirus lockdowns in 2020, but its framework has been developing through her life experiences since she was a little girl.

When Krasnovsky was growing up, she had little interest in makeup. The women in her family were much older and never wore it, so it wasn’t something on her radar. When she transferred from private to public school, she had a difficult transition and was bullied because of her appearance.

Her life as a teenager changed drastically when she joined the cheerleading team at Marshalltown High School.

“I became more active, and I made so many new friends who would teach me how to do my hair, my makeup, tweeze, wax or pluck and who made me feel like I was already beautiful and just needed to enhance that,” she said.

Later in life, makeup offered her solace during an abusive relationship — in her view, it actually saved her.

“I was in a domestic violence situation for many years, and I really perfected hiding bruises and marks that I was embarrassed of,” she said. “I developed an eating disorder because someone told me for years that I was ugly, unworthy of love, and that I would never amount to much without that person.”

Once she was able to break free from the relationship, she had to rebuild herself from the ground up. Practicing makeup reminded her how much she missed not only her friends, but feeling connected with herself.

“It was that self-love and learning to rebuild my confidence through makeup that led me to my husband and my family,” she said. “And as much as I love myself with makeup, my family loves me even more without it.”

Krasnovsky wants everyone to have the opportunity to feel comfortable in their own skin. If she can help, even in the smallest way, “that’s worth more than all the money in the world.”

Cadence Moon, who rarely wears makeup beyond eyeliner, models the work of Krasnovsky Kosmetics. She was shocked and excited by the final result. Owner Danielle Krasnovsky writes a detailed model profile for each session noting the client’s desires, the quality of the skin and procedure she follows.

“You can’t start a fire without a spark”

At 28, she had the life experience and perspective to offer that help, but the circumstances that took her skills to the next level were unexpected.

While she was stuck at home during the 2020 COVID lockdowns, Krasnovsky spent her time experimenting with artistic makeup techniques and posting the results on social media. Through a web of Facebook fitness journeys and first attempts at homemade sourdough bread, Krasnovsky’s styling skills stood out. This laid the foundation for Krasnovsky Kosmetics–a business she didn’t even realize she was building.

When she first posted the results of her research and practice, using herself as the model, she quickly received requests and encouraging comments from friends, and even the owners of local beauty shops.

“People asked me to do their makeup for weddings and family photos,” she said. “I love helping people so how could I say no?”

Playing a role in other’s big moments was energizing, and her work was well-received beyond what she expected. So, when homecoming came around, she offered sessions to students for a modest fee. Every client tipped beyond what they were charged, and Krasnovsky began to realize she might have something sustainable.

“When they looked at themselves after the process, they just lit up…it’s an amazing feeling knowing that I brought this spark out in them and fanned it into a flame,” she said. “I thought, ‘Wow, maybe I should offer this more than just once in a blue moon-and Krasnovsky Kosmetics was born.”

So far, Krasnovsky’s most popular service as a freelance makeup artist has been glam application, which features shimmers and sparkles to give a “goddess-like” glow. She also offers natural, smokey, bridal and makeup application lessons.

“I want to personalize my client’s style. I don’t just want to offer the cookie cutter consultation,” she said. “I want to take their style and enhance it so they might be able to replicate it themselves.”

Hometown ties

Krasnovsky has lived in Marshalltown for over 30 years and has generational ties to the community as far back as the late nineteenth century, and she’s proud of where she lives. She passionately supports a diverse range of local businesses, and has made friends with the owners and stylists of the many salons she’s frequented.

She said there are a lot of great options for cosmetics and beauty care in Marshalltown, but with the organic growth of her own small business, it appears there’s room, and demand, for at least one more.

Krasnovsky Kosmetics is gaining traction, and Krasnovsky has a lot on her plate. She’s happy to keep it that way. She has five kids, a husband, two dogs and a fulfilling job that allows for the work life balance she needs. Naturally, she lives in a “madhouse,” in her own words, so she travels to her client’s homes or to the coinciding venue.

She envisions herself in a dedicated studio space eventually, but for now, she’s content with running the business as a side hustle. She can look back at difficult times growing up with a healthy perspective that allows her to connect with clients in a more meaningful way.

Finding that one thing

Adolescence is hard, and Krasnovsky still wishes her mother and aunt would have been able to help her avoid some of her own heartaches and struggles with self-image.

“I remember what it felt like to not love myself, and I think it’s a daily struggle for even the most beautiful people,” she said. “We can all like ourselves and fixate on that one thing that we dislike so much that it prevents us from being our best selves.”

With makeup, she can hide that one “imperfection” and highlight other features to boost someone’s confidence.

She can empathize and offer compassion to her younger clients because she remembers what it felt like to be bullied for her appearance. When it came time for Krasnovsky’s own daughter to explore makeup, she was prepared to serve as her guide.

Lauren, her oldest daughter, is a freshman at MHS and a member of the dance team. Danielle started introducing her to makeup when she was in middle school, but she says Lauren has been wearing it to dance recitals since she was three years old.

“I feel that using makeup in pageants or dance competitions is an aspect of the ‘razzle-dazzle’ of putting on a show,” she said. “They use makeup in movies and plays as a way to bring the audience into another world.”

With adult supervision, it’s a fun and reasonable part of recitals. Without the supervision, she calls it a “paycheck palette” — referring to the very expensive makeup she’s shed tears over losing to a quick-handed toddler.

Krasnovsky says the best thing about makeup is that it’s for everyone, and that leaves her potential clientele base wide open.

“I’ve done makeup on girls as young as 10, young people who are interested in drag or transitioning at some point in their lives, and some more mature women who are interested in covering some dark circles or wrinkles,” she said.

Still, her ideal client is someone around her daughter’s age who is entering high school, trying to discover who they are and seeking to bring out their natural beauty.

Danielle Krasnovsky can be reached at (641) 900-6241 and danielle@krasnovskykosmetics.com. Krasnovsky Kosmetics can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/krasnovskykosmetics

Do’s and Don’ts

“There is not enough time in the world for that,” Krasnovsky said about the styles she embraced in the past that now haunt her.

“If it was a trend, I probably tried it. From gaucho pants to overtweezed eyebrows, powder blue eyeshadow and racoon eyeshadow,” she said. “I wish my mom hadn’t saved so much evidence of my emo phase. I blame my sister for that style.”

She says makeup trends are always changing. Fashion designers and celebrities are the ones who get to decide what’s outdated, and people usually go along with it. For Krasnovsky, nothing is ever outdated, and trends aren’t universal. If it works, go for it.

Having a skin routine in place for before and after applying makeup is at the top of her “do” list.

“Skin is an organ with pores and absorbs everything! Skin absorbs oils from your sheets when you go to bed, so you want to wash first thing in the morning before you apply any type of makeup and wash all of it off at the end of your day,” she said.

The second on her “do” list addresses the frigid air of winter months. It’s the skin’s need for moisture.

“If your skin is naturally dry from rosacea or past misuse, it’s important to find a serum or jelly that hydrates extra well and uses a hyaluronic acid to fight redness or discoloration,” she said.

Krasnovsky keeps hearing that contour is going out of style, but she doesn’t see it that way.

“For me, it’s never going out of style. I’m not changing the shape of the face. I’m enhancing their natural angles using light and dark tones based on their specific face shape,” she said.

Her “don’ts” includes using expired or damaged products. She sees videos promoting ways to revive or recycle makeup.

“The chemicals in makeup can go bad and irritate the skin causing acne, redness, blackheads, a buildup of oils that is so difficult to come back from,” she said.

Makeup can get expensive, and it’s not worth saving a few dollars and running the risks of what can happen to the skin due to the chemicals that are used in cheap makeup.

“When I started using makeup, my skin was horrible,” she said. “I was a teen and could only afford drugstore makeup and as a teen going through puberty with a greasy diet, using cheap product was the worst thing I did for my skin.

Krasnovsky also says it’s better to build up the shade and depth gradually.

“It’s easier to add powders when you go a shade lighter. If you go darker, you end up looking like an oompa loompa. We’ve all been there, and if you go darker on your brows, you’ll look like Rowan Atkinson,” she said.

Glam Glow on model Cadence Moon

Krasnovsky visited her friend Cadence Moon’s apartment on Wednesday to show her possibilities with makeup. Moon said she rarely wears much beyond eyeliner, so the end result was a drastic juxtaposition.

“Oh, my god. I don’t want to go to bed tonight so I don’t have to take it off,” she said.

Moon let Krasnovsky take the lead in choosing the style, and she went for glam, to give a glowy look.

Krasnovsky writes detailed model profiles of each session she does. The profile for Moon included consultation information that addressed her desire to cover red and sensitive skin, Rosacea. It then went on to describe the process from pre-application through six categories of steps, and final instructions which she gave to Moon.