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BEHIND
THE PHOENIX
Phoenix in Flight MUA was founded in 2011 under the name Kristen Ridge Makeup Artistry in Bamberg, Germany. Kristen started her career with a local boudoir photographer, getting acquainted in the world of professional beauty. In 2012 she returned stateside with her now retired military husband and one-year-old son, to continue her work with local photographers.
Kristen did makeup and hair on the side for a few years while maintaining a part-time job. In 2014, after Kristen and her husband welcomed their second son, she decided to become a full-time makeup artist again.
Phoenix in Flight was re-branded in the early Spring of 2017 after Kristen lost her mother the previous year.
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" After losing my mother in the Winter of 2015, a fierce depression washed over me. For almost a year, I was a hermit, ignoring self-care, and consumed in darkness. There was a day that everything could have changed, it could have been my last, but here I am. Sobbing in the mud after I realized I couldn't take my own life, it hit me harder than anything. It was like my mom was right there telling me, 'Kristen, get up, you are worth more than you could imagine'. Right then and there I snapped out of my own mind of a prison. I got up and I said NO MORE. I am going to rise out of these ashes, and soar like the Phoenix I am.
My story isn't over ; "
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Once the re-branding was official, Kristen wanted to offer more than just makeup. She wanted to offer her clients a soul-changing experience, so in the Spring of 2017, she went after her esthetics license at Tricoci University.
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" Since a well-prepared canvas truly enhances the masterpiece, knowing the science of skin is one of the greatest advantages of being a professional makeup artist. Also, with this license, I will be able to create a relaxing and luxuriant environment with soul fueling services for my amazing clients. "
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2018 was a big year, opening our first physical location. We partnered with Velvet Lotus Photography and they graciously let us rent space from within their studio. We quickly realized how much more space our ever-growing businesses needed. We relocated to downtown Lafayette in the late Summer of 2018 and finally completed enough renovations in 2019 to allow for walk-in appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We can honestly say we not only put sweat, blood, and tears into PiF, we put our whole heart.
"Our mission is to provide services in a relaxing and luxuriant atmosphere that will add value and encourage self-care in the lives of those in our community."
THE RISE
FROM THE ASHES
Trusting the way the Universe moves is one of the hardest things to do. This past Summer (2019), PiF's downtown location was no match for the heavy midwestern rains and storms. Unfortunately, our service room was flooded and has caused damage that compromises our mission to our wonderful clients.
Right now PiF is only offering makeup services with simple added on skincare. We had really high hopes of finding an actual location to do our full-service spa menu again, but that has been a bigger challenge than initially thought. We will be switching gears for 2020, and we're so excited to move freely in a new direction.
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Thank you so much for your continued support, no matter where we land. The PiF brand keeps presenting itself, in the form of having to rebirth to new ideas or settling with a plan B (C, D, E, etc). Sometimes we may not know where we're going, but we have to trust that journey. We are so much more than the artistry or spa. We are soul nurturers and confidence boosters. We want everyone who experiences Phoenix in Flight to feel full of love, self-worth, and confidence. We are in this crazy life together and are here to help calm some of the chaos by celebrating your beauty.
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