Meet Angela Petta | Beauty Micro-Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angela Petta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angela, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Gratitude is the essence of a happy and balanced life.” Angela Petta

You might ask, what is gratitude?

In my opinion, gratitude is an attitude. It helps us see the little pleasures in life that bring us joy. It could be small such as a smile from a stranger. It could be big as celebrating a milestone. Whatever it is, take a moment, breath in and out and say, “thank you”.

As I have aged gracefully, I have come to realize that gratitude plays a big role in having a happy balanced life.

Prior to being aware, my focus was on my failures, lack & being unhappy with where I was in life.

After reading some books that focused on gratitude; the message I discovered was that my focus was out of balance. Life is about ups & and downs. In order to have successes in your life, you need a period of learning from mistakes. Instead of thinking I failed, think, what am I to learn from this moment in time? How can I use this information to put me on the path I want to be on? How am I grateful for this lesson?

Once you are able to answer the above questions; you start being grateful for each moment of your life. Each moment is valuable & offers wisdom and knowledge that you did not possess. With age, comes wisdom. With wisdom comes knowledge. With knowledge comes the ability to make choices. With choices comes gratitude. With gratitude comes peace, balance and joy.

I am grateful to be 50. I am able to make choices from a place of gratitude. Not everyone is blessed to reach the age of 50. However, no matter your age, you can choose to live a life full of gratitude.

If we all choose a life based on a place from gratitude; we together will leave the world in a better condition.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always had a love for makeup starting at the age of two. My maternal aunt taught me about makeup and what each item was.

Fast forward to age 13 and I developed severe cystic acne. My mother took me to several doctors including a dermatologist.

Later, she took me to Merle Norman Cosmetics. I had a skincare analysis & my first skincare routine was born. I used the skincare religiously. Slowly, my skin began to heal & looked healthy.
From there, I started to use Merle Norman Cosmetics. At the age of 17, I was hired at the very Merle Norman boutique that I received my first skincare routine. I was so inspired to help others figure out the best routine for their skin type and the proper makeup look.

I took various training sessions at the Merle Norman conventions. I became a beauty advisor. I truly found my niche and purpose in the world. As a beauty advisor, I could help others look and feel their most authentic selves. I am grateful everytime a person that I was working with looked in the mirror and admired their reflection.

Years later, I became a certified makeup artist. To this day, I take masterclasses, watch and study other makeup artists and watch YouTube videos weekly.

In 2020, I was chosen as 1 of 11 super fans to be a model for the skincare company The Inkey List. I represented women over 40 at the age of 48.

A few months after, I started Beauty Forum by Angela which showcases products, techniques, instructions and humor to create the most authentic version of yourself specifically for 40+ women. My techniques can be used by anyone; but my niche is tailored to women 40+.

This age bracket is under represented in the beauty world. My goal is to bring women 40+ into the beauty forum to be seen, heard & showcased with the most current brands.

It is an honor and privilege to be writing these words. I am truly grateful for each season of my life. I never expected to be celebrated. My goal was to celebrate others and lift them up. So today, I celebrate with you, fellow makeup artists, lovers of makeup, lovers of skincare and women 40+. I am full of gratitude.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmm, interesting question. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time with my bestie in Santa Monica, CA (our home town). Here is our itinerary:

Day 1: We purchased some groceries and had a mahi mahi dinner with a bottle of wine. We relaxed, chatted, laughed and cried. It was as if we were 16 years old again.

Day 2: We took a stroll up Wilshire Blvd, went shopping at Ulta Beauty and enjoyed the sunny day.

We went back to her home, had lunch and chatted some more.

Next, we went to the beach and walked along the pier. It was so lovely. Many people were out and about. We are laid back people, so this is our idea of fun. We walked through the Rose garden, closed our eyes and listened to the ocean, took pictures of the wild life (a bunny and 2 squirrels) and sat and watched the sunset.

Last, we went to the famous Santa Monica Fish Market. We picked up some crab cakes and clam chowder. We went back to her home, created a glorious meal with some more wine.

We watched a movie, reminisced & enjoyed each other’s company.

I went home the next day. But, if we had more time, these are the things we would have done:

Gone shopping on Main Street which is full of lovely boutiques.

Stopped for a Starbucks while walking up one side of the street, crossed and walked back to her home. Since the weather is so lovely, walking is a great source of transportation.

El Cholo is a wonderful Mexican restaurant that we enjoy.

Perhaps, one day we would have gone to the day spa for manicure/pedicure, facial and rejuvenation.

We like to take it easy in the evening. We would have had dinner and a movie at her home.

To me, this is the perfect vacation.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have two shoutouts I would like to recognize.

Mrs. Gina Jacoby is a dear friend and colleague of mine. We have known each other since 2000.

I was the manager for her Merle Norman boutique.

She is such an amazing force. She meets each challenge with charisma, authenticity and passion.

I have worked with her over the years. There are many things that I learned from her. Probably, the most important thing I learned from her is integrity.

She brought out the leadership qualities in me; and she helped me with other endeavors in my life.

I am full of gratitude having her in my life. She is a great mentor for learning how to handle oneself in the business arena. Thank you Gina for all that you do. I treasure you.

My second shoutout is to Ms. Angela Jia Kim. She is the author of “Radical Radiance”. This is phenomenal book.

The book teaches you about self care rituals to elevate your mind, body and soul. Each chapter is full of simple rituals that put you in touch with the real you.

As you read this book, the rituals help you to develop your own confidence, charisma & how to radiant in a positive way. This new found confidence assists you in creating a life that you are grateful for. When you treat yourself well, you teach others how you want to be treated. This guides you how to be the most authentic version of yourself.

Website: http://msha.ke/beautyforumbyangela

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyforumbyangela/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/angelapetta

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Beauty_ForumAng

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautyforumbyangela/

Image Credits
The first photo is from The Inkey List 2020 campaign. All of the remaining photos are my photos. The very last photo was a client of mine for her son’s graduation.