Fesa Nu is a Los Angeles-based freelance hair and makeup artist working across editorial shoots, commercial campaigns, and music videos. The Houston-native who has been working in hair for over twenty years and makeup over ten, caught our eye with her stunning beauty combos. While her job bookings dictate whether she does hair or makeup, there are occasions where she does both and is the sole author of beauty, like in her personal project The Art of Hair. Simple yet bold graphic liner makeup creations are paired with breathtaking sculptural hair looks inspired by traditional African hairstyles, effecting a final outcome that is in harmony with Nu’s undiluted vision.

Have you been drawn to beauty since you were young? How did you first get into doing hair? I was actually never into beauty growing up, it was more of a survival mechanism for me, well, learning to do hair was at least. I tapped into hair at a very young age because I lived with my father growing up. My father was married to a Hispanic women at that time and no one in the household knew how to do my hair. So when my father didn’t get me to my grandmother’s so my aunts could do my hair, he tried to do it. I went to school and got teased and bullied so I made efforts to learn to do it myself.

Getting into makeup was completely by accident. I remember working at a CPA firm and needing extra income, so a friend of mine told me to apply at Macy’s because they were always hiring. So I did; I interviewed and got the job. I thought I was being placed in the shoe department but with no previous experience I was placed in the beauty department. I was petrified! It was very intimidating in the beginning because I had no knowledge of any cosmetic products and was afraid to touch any face that wasn’t mine, lol! As time went on I began to learn more about each counter; we were given products gratis to take home and try, which made them easier to work with and sell. That is when my love for beauty was born and it blossomed from there. I am now independently freelancing as I continue to make a name for myself.

Tell us about your project The Art of Hair. What prompted you to start this project? The Art of Hair stems from my love for Africa. The art, the music, the people. My love for the culture runs very deep. The Art of Hair was created to inspire, embrace and help plant a powerful seed of love in our youth and those that need a small nudge to remember who we are, where we come from and what we stand for! This piece completely celebrates the Black woman in her crowning glory. I consider myself a poet in this hair and makeup industry and only want my work to reflect poetry that resembles the love I have for culture, music, art and Black excellence!

Do you prefer doing both hair and makeup together, or does it always depend on the job? I do love doing hair and makeup but sometimes it can be very time consuming, so which one I do pretty much depends on the job I get booked for. I find myself doing hair more since launching The Art of Hair.

How do you like to feed your creative inspiration? I feed my creative energy with a lot of music and sit-downs with my daughters who are also very creative. I get inspired that way. Lots of other things inspire me as well, like patterns, rhythms, beats, African art, I could go on and on.

What does hair mean to you? Hair means poetry to me, it means history, it means art. It means expressing who you are, who you can be and who you want to be. It’s limitless!

What kind of projects or briefs get you the most excited and why? I’m excited to continue The Art of Hair and take it to new heights, you will just have to stay tuned to see what’s next.