Paula Heckenast’s career started the way a lot of good ones do: by accident. In 2006 she gave a friend a ride to a makeup school orientation and, on a whim, enrolled herself. She kept her office job while she learned the craft, then went full-time in 2012 — and never looked back.
What she built is deliberately different from the industry standard. City Lights does not charge extra for “add-ons” like lashes or skin prep — everything is included in the base service, because a luxury, red-carpet result should not be a series of upcharges. And her team is made up of full-time production artists, so the same long-lasting, camera-ready techniques used in television and film are applied to every client — makeup that holds through humidity, tears, and all-day events.
From Chicago, the agency has grown to Tampa Bay and Los Angeles — and now operates nationwide under Florida Talent Agency License TA1765. Along the way Paula has been featured on national television and in national editorial, and built a roster of beauty talent she represents for brand deals. Her driving purpose, in her own words, is empowering people to feel confident.