Marietta Carter-Narcisse, internationally renowned educator, and veteran celebrity makeup artist, has a passion for sharing beauty that’s apparent in everything she does -- whether she’s standing with a color palette in hand, brush poised before a famous face ready to be made up, or lecturing before a classroom, training a whole new generation of makeup artists.
Carter-Narcisse launched her career as an assistant wardrobe stylist to her younger brother, during the Commodores’ 1983 European Tour. Through him, she met and toured with Natalie Cole as her image consultant and personal assistant. This led to a string of hit music videos, commercials, television shows and a successful career as one of the most sought-after makeup artists in motion pictures. She has amassed an extensive list of film credits that include the soon-to-be-released John Singleton project Rebel, Lifetime Television’s remake of Beaches and Lifetime's 2015 movie Whitney, Sparkle, Baby Boy, Eve’s Bayou, Tina: What’s Love Got to Do With It?, Malcolm X, Boyz ‘N The Hood, Ghost, and numerous others. The list of actors she has worked with reads like a who's who in entertainment, from Angela Bassett, Denzel Washington, Michelle Pfeiffer, Whoopi Goldberg, Cindy Crawford Jordin Sparks, Nia Long, Danielle Mone Truitt to personal makeup artist for Samuel Jackson for many years, the list goes on and on.
She holds a Master of Science Degree in Higher Education and current cosmetology licenses in both California and Florida. She is a voting member of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a member of the Make-Up Artists & Hairstylists Branch Executive Board, a member of the Make-Up Artists & Hairstylists Guild I.A.T.S.E Local 706 – and a master educator for Make Up For Ever's Film & Television Academy at Cite du Cinema in Saint Denis, France. Carter-Narcisse has also authored two books pertaining to the film and television industry--The Little Brown Book...Buzzwords & Lingo (TV|Film|Print|Retail), and The Official Film & Television Weekly Planner, formerly the MUA Planner, now in its fourth year of publication.
A humanitarian at heart, Carter-Narcisse is passionate about her volunteer efforts. Upon relocating from Los Angeles to South Florida in 2004, she immediately joined the parent association of the Lycée Franco Américain and The International School of Broward (ISB), the French schools her son attended. As the first chairperson of ISB she raised in excess of $25,000 through spearheading numerous fundraising events and activities. The fundraising events included an annual walk-a-thon, several food and clothing drives for Haiti, publicity for the school and an annual yearbook. She is a former board member of Dress for Success Miami, a non-profit organization that outfits needy women entering the workplace. In addition, she has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity –Women’s Building Project.
In 2016 she received Best Contemporary Makeup Nomination: Whitney for Mini Series (MOW) Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Local 706 and was honored by Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) for her contribution to Makeup & Hairstyling for Film and Television. In 2014, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Barbados Music, Fashion & Film Awards. Carter-Narcisse was also featured on WPLG Chanel 10 “Holiday Makeup Looks”, and “Oscar Winners Always Thank The Academy But Who is The Academy?”. She has also participated in tributes remembering the late Whitney Houston on south Florida’s channels 2, 4, 6 and 10, Ebony, Allure and Essence Magazines, The South Florida Sun Sentinel, On Makeup Magazine and Makeup Artist Magazine.
Passionate about film making and giving back, Carter-Narcisse has lent her hand to the budding film industry in Barbados by consulting, producing, training and doing makeup and costumes with local Barbadian film makers Alison Saunders’s Panama Reenactments; and Marcia Weekes’s Chrissy, Vigilante – The Crossing and Errol Barrow: Freedom Fighter.
Carter-Narcisse currently resides in south Florida with her husband of 30 years and their son.