Donna Mee, Professional Makeup Artist & owner of Empire Agency in Costa Mesa has been a State sponsor of THE TEEN AND MISS CALIFORNIA USA PAGEANTS since 1995. Ms. Mee comes to us with actual pageant contestant experience. Nineteen years ago, she was a pageant finalist herself! In her past eighteen years of education and experience as a professional makeup artist, she has worked with many celebrities and models performing makeup for both Stage and Television. Although Donna and her team of artists have been involved in pageants for only 5 years, they've applied makeup backstage and have given private lessons to over 85 contestants who have become title holders and top finalists in national and International competitions.   "Illusions are easily created on stage, when an artist has formal training. It is not about what you see in the mirror, it is about what the judges see." Donna is known as "The Guru of Pageant Makeup". She has truly perfected the application of makeup for contestants with her extensive knowledge of how stage lighting affects a woman's own coloring and bone structure. "The colors of the contestant's gown and the swimsuit are very important but if there is no understanding of the lighting she will be seen in, it is irrelevant." Many pageant contestants come to Empire's client studio for lessons, from out of state or fly Donna's staff across the country for their highly sought after skills in backstage makeup application. The artists who handle the pageant division have had extensive training in corrective, beauty, stage and makeup as well as intense knowledge of color & lighting to ensure great results for the contestants. Appropriate makeup application is completely different for the stage and interview competitions. What the judges see as the "right look" for the teen contestants is not the same as for a Miss or Mrs. contestant.     Jennifer Morgan   2002 Miss California Teen USA Tarah Peters   2002 Miss California USA Sof'ia Batista   2002 Mrs. United Nation International Amanda Borchert   2002 Mrs. United States, 1st runner up Mrs. United Nation International Maricela Castillo Mejia   2002 Mrs South America, 2nd runner up Mrs. United Nation International Sossi Postajian   2002 Mrs. Armenia, 3rd runner up Mrs. United Nation International Cori Teo Hooi Peng   2002 Mrs. Singapore Billye Fietz   2002 Mrs. Germany Jennifer Ormesher   2002 Mrs. Texas, 2nd runner up Mrs. United Nation U.S. Shana Graham   2002 Mrs. California, 3rd runner up Mrs. United Nation U.S. Lori Yanders   2002 Mrs. Pensylvania, 4th runner up Mrs. United Nation U.S. Heidi Scheer   2002 Mrs. Michigan, top 10 Mrs. United Nation U.S. Pam Tipton   2002 Mrs. Arkansas, top 10 Mrs. United Nation U.S. Michelle Blanton   2002 Mrs. District of Columbia, top 10 Mrs. United Nation Kelly Nikolof   2002 Mrs. New Jersey Venus Day   2002 Mrs. Florida Melissa Puckett   2002 Mrs. Virginia Terry Saenz   2002 Mrs. Nevada Amanda Zimmerman   2002 Mrs. Louisiana Susan Blount   2002 Mrs. Oklahoma Zantie Swanpoel   2001 Mrs. United Nation International, Mrs. South Africa Rani Khetarpal   2001 Mrs. India, 3rd runner up Mrs. United Nation International Amanda Borchert   2001 Mrs. United Nation US, Mrs. Utah Tu Sofelkanik   2001 Mrs. Pennsylvania, 3rd runner up, Mrs. United Nation U.S. Tawnee Alexander   2001 Miss Beauty Unlimited California Jennifer Glover   2001 Miss California USA Kacy McClain   2001 Miss California Teen USA Shana Grahm   2000 Mrs. California United Nation Raquel Marks   2000 1st runner up Mrs. California United Nation Terry Saenz   2000 2nd runner up Mrs. California United Nation Karen Caplan   2000 3rd runner up Mrs. California United Nation / Mrs. Photogenic Christina Luckey   2000 4th runner up Mrs. California United Nation Rebecca Keller   2000 Miss California USA Alexandra Thompson   2000 Miss California Teen USA Martha Redfearn   1999 Mrs. California United Nation Karen Caplan   1999 1st runner up Mrs. California United Nation / Photogenic Angelique Breaux   1999 Miss California USA Marianne Kennedy   1999 Miss California Teen USA Michelle Olson   1998 Mrs. United Nation International Jodi LaBossiere   1998 Mrs. Canada, 1st runner up Mrs. United Nation International Michelle Mahedran   1998 Mrs. Singapore, 2nd runner up Mrs.United Nation International Rebecca Primeau   1998 Mrs. France Laura Baechtel   1998 Mrs. Ireland Lynn Andich   1998 Mrs. Ukraine Lisa Liska   1998 Mrs. New Jersey, 1st runner up Mrs. United Nation U.S. Shauna Gambill   1998 Miss California USA, 1st runner up Miss USA/Miss World top 10 Amanda O'Leary   1998 Miss California Teen USA Stephanie Greer   1998 Miss Teen Riverside, 1st runner up Miss California Teen USA Nohoro Medina de Diaz   1998 Mrs. Colombia Sheila Griggs   1998 Miss California United States, 3rd runner up Miss United States Terry Saenz   1997 Mrs. US Globe, 1998 Miss American Beauty Alisa Kimble   1997 Miss California USA Kimberly Gloudemans   1997 Miss California Teen USA Ali Landry   1997 Miss USA Shirley Walters   1997 Mrs. Florida, 2nd runner up Mrs. United Nation U.S. Tracy Crist   1997 Mrs. Texas, 5th runner up Mrs. United Nation U.S. Shauna Searles   1996 Miss California USA Michelle Cardamon   1996 Miss California Teen USA