A native of Queens, New York, she began her career in sales and marketing for a beauty magazine publisher, not as a makeup artist. With no formal training and no money, she taught herself makeup artistry in her basement, long before social media existed to guide her.

She went on to lead product development at KISS and Benefit Cosmetics, earning a reputation as one of the most innovative minds behind some of the industry’s most successful launches.

In 2015, she launched Danessa Myricks Beauty, built on a simple but radical conviction: that makeup should work for all faces, all skin tones, all genders. Every product the brand develops is multi-use and multi-functional, a revolutionary approach that has earned her the nickname “the Willy Wonka of Beauty” and over 100 industry accolades, including nine Allure Best of Beauty awards, placement on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list, and two spots on WWD’s Most Powerful Beauty Brands list.

Allure has called her “your makeup artist’s favourite makeup artist.” In 2025, TIME honoured her at its Impact Dinner: The Closers, recognising her among 25 Black leaders working towards equity and fairness.