about the honest image
Helping Women of Any Age Discover Their Beauty
The Honest Image is a leading Makeup and Image Consulting Studio in the Albuquerque area. For over two decades, we have been dedicated to helping women of any age discover their most beautiful selves, their honest image. We provide a private, welcoming studio in the Uptown area where you can relax and experience a luxurious, customized makeup and image lesson tailored just for you.
get to know marla
Meet Your Makeup & Image Consultant
Makeup Coach, Confidence Builder, Boy Mom, and Entrepreneur driven by Building Relationships First
I’m Marla, owner of The Honest Image Studio. I’m a former High School English and Theatre teacher and Association Executive. Over twenty years ago, I married my passion for teaching to my love of fashion and makeup and decided to start my own business. I’ve helped hundreds of women discover a makeup look they love and colors and styles that make them feel vibrant and polished.
Why The Honest Image brand? I know that some women feel like they need an image or makeup update, but they hesitate to go to someone or someplace for fear of looking like something that they’re NOT. Sound familiar? I’m passionate about listening to my clients’ image needs and goals and helping them during life transitions, getting ready for special occasions, or just fun, personal pampering.
Many of my clients are women who don’t love makeup but love looking like they love makeup. My clients want to look like their version of beauty, not social media’s filtered version.
Don’t worry if you like wearing very little makeup or none, you’re my favorite client. If you’re a teen experiencing your first makeup lesson or a senior whose age has changed but your makeup has not, my goal is to guarantee you feel beautiful and confident when you leave my studio. That’s my passion. That’s my promise.
The Honest Image Promise
Every woman deserves to look and feel beautiful and on her terms.
Beauty is a mindset fueled by self-confidence and each woman's unique style. Every woman deserves to look and feel beautiful and on her terms. You may come in feeling overwhelmed and unsure, but you’ll walk out feeling confident and the best version of yourself. That’s The Honest Image promise.
why tulips?
Seams And Blooms... A Legacy
I've always believed that beauty is not just about what you see but also about how it makes you feel. My passion for beauty finds its roots in my mother’s talent for sewing. I always had beautiful, homemade clothing, and she taught me to sew. I fondly remember the hours we spent in fabric stores flipping through Simplicity, McCalls & Vogue pattern counter books for the latest styles and then searching for the perfect fabric.
The fabrics my mother chose and the colors she blended taught me that beauty lies in the details and the elegant way it makes you feel. The photo of my sister and me in our white eyelet dresses and big lavender sashes that my mother created is a special memory. We were standing next to my grandfather’s colorful tulips, symbols of passion, belief, and love. It’s no wonder that tulips hold a special place in my heart and are a perfect icon for my brand.
