Rachel Santos
With 25 years of experience leading makeup teams in the entertainment industry, two-time Emmy-award winning makeup artist Melanie Mills knows a thing or two about beauty.
For Mills, true beauty radiates from the inside out and with the opening of her new East Nashville makeup boutique and crystal apothecary, the Makeup Altar, Mills provides a welcoming space for makeup professionals and everyday folks alike to harness inner and outer beauty.
“This shop is my second act as well as my second home. It was very important to me to be able to incorporate my two passions,” Mills explains. “A professional makeup artist’s workstation is essentially an altar dedicated to the ritual of self-care and beauty. It made sense to me to intertwine these two elements. I believe in astrology, meditation, and crystal healing, which go hand-in-hand with self-care and self-love.”
When she moved from Los Angeles to Nashville in 2021 in search of a new life chapter, Mills pondered what the next step in her career would look like. One day while asking a friend in the industry where she could buy professional makeup products, she was shocked to discover that Nashville did not have a professional makeup store. In that moment everything clicked, and the Makeup Altar was born.
The boutique features a curated selection of products for both inner and outer beauty that professionals can trust, and that consumers can enjoy as unique alternatives to standard retail offerings. The store showcases high- quality brands that Mills herself has relied on throughout her extensive career with professional products including alcohol, brush cleansers, FX products, kit and makeup organizational storage accessories, pro artist palettes, powders, and more.
One of the many brands available is Mills’ own revolutionary makeup line, Melanie Mills Hollywood. As the head makeup artist for Dancing with the Stars for the show’s first 15 seasons and frustrated with the body makeup options on the market at the time, Mills started mixing up her own creation to achieve a level of glam that could hold up on live TV. Professional dancers and celebrities raved that they were “gleaming,” and since the brand’s inception Melanie Mills Hollywood has amassed astonishing popularity. It now includes six shades of transfer-resistant multipurpose Gleam Face and Body Radiances makeup, illuminating shimmering powders, makeup brushes, brush soap, and a long-lasting setting spray.
The Makeup Altar also doubles as a crystal apothecary, selling objects that contribute to inner beauty like gorgeous crystals, candles, incenses, smudge and sage wands, tarot and oracle decks, books, journals, jewelry, and much more. Additionally, Mills offers curated in-store events for both inner and outer beauty, makeup masterclasses, makeup services, and one-on-one makeup education.
“I’ve always loved the feeling of making people feel beautiful and the fulfillment I get when I’m able to teach people about the magic of makeup. I hope to share my spiritual beliefs through altar-building and crystal healing to inspire an overall love and acceptance for all,” says Mills. “The most important part of the shop is the community, both pros and locals, having a place they look forward to going and feeling safe, comfortable, and cozy.”
Along with products and services offered, the space itself was designed to radiate beauty. Mills incorporated elements collected for her own home including gorgeous chandeliers, breathtaking artwork, and playful feather lamps. Contrasted by the building's original 1920’s architecture including original windows, coal box fireplaces, and more, the boutique exudes creativity with every design detail. And as the Makeup Altar continues to grow alongside the community, Mills looks forward to helping each person feel a little more beautiful with every visit.
“Outer beauty is easy to achieve with the magic of makeup, but true beauty comes from within. Beauty is not just a sight to behold, but a feeling that first needs to come from within to be able to share light and love with others,” Mills says.
(114 A S. 11th St., 615-538-4515; themakeupaltar.com)