Former resident featured in Wall Street Journal

By Diane Saunders, Staff Writer
Published on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 9:52 AM MST

Leslie Peck danced her way from the Gila Valley to Florida and then to New York City, where she was hired to apply facial makeup to models at a recent fashion show.

On Feb. 4, Peck, a former Safford resident, daughter of Bob Peck and granddaughter of Zona Peck, applied eye makeup to 22 fashion models at the New York fashion week headquarters in Bryant Park - and her grandmother, a former Valley beautician, couldn’t be prouder.

“I’m just busting at the seams,” Zona said.

Leslie’s career as a makeup artist is featured on the front page of the Feb. 9 issue of the Wall Street Journal. The story, written by Ellen Byron, states 30-year-old Leslie got her big break after working behind the cosmetics counter in Bloomingdale’s in New York.

In 2004, she went to work for Estee Lauder’s MAC cosmetics line, which is sold in department stores and MAC stores. The MAC brand trains its salespeople to apply makeup for fashion shows, photo shoots and films, and arranges fashion week assignments, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Leslie earned her MAC fashion-show certification, and when she finally got to New York, she took a job as a MAC counter artist at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street store.

When she was initially not chosen to apply the green and gold eye shadow to models’ faces, Leslie called the show’s coordinator and was offered a makeup position for the show. She worked beside high-profile makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Leslie, who grew up in the Valley and attended school in Thatcher, became interested in makeup at her grandmother’s beauty shop, the Beauty Bar, in Safford. Grandma Zona said when Leslie and her friends were in middle school they would come to the shop after school and experiment with hairstyles and makeup.

Her first love, however, was dancing.

“Leslie started training right here in Safford at the dance studio,” Zona said.

Leslie pursued a dancing career in Florida after graduating from college, but a leg tumor ended her professional dancing days, although she still gave lessons.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Leslie taught dancing on the side in Florida to earn money for her move to New York to pursue a career as a makeup artist.

One of Leslie’s most memorable students was Mikhail Baryshnikov, a Russian ballet dancer who defected to Canada in 1974 and eventually came to the United States.

Zona said Baryshnikov asked Leslie to teach him some ballroom dance steps.

Comments

10 comment(s)

    Ian Mccartney wrote on Sep 17, 2008 4:20 PM:

    " I went to this camp in the summer of 05 when they were located in concho. I highly doubt that vallentine is telling the truth because when i went they was plenty of food. I remeber that they made us but on spf 50 sunscreen by the gallons. They provided us with gallons of water a day. I think that denton should have stayed in concho because it was a lot better. Big deal the recruits have no ac or water. what to expect bootcamp to be a vaction? And by the way the dirt isnt going to kill you "

    H. Craig Bradley wrote on Apr 18, 2008 5:29 PM:

    " The percentage of Americans who recreate in the wild outdoors of our National Forests is shrinking all the time. Today's America is predominately an urban/suburban America. Increasingly, individuals can not part with their IPods, Cell Phones, Laptop Computers and Navigational Aides (GPS). Roughing it outdoors is an experience that fewer and fewer individuals are getting "

    Anonymous wrote on Apr 3, 2008 5:06 PM:

    " Why not tell these people and organizations how you feel?

    Vice Principal Kerry Wilson
    Principal Robert Beeman
    Superintendent Mark Tregaskes
    Safford, Arizona Middle School

    734 11Th Street
    Safford, AZ 85546
    Phone Number: (928) 348-7040

    http://az.localschooldirectory.com/schools_info.php/school_id/3495 "

    THS Alum 2004 wrote on Mar 20, 2008 4:21 PM:

    " I graduated with these guys and it's sad to say that I'm really not that surprised. They're meat heads and are a "few fries short of a happy meal". The authorities did nothing wrong, these people made a dumb choice and will have to deal with the consequences.

    P.S. Doug did it. "

    blah wrote on Mar 6, 2008 8:29 AM:

    " Whatever "

    colton wrote on Jan 29, 2008 2:02 PM:

    " i think doug grant is innocent an i think you should not charge him for murder "

    saline wrote on Jan 29, 2008 2:01 PM:

    " hello hello hello hello hello hello "

    Michael Jackson wrote on Dec 11, 2007 3:02 PM:

    " Why doesn't this newspaper admit that the story reported by Pam Crandall, as related by Jesse MacBeth, in the above article, is a flat out lie??? MacBeth has since admitted that he did not go to Iraq and that he made up all of the stories repeated by Pam Crandall. Please tell the truth. The longer that the Courier stands by these lies the sillier it looks. "

    Jesu Christ! wrote on Oct 25, 2007 8:53 PM:

    " And the authorities wonder why it is that students have so little respect for authority. If I were this kid (or the kid's mother) I would never look at authority the same way again. "

    Daniel Connell wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:35 AM:

    " i am writting to say that this was a harmless prank and just a little fun for these two innocent teenagers. they should have not gotten in that much trouble for just a harmless prank. being a friend to them you wouldnt see it in my view. they were just looking to have fun in safford because there is nothing else to do and jose hernandez should have not been sent to ADJC on his first crime he ever commited. "

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