AKRON, Ohio — Ever since she was a child, Coco Miletti-Hall knew she wanted to be a makeup artist.

Her job isn't just about making people look pretty. She helps people feel comfortable in their own skin with gender-affirming makeup lessons. 

Miletti-Hall's favorite part of the job is making people smile. 

"It is important for the trans community to feel safe, to feel accepted and celebrated and to know that they are getting good knowledge,” Miletti-Hall said.

She walks clients, like Joce McCall, through each step of a makeup routine and teaches them how to use the products they already own. 

“We don’t get those opportunities because it is thought of as weird or whatever, growing up, and especially for someone who was transitioning later in life like I did." McCall said. "Growing up in that situation, you need someone to direct you or teach you because your mom didn’t or you didn’t have that female model or person saying this is how you do it.”

Miletti-Hall doesn’t have a set price for her gender-affirming lessons. 

"We only charge whatever you can afford because it is super expensive to transition,” Miletti-Hall said.

She said she wouldn’t be able to do all of this without the help of Jake Jiji Hallett, her assistant.

"The fact that I am able to help people in any way," Hallett said. "Whether it's here or if I am somewhere else and somebody has a question or a friend has a question, I really am just stoked to be able to answer them to the best of my knowledge and answer them and help make them feel better, you know.” 

You can go to Miletti-Hall's website for more information on the gender-affirming makeup classes or take a look at everything else she offers. 

“To see the actual expression and the smile, it is just awesome. It makes me feel like I am making the world a better place one person at a time,” Miletti-Hall said.