In those early years, he would go to the library every day in search of freelance makeup artist gigs around the city. Eventually, he became a regional makeup artist for Lorac Cosmetics, which allowed him to meet people in the fashion industry. "I would do these test shoots with photographers to build my book," Dedivanovic says. "Then, I eventually scored my first agent when I was 21."
Things started to pick up until he realised that the fashion industry wasn't for him. Instead, he went back to freelancing and eventually found himself working backstage for Miss USA and Miss Universe.
Dedivanovic was still hiding his career from his family, pretending he was working in fragrance. They didn't find out until they found the shoebox he had in his room where he was building a makeup kit. "Long story short, I took the box, and I ran away from home."
Work-wise, things snowballed from there. Around 2006, he got his first two celebrity clients: Gina Gershon and Natasha Bedingfield. "I loved it," Dedivanovic says. "I just knew that was what I wanted to do because I loved the glamor of it."
Then, in 2008 came the opportunity to work with Kim Kardashian. Their first meeting almost didn't happen.
Image Source: Bonnie Mills / Courtesy of Mario Dedivanovic / Getty Images