What is it like working as a makeup artist?

I love the creative aspect of working as a makeup artist. It’s such a unique art form because the canvas you have is the human face, and there are different colors, face shapes, skin textures and skin types which makes it more challenging and fun. It’s tough, and as with any form of art requires you to be meticulous, which I love because I’m a perfectionist, so it’s the right career for me. I love the emotional fulfillment it gives me as well. I think having the ability to make someone feel good about themselves is so amazing.


How did you get into makeup?

I’ve always been into beauty and skin care. Ever since I got my hands on makeup, I think I was 12 or 13, I would spend my free time reading about makeup and skincare products and watching YouTube tutorials. I would practice makeup looks on myself and do makeovers and facials for friends. I would be their go to “beauty consultant.” I decided I wanted to be a makeup artist and enrolled in makeup school, Michael Vincent Academy in Los Angeles. Ever since then, I’ve been doing freelance work on photo shoots, special events, weddings, red carpet, commercials, short films, and video production shoots. A little bit of everything.


We saw that apart from “regular” makeup, you also do makeup for special effects, how is working on those projects different?

Special effects makeup is super fun. It’s really amazing seeing your work come to life and look realistic. Depending on how crazy the look is, the process definitely takes longer, not to mention a lot messier! My Finals for the Special Effects class took six hours to complete!


What’s the craziest makeup look you’ve ever done for a client?

Aside from my special effects finals look where I created this swamp creature, I had this really fun music video production gig where I did five character makeup looks from the Blade Runner--Rachael, Pris, Geisha, Roy Batty, and Rick--on one person. One of the looks involved making the person bald, so that was really fun!


How much do the makeup products costs for one of those projects?

The special effects final looks probably cost about $200, but most of the supplies were provided.


How important is makeup for a woman?

It’s all about personal preference, some women prefer to wear makeup and some don’t. But if you’re talking about photo shoots, weddings, special events, movie sets, etc. yes, makeup has definitely become a necessity.


In my opinion, with the right hands, makeup enhances beauty, which is a powerful thing! When a woman feels beautiful, they’re in a better mood, they feel confident, and they project that confidence to the world.


A lot of men say that they prefer women with no makeup. Do you have any reactions to that?

I don’t think it’s about the makeup at all. Men are not attracted to makeup. Men are attracted to good looking women, ha ha! Bad and/or heavy makeup is another story.


How much work goes into achieving a no-makeup makeup look?

It all starts with a creating a good base–the skin. Make sure the skin is properly moisturized, hydrated and primed so that the makeup goes on smoothly. Another important thing is making sure the foundation color matches the skin tone. And blend, blend blend!

 

Do you think more men should learn more about makeup? Or even use makeup themselves?

Not necessarily, it’s all about personal preference as well. Some men use it or hire a makeup artist because of their careers as actors and models.