When your job is to make up a woman, it is important to pay careful attention to what she wants. Begin with a discussion of the woman’s lifestyle and skin
type. Ask about her makeup preferences, including the type of coverage and finish she likes in foundation. Before you begin any makeup application, it is important
to know how much time she wants to spend on makeup on a regular basis. You want to address any concerns she has and know what is comfortable. Find out what
kind of foundation she usually wears and her favorite lip color. Listen for real meaning. Sometimes what she says is not actually what she wants. One woman’s idea
of natural is another’s evening look. Continue to ask questions at every step. Have the client watch the application in a hand mirror. Let her assess the progress at
each stage, and listen to her likes and dislikes. She might find a concealer too light or dislike a darker brow. Adjust accordingly. Listening will help prevent
unnecessary work (like starting over), keep the client happy, and eventually produce results that you both can love.
INSPIRATION AND CREATIVITY
One of the best ways to train your eye and encourage your creativity is to keep a scrapbook. Think of it as a visual journal for thoughts, images, and completed
work. Tear any inspirational images from magazines. These could be faces, colors, or design concepts you find appealing. Sometimes even stationery, logos, or
labels can inspire. Carry a digital camera to record inspirational visuals you encounter in daily life, such as colors and textures found on buildings or in nature.
The way you organize the scrapbook is up to you. Options include slipping images into plastic sleeves in a binder, taping them into a bound notebook, or
tacking them onto a large bulletin board. Some artists prefer creating virtual scrapbooks, using a Web site to organize and store images and ideas. Other artists prefer
to organize scrapbooks by topic rather than chronologically. They keep binders on various topics, such as bridal looks, natural looks, celebrities, color, or objects
that inspire them.
As a makeup artist, you will go through dozens of scrapbooks during your career, but be sure to hold on to them. It will be helpful to reference your previous
work and inspirations when preparing for a shoot or fashion show. The scrapbook becomes a historical record of your career, and reviewing old ones can be an
important source of inspiration. I used to staple Polaroids into my day planner, and I still love looking back, remembering each shoot. I still have the red leather
notebook I kept when starting my lipstick line. In it are the names of the women who inspired the colors and all the notes from meetings in which I discussed the
line. It is a history that can reinspire me.
FINDING INSPIRATION
There are inspirations and ideas everywhere you look. I get inspiration from faces—women, men, children. I love to see how light affects different skin tones. I look
at fashion magazines old and new—from the 30s and 40s up to the present. I especially love images from the 70s and 80s, possibly because that’s when I became
involved in the beauty industry. I shop at art supply stores, gourmet food stores, and vintage stores, looking for inspiration. I get ideas while I am exercising and
listening to the music I love.
Be observant. Watch your client’s reactions, and be open to change.