Makeup Questions

[Anonymous]

Goodmorning , I'm doing a senior project and need a few questions answered from a professional makeup artist or anyone that can efficiently answer all my questions. Please leave your name.

1. What made you want to get into makeup and how did you better your skills over time?

2. What are your thoughts towards company's that seem to have a difficult time creating products for women of color? Such as brown skin and darker melanin?

3. What made you decide to purse a career in the cosmetology industry?

4. What advice would you give to younger makeup artist that would like to someday purse a career in the industry?

[lylysa]

I've worked for many years in the beauty retail industry and have also worked as a freelancer where I would work side by side with photographers and I will say that there are many different perspectives and aspects that can come with the term "makeup artist".

For example, many of the Cast Members that work in Sephora and even retailers like MAC go through their own trainings and certifications in order to be qualified to do makeup on the sales floor, but you also have independent folks who may be hired on by brands as their own "freelancer" or "specialty artist" where they demonstrate their artistry and learned application to further drive sales of that particular line.

Then there are also those who may be employed by a talent agency or work independently with photographers, models, or clients who may book them for specific photoshoots or special events.

There are also those who have invested in cosmotology schools to obtain their beauty license, which may also encompass specialty aspects such as skin care, nails, and hair. While I do not have a license, many friends of mine do and state that in cosmetology school, there really isn't a very strong or lengthy focus on makeup but rather the other three genres presented earlier. Businesses such as spas or salons will often time require the person they hire to do makeup to have a license just to stick with business standings and comply with local regulations based upon their business type (for example, the salon in the back of Ulta will have their esthetician perform all makeovers booked in that area as they're licensed to perform facial/skin services just as their hair stylists are licensed to perform hair services versus booking a makeover appointment on the primary sales floor with an employee of Ulta who works in the prestige makeup area). Depending on the state and even city you live in, the legalities of needing or not needing a license will vary and will outline the specifics over what is and isn't allowed to be performed due to liability issues.

There are also those who have attended and completed makeup courses or seminars hosted by specialty beauty schools or individuals that may specialize in a particular field in beauty (for example, WolfeFX may host a body painting master class for body paint enthusiasts or those looking to add that skill set to their artistry arsenal). These classes often come with a "Congrats, you've completed this course and are now certified from this brand" certificate or confirmation; however, these may or may not hold any prevalence in how they are applied. Take for example how I mentioned spas will hire someone with a cosmetology license, but if you were to walk in and say "Well, I'm certified by X company to do makeup", that won't really give you all the qualifications to get the job as you may be lacking the actual beauty license issued by the state board. Think of this particular segment of schools/learning as a feather in the cap for an artist, it's not required, but investing in improving and expanding one's skill set certainly can make for a more well-rounded artist.

With the growing use of social media today, there are also those who showcase their own artistry and talents using makeup strictly on themselves without necessarily even working with others or clients, but will brand themselves as "makeup artists" as they consider themselves artists who use the medium of makeup, but aren't "for hire".

I'm not sure if you may be looking for input from those of your specific definition of "professional makeup artist", but if you are looking for responses from a more detailed category of those who may be working with makeup or in the industry, please specify so those folks in particular will know you're directing questions to them.

I'm not sure if you may be looking for input from those of your specific definition of "professional makeup artist", but if you are looking for responses from a more detailed category of those who may be working with makeup or in the industry, please specify so those folks in particular will know you're directing questions to them.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your help!

[Insomniacmuffin]

Not to be rude - but we don't "work" here.. so if you would like people to take the time to provide you with their expertise and insight then perhaps making the request more friendly and personable will be more "efficient".

Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

I understand people may not work here, but I said if there is any professional makeup artist or ANYONE that can efficiently answer my questions that would be great as well, I have tried reaching out to professionals months ago but never have they got back to me. So I figured a community that has that same passion for makeup could be beneficial.

[lylysa]

If you find that interviewing or speaking with a retail freelancer for a specific brand or even a Cast Member at Sephora would be beneficial and provide you with the information you're looking to gather, I'd recommend visiting your local Sephora store as there are always folks around of that caliber. Brand freelancers/reps tend to be present constantly to provide a store with added support and Cast Members who work day in and day out with the product will be very familiar with what the store has to offer. This may be a viable option if you're looking to get their input.

If you're trying to get input from artists locally, you may wish to try contacting any local talent or modeling agencies or scour social media to see if there are any independent freelancers that are in your surrounding area to reach out to.

Again, I'm not sure how you're defining "professional makeup artist", so depending on your approach to that aspect may determine who to ask and how to go about it best.

[Onceuponatime45]

@InsomniacmuffinI got this request via private message and to tell you the truth, I think some of these people are scam artists. They want to get information out of people. I would say watch out...

[Anonymous]

I specifically said it was for my senior project if you did not catch that part so please don't jump to assumptions on my thread if you don't understand the situation. Thank you.

[lylysa]

Beauty Talk has unfortunately been hit lately with a lot of spam or fake accounts in which members have been either reached out to directly via personal message or have had threads created with very vague and suspicious content. I'm sure no one here is outright stating you are personally a scam artist, it's just personal alert is on a higher guard. 

Even I have received a message before of someone claiming they were doing research for a project and wanted me to check out XYZ or contact ABC, so it's sad to think that due to the false actions of others that your intentions of merely doing research for a senior project are becoming hindered. 

I've made mention above in my responses of seeking a bit more clarification on how you may be defining "professional makeup artist", so perhaps sharing with us that information can help us ensure you're receiving the proper replies. For example, if you're strictly looking for individuals who are working as what can be considered a 1099K contractor/non-employee of a company but is merely an independant makeup artist, then us knowing that would be very helpful as then only those who fit that category could respond (versus having someone who works at Sephora or Ulta).