Becoming A Makeup Artist

What kind of makeup do you do?

All sorts of makeup ranging from working in fashion photography, video work for boy band, girl bands, television and working with the public doing bridal wear.

How did you become a makeup artist?

I trained as a fine artist at Saint Martins on a foundation course, and decided it really wasn't for me, I wanted to work more with the public, so I then went on to study makeup, fashion styling and hair at Saint Martins, and the other side of Saint Martins, which is London College of Fashion, and we did a lot of work experience there working with models, going on shoots, got a lot of background experience, and then I decided to set up my own company, which is where I am now.

Is it a very competitive industry?

It's extremely competitive; more so now than it ever has been. There's about, I think, a 40 percent pass rate at the college, and only 10 percent of those actually go on to get work in the industry.

Would you recommend being a makeup artist as a career?

I would if you're quite tough, and if you can except rejection. Makeup is, particularly when working with the public is a personal matter of taste more than anything. What you do may not be what someone else likes, and you have to have quite a thick skin. On the other hand, I do think it's a particularly creative job, so if you want to be creative and work with the public it's a great way of combining the two.

What advice would you give an aspiring makeup artist?

Gain as much experience as you can, possibly gain at the beginning. You will have to work for free which is always very hard at the start. And accept that you are going to have to take a long time to get to where you want to but it will be very rewarding when you do.