Thursday, December 16, 2010

Make Up 101 Lesson One - Starting Out

I guess the best starting block for anyone before they even pick up a brush is to think about how they would like to be treated when dealing with a make up artist.


Always remember to be professional, if you are working as a freelance make up artist then, you are the face of your business, you are in control of how people perceive you and you are responsible for building a great reputation.


Always make sure you have excellent presentation and hygiene - if you can, its great to get your self a plain black shirt made up with your name and logo on it. That way you don't have to think about what to wear and you get the added bonus of advertising when any photographers are snapping pics. 


Make sure you are organised and you only book in what you can actually do or have time for. If you get too busy it may be necessary to employ an assistant to help prep and clean. Make sure your kit is always stocked and clean - there is nothing worse than running out of a great product on the day!


Always have business cards on you to hand out to any potential clients and also make sure you start collecting images for your portfolio - people always respond better to visual images.


Lets delve a little deeper into hygiene for you and your clients:


Health and hygiene procedures must be followed at all times. You MUST carry disposables with you in your kit, these include:

  • mascara brushes
  • cotton tips 
  • cotton balls
  • disposable lip brushes
  • sponges
  • tissues
I usually carry my kit and a bag full of all the above plus all my cleansers and brush cleaners. Any brushes that are used should be sprayed with brush cleaner in between clients at a job. Once you notice your brushes getting a little dirty (and this will vary depending on how much work you do), you will need to wash your brushes with warm water and shampoo. They will need to be rinsed well and left to dry flat on a towel. You may condition your brushes also, I usually do mine every 4-6 months. 

If a client has broken or infected skin, you should avoid make up n that area unless requested. you should use disposable items where ever possible. A good tip for broken skin is to apply liquid bandaid to seal the wound.

When you apply eyeliner or lip liner pencil always make sure you sharpen it first to remove the outer layer. Always apply mascara with a disposable spoolie. Always scrape off lipstick onto the back of your hand and apply from there.

I will do another post specifically on the kit and what you will need to get started as it is a whole lesson on its own! And i also need to cover things about buying make up as well as what your do's and dont's are.

Think of the face a your blank canvas:

You should know a thing or two about how to advise your clients to care for their skin. This is useful for a few reasons; you want them to have the best possible skin to work on and you want the skin to be free of oils and impurities that will interfere with the make up application.


Oily skin should exfoliate once per week.
Normal skin should exfoliate twice per week
Dry skin should exfoliate up to four times per week.


I personally do not keep a moisturizer in my make up kit - I think that there are just too many skin types to be able to cater for! I do though carry heaps of primer!!


Primer:
It is essential to a long lasting, great base that you apply primer to every face no matter what skin type they have.
I carry a few different types of primer - the staples are a moisturizer style one and also a silicone based one. The moisturizer type is easily absorbed into the skin and is great for younger skins. The silicone type is great for older skins, or where you have uneven surfaces. 


The point of the primer is to create a barrier between the skins surface and the make up - this stops the make up from being absorbed into the skin and disappearing thus helps in the longevity of the make up if worn for long periods of time or if you are under bright lights and the model is heating up.


Click Here for Next Lesson - Eyebrows







Please feel free to add comments or advice!




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