I don't know if people agree or disagree here but the more you work on others, the more you learn.
I couldn't agree with this more.
Doing makeup is A LOT about your talent, dedication and passion for it. If you're good...people will find you. But until that day comes...you have to pay your dues to the industry. You have to learn, practice, stay up to date with trends and come up with fresh ideas to impress your clients. Give them an experience they will love.
But a fair portion is also how you handle and deal with clients. Its not easy handling difficult and demanding brides (its not their fault, its a big day for them). You need to reassure her and let her know she will be fine. This isn't easy to do all the time either as you might have the mother or sister of the bride freaking out on you for reasons unrelated to you. It happens.
Time management...with practice you will get better at things and that means less time. But time management is crucial if you're working the wedding scene. Also, punctuality. Your bride can be late but you cannot.
Contracts...always have everything in writing. Secure the deal with a down payment. Be organized and try to be completely self-sufficient. Be a one man show...its easier that way.
Ladies, your help is just amazing. I worked as a freelance henna artist for 12 years and hearing you guys say all these has brought back all that training, the dues I had to pay the industry and so on.
I will try to join some moms groups and see if I can offer my services for free or for cheap so I can get my practice and build myself in this field. I have built a lot of my makeup collection from this forum itself. I think I might pushing myself to do one look each week and post it on here without any editing so you guys can share your views and ideas.
My dream job would have been to work at Sephora (last time I was in Canada but I was 5 months preggers) so I didn’t apply coz I didn’t think it would be fair. And with 2 kids, even working part time for one of the makeup counters and so on would be hard to do.
I also do think that while certification is great but the best way to get your haath saaf is by practice. I already did a makeup course in Karachi, at Rose parlor but I didn’t get enough practice. I am gonna try and work on that now inshAllah.
Does it matter if I start off using drugstore foundations, during my practice time to perfect my technique?
yes thanks… i have got some answers as well .. @automne77 i have also thinking the same thing to buy somedrugstore foundation and eyeshades for practice. how about NYX since they are cheap and comes with a good quality..
or i am thinking to buy some etude or kryolan shades and foundation from pakistan since my ammi is in pak she will buy some for me
i have heard good reviews about them .. what you suggest girls?
can you guyz also recommend some cheap eyeshadow primer for practice purpose?
I don’t think it matters at all. A good artist does need good quality tools and materials BUT a great artist can make it work with just about anything. One of the girls on here taught me that and I have to say…once you get the hang of using the lower end products…working with higher end brands is a piece of cake.
I know you’ll be great! Keep us posted and doing one look a week sounds perfect!
NYX is great and many many many MUAs use NYX products for clients as well. I have their box of shadows and the colors are potent…even more potent if used with a good base.
Also, I havent seen any less expensive eye primers yet.
If your practicing, I guess its ok to use drug store based foundation. However, as a client I would expect you to be using quality products, and you really do get what you pay for. Personally I wouldn't pay someone for using drug store makeup. In fact, you would just get a bad rep for yourself (I've actually seen this happen). You could use some products like mascara, lip liners but majority of you products should be higher end brands. The Client wants to be pampered that's why they are paying you, so don't cut corners by using cheap brands.
Personally I wouldn't pay someone for using drug store makeup.
I'm well aware of the fact that there are many drugstore brands that're good quality. BUT if I'm paying someone professional to do my make-up for a special event, I agree with the above statement. In addition, a lot of the drugstore items might look good in real-life.....but with a professional MUA, brands that're known to photograph well are a must when it comes to doing bridals/fashion shoots.
When I was calling around to various establishes MUA around my area for my bridal.....majority of them said they used MAC. The very established MUA I ended up choosing....she uses MAC, Kryolan, and Laura Mercier. As mentioned in the above post, small items like false lashes, mascara, lip liners, brushes etc. can be a drugstore brand.....but in my opinion, if I'm paying someone to do my MU for a special occassion, I'd expect things like foundation/powder/primres/shadows etc. to be non-drugstore.
Of course much of this depends on the clientale you want to build. Around my area, I know that the people who charge $100 or less use drugstore make-up (smaller desi salons). But the more well-known MUA's who demand $350-$600 for desi bridals all use non-drugstore make-up (of course, the price also depends on whether or not you're able to offer airbrushing).
Once again thanks for all the input I have been receiving.
CE, I would wanna use drugstore brands for the time of practice (so pretty much free makeup and maybe a few dollars here and there, nothing in the 100s)
I do plan on purchasing higher end brands and using them for clients once my techniques are perfected. This is just during start up phase to kind of work with different skin types and get a good understanding of different products out there.
