What I’ve learned about beauty as a makeup artist
Growing up during the birth of Youtube and the beauty community, I was fascinated by makeup from a very young age. As a young artist, I knew that in some shape or form, I wanted to be a makeup artist one day. When I landed a job at Sephora as a bright-eyed, eighteen year old college freshman, I was thrilled to get to do just that. In the two years that I’ve worked as a professional makeup artist at Sephora and as a freelancer, I’ve come to learn that makeup has powers beyond what society thinks.
I’ve gathered that the most common misconception about people that wear makeup is that we’re vain, and only care about our looks. It seems excessive to some people to have a kit full of products, several colors of products, or an extensive skincare routine. The amount of times I’ve heard “One makeup wipe and that’s all gone,” or “I prefer when girls are all natural,” are overwhelming. Rather than make a formulated argument with bullet points about why these misconceptions are wrong, I’ll let my clients’ stories tell you. Here are some of the most impactful tales from my makeup chair.
Over this past year, my Sephora started offering 30 minute mini facials, that included a consultation with an advisor like myself, and a step- by- step walk through of a personalized skin care routine. It was a Thursday, I believe, when I offered the service to an older woman who was looking for a new routine. She was a small, very blunt woman, I remember thinking she reminded me of my grandmother. I sat her down in my chair and set up her steamer while we consulted on what products would be best for her. She explained to me that her husband had passed recently, and she was finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning. She expressed concern over her puffy under eyes and her dry skin. “I just need something simple to get in the habit of getting up, washing my face, that kind of thing,” she said to me. Before I walked away to grab her some products she stopped me. “Don’t grab anything anti-aging for me though, these smile lines and crow’s feet are my proof he made me laugh my whole life.”
The first time I had someone cry in my makeup chair, a client had booked me at the very last minute. She was a tall woman, in athletic clothing and her hair pulled back in a perfect slicked back bun. She has a very matter-of-fact tone of speaking that almost intimidated me. She was very straightforward about what she wanted and how she wanted it. She explained to me that she was experiencing some sensitivity that had left her skin very red and textured. She wanted everything blurred and covered up. Apart from her sensitivities, my client had very healthy skin, it was clear she was taking good care of herself. I told her as such, and she began to talk down on herself and her skin. I couldn’t believe this very beautiful woman with such a strong presence felt that way about herself.
Shocked, I told her, “but you’re so beautiful, a little redness or texture doesn’t change that.” That was when she started to cry. I panicked instantly. Had I said something wrong? Had I gone too far? Wiping her eyes, she apologized. “I’m so sorry. Full transparency, I just went through a divorce and no one’s called me beautiful in a long time. I’m getting my makeup done today for my first date since my ex husband. I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to hear that.”. At that point I started to well up and the only thing I could think of doing was asking for a hug. For a whole two minutes we stood at the studio hugging each other. “Okay,” she said, matter of factly, and she sat back down and sat up straight. “Back to this,” she stated, and I picked up my palette.
It’s pretty rare that I get someone very young in my chair, and almost never are they a little kid. My favorite kid, though, has to be a 13 year old girl who I recently had in my chair. Her mother explained to me before she sat her down, that her daughter had recently told her parents that she was born in the wrong body. That she knew she was a girl, despite what her birth certificate said. Her mother told me her daughter’s name, and said her daughter wanted to learn how to do her makeup in a way that was feminine and affirming to her. Her daughter is one of the coolest girls I’ve ever met. She has excellent music taste (The Cranberries are her favorite band), she wants to be a baker when she grows up, and has an impressive collection of Marvel Comics. We played around with different blush colors, and landed on lilac being the color that suited her best. We tried several different lip combos and landed on a few that she kept. My favorite part was teaching her how to do her eyebrows. She had the most perfect, full natural brows. Pinterest brows, if you will. By the end I handed her a mirror and watched her face light up and glow. “I look like a girl!” she managed through a series of giggles. “The coolest girl in the world,.” I said. And I meant it. I hope she gets to be a baker some day.
I could go on and on with stories about how beauty has taught my clients to take better care of themselves, giving them affirmation, or self love. The truth is, beauty is not about being the prettiest, or having the best things. I won’t say that we don’t hold value to our physical appearance- we do. Not because we want to be the best, but because when we look and feel our best, we heal, we love ourselves, and we live happier. You don’t have to have a backstory for why beauty or makeup is important to you. You can just like makeup. It’s fun, it’s artistic, and it’s one of the biggest industries in the world for a reason. I love what I do, and it’s rewarding to make people feel beautiful and watch them love themselves. It’s also just fun to put some color on your eyes because you feel like it. At the end of the day what matters is your own happiness, and your own enjoyment. However you get there, does not make you vain.