SO YOU WANT TO BE A MAKEUP ARTIST…………….

BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIST REQUIRES HARD WORK, PERSISTENCE, DISCIPLINE A LOT OF DETERMINATION, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU HAVE TO BE A PEOPLE PERSON ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT A CALL BACK.

THE COMPETITION MAYBE MASSIVE OUT THERE BUT THE WORK IS SO REWARDING, WELL FOR ME IT IS NOT IN TERMS OF MONEY BUT IN TERMS OF THE WORK I DO. BEING ABLE TO TRANSFORM PEOPLE, MAKE THEM FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES AND HELPING MAKE CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE GIVES ME SUCH A BUZZ AND A WARM FEELING INSIDE.”

A little about myself before I start, my name is Natalie Oparah,  I am a professional freelance makeup and image stylist and also a tutor at the London Academy of Media Film & TV, I am not world famous yet..but good, dedicated and absolutely enjoy what I do.

Now I have read a lot of blogs about makeup where the focus has been on the monetary rewards, the creativity and the travel. Being a makeup artist isn’t only about these things, I think for me the best part and occasionally the worst part of being a makeup artist is the people you get to meet either making up or working with. This is networking and an absolute must, if you are not a people person then this is the time to learn and develop the habit, talk to people have a sense of humour, I find that helps me in any area of my working life once you break the ice a relationship is developed.

A makeup artist life varies; working in fashion or television or film can be fun and exciting one minute and unusually and painfully challenging the next. You may have to work very early hours in the morning to prep models for shoots which can last all day working in sometimes very uncomfortable locations, likewise working on film or television, from early morning call times and set ups to very late wrap times.

I remember one of the locations I had to work on, it was early one winter morning on the millennium bridge in London, it was bitter cold,  I had on so many layers I must have run out of clothes at home, I absolutely hated it I was so miserable my hands were freezing cold and I was shaking trying to do the makeup but at the end of it all when I saw the completed work I was so proud and I had completely forgotten how cold it was. Sometimes you could be blessed with an easy midday call time which last an hour or so, for example I recently made up a tv presenter and that lasted about 15 – 30 minutes and then I was done for the day. Or it could be a bride you are making up which could be a couple of hours or last all day depending on what level of service is required of you.

It is important to note that when working with brides from the trial to the actual day of the wedding you need to be very patient, and I think the less said about that the better……. Okay, okay, I won’t leave you guessing…… Brides can be very emotional and a lot of the time very indecisive and that can make getting the job done a bit time consuming, although you will come across a few who think they know what they want and can be very difficult but personally those are the ones I like because at the end of the day no matter how rude or how difficult they can be they are decisive and I know what I have to do immediately. But either way once the makeup is all done I love it; just seeing the bride’s happy and contented face, I made them look so beautiful on the most important day of their lives is so priceless.

Well if you have read this blog up to this point then you are definitely serious about going further and I can assure you that no matter what type of makeup service you provide or undertake your life will never be boring!!! Good luck and don’t give up on your dream.

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST ON YOUR CHOSEN PATH TO SUCCESS GOD BLESS!!!
X’s

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