-
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Tags
alice xue artistrhi artist tip aspiring beauty shot bridaladvice bridal beauty bridal make-up claudia hung concealer contest creative editorial engaged eyeliner eyes eyeshadow face foundation geehae jeong gloss lips mac make-up make-up artist make-up for beauty make-up for editorial make-up for fashion make-up junkie marko mijailovic mascara mufe nadia cheema note preview product review rhia amio suzie choi the kit toronto toronto make-up artist twp wedding wedding make-up wedding make-up artist
aspiring Tag
NOTE | IMATS Toronto
THE show for make-up artists is making its way to Toronto in a couple of weeks. IMATS (International Make-up Artist Trade Show) will be setting up shop at the Direct Energy Centre on the weekend of November 21st-22nd.
A slew of vendors will be available for both make-up artists and make-up enthusiasts. I’m looking forward to picking up some more tried and tested kit faves…in fact, my list just keeps on growing:
FACE atelier – foundations
Crown Brush – brushes and disposables
Kett & Temptu – airbrush supplies
Make-up Forever – everything!
Nurturing Force – airbrush cleanser
Yaby – maxi-minimalist kit
Also looking forward to trying out some of the products by Eve Pearl – I’ve heard plenty of great things about the line from many a blogger, but ever the weary shopper, I always do like to try before I buy :)
Besides the awesome shopping, there’s a full two days of great speakers, seminars and workshops available!!! Some presentations to definitely check out will be Hung Vanngo (celebrity fashion & beauty make-up artist), Kevin-James Barnett (industry expert and Emmy award winning artist extraordinaire), along with the bloggers/Youtube beauty gurus behind Pursebuzz and Enkore Make-up!
Get your tickets in advance here and save a few bucks that you can put towards some very important purchases!! See you there :)
NOTE | artistrhi e-news
I was interviewed by blogger and freelance writer extraordinaire, Cheryl Santamaria, for a feature article on Women on Business. The article details the importance of using the Web as a tool for advertisting, both for budding entrepreneurs and established companies.
Working as a freelancer in make-up, I realize that there’s so much that I’ve learned along the way just by doing (rather than picking up from the classroom) especially on the business side. In the early days, when I first attempted to market myself to a large audience, aside from word of mouth, the Internet was my best advertising friend. I used livejournal, a free web-based journal to help me document different make-up looks I did on myself and on friends. Nowadays, if you’re an aspiring make-up artist, there are many more user-friendly resources available to you on the Web. Sites like Blogger (where this blog is hosted), Yola and Dripbook allow you to build your own blog/site with little to zero programming knowledge required. Social media-based sites like Twitter and Facebook allow you to send instant updates to those on your subscriber/friend list and further spread the word online. The best part about all these sites mentioned is that the basic layouts are free of charge to use!
So, if you’re just starting out and looking for your best promotion tool, take good quality photos to document your make-up work. Print out a few business cards (you don’t have to spend a lot of money, and can do this on your home computer), send out a mass email to your contact list, post it to your Facebook status or update your Twitter. Let your web presence be known and essentially you can initiate your own ‘e-word of mouth’.
Q & A | Question about Toronto Make-up Schools
Q: I work full-time, but make-up has always been something that I loved to do. I would like to go to school for it, but I have commitments to work and to my family. I’m looking at part-time programs at different make-up schools, but there are just so many to choose from! Can you provide any recommendations or speak of your experience?
A: Thanks for the question! I can only speak from personal experience and about the classes and programs that I have taken, but I do remember being just as anxious researching a quality make-up school in Toronto. Fortunately, I really lucked out as all my choices exceeded my expectations! I’m a firm believer that you get what you put into something, and being that I’ve been passionate about doing make-up all my life, I wanted to ensure I maximized what I was learning from the classes.
In order to get a better feel for a school or program, I would recommend calling around to your school of choice to set up a visit. While you’re at it, you can ask to sit in on one of the classes briefly – just to get a proper sense of the environment and the instructors. Pay attention to the facilities and even the other students (are they engaged in what they’re learning? Do they look like they’re having fun?) Your final choice in school will centre around a number of variables (quality of teaching, reputation, convenience, cost, certificate or course program, location, etc).
I answered a similar question like this in a previous post, and hopefully you’ll find the info there useful as well:
Q & A | Choosing a Make-up School in Toronto
Hope this helps!
Make-up Learning and Upgrading at Wink
Speaking more on personal experience, I just completed an airbrush make-up class at Wink Make-up Academy, and would absolutely recommend for anyone to go there! Wink offers introductory make-up classes for beginners and specialized classes (for airbrushing, special effects, portfolio building, etc) for more seasoned make-up artists who are looking to expand their repertoire. The individual class size cap is eight students, so the instructors have the time to ensure you feel confident in what you’ve learned before you move on (and that sometimes gets lost in larger class sizes). The classes are offered at different times to accommodate day, evening and weekend schedule, and the instructors are knowledgeable, friendly, enthusiastic (insert numerous positive adjectives here)… seriously, what is there not to love?! I’ll also be starting a hair class to update my skills in a couple of weeks – maybe I’ll see you there! ;)
Posted in Q&A
Tagged artistrhi, aspiring, rhia amio, toronto make-up artist
Q & A | Question about the ZUCA for MAC Bag
Q: I took a look at the MAC Zuca case the other day in store and it seemed to look smaller then I thought, can it really hold a lot? I have a ton of stuff and really need to update my kit to something thats plane friendly, organizes and holds alot. Does the ZUCA pro seem like a better case? I’m debating whether or not to buy the MAC sport zuca at the store or the online ZUCA Pro.
A: For the ZUCA bag, the dimensions are the same. It’s the same bag re-branded for MAC, and comes with clear-topped containers that really help with organization and accessibility to your make-up items. I do carry an extra set bag when I use the ZUCA bag, but it pretty much fits all the make-up I need. The containers can be filled to the brim and then zipped shut, which you can’t always do with the trays of some other kits. To be plane friendly, a bag also has to fit certain dimensions, and the internal organization of the ZUCA bag is a great way to maximize its space.
If you decide to go with the ZUCA Pro off the site, it does come with plush containers as well, but from what I understand the tops aren’t transparent. It’s totally up to you which one you go with but I believe the ZUCA Pro is on back-order right now, and the one through MAC immediately sold out on the MAC Pro site from what I hear from other bloggers. Keep in mind the duty taxes you’ll have to pay if you’re ordering online from zuca.com since we’re in Canada. That played a huge factor in the ZUCA case I got as I’ve been researching since November. I’m glad I held out – the ZUCA MAC bag totally fits my needs!
Posted in Q&A
Tagged artistrhi, aspiring, mac, toronto make-up artist
Q & A | Advice for the Aspiring Bridal Make-up Artist
We’ve been talking make-up artist shop all week, so this week’s Q & A is also dedicated to the aspiring bridal make-up artists out there:
Q: I’m a Vancouver based-freelance artist currently working at as a drugstore cosmetician. I recently graduated from a make-up school here. It sometimes seems feels like forever to get to where I want to be in my make-up career. I know everyone says patience is key and it is quite competitive, but I’d love to be doing more bridal. How did you go about getting into doing weddings? How did you put yourself out there?
A: In terms of getting involved in more bridal and in breaking into the industry – really and unfortunately, there’s no hard and fast way to do so. To put it into perspective with, in my first year of bridal make-up, I started off with doing two weddings (plus miscellaneous appointments), the second year was four weddings (plus appointments), my third year was 15 and now I look forward to 30+ weddings per year!!
In terms of what got me to where I am today, it really boils down to making good first impressions, networking and word-of-mouth (which is how I got all my first few jobs!). What definitely helped my business take off this year was setting up a website, which allowed potential clients the ability to view examples of my work instantly.
When you’re just starting your bridal portfolio off, you may not have professional images right away, but here are a couple of things to get you started on the right foot:
1. have a mock bridal photoshoot to add pictures to your portfolio
Think about recruiting some friends as model brides, and co-ordinate with an aspiring photographer to get some photo examples of your work. Yes, they don’t necessarily need to be actual “brides” in your photos, but once you work with more (and real) brides, you can replace these initial photos. Sometimes, it’s just easier for clients to visualize the make-up this way.2. research the bridal make-up artists in your area and find out if they need assistants
Even if it’s just to watch brushes or do skin prep, you’ll get a first-hand glimpse of how the pros do it, whether it be from a technical make-up or psychological customer service standpoint. Learn the little tips that will make the make-up last and save you time during the application appointments.
Finally, remember to hang in there, work hard and do it for the love – the rest of it will fall into place.
Hope this helps!
