FAQs
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I decided to get into makeup artistry because fate sort of chose it for me. I was born into a family where my mom stayed home while my dad was often away and out of town working. Due to both ennui and monetary considerations, my mom started an Avon route. Being immediately attracted to cosmetics like any girl, my mom let me sell to her customers when I was a very little kid, because no one can say no to a cute kid selling perfume and lipstick somehow! By the time I was 6, it was discovered that I had a penchant for stage makeup, and I was elected to assist the teacher in putting makeup on my classmates in a first-grade production of "The Three Little Wolves". By the time I was 11, my mother, an artist herself, had become the vice president of a local fine arts council, and elected me to run the face painting booth. I was pleasantly shocked when we made over 1100 dollars to support the cause, and the arts council paid me a percentage of the profits over and above the cost of supplies afterward. From then on, I knew a had a talent for makeup, and at 12 years old, I was enrolled in a children's fine arts academy, which later became Denver School of the Arts. While studying at Clayton Young Academy for the Fine Arts in 1990, with Musical Theatre and Dance as my minor, I was elected as a makeup tech for the final projects of our 6 groups. This was a huge leap forward into professional theatre for me, and I went on to serve as makeup tech at almost all of the stage productions that took place at my small-town school. From there, I just did as much as I could with theatrical makeup, making a huge splash in the local goth scene as the girl with the most elaborate makeup from week to week. It was my ardent pastime to figure out what weird thing I could stick to myself (and others, if they'd sit still long enough), or what detailed and beautiful effect I could create with the materials I had. Moving into a professional stance with my art, I started working at cosmetic counters in 1998 in order to learn the glamour side of makeup artistry. In 2001, right before 911 changed everything as we knew it, I started a wedding consultation firm with a friend who was a hairstylist, before the economy hit rock bottom. However, the economy's dive proved disastrous for us, and we called it quits in early 2002, and I went back to working at cosmetic counters for another 5 years. I continued to work as a freelancer throughout my time in college for a number of cosmetic companies. Directly after college, discovering that I had gotten a degree that wasn't panning out into a job, I just continued my path as an artist, and started working in the theatre again. It was my first love, and I took to it again like a fish to water. At the point at which the first production I had worked for had finished its first run, I decided that though I have a degree in linguistics, it was a shame to leave something I loved as much as makeup artistry to lay fallow in my life. I took an experience I had working as a national artist for a local startup company in 2002, where I ended up often in the labs, as an impetus to start formulating my own cosmetics after finding that a lot of my theatre compatriots were complaining of weird skin ailments and even cancers, and I decided to do something about it. In 2011, after a massive amount of research and experimentation, I started Prophetics Cosmetics. At first, I ran it as a side business, to augment my household income, and pretty soon, it exploded out from under me and started taking off. That's where I am today; Happily working for myself with my cosmetics venture, serving clients year-round, and busily building the venture born out of my childhood dream of being the person that makes others look like the person they are in their dreams.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
I'd say that there really isn't a "most common" type of job. A makeup artist has to wear many hats throughout the year to be a stand-alone artist. Depending on the time of year, that's weddings, or face painting, or 3D effects, or any given type of artistry, depending on the client.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
1. Do your research, and do it well, regarding your desired outcome. Make sure you let it be known in no uncertain terms what it is that you want. Don't make an artist choose for you, unless you really do want to be surprised, because everyone's perception is different, and how good you look in the end is going to rely heavily on how much research you did coming into the venture. 2. That said, give the artist at least a modicum of creative license, within the framework of what you want. Everyone is happier that way. 3.Bring pictures of your inspiration. Send them at least a day in advance. Make sure you and the artist both have a very concrete idea of what you want to get out of the consultation. 4. Make very sure that your skin is clean and dry before getting a prosthetic or 3D gel applied. Nothing is worse than having your desired 3D effect not stick, or not gel, because you threw on moisturizer first and declined to tell the artist beforehand. Yes, even if you have dry skin, do not put on moisturizer, or warn your artist that you did so before they do anything in the way of prothetics. 5. If you are being body painted, make sure to bring a light snack and water with you, as well as a robe and socks or slippers, and a warm hat. Even in the middle of summer, you can get cold while getting painted. Do not panic if the artist asks you to sit down and take a break abut once every hour to hour and a half, and stay well hydrated. if you are standing for long periods of time, make sure not to lock your knees while doing so, as this can lead to faintness. Make sure you tell the artist as well if you are overheated, as this can also lead to faintness. Flesh colored thongs and pasties as well as nipple tape (available at most adult stores and lingerie stores) are preferable to most artists (including this one). 6. Get enough rest, food and water before having any cosmetic procedure done. Nothing is worse than being tired, hungry or dehydrated while getting your makeup done. 7. Finally, if your artist does a good job and completes the consultation or contract to your liking, consider tipping them. Artists live on tips, just like waitresses. Most of the time, our prices reflect the cost of supplies we use on you, plus a modest amount for labor, but rarely is makeup artist making bank doing what they do. It's a labor of love that often involves many unforeseen expenses in time, effort and supplies.