MAKE-UP ASSISTING
It goes without saying that everyone would rather forego the assisting positions in life and skip straight to being the main man. I mean, who wants to make tea, sweep floors, and hold things when you could be getting on with it? But this is where I think a lot of people are missing a trick. What better way to learn than to observe? However, to observe in this industry, any industry, you need to give something back – so whether it’s making tea, holding/cleaning make-up brushes or lugging your mentor’s kit around it all adds up. No-one is going to have someone around to impart their wisdom to for free and nor should they. I think many people believe that doing a make-up course is enough and you’ll become a fully fledged make-up artist, but the completion of a course is just the beginning. You’ve been shown the basics, but it’s up to you to get out there and practice, develop your own techniques and hone your skills and it goes without saying that assisting already established make-up artists is the best way to do this. Assisting is also a good way to see what the industry is all about and if it’s for you – people soon realise that it’s not all glamour and parties and hanging out with celebrities.
Now, the most important question is “how”. If you’re anything like me when I started, coming into this industry without a contact to my name, then the key is testing. Use resources like whoistesting.com to get on a team or put a team together and get shooting. You need to build up a portfolio of images which show your strengths and that you can eventually send to agencies or make-up artists directly. Now this is where I learnt, through trial and error, the “do’s and dont’s” of approaching agencies. I think the most important lesson I learnt was to not take everything to heart and to develop a thick skin quickly! Just like in life, you’re going to come across people who are nice to you and will help you and those that won’t give you the time of day and if they do they won’t have anything nice to say.
One of the agencies that helped me with my assisting career when I was starting out was One Make-Up, Hair & Styling and I managed to pin down the lovely director Belinda Sage for an interview from an agency’s point of view:
Q: As an agency, what do you look for in an assistant?
A: Basic skin / eye / lip make-up is a must but an assistant must also be efficient, organised and polite!
Q: What is the best way to initiate contact – telephone or email?
A: E-mail.
Q:There are a lot of make-up schools out there, as well as other options to learn the craft. Do prospective assistants need to have gone to a make-up school? If no, what is the minimum requirement you look for before you take someone on as an assistant?
A: I would expect an assistant to have training with a school or a good recommendation from someone within the industry.
Q: Getting a portfolio together can be hard when you’re not assisting as you may not yet have the contacts. Is it necessary to already have a body of work?
A: I definitely would need to see some images – showing both natural make-up and something a little more creative but wouldn’t expect to see a portfolio.
Q: As an assistant you can be expected to do a lot of free work – where is the line between saying yes to everything for free and knowing which jobs to turn down/shouldn’t be free?
A: Assisting is a way of learning not only make-up skills but about the industry in general and how photographic teams work together, whether on location or in a studio – so you must feel that you are gaining something out of each job whether paid or not.
Q: When you start getting the paid assisting work, how much can you expect to be paid?
A: £50 – £150 per day.
Now for the “do’s and dont’s”!
Q: What’s the worst thing for a prospective assistant to do when initiating contact?
A: Most agencies are busy and it’s off putting to have an over keen assistant ringing / e-mailing every day wanting work.
Q: What do like to see in an initial contact?
A: A nicely written e-mail, with a CV and up to 8 images.
Q: As an assistant, it’s difficult to know the line between calling/e-mailing too much (pestering!) and “checking in” or keeping an agency updated. What would be your advice?
A: It’s always good to follow up the initial e-mail with a call to make sure it has been received and then a monthly call.
Q: Finally, do you have any advice for budding make-up artists?
A: Do your homework! Get to know who is shooting what…research into different briefs…think about narratives for test shoots and be prepared! It’s a hard industry to get into – so keep persevering.
Now for the all important “what”. When assisting it’s important to be reliable, efficient and friendly – nobody wants an assistant who can’t be bothered or doesn’t want to work or is surly. And yes, there most probably will be tea making and brush cleaning involved, but alongside this you’ll pick up application techniques, on-set etiquette and meet other assistants who may become good contacts or great friends, which is invaluable. The first ever London Fashion Week job I assisted on, I can’t tell you how excited I was, all I did was file and paint nails. It wasn’t what I wanted to do, I disliked every second of it and most of the models were rude to me. However, I did it with a smile on my face and I ended up assisting that make-up artist for a few years on various jobs, one of them being American Vogue.
It’s also very important to show initiative – there’s nothing worse than someone sitting down doing nothing or reading a magazine when there’s something that could be done. Saying that, sometimes there is actually nothing to do and you just have to be on hand. I was once on a shoot for 14 hours where they shot nothing and all I did was show the make-up artist I was assisting how I did a base and run out to get her a pack of cigarettes. I thought it was the worst day ever and questioned my career choice (especially as it wasn’t paid!), but a week later I was asked to be on her team for shows in Germany and subsequent London Fashion Week shows.
Finally, I’d say it’s important to have a thick skin in this industry and you can’t take things personally (especially during a show!). My personal favourite was having the phrase “there’s too much f*****g shimmer!!!” yelled at me during prep for a show. Yes. That happened.
I asked each of the main artists I assisted when I first started what their one piece of advice to assistants would be and this is what they had to say:
Cheryl Phelps-Gardiner (Aart London) – “Be on time and try to anticipate.”
Ciona Johnson-King (Aart London) – “To pay attention, keep a low profile and try to think ahead anticipating what might be needed next as appose to waiting to be asked to do everything.”
Fiona Fletcher (Fletcher’s Management) – “As well as having artistic and creative flair you need to be courteous, work hard and show initiative. Then you will always be asked back to do more work and your career will progress. I often find people so hooked on the makeup that they forget the little things, it all matters. For example, making of a good cuppa also will take you a long, long way.”
Julie Jacobs (One Make-up, Hair & Styling) – “Just copy what your chief demo’s”.
There’s no time frame for assisting, all that changes is the jobs you assist on – maybe you start assisting more experienced artists while still doing your own jobs or you become a first assistant to someone at a major agency. There are no rules. I’ve been doing make-up for just over six years and have built up my own portfolio and CV, yet still assist certain artists. It’s a matter of making wise choices. I think it’s important to understand that you can never stop learning – especially in make-up!
Salina x
AVEDA – JEWELS OF THE EARTH
Photographer – Hollie Carlin
Make-Up – Salina Thind
Model – Nina Malone
Last year Aveda launched their Autumn/Winter make-up collection called Jewels Of The Earth. Inspired by gemstones, the collection is full of blues, greens, bronzes and golds for eyes and lips and when I roped Nina into shooting for the blog I knew that the collection would be perfect on her. Bright, bold colours look great on brunettes and olive/darker skintones as they brighten/warm the skin as opposed to pastels for example which can wash them out or look ashy. This isn’t to say that you blondies and fairer tones out there won’t look great in these jewel colours!
SKIN – For Nina’s skin I used Inner Light Tinted Moisture SPF 15 (£23.00) which is Aveda’s tinted moisturiser. It’s an oil-free tinted moisturiser that gives sheer coverage. The problem with some oil-free products is that they can make the skin look a little flat, however the light reflecting minerals in this give the skin a very dewy look, plus there’s the SPF which will protect your skin. As you can see, it gives your skin a gorgeous glow! The best way to apply tinted moisturiser for me is to warm the product between your palms and apply as you would a moisturiser – all over and evenly, don’t forget to blend around the edges. This method helps get the circulation going too and that will help give you an extra glow!
EYES – Here I used Petal Essence Single Eye Color (£11.50) eyeshadows. The main colours used on Nina’s eyes are Jade and Azurite from the limited-edition Collection and then Illumination as a highlight. These eyeshadows are made with aromatic flower waxes of jasmine and geranium, which makes them apply and blend beautifully – and they’re also crease-resistant! I applied the Jade from the inner corners of the eye to about three-quarters of the way along and up to the socket line, I then finished the rest of the lid with the Azurite, blending up into the socket line. I followed the shape of the eye and slightly winged the Azurite out at the ends as you can see above. Remember to blend the two colours where they meet. The next step is to carry the Azurite underneath the eye from the outside to about three-quarters of the way in and blend the line so it doesn’t look too solid. To tie the look together take the Illumination and apply it into the corners of the eyes, carrying it underneath to meet the Azurite (and blending) and also up into the Jade on the lid (and blending!). The final place to apply the Illumination is just under the brow bone to add the highlight. Now – that’s the shadow done!
The last two products needed are Mosscara in Black Forest (£13.50) and Petal Essence Eye Definer in Black Orchid (£12.50) - mascara and eyeliner! The eyeliner has a great creamy texture and applies easily – I used it to line the inner rims of the eyes and as a bonus this product can be used on the brows, so I used it to gently fill in Nina’s brows as it is very dark and you don’t want to go overboard. Even when you have black eyebrows naturally and you want to go for full on brows it’s best to use a dark brown as it looks less severe. However, as we were just filling in a few little hairs this pencil was fine. Finally apply the mascara to both top and lower lashes! This lengthening, thickening mascara contains Icelandic moss and pure plant extracts so it really conditions the lashes.
CHEEKS – For Nina’s cheeks I used the new Petal Essence Face Accents in Rose Blossom (£19.50). These flower-based face powders come with three colours in one pan so you can customise your look and harmful talc has been replaced with Mica (a light reflecting mineral) which also gives the colour more luminosity and staying power. As you can see this blush gives a nice rosy glow to Nina’s cheeks. I applied it to the apples of the cheeks and up towards and around the temples to give a slightly stronger look.
LIPS – I finished the look with a natural looking lip colour called Sheer Petalite and this is one of Aveda’s lipsticks from their Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Color line (£12.00). These lipsticks are great as the plant and fruit extracts smooth fine lines, hydrate and plump lips.
So that’s how you get Aveda’s Jewelled look! This is a great brand as it’s all very natural but you clearly get products with high colour pigments and lasting power, without having any harmful additives.
Comments and questions are welcome as always, so please feel free below!
Salina x
Purity Organic Skincare Giveaway!
Hello and Happy New Year to you all!
What better way to start the new year than to have a little giveaway?
Purity Organic Skincare are offering two lucky people a full set of their skincare range and all you have to do is subscribe to Salina Says by 23rd January 2012 – just enter your email address below and hit “sign me up”!
This is a lovely natural and eco-friendly range that is great for all skin types, espcially sensitive skin. Take a look at my previous post for more information on Purity Organic Skincare!
Good Luck!
Salina x
NEW HOT PICK!
Take a look at my latest Hot Pick – Lee Stafford’s ArganOil from Morocco hair care range!
http://salinasays.com/hot-pick-lee-stafford-arganoil-from-morocco/
Salina x
Benefit Grey/Silver Eye Look
Photographer – Hollie Carlin
Make-up – Salina Thind
Model – Sharan
This Benefit look is a great one to make your features really pop and sparkle, as well as managing to look quite fresh at the same time. For me this is what Benefit is all about – it’s a fun, quirky, playful brand with packaging that reflects that but it also has products which deliver. Why not try this look for a party/date/night out with the girls?
SKIN – To prep Sharan’s skin I used the porefessional (£23.50) which is pore minimising primer. It’s an oil free primer which reduces the appearance of pores and leaves skin silky smooth, allowing your foundation to glide on. I applied this over the problem areas and then blended in. Sharan’s skin needed very little coverage so instead of going for a foundation I opted for a tinted moisturiser and used you rebel (£23.50). This is a lovely product and you can forego the whole “colour matching” issue as it adapts to your skin tone (there is a you rebel lite for the fairer skinned beauties out there). I prefer applying tinted moisturisers with my fingers by warming up the product a little between my hands and then massaging it into the face – you get an even and natural application that way. Another bonus with you rebel is that it contains Aloe, Vitamins A and E and has an SPF of 15. This means your skin will be kept nice and moisturised with improved elasticity and you’ll be protected from those free radicals and harmful uv rays, don’t be fooled into thinking you can forego the spf just because it’s autumn/winter!
EYES – This look was created using my favourite ‘powder shadow over cream shadow’ technique, which really gives a good depth of colour but also helps the eye make-up last, but to make extra sure why not try stay don’t stray (£19.50). Apply evenly over the lid and it’ll help your shadows last but will also mean you’re getting the true vibrancy of the colour. Now, for the cream shadows I used creaseless cream shadow (£14) in Skinny Jeans (a lightish grey) and Strut (darker grey) - you can use these on their own as like it says they are creaseless, they’re also smudgeproof. I applied Skinny Jeans from the inner corners of the eye to about two-thirds of the way across and then continued with Strut to the outer corners of the eyes. As usual – stay below the socket line/crease of the eye and blend that line there! I then used the velvet eyeshadow (£13.50) in Fawn Over Me (a light shimmery beige) and Where There’s Smoke (silvery grey) to intensify the colour. I applied Fawn Over Me over Skinny Jeans and Where There’s Smoke over Strut. I then repeated all this along the bottom lash line, mirroring what was done to the eyelids.
To finish I used BADgal waterproof liner (£14) in Charcoal along the top lash line and then lined along the waterline of the eye. This is a great pencil to use as it glides on smoothly, which means there’s no pulling on the delicate eye are. It’s also waterproof so it’s not going anywhere!
For Sharan’s lashes I used they’re real! (£18.50) which is Benefit’s new false lash effect mascara and it’s actually pretty good. I’m not a huge fan of the rubber mascara wands normally, but you definitely get the desired curling, lengthening and volumising here as well as lift and separation (you can read more about it under my new feature “Your Budget, Your Choice” above).
EYEBROWS – Benefit have a great brow shaping kit called brow zings (£22.50). It not only comes with the product (a pigmented wax and a powder to set), but comes with a tweezer, angled brush and blending brush. It comes in three shades and I used deep for Sharan. I first used the wax to get the desired shape, just filling in the gaps and then used the powder to go over the wax. You can be as subtle or bold as you like depending on how you like your brows, but brow zings can do it all – you can use the powder alone for a subtler look if you wanted and both to get a more striking look.
CHEEKS – I have always been a fan of Benefit’s box powders and blushers and when they launched bella bamba (£23.50) I knew I’d found my favourite. This is a 3D brightening pink face powder laced with shimmering gold undertones and it just looks amazing on any skintone as it really gives you a gorgeous blush but with a nice shimmer. Before applying this, I applied girl meets pearl (£24.50) to the cheekbones, brow bones and cupids bow of the mouth to give a nice highlight. This highlighter is a similar tone to bella bamba with its pinky gold finish. After applying the highlighter I applied the blush to the apples of the cheeks and then swept it underneath the cheekbones and up around the temples to just tie it all together, but make sure the colour intensity is on the apples of the cheeks.
LIPS – This colour was achieved by using full finish lipstick (£14) in Shy and ultra shines (£14) in Patootie. This colour is great for either day or night and looks so fresh – what’s not to like?
And that’s how you create Benefit’s Grey/Silver Eye Look! Let me know what you think and keep those messages coming!
Salina x
