'adventures of a makeup artist'

my schedule is unpredictable… one day i have to wake at 3am for a news segment that lasts an hour… another day i'm traveling abroad & working a 12 hour day in the heat. in no way am i complaining… i thrive on the unpredictable & adventure. for the person who gets bored easily this is the ideal job. every day is a new creation. working with a new group of people on a new project & in a new location is the norm. to be able to create, travel & meet new people on a daily basis is a dream for me. this is what also kept me going when i was a fashion model-my first career. i am fortunate & grateful to have a career in a field that suits my interests and personality so well. to be able to take the knowledge & skills from my first career into my second is great…

everyone wants everything right now in the entertainment industry. "i want natural makeup, you know you don't have to put much makeup on them at all" and they want it in 2 minutes. that's my most common request & i think to myself… if you only knew how much work it takes to achieve a 'natural non-makeup type look.' the value of a good makeup artist on a photo shoot is invaluable. especially when hd picks up every little detail & flaw on-camera. you have to be really good & really fast!

working with all types of personalities is important too… & there are some personalities in the entertainment industry! patience & the ability to be flexible in all types of situations is a must. recently, i had the opportunity to work with pop sensation~ jordin sparks. i had my own ideas for the way the makeup should look and was very excited about implementing these ideas. i was unaware that normally on her photo shoots she does her own makeup (and she's quite good at it too). we had different ideas of how the makeup should be for this project. often that is the case with artists. every artist has a different opinion, of which an opinion isn't right or wrong-it's an opinion. so i had to be flexible, go against my own desire & conform to what we both wanted. in the end everything turned out amazing & we all loved each of the looks…

i can see how a celebrity doesn't want just anyone applying makeup on them. their faces are planted all over the place & if someone gives them a bad makeup job, then it makes the celeb look bad. ultimately everyone involved will look bad. so i do my best on each & every person knowing that their face is my business card. if they love my work they will tell others & that is the best pr/marketing ever.

if makeup artistry is the career you want to pursue, keep in mind that many different paths led me to this one. this is my own personal experience-we all have different ones. a huge attributing factor to my success as an artist is extensive experience in the fashion industry. working as a fashion model exposed me to so many creative things. it also allowed open doors to the right contacts when i wanted to make it a career. there were other jobs along the way which helped…. i worked at a very busy cosmetic counter & practiced on many faces… worked in a corporate environment where i learned about sales & marketing… answered phones at busy companies… those are just a few things that helped me get to where i am now. don't be afraid to try different things & gain experience in different areas to help you get where you want to be…

giving is a choice. if you don’t give you don’t receive. desiree has this figured out. she pushed me & reminded me that i have something to give others. in return i received inspiration, encouragement & a reminder why we should succeed in the first place. desiree, thanks for helping me keep my story alive and making it useful to others…

~wendy martin