50 Shades of Grey

Thanks to the genius that is E. L. James we are all in a tizzy over Fifty Shades of Grey and more notably, Mr Grey! So in the spirit of all things sultry, sexy and oh so naughty here are my top makeup products... yep... you guessed it... in varying shades of grey! Afterall, 'we aim to please...'.

While I certainly wouldn't suggest going all out grey on your makeup look - ending up more Walking Dead than Anastasia Steele isn't the look we're going for! However, adding just a touch of grey tones to your look can add some real sophistication and best of all, grey is a neutral which means anyone can wear it. Just 'forget about the rules' and 'embrace your inner goddess'!

Now nobody does pearly sheen better than Ben Nye and pearly sheen in grey tones... yum! Ben Nye's Pearl Sheen Eye Accent's in Electric Eel, Nightclub and Silver Grey can be applied wet for intense colour and sheen or use a dry brush for a softer effect. Oh so blendable and you'll love the payoff. Apply all over the lid for a soft smokey effect thats soft and wearable, even during the day.

Fancy even more shimmer? Grab yourself Ben Nye's Fireworks Creme Color in Silver Satin and apply to your lids with a fingertip or a synthetic brush. A pretty and soft radiance will ensue, making your inner goddess soar... (not sore!). 

Top with Sugarpill's ChromaLust Loose Eyeshadow in Grand Tiara for a jewel-like dazzle. For extra sexiness use a dry brush and apply to your decolletage making you more than ready to 'chase the dawn' with Mr Grey :D 

Like your look more feline? See yourself as  a bit more Mrs Robinson? Get yourself some La Femme Cake Eyeliner in Charcoal and using a wet angled eyeliner brush, apply close to your lashes, adding a soft or dramatic feline flick at the outer corners (if your eye shape can take it). You'll be 'fifty shades of...' oh so sexy in no time!

Want an easier life? Get Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Alloy, a handy on-the-go pen eyeliner making your DIY job (geddit?!) easy peasy, baby oil squeezy!

Daring enough to go for a dark lip? Occ Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Tarred followed by Occ Lip Tar in Tarred is sure to make your palm-twitching lover want to bite that lip! Only for the brave hearted!

Want something more subtle? Try Joe Blasco Lipgloss in Ghost, a pearlized grey coloured gloss, stunning, sheer and shiny which is sure to make any billionaire want to give you the world... and more, more, more...

There you have it, Fifty shades (almost!) of makeup, you're all set to go!

Remember, 'You are not just a pretty face...'

Laters, baby!

NICx

Are you paying to work as a make up artist?

With fees being cut constantly and artists feeling like they have to reduce their rates it's probably time to really examine why you may feel no better off despite working your arse off!

Gone are the days when we got paid to work on editorial, weren't asked if we could reduce our rate due to 'budget issues' or worse still, could we do it for free for the exposure. I mean, why not! Father Christmas pays your bills and the honey monster puts food on your table... doesn't he?!

So let's get on with what it is actually costing you to do a make up, I mean, it's only make up right? It falls off trees and lands in that big ole make up kit of yours?! Another pressie from Father Christmas I have no doubt.

Let's start with the nitty gritty, the stuff clients like to forget about:

Public Liability Insurance & Car Insurance – let's average this to around €550 per year, just for sh@ts and giggles. This would mean your public liability Insurance and car insurance was basically costing €1.50 per day.

Car tax – lets say €300 a year, €0.82c per day.

Makeup Brushes – If you start with a very basic make up brush kit, you know, the kind you might buy when you're studying, you're probably talking 12 brushes and you'll probably pay around €95 for a decent enough set. Of course, if you are working the industry it's very likely you have multiples of each type of brush, often amount to anything from 50 to 100 brushes in your brush kit, an average of about €12-25 per brush? Pretty expensive eh? Yep, you get the picture.

Petrol – at an average of of about €1.52 a litre, so that job that's 'just down the road' (30 miles away) is going to add up pretty sharpish!

Training / workshops etc. - yep, they cost money too! And a decent one isn't cheap! You're talking anywhere from €1000 for a basic course up to €8000 for a really extensive one. 

Advertising / Social Media - Don't even get me started on this! Advertising on a well known bridal site for example can cost anything up to €900 for the year. Not to mention various bridal fares and events you might showcase at. As for social media, how time consuming is that? Just getting your name out there on social media is a full time job in itsself! 

Makeup – Now this is the tricky one! So I have based my pricing on brands which are inexpensive (for example Sleek Makeup) and brands which are more expensive (Mac Cosmetics) as a general guide to prices*. Then I worked out the average.

 * I am of course aware that there are artists using brands which are much, much more expensive than this listed which would easily render their price per face at least double of even triple what I have listed. So remember, this is a very basic guide!

Foundation – 30ml average size

average price €10 - €19 (€14.50)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.50

Cost per face = Mid range - €0.95

Average Cost per face = €0.73

Concealer (face) – average price €4 - €13 (€9)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.20

Cost per face = mid range - €0.65

Average Cost per face = €0.45

Concealer (eyes) – average price €8 - €13 (€10)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.40

Cost per face = mid range - €0.65

Average Cost per face = €0.50

Powder – average price €10 - €22 (€16)

average amount of faces approx 40

Cost per face = low end - €0.25

Cost per face =mid range - €0.55

Average Cost per face = €0.40

Blush – average price €6 - €16 (€11)

average amount of faces approx 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.06

Cost per face = mid range - €0.16

Average Cost per face = €0.11

 Eye shadows* - average price per shadow €4 - €11 (€8)

Average number of shadows used per eye make up approx 3

Average amount of application per eye shadow approx 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.04

Cost per face = mid range - €0.11

Average Cost per face = €0.08

*This of course does not take into account the ridiculous amount of shades, textures etc. of shadows any artist will have in their kit. Again, we are going all out basic on this.

Eye liner (Gel) – average price €7 - €11 (€9)

average amount of faces approx - 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.07

Cost per face = mid range - €0.11

Average Cost per face = €0.09

Mascara – average price €5 - €11 (€8)

average amount of faces approx - 30

Cost per face = low end - €0.16

Cost per face = mid range - €0.36

Average Cost per face = €0.26

False Lashes – average price €2 - €11 (€7)

average amount of faces approx - 1

Cost per face = low end - €2.00

Cost per face = mid range - €11.00

Average Cost per face = €7.00

Lip Pencil – average price €3 - €11 (€7)

average amount of faces approx - 50

Cost per face = low end - €0.06

Cost per face = mid range - €0.22

Average Cost per face = €0.14

Lipstick / Gloss – average price €5 - €12 (€9)

average amount of faces approx - 30

Cost per face = low end - €0.16

Cost per face = mid range - €0.40

Average Cost per face = €0.30

Low End Cost per face = €4.44

Mid Range Cost per face = €15.06

Average Cost per face = €10.06

Remember, I haven't taken into account puffs, sponges, mascara wands, loose pigments, glitters, brush and tool cleaner, skin care – cleanser, toner, moisturiser, cotton wool, cotton buds, airbrush equipment and make up, make up case/trolley and bags and the list goes on...

Recently I quoted for a job which was 'just a few hours' and was asked to reduce my rate. The 'few hours' was actually 10 hours and I had 15 faces to do, yep, 15! I got a train there and back as I had no car at the time, the train cost me €28 return. I had a big ole heavy kit to carry which meant I had to get a taxi, from my house to the train station (€8 going to the train station and €8 returning), then another taxi from the train station to the job (€6 to the job and €6 back to the station).

So I think we can safely take it that in all, that job I reduced my rate for actually cost me at least €206. Yes, you read that right! €206!

So I ask you all, next time you consider working for free, at a reduced rate or for next to nothing because 'it's a friend of a friend of a friend' please think of your cost, not to mention your bills, you career and your dignity!

Copycat, copycat where are you...

What’s new copycat? Woah, Woah

What’s new copycat? Woah, Woah…

Nothing in terms of you or your work it seems!

An industry filled with copycats that should be ashamed of themselves!

Now don’t get me wrong, at this stage in the game there is nothing truly original out there as most makeup looks are regurgitated versions of old. However, most artists manage to create their own unique take on something that has been done before. As for those of you that continually copy looks and make a hash of it… shame on you!

One thing I am seeing again and again are the Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), the calaveras, which stand for "skulls" in Spanish. This Mexican skull make-up art is copied again and again and again and it's gotten pretty boring at this stage. Here's a test for you, type 'Mexican skull makeup art' into google and just look at the amount of stuff that comes up! 

Another thing I am noticing a lot is schools that are teaching students by continually telling students to 'copy' what they have done and often what they have done is a bad imitation of someone else's creative idea. 

I've heard of tutors printing off images I have heard stories of school printing off makeup images from the internet, handing them to students and telling them to copy it... yep, that's the way to go :/

Worse still, there are those of you that go beyond copying, opting instead for the even lazier route which is just to steal someone else's work and publish it on social media sites as your own! 

Here is a shocking example. Makeup Artist and Beauty Blogger, Karla Powell (www.karlapowell.co.uk) and another blogger happily allowing her readers to believe this is her own work! 

Karla has built up an extensive following and it must be extremely frustrating when another so-called professional uses your work (without credit!) as their own. This does not a makeup artist make!

This kind of thing takes effort, determination and creativity - all part of being a professional makeup artist. If you can't be bothered to give credit where credit is due, to cultivate your own ideas and create your own looks then you are in the wrong industry.

Now don't get me wrong, it can be very flattering to have someone openly recreate 'your' look, but please, oh please at least make sure you credit the person who's work it actually is. And certainly, in the event that you are just posting someone else's work, when your followers/friends comment on how amazing 'your' work is, at least have the decency to point them in the direction of the actual artist who bothered to do the work in the first place!