Spotlight On….. Sarah from F.A.C.E Make Up Artistry

Spotlight On….. Sarah from F.A.C.E Make Up Artistry

Hello Lovelies,

If you cast your minds back a wee while, you’ll remember my MAC make over gift from my Father in Law. You can read the post HERE in case you can’t remember.

Today, I have a special treat for you!

The amazing Sarah has agreed to be my first special guest in my new weekly ‘Spotlight on….’ feature! How exciting!

 
 

Sarah is a gorgeous, pink tressed, freelance make up artist based in Newcastle that I met through her work with the M.A.C counter in Fenwicks. She’s the one smiley friendly face I always looked for on the counter when I visit as I can be assured she’ll be honest and not just force that purple blusher and pink eyeshadow on me just because it’s ‘in’ this month. Ladies, we’ve all had that experience, haven’t we!

Sarah is also the mastermind behind http://facemakeupartistry.com/ so don’t forget to swing by and check the site out or head on over to facebook and give her a LIKE –  https://www.facebook.com/f.a.c.emakeupartistry?fref=ts
 

As it’s the first Spotlight on….. I will explain a little more about it. Each week, I will be showcasing some of my favourite bloggers and industry insiders. If you’d like to take part, feel free to get in touch using the Contact form up there ^

So, on with the show!

 
You can read more, under the cut!
 

Q : Tell us a little bit about yourself Sarah and how you got started in your career?

I have always been a super creative person! My friends used to ask me to do their makeup, hair and help pick out outfits but the way I landed my job at M.A.C was the start of my career and was pretty flooky to be honest! Every month I would go get a M.A.C makeover with Annabel and after a few, I heard about Christmas temp positions so I decided to go in and speak to the manager about what I needed to do to get a job for next year. Lucky for me someone had turned down the job last minute and to cut a long story short I left Fenwick hours later having had an interview, makeup test and been giving the position…I was literally floating on clouds and I never looked back! At first makeup was supposed to be a job to get me through university but 6 years later I have developed a great passion for it as a creative outlet!

Q : What is your favourite part of being a make up artist?

Making people feel AMAZING! Every time I do a F.A.C.E booking the next day I check how it was as I like a happy customer, and love hearing back how I made people feel! I received this last week…

‘Thank you again for doing my make-up so beautifully. I’m slightly sad that I’ll never look that good ever again…..! Seriously, I’m going to use any excuse I can to have you do my make-up again at some point in the near future!!’

It is this feedback that I find so motivating and I have started a little Thank You wall above my desk to remind me of all my lovely clients!

Q : What is your least favourite part?

Oooo I would have to say lugging my kit around… I was a Girl Guide when I was younger and have always lived by the moto ‘Always be prepared’ so hate leaving anything at home incase I need it…so I have a kit case full of makeup which is super organised and labelled so I can pack and find it easily! But as I currently do not drive wheeling it from bus to train to taxi can take its strain on my limbs! But once I learn to drive I will be one happy artist!

 
I absolutely LOVE this!

Q : If you could go back to the time you started your career, what would you do differently? 

I am not a big believer in changing the past…what has been makes you who you are! And one little change could have changed the whole course of my career for better or worse! But I would say if anything and not really in the knowledge of ‘changing my past’ that maybe I could have had more confidence in my abilities and what I could achieve as nerves used to set me back a lot at the start as I strive for perfection in everything I do!

Q : What advice could you give to aspiring MUA’s out there looking to either get in to the industry or existing MUA’s looking to go self employed?

I would say to aspiring MUA’s you do not need to go study at college…I know right? How would that make sense?…i was self taught…so where many of the greats…You will learn the most by doing…try stuff, break the rules and learn from you mistakes! Makeup is a purely creative outlet and people are sometimes to concern with the right and wrong way to do things but really there are no rules! Makeup comes down to creating illusions of shape, colour and texture.

To existing MUA’s I would say ‘tip the balance’ slowly shift from part-time artistry to full-time that way you do not put to much pressure on yourself and can enjoy the experience! Build word of mouth and momentum in your work and then run with it…you wont look back!

Q : What’s your shopping style – Budgeted, splurge or frugal? Are you high end or high street?

I am funny about fashion…I LOVE a bargain…eBay, swap shop, charity shops and sales are a girls best friend…as the saying goes… ‘FASHION IS EXPENSIVE, STYLE IS NOT’

I hate paying over the odds for something I know I could do myself. I love customising and mixing things up and the hunt of finding what I want for less! Sometimes I look down at my outfit and think…Nothing was new or full price! But really who knows and who cares…its all about confidence!

Q : Other than MAC, what are your favourite brands and why?

Oh dear I am going to be 100% honest with you here and say that easily 99% of my kit is M.A.C I love the products because they do what they say on the tin…concealers conceal etc and there is so much choice! Product in my kit that are not M.A.C:

Elizabeth Arden – Eight hour skin protect …great for instantly hydrated skin…tastes abit funny but lovely on the lips even as a matter gloss!

Bobbi Brown – Brush Cleaner … It is an instant dry cleaner so great on location when the M.A.C would leave my brushes a little damp for a while!

And some lashes … I love M.A.C and still use them a lot but sometimes need a more cost effective solution so I bulk buy a lot of lashes but from where is a top secret!

Q : Do you take inspiration from the media or do you go it alone and rock your own styles?

I think everything is influenced from something else whether it is conscious or subconscious so the media may influence me without knowing it…but I have never been a ‘hot is in’ kind of girl especially with makeup you have got to think more of what will suit…but I do try to mix up my makeup looks so I do not get stuck in a rutt and just churn out the same think over and over as that is not a challenge!

Q : What would you say your ‘signature look’ is, whether that’s make up or fashion?

Well my signature look would have to be my pink hair! Even when it is not pink I have still been known as ‘PINK SARAH’ and always go back to the pink!


In makeup I do love and find retro/vintage styles anything from the 20’s – 60’s really inspiring…I love the whole old world vibe …full on or pale and interesting! Makeup changed the way women where perceived and glamour was key! LOVE IT!

Right… now on to the more interesting questions – The personal ones. These are the ones I always wonder about bloggers!

Q : Happy to be seen bare faced or do you always wear make up?

Ohhh getting personal!…I have 3 faces…bare face for walking the dog, ASDA and having friends over…minimal makeup…covering what I don’t like to see with what is needed and this is for lazy days at work, popping into town etc which usually consists of mineralize satinfinish, prolong concealer, mineral powder, blusher, mascara and plushglass …and full makeup for when need to look top notch..prolong foundation and concealer base for more coverage!

Lately my skin has cleared up a lot (thanks Clinique Anti-Blemish!!) so have been minimising the makeup coverage…I think as you learn more about makeup you start using less not more!

Q : What do you love most about the beauty industry?

Good service….Ironic that this is how we met each other! I which I was related to Mary Portas as I LOVE her and what she believes in … It takes nothing to be nice to someone, give them good advice and make them feel special… the standard of service in the U.K is pretty appalling so when you get great service it really stands out and will always return as I am very brand loyal!

 
With F.A.C.E I take this seriously as when doing a bride you need to have a calming effect on a nervous bride and show people that their perceived skin problem or worst feature really is not as bad as they see it…everyone is their own worst critic!

Q : What do you hate most about the beauty industry?

Obvioulsy Bad Service but I would say False advertising….Photoshop is great for more artistic purposes! But I think that beauty brands rely on it to much to sell their product…i cannot watch mascara adverts anymore! I would love to walk into a cosmetic hall for one day and every visual was the way it was taken on the camera to really see how the products work and that models are real people with flaws just like everyone else!

And finally… the biggy…..


Q : If you had to invest in 1 designer piece… money no object…. what would it be? I want to see pictures!!!

Can I have two? I know its kind of cheating…I am set to get married to 2014…who is going to do my makeup I hear go ask haha! So I would say my dream wedding dress… a custom made Elie Sabb Wedding Dress! Or if it was even possible a vintage 30’s piece from a museum! I WOULD DIE!!!!

 

But if I could have an everyday piece it would be the original Burberry Studded Knight Bag…I am a sucker for a good stud…so this I a dream!!!

 
 
 
Thanks Sarah, it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you a bit better and I look forward to some top secret exciting projects we have in the pipeline for the future. nudge nudge wink wink 😉
 
I know I’ll be hot footing it to my nearest Bobbi Brown counter to check out this dry brush cleaner… very intrigued as I could do with saving some time on spot cleaning my brushes!!

3 Comments

  1. 8th June 2012 / 10:48 pm

    This is a lovely idea! Well done. Nice to hear from a down to earth Mac MUA too. Love it

    • Katie at www.ladyfromatramp.co.uk
      10th June 2012 / 2:55 pm

      Sarah is certainly a rare breed as far as MAC staff go!

      Feel free to drop me a line using the contact form if you’d like to take part!

  2. 10th June 2012 / 4:39 pm

    Great read, very interesting I’m looking forward to reading more.

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