How To Be A Makeup Consultant

NEW YORK, The states — Alexis Page once believed condign a makeup artist was "the only career option in beauty." But after discovering she was a "terrible" makeup artist, Page began studying a BA in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing at the Fashion Establishment of Technology.

During her course, she took an internship at Mac Cosmetics in their product development team — and stayed for 10 years, creating formulas, shades and seasonal collections, every bit well as heading up collaborations with the likes of Proenza Schouler, Carine Roitfeld and Gareth Pugh.

Afterward leaving Mac in 2014, Page was headhunted by Into the Gloss founder Emily Weiss to help her develop the Glossier product line and lead the end-to-end formula and package product evolution procedure. In 2015, Page went freelance, with her commencement clients including Pat McGrath, to help in the development of Pat McGrath Labs, and Urban Outfitters, for whom she launched their offset beauty line Ohii.

Artistic Beauty Consultant, Alexis Folio | Source: Courtesy Creative Beauty Consultant, Alexis Folio | Source: Courtesy

Creative Beauty Consultant, Alexis Page | Source: Courtesy

About recently, Folio has worked with the vacation and swimwear brand Solid & Striped to launch their dominicus intendance line this calendar month alongside the brand's principal executive Isaac Ross and fine art director Ezra Petronio. Here, the creative beauty consultant shares her professional path and career advice.

What is it that attracted you lot to working in dazzler?

I've always been product-obsessed and I thought that would lead to me beingness a makeup artist, equally I thought that was the only career pick in beauty. It turns out I'grand a terrible makeup artist. The makeup artist I was profitable suggested I look into the Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing programme at FIT, where I was already a student in Advertizement and Communications, and that'due south how I moved into product evolution.

My concluding semester at school, I interned at Mac [Cosmetics] in the product evolution section. I had an amazing boss at that place who, at the time, didn't have a position for me, but she took a liking to me and carved out a junior product evolution part. I was there for 10 years and eventually became director of all their collaborations.

What would you lot attribute to getting that first chore at Mac?

I didn't come into that internship thinking I would become a job out of it, but I had a willingness to acquire and practice any job that needed to be done. It wasn't a specific 24-hour interval-to-day gear up of responsibilities: if someone needed help with a project, I would exercise that; if someone needed to post some packages, I would do that; if someone needed to go backstage at a fashion show and practise a write upwardly about what products the makeup artists were using, I would do that.

Take annihilation that gets thrown at you and do information technology to the best of your power. I call back the most valuable lesson is checking yourself, making sure that you understand your role in the greater team and not feeling like you're entitled or to a higher place any task responsibility.

Having the experience of existence an assistant or having an internship — learning about everything from the ground upwardly — can just help you. Information technology can also assist you figure out what you like and don't similar doing, and so that you tin move through jobs in a way that makes sense and keeps you happy and fulfilled.

What was your most meaningful learning experience during your career?

The Pat [McGrath] feel was probably the most meaningful experience I've ever had. I've been working in beauty for 15 years and if any client needed me to brand whatsoever production, I could go to the lab and do it in my sleep. She's on a different level — she'due south an unbelievable artist and her work ethic is unlike annihilation I've ever seen in my life.

I knew that it would be a deep learning experience for me, seeing not only how she does makeup just how she interacts with other people and the joy she has for what she's doing. In any chore, in any industry, in that location's a feeling at some signal of getting burnt out. That doesn't exist with her. It'southward a really beautiful thing to sentry her piece of work.

In that location's a reason she's referred to as mother. Her team is like a family, which I think is really important to go on you going. If you put anyone else in an intense role for a month straight, that would be overwhelming, merely it never felt also intense because it'southward a warm environment. Information technology's a crazy schedule just yous're in it together.

How exercise y'all approach the chore of creating a physical manifestation of a make through your products?

[Information technology depends] on the clients that I'm working with. With companies that aren't necessarily in the beauty space but desire to be, I work within the parameters of what the existing brand is, who the consumer is and what makes the about sense for them. I endeavor not to be formulaic about it, but I am thoughtful and personal with each brand I piece of work with.

Solid & Striped dominicus care products launching June 21, 2019 | Source: Courtesy Solid & Striped sun intendance products launching June 21, 2019 | Source: Courtesy

Solid & Striped sun care products launching June 21, 2019 | Source: Courtesy

For case, later years of Into the Gloss having a pretty cult readership, and Emily [Weiss, the founder and chief executive] having interviewed several people in the industry and seen the inside of anybody's makeup bag, nosotros used that information as a starting point for the 4 products that people use on a daily footing — that we could make a best-in-grade version of. That'southward how nosotros decided to create the Priming Moisturiser, the Balm Dotcom, the Perfecting Peel Tint and the Rosewater Face Cleanse. From at that place, we made colour products, face masks and lipsticks on top of that ground.

But with Solid & Striped, it would brand no sense for me to requite them an eye shadow palette and a lipstick. They're a beach and swimwear brand and then the vibe that they're selling is about holiday, which is dissimilar from whatever other dazzler product I've worked on. Sunscreen and SPF are actually technical and regulated by the FDA — information technology's a serious, scientific skincare product, simply also one that is more of a day-to-twenty-four hours cosmetics production. Nosotros went through a million iterations of the formula until we found the perfect one nosotros liked.

How has the beauty industry changed in contempo years?

Beauty is now a more intimate feel. For decades, information technology's been behemothic beauty companies telling you what yous should want, or what y'all should look like — that they know better than y'all. But, if you think near how women shop and how women speak to each other about dazzler, it'due south not like that. Most women purchase products based on what their friends recommend.

This idea of expert versus customer doesn't be every bit much anymore and I think people sympathise now that an advertisement you meet in a magazine is not reality. People have trust issues with these giant dazzler companies. Instead, these smaller indie brands are thriving because they are listening to what people desire and making things in a more thoughtful way, with a different value arrangement than a big corporation. It feels more like your friend.

Where would you lot recommend starting a career in the dazzler industry?

If you're getting into the dazzler manufacture at present, y'all probably don't remember that the big brands are absurd. Moving from that structured, formal environment into a more start-upward environment or an indie brand environs, where things are a little looser, I understand why people may not want to work for these giant companies at the beginning. Just I still think information technology's a adept learning experience and y'all gain the professional person knowledge that y'all may non get if you kickoff working at a smaller dazzler make.

I feel lucky that my path started in a corporate place because I learned to do things the correct way. Mac is the best of both worlds as it is a corporate environment as a part of Estée Lauder, but it is also an open and progressive company. I learned how to write an email and how to communicate with other people that I work with.

I feel lucky that my path started in a corporate place because I learned to do things the right fashion.

But if y'all're working in a corporate environment like that, worrying about any sort of office politics is always where you tin get yourself in trouble. Stay on your own class and be intuitive about what you know is the right thing and [don't] get caught up in what other people are doing.

What is the reality of your day-to-mean solar day?

I'grand a creative beauty consultant considering what I do now, with all my different clients, is a scrap of everything. It'south not strictly product development. Working with clients to build independent beauty brands, doing the product development, but also helping with artistic management and the marketing, carving out a specific brand presence for each client that I work with.

I've structured myself and so that goose egg really overlaps. Solid & Striped is a totally unlike brand premise than Pat [McGrath] or Urban [Outfitters] or other clients that I've worked with, so keeping everything separate is interesting considering information technology allows me to work on different things at once and use my encephalon in a lot of different means.

Only I am a one-woman show. It'due south a lot to go on straight and a lot of time spent thinking about different ideas for anybody, but I always call back that there'due south new interesting stuff to be washed. There are always new needs to be met and new engineering, innovation, ingredients and competition coming out and it keeps information technology exciting.

What core skills do you believe are necessary for success in your field?

At that place are fun, glamorous parts but there's also solar day-to-twenty-four hour period paperwork or shipping, so being ready and willing to have the fun stuff and the non-so-fun stuff is a not-negotiable for me. There'south a sense now from people inbound their get-go job that they should directly away be in charge of the whole company, which is not realistic and is something to work towards — it's not something to be handed out.

These are essentials to not only beauty but every job. That's something my parents instilled in me, to have a strong piece of work ethic and not be afraid to piece of work hard and practise whatever is asked of you. Certainly not to feel like y'all're above anything, considering if you lot're willing to practise that stuff, y'all can do anything.

Source: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/workplace-talent/how-i-became-a-beauty-consultant/

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