Nicolas KRIEF – make-up artist : Petr BLECHA

The life of a makeup artist is varied and exciting – and challenging at times!

To be a make-up artist you should: have a creative imagination have a strong visual sense be able to communicate well at all levels have the confidence and tact to suggest changes to benefit an individual’s appearance have stamina be able to work under pressure be methodical and pay attention to detail. You will be working with teams of often diverse colleagues most of the times. One of the best (and sometimes worst) parts of the job is getting to work with people all day.  You will make friends and professional connections constantly due to the nature of the job.  Sometimes, of course, the people you work with will be difficult or rude.  Sometimes you yourself are tired from a very long day and have to remember to be positive and help keep everyone’s spirits up and working well.

Make-up artists are likely to work long and often irregular hours, depending on the project they are working on. Full-time or contract make-up artists in Lancôme often work shifts which include evening and weekend hours. The job involves long periods of concentration and can involve travel.

If you get project to work in television or fashion, you might have a 3 AM call one day to get models ready for a photo shoot, followed by 10-12 hours of work that same day.  Or sometimes it’s an easy 10AM call, work for a few hours and then you are done.  If you are making up a celebrity for a TV show or movie premiere, you will go to their homes to make them up.  You might also meet with fashion designers to design a makeup look that coordinates with their latest collection for a runway show.

One thing you can be sure of: it’s never a boring job!

All the best

Petr