Throughout my four years or so in Makeup Artistry, I’ve come across all types of different clients. From teens just trying out their first bit of makeup and discovering new things, to the more mature lady who still loves a good old dramatic look (I salute these women – they’re pretty fierce!) I’ve put together a little post on the ten different clients you’ll meet when you’re a makeup artist – some good, some bad, some amazing, some terrible. Fellow makeup artists, take a read and see how many you’ve encountered!
1. The one who stares deep down into your soul while you apply their makeup
You know the type, they don’t really want to chat to you and making small talk has gotten so awkward that you decide to just let it ride. You’re applying their lipstick and you realise they’re watching you. No. Not just watching, but staring deep into your eyes, so deep that you’re sure they can see your soul. You utter the words…’go ahead and look down for me please‘. Phew. That’ll do it.
2. The one who loves makeup just as much as you
Ahh fellow makeup sister, I feel you! I LOVE talking to clients who love makeup just as much as me. They’re happy to discuss Cheryl Cole’s X Factor makeup looks, fawn over the new lip palette I just bought and appreciate the different cuts of glitter I have just as much as I do. What a dream.
3. The one who’s a chatterbox
I absolutely love a good chat, and there’s nothing I like more than a client who talks away to me like we’ve been besties forever – it rarely happens but when it does, it’s great! But the one time it is imperative to stay absolutely still is when applying winged eyeliner. Hush now honey or you’ll be rocking the Amy Winehouse rather than the Dita von Teese you requested. Don’t talk, don’t move and regulate your breathing so it’s soft and slow. And for goodness sake, do not, under any circumstances, let your eyelids flicker.
4. The one who looks like a supermodel
I know it’s not only me who starts fangirling when an absolute natural stunner walks through my door with the kind of chiselled cheekbones only Angelina Jolie could dream about. “Your cheekbones look amazing….oh your eye colour is gorgeous….oh, those lashes!” Ahhh!
5. The one who doesn’t have a clue what they want
“I think I’d like a really nude lip, just something really soft” they say. You try out your winning nude from MAC, and show them in the mirror, smiling at your own masterpiece sure they’ll love it too. It’s all going well until…”Oh. It’s too nude for me that. I think I’d prefer a deep plum actually. Yes, can I try a dark lip instead?” Say what…?
.jpg)
6. The one who never wears makeup
How I love it when I have clients come to me and say, “I didn’t even want my makeup doing. My friend made me book in to try it. I never even wear makeup.” Oh wonderful! I like to see this in one of two ways; either a complete disaster where they’ll be disgusted at whatever you do because they hate makeup, or a complete challenge to change their mind about makeup and help them realise just how fun makeup is to wear. I prefer the latter. Let’s do this!
7. The one who thinks you’re Mystic Meg
The one who walks up to your retail counter and says, “I bought a lipstick from you two years ago, can you remember which one it was?” Hold on a sec while I tune in…no! I have no blooming idea which lipstick out of the 120 that we stock that you picked two years ago! “what sort of colour was it? A pink, red, plum?” you ask. “Oh no“, they say, “it was a nudey red colour.” I’m done. Done! Fellow counter artists of past and present, I feel your struggle and I relate.
8. The ones who have cardiac arrest when you tell them your prices
I’m not even going to lie, I’ve still not figured out an appropriate reaction to this so I’ve taken to staying silent and observing from a safe distance.
.png)
9. The one that wants a foundation colour match…over the phone
They call up and tell you they’ve got fair skin but they’ve recently had a spray tan so need a darker foundation. They ask what colour they need now instead of NC15. Do you see the problem here?
10. The one who says “Oh, I’ve never washed my brushes, should I?”
This just destroys my soul. Yes. Yes you absolutely should.
© This post is copyright of Rachael Divers 2015.
