If you follow me on Instagram then last night you may have seen me post a totally innocent few Instagram stories on my thoughts on certain styles of Make Up that are floating around our social media pages at the minute. I put out a poll asking whether you agreed or disagreed on how I feel that makeups are too over dramatic and over the top.

Since posting my thoughts my inbox blew up. I received all kinds of messages including ones saying ‘Finally, someone said it’ and messages that made me really sad from fellow Make Up Artists who said that these images are hurting not only their business but also their courage and drive to post creative content and it sets unrealistic ideals for their clients because they wanted to look like the girl on Instagram with 4 filters.

I am a Make Up Artist who still to this day sometimes shies away from using the term MUA even though I have been in the industry for 8 years. In my opinion the term Make Up Artist has lost all meaning since make up boomed onto the scene. Our job has become viewed as an easy way to start a career earning money with what’s thought as little to no work.  In an age where people can go to a day course with their favourite artists/instagrammers and then slap MUA at the end of their name, actual Make Up Artists, pre make up boom are suffering. The reality however, is that to be a Make Up Artist requires a lot of work. I am talking early starts, late finishes, dealing with clients, customer service, buying and investing in a make up kit and spending a huge amount of money before you even make money.  Not to mention basically having no social life.

Of course, everyone has to start somewhere but you cannot call yourself a Make Up Artist after you attend a one day course where you learnt one look that suited the model that happened to be there that day.  There are so many looks that can be created and all I seem to see is the same look, repeated over and over again just with different colours.  One of my favourite local Make Up Artists, @heatherallenmakeup_ in response said ‘I agree that they are artistic but when everyone starts doing the same artistic look is gets boring.’  We see so many of these looks that when we see the creative makeups they are now classed as the norm.

The point I am making, or trying to make is that social media has completely blown the role of a Make Up Artist and what normal glam makeup is out of the water. It doesn’t hold the same meaning that it once did and while Beauty Bloggers (hello) and YouTube, etc all have a part to play the one that does the most detrimental damage is Instagram. Instagram, is by far my favourite app and it’s disgusting how often I am on it. That being said when it comes to clients coming in with images of makeup that they want that they have seen on their feeds I am immediately disheartened because no amount of amazing skills or make up products can turn your client into a real life Face Tuned image.

I’m talking smooth, poreless skin with cut creases and halo eyes and triple stacked lashes. Don’t get me wrong, I do love doing the Make Up itself as it allows me to explore an area of creativity that years ago I didn’t even know was possible. The people doing these make ups are so crazily talented, I am not taking that away from them but those makeups are fine for Instagram, but that’s Instagram – your face is real life and an unrealistic standard is being set that regular makeup artists using regular make up struggle to live up to.  Think of this from not even a Make Up Artist’s point of view, as a client you are being lied to by viewing these amazing looks, walking into your Make Up Artist expecting to leave looking like the photo and being bitterly disappointed at the end even though you are absolutely beautiful (with and without makeup).  You didn’t look how you expected because you are not a walking filter.  These makeups only look great from one head tilted angle and tend to look a little strange head on.  Take a glitter cut crease for example, I went out with this look and someone took a photograph of me that wasn’t a posing selfie and I looked plain weird.  I vowed that a regular smokey eye is  my go to for nights out.

I really do pity anyone who is genuinely trying to make it as a Make Up Artist because looking at these images would make me want to cry, filled with the dread that I would never be able to do make up like that. My advice to anyone starting out is do not get put down by these drastic dramatic looks, do make up how you want to do it and I guarantee your clients will love it.  As well as that, do your research and understand different people suit different looks.  Have confidence in your work and believe in yourself, you do not need to copy Instagram to be successful, if anything I think it’s the opposite.

99% of my Instagram feed are dramatic looks because as I say, they are so fun to do. But guys and gals, you must understand the difference between Instagram and real life and set yourself a realistic make up look to ask for. Make up is designed to enhance your own natural beauty, social media makeups have made us lose sight of this. When did it become about making a woman look nothing like herself?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this, do you think that the makeup is too much or do you think I should get over it.  There is so much more I could say about this topic but I’ll quit while I am ahead.  Send me a message and let me know.

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