I’ve been a makeup artist for 20 years.
And something I’m so proud of, apart from two decades of doing beautiful work, of building a reputation that proceeds me and has people sharing my number with friends, family, and strangers (I never market my makeup business; if you have my number, you get to book me) is this:
I have beautiful boundaries, and I’m not afraid to express them.
🙌🏻 I’m not afraid to tell the wife who’s worried her husband doesn’t like her with makeup, that it’s her face and she’s allowed to wear makeup if she wants, and that I promise she’ll leave my chair feeling beautiful.
🙌🏻 I’m not afraid to say to someone watching me work on the bride, that the bride needs a moment of space and can’t talk right now, as my hand is lightly resting on her cheek and if she talks, her cheek will move, and if her cheek moves, her eyeliner will be wonky.
🙌🏻 I’m not afraid to ask for someone to shift slightly to the left, as they’re blocking the natural light from the doorway.
🙌🏻 I’m not afraid to gently nudge a woman to not wear the red lipstick to her wedding if she’s never worn red before, or on the flip side, to wear the red if she wears it every day but thinks she needs to be “more natural” for the party.
🙌🏻 I’m not afraid to say “I need a table with lots of space, in a room with natural light, and no it can’t be a bathroom.”
🙌🏻 I’m not afraid to firmly say “I don’t do the bride’s makeup last, as then everyone is ready before her and they stand around watching her get her makeup done, and it’s not relaxing for her. She’ll go second last, and then everyone gets touch-ups.”
I’m not afraid to assert loving, kind, and firm boundaries that make it easier for me to show up, work, and keep working.
But I used to be.
It used to feel nerve-wracking, and instead of someone shifting to the side out of my light, I’d shift myself. I’d stay quiet when a husband made a comment about his wife’s makeup (now I just give some light sass back and stand up for his wife, because I’m not in the mood for that). I used to be wishy washy about payment, but now I’m not. This is how and when I accept payment, and it’s always before or at the time of me doing your makeup, never afterwards.
I love setting clean and clear boundaries, and it means my makeup biz thrives because it feels easy and light on my system.
(And because I do beautiful makeup that has women feeling like themselves, just shinier. (Like not shiny, I powder them!)
With love and deep belief in you,
