Mel Arter is a super-talented make-up artist - she can make any look instantly cool, edgy yet deceptively simple, like for this eyes story we shot together a while ago. Recently she did the make-up for girl of the year, Style Rookie Tavi, for Pop magazine - more on that later!
These are some shots from her amazing portfolio.
I met up with Mel this week to get her insider info on the industry, trends and her favourite products. First up - how to become a make-up artist:
Do a short course. “Things have changed massively since I trained 13 years ago. Now it’s unrealistic to pay a lot of money for a course – there are good two-week or starter courses where you’ll learn the basics. Really when you do a longer course, you’re paying just to practice - I practised at home by copying looks from magazines. So there’s no need to break the bank on your training."
Become an assistant: "Next, assist a make-up artist. It sounds scary if you don’t know anyone, but the truth is make-up artists are always looking for assistants – and like to train you up from nothing. I look for people with little or no experience! They learn quicker that way. Email the make-up artists agencies and get a list of names. Or there might be someone you really admire – just write to them."
Be passionate about it: "The key thing is to be absolutely passionate and dedicated – forget your social life! You need to be motivated and to set yourself targets every single week – if you don’t you’ll never get on. There’s no structure to this industry – it’s not like you can get a job on reception and work your way up – but that can be a good thing, since you can go in at any level. I just couldn’t help myself – my mum used to bring home Vogue for me and I would rush to my room and copy the looks."
Thanks for that great advice, Mel.
