Ask Lianne
Here is your chance to pose your questions to her and get a female perspective about any questions you might have that you need advice for. Twice a month she'll respond to selected questions with her answers for you right here.
June 19, 2004
Dear Lianne,
Do you have any advice for a shy person who wants to be a makeup artist? How did you become good at doing makeup?
Anonymous
The only thing that can get someone to be more confident about their skills is through experience. I grew up reading beauty magazines, starting from age 12 or 13. I learned all the little secrets and tips that people otherwise learn in makeup classes. I tried every trick they mentioned, and while some worked for me, many others didn't. I started wearing makeup in junior high, and to this day, I believe it took me at least 10 years to become really good at doing makeup just on myself. (Then again, Asian eyes are the hardest to do.) When I went to beauty school, I didn't learn too much about makeup in their classes, which taught the very bare basics. It was when I started doing makeup for my friends at beauty school that I learned tricks for all different eye shapes. We were required to have a certain number of makeup credits, so we modeled for each other. I took what I learned from doing my own makeup, and altered it a little for other people's features.
It also helps to take drawing classes. When you do pencil or charcoal drawing, you learn how to shade softly or dramatically and blend your lines nicely. This helps a lot with eyeshadow, especially, as well as contouring and detailing. I learned the most about this from art class in high school, where we learned how to draw realistically. (Patience is required!) Sometimes I think that people either have that talent for art, or they don't. Either way, you will learn a lot from art class that you can then use when you are doing makeup.
A lot of people get into makeup artistry by working a cosmetics counter. I think that if I had done that, I would be better at doing makeup than I am now. That kind of title gives you instant credibility. Once you start doing makeup, take pictures of your models and you can show them to potential clients. The more professional the pictures, the better.
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Lianne grew up near Berkeley, California and went from a quiet and shy girl to a woman who is now a professional model, actress, photographer, artist, and hairstylist.
Find out more about Lianne here: www.liannelin.com
Photos used by permission courtesy of Lianne Lin (www.liannelin.com). Photos are copyrighted by Lianne Lin.