What We See vs. What We Hear

Is it true what they say about beauty being in the eye of the beholder? Is it possible to see beauty in everyone? Even potential beauty? These are some of the questions that I am asked constantly by clients. The answer to these questions lie within. True beauty starts in the head and somehow makes it to the surface. At first glance, I see a woman who visually stimulated my senses(eyes), but after that, I start to look at the posture, tone, and assessment of one's self. These are just a few ways beauty can be measured. Beauty is a feeling, and the way you view yourself and others has a lot to do with how the world sees you. How does this relate to makeup and the mind of a makeup artist? When I look at a person I listen to what they are looking for such as what they are saying to me and also what the client is not telling me. I like to find out the history of the client such as where they have been with a particular look and where they are willing to go with a look. I remember one time when I was working in a makeup store and this beautiful tall dark skinned model walked in and I went crazy. I started having all these ideas of what I wanted to do to her face. I asked her if I could do her makeup and she said yes. By the time I finished with her she had on about four to five eye shadows, foundation, lipstick, lip liner, and a few other things. I was very proud of the makeup look that I had created for her but when she looked in the mirror she hated it. She stated that she never wore foundation and she thought it was too much. Sometimes what we see is not the way people want to see themselves. So the lesson learned is to ask questions to find out what the client likes and dislikes so you don't spend an hour creating a masterpiece and an additional fifteen minutes trying to take it all off.

Elroy McDaniel