Free Art

A friend of mine shared a link the other day to a page called UPG Artists.  They were giving this shirt away for Free +S&H to show appreciation for the arts.  And I kind of like it.

Every Photographer, Makeup Artist, Artist, Hairstylist etc has had to go through at least one awkward conversation where someone has requested something for nothing, and it's even worse when it's a friend.

I must say, for the most part, I have been one of the lucky ones - at least these days.  When I was first starting out all of my friends would request that I do their hair and makeup to go out - which meant I often ended up running out the door with my hair in a pony tail, and just a quick coat of eye liner and mascara, since I spent most of the "getting ready" time on my friends.  And I didn't mind so much then, I do love what I do - it was just a little frustrating when I never had time for myself.  But these days, it's not like that anymore.

Maybe it's the fact that it's not just me being good at makeup any more - but that I'm a certified makeup artist, have a business licence, a registered trade name, a business account, and company bank cards, the requests for free makeup have have stopped for the most part.  Now and then there is a favour asked - which is totally fine, I've asked favours too, but for the most part, my friends all respect that what I do is a learned skill, it's taken schooling, and practice, and a multitude of products to get me where I am now, and my friends respect that I'm a pro - and pro's charge.  And my friends pay if they want to hire me.

Ashton is probably the best example of this.  Ashton is one of my best friends, and in the Spring of 2013 I will be standing beside her at her wedding, but even though we are so close, Ashton has never asked for me to work for free - and I really appreciate that.  Over the years I have done her hair and makeup for weddings, Christmas parties, Halloween costumes, and just going out to look a little extra special, and she pays me every time, unless I ask her if I can do it.  I do do that now and then - I love doing makeup, and sometimes I just feel like playing a little bit, trying out a new color, - and Ashton is always more than willing to let me use her as my canvas.  She even payed me for makeup lessons so she could absorb some of my skill and learn a few tricks.

I really appreciate that Ashton respects that what I do is a profession, and one that requires professional skill, and that she would never undervalue my talent by asking me to do it for free.  And it's not just Ashton, I have had several friends ask me how much I charge for makeup lessons - rather than just asking if I would show them a technique, and I'm so thankful that I have friends that respect my work like that.

Last year I placed an add on Kijiji just to try to get a little more exposure from other sources - which is when I discovered the "Kijiji Brides".  I received lots of inquires, and then once I told them my prices, I got questioning, haggling, and arguing.  I'm not denying that weddings are expensive - I've been through one, I know, but if you want professional services, you have to pay professional prices.  Nothing is more insulting than a Kijiji Bride telling you that you are too expensive, and having them ask you to lower your price.  

You inquired with me because you want a professional, you looked at my work, and you liked it - you want professional service, professional products, and a professional job for your big day - but you don't want to pay me what a professional is worth?  No thank you, you can have your sister do your makeup instead.


Have you ever tried to haggle the price at a restaurant?  Ever argued with a sales clerk about a retail price on a dress?  Asked for a discount on groceries?  Probably not.  Everyday consumers are faced with price tags, and the decision typically comes down to "can I afford it or not?".  If you don't have the budget for it, you move on - but when it comes to the art, or service world, people suddenly think there is wiggle room in the price.


I am running a business like any other - I have bills to pay too.  Just going through the registration fees, and business licence fees cost me $500+, and that doesn't include my accounting software, my website domain fees, my marketing, the furniture for my studio and all of my products and supplies - it adds up.  There is a reason I charge for my services - I am a professional, and this is a business. 

So once again thank you, my dear friends, for respecting me, and not under valuing the work that I do.  It really means the world to me!

Stage Makeup

I have been so very lucky to get to do something that I love, and have people pay me for it - I believe this is what is called a "Dream Job".  But there is a little part of my Dream Job, that I wish came up a little more often, and that's Stage Makeup. 

For those of you who do not know - I started in makeup in the Theatre program at U of C, where I got to turn my face into a Chinese Opera Mask, or become an old woman, give myself a beard, pour face molds and build latex prosthetics!  I loved it!  Stage Makeup, or Special FX were my favorite thing!!  My Prof used to hand out a different famous painting to each of us, an then ask us to duplicate it on our faces, which involved brush techniques, mixing proper colors and a steady hand.  I love a challenge, especially a makeup challenge, and I was thrilled when he would hand out these pictures!  You haven't lived until you've made your face into this:

Francis Bacon - My prof's favorite artist, and my challenge

One night my room mate had my car, and I was bored waiting for her to come home from work - so I started playing, and before I knew it - I had done this:

***In trying to find pictures for this Blog Post, I went to the U of C photographer's website, and actually found 20 year old Heather from one of the shows I worked on!  Look at how Cute I am!!***

In University there was a calling for stage makeup artist - each theatre production needed makeup artists to do anything from just helping the actors with basic stage makeup, to creating a complex character makeup look, so my talents were in high demand in University.  The play that was the most fun to work on, was an adaptation of Medea.  The Graduate student who was assigned to direct this show was known for her abstract shows, so they gave her the stuffiest old greek play they could - and she ran with it.  She did a slight re-write on the play, gave all her characters unique ridiculous costumes (one guy had a helmet with corn broom mohawk that stuck on with velcro):

and built a spectacle stage complete with large metal box center stage that held Medea:

and added in a dance and drum beats.  It was by far my favorite show in University, and I was so thrilled I got to work on it. 


One of my jobs in the show as running crew, was to help braid Andrews shoulder length hair each night, into 15-20 braids all over his head, as well as slick down Dereks Very curly hair so that when he removed his over sized top hat, his hair would not budge, as well as helping Dan make a hand print across his face, and other fun jobs:

 Now - does this look like a Greek tragedy?!?

Another show that was a blast for me to work on was The Last Sorcerer, where I got to transform a 19 year old into an old man!

Here's a closer look:

Man.  Looking through all these photo's, I really miss Stage Makeup.  There's not much call for it in Boudoir Shoots, and Weddings these days - but luckily, Halloween is coming up!!  And if there is any time where I can really stretch my Stage Makeup Muscle, it's Halloween!!   And Luckily, Ben likes to take advantage of the skill too, and always strives for unique makeup heavy costumes.  Last year, he was a broken statue:

And this year, we are doing a couple's costume - Ben will be the big man himself:

And I will be going as his partner in crime (and puns):

I'm so excited!! It's been a year since I got out my Stage Makeup kit, and I'm itching to play!!

Word of Mouth

I love it.

Last night I was shopping with friends, and was in one store where I happened to mention one of the Boudoir Marathons that I have worked on - the sales girl over heard, and asked me about them, stating that she was looking to do something different for her boyfriends birthday and was contemplating doing one of theses shoots.  She asked me some questions, and asked me for my card!  I don't know if she will ever follow up, but if she does, then the system works!  Good old Word of Mouth!

At our last Boudoir Marathon, we had both the Hairdresser, and the best friend of one of the girls from the first Boudoir Marathon!!  They had both mentioned how much Miss. S had been raving about the shoot, and the whole experience so much, that as soon as Melissa and I had announced a second marathon they were the first to sign up!  I love that - referals are the ultimate in compliments!!  It's one thing for someone to tell you they like your work, it's completely another to rave to all of their friends and family resulting in more people signing up!!  It gives me the warm fuzzies :)

And truth be told, word of mouth is so very important in my line of work.  Say you are getting married.  And you have never been married before - so where do you start in your planning?  You talk to your other married friends of course!  "Oh - where did you end up getting your dress?"  "Who did you use for your pictures?"  "who did your catering?"  And of course "Did you have your makeup done for your wedding?  Who did it?"  which is the best advertising I could ask for.

I currently have a wedding booked for next summer - the Bride is the sister of the Bride I did last winter!  Word of mouth, I tell ya - it's fantastic!!


And it works in lots of things - personally before I do anything I do research.  I read reviews, watch YouTube videos, and I talk to my circle of friends and see what they thought.  These days it's very easy to be a savy consumer - all the information you could ever want on a product or service is right there at your finger tips, it's up to you to look for it (and honestly, why wouldn't you?  A few minutes of googling can tell you exactly what you should look for, and what you should stay away from - saving you time and money in the future!).

That being said, when I stand behind a product or person, I rave about them.  I send them testimonials they can put on their website, I tell my friends, I make sure that word of mouth works in their favor too. 

So here is a small list of some of my favorite people and places!


Netbride

I found my wedding dress in a store in Edmonton, and then looked for it cheaper online - in store it was $650, online I got it for $383.  My bridesmaid dresses were $200 in store, and $89 through Net Bride.  I have told every bride, bridesmaid and graduate I have come across about this website!!  It's family run, and everyone I dealt with there was so friendly and nice!  They send you their price for your dress make and model number within 24 hours and even have a "live chat" feature so you can talk directly with their staff if you have questions about shipping, sizing or anything else you may want to know!  Shipping was also very quick, and my dresses arrived 2 months prior to the set arrival date!!


A&D Photography

Abigail and Dave are some of my favorite people.  Dave is actually one of my very good friends from my days back in Calgary, affectionately known as "One of my Boys".  He is an awesome photographer, and an amazingly fun person to boot.  He met Abby through a mutual friend and fell in love.  Lucky for them, Abby is also an amazing photographer, and a kick ass person, so A&D photography was born.  When Ben and I got married, I was concerned about my resort photographer, because I didn't have a choice - I just had to go with the photographer employed by the resort, so I messaged Dave.  We decided to book a "post wedding shoot" in Canmore a couple months after the wedding, and spent the weekend with Abby and Dave taking beautiful photo's in the mountains, sipping yummy drinks, and splashing around on water slides - it was an awesome weekend, and I can't say enough about how great Dave and Abby are to work with!  They had us laughing constantly!! They are both so down to earth, and so crazy in love with each other, that they know exactly which looks, and gestures they are looking for to capture the best photos.  They are some of the best photographers Calgary has to offer.  And if you don't believe me - the photo's speak for themselves:

Candy and Cream Boudoir

Okay, so you must have seen this one coming...  My partner in crime, Melissa Raimondi - Boudoir Photographer extraordinaire!  Now I don't want this to come off as a promo for me because my own company (SmudgeMakeup... shameless plug) works along side Candy and Cream for their Boudoir Marathons, so don't think of this as that - I just want to talk about Melissa as a photographer.  I just can't say enough about how Pretty her work is!!  Her shots capture so much beauty and elegance, and she brings out the very best in the ladies that are captured in front of her camera.  Melissa is bubbly, and friendly, and when she tells you she's "so excited to meet you!!!" you can tell she's being honest!  Melissa is so much fun, she's laid back, and always smiling, and makes every girl who visits her studio completely at ease!  At the last marathon, I was in my makeup station working on the next girl, and I over heard behind the curtain during the shoot "I can't believe I'm so comfortable around you - I'm standing here in a thong and I don't even feel weird about it!"  But enough about Melissa herself (because I could go on for hours), you HAVE to see her work!!:

Raimondi Photography

And just to throw this in here, Melissa does more than Boudoir, check out a couple of her baby and wedding shots too:

Carla's Waxing
"little house off whyte"

Unfortunately I don't have a website for this one (or the exact address), it was word of mouth for me, and I want to share it with you.  Carla works out of a little house converted salon just off Whyte Ave by Bonnie Doon.  Her prices are awesome ($26 for a full Brazilian wax), and she's fast (about 5 minutes for a full wax job).  As a friend that I referred to her said upon getting her wax "Wow - you are like the waxing ninja!!"  She does a good job, does it fast, and does it for cheap!!  She once told me she does about 20-30 waxes a day and has been doing it for 20+ years... now that's experience!  Call her to book an appointment!  780.497.2566


Lash Affair

I met Courtney through Melissa, and I'm so very glad I did.  Courtney is an eye lash extension technician (do you call them technicians?), and I can honestly say, as a makeup artist, Courtney does the best work in eye lash extensions that I have ever seen.  I have worked on several of her girls, and the lashes are full, and properly applied in such a way to get the most natural looks (staggering the different lengths to get the most natural effect).  Courtney has a full studio in her basement, but will be opening up a commercial location in Spring 2012, and offers several choices of lashes, as well as Lash Dip coming soon!  Plus she's super nice, and very easy to get along with!!


Sigma Beauty Brushes

As a Makeup artist, I am always on the search for good quality brushes to get the best effect, and I found them in Sigma Brushes.  Sigma has MAC quality makeup brushes, but Drug Store prices - which works for me!!  I did a comparison once of Sigma's complete brush roll set, and the equivalent brushes at Mac - Sigma was $79, Mac was $397.50!!!  Now that's a deal I can get behind!!  And I am telling you as a professional Makeup artist - these brushes are awesome.


My Pink Vanity

As someone who likes to change up their hair a lot, I was on the search for hair extensions that I could clip in to get a different look, and take out at the end of the night, and after reading a lot of reviews, and watching a lot of YouTube videos, I settled on My Pink Vanity.  Lush Locks are some of the best quality hair extensions I have found, and their service is fantastic.  The owner, Amy, not only responds to your questions right away, she also sends little gifts with your order and comes up with contests to give away curing irons, hair clips, earrings, hair products, lots of things!!


Okay.... I could really go on and on, but I think that is enough for now!! So if you find a product or service, and you like their style - tell a friend, tell lots of friends, share the wealth of information and spread the love!!