In Monday‘s edition of Working, Slate’s Jacob Brogan talks to D.C.’s Christin Michelle, a professional freelance makeup artist who’s been making her clients beautiful for 17 years. In this episode, Michelle shares how she first got started in the beauty industry and what it’s like being a self-employed makeup artist.

What are her favorite events to prep clients for, and what’s it like doing makeup for a bride on her special day? Is that different from doing makeup for one of D.C.’s many politicians? And how does she negotiate a professional attitude while still befriending her clients?

And in this episode’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Michelle shares trade secrets on how she keeps her professional makeup kit stocked. How long did it take for her to build a professional kit, and where does she buy her products? Also—what are her tips for purchasing makeup on a budget?

Jacob Brogan: For the last few months, we’ve been chatting with some of the folks who keep the White House in working order. We’ve wrapped that series up. You can go back and listen to all of the episodes. And, we hope you will if you haven’t already. Now, we’re looking at some other careers. Some folks who do something very different. People who make sure that we look good. This week we’re literally starting, if you’ll pardon a slight pun, with foundation. Our guest this week is freelance professional makeup artist Christin Michelle who works with clients as they’re getting ready for weddings, photo shoots, galas, and more.

Michelle told us about how she got into makeup artistry. What she carries around in the superheavy kit that she brings on jobs. How she keeps the business running, and a lot more. Whether or not you apply your own makeup in the morning, I don’t, I think that you’ll find her stories about engaging with her clients, pursuing her passion and helping people know how beautiful they are to be fascinating.

What is your name and what do you do?         

Christin Michelle: My name is Christin Michelle, and I am a freelance makeup artist.

Brogan: How long have you been working as a freelance makeup artist?

Michelle: Freelance, about two and half years. But I’ve been in the beauty industry for 17.

Brogan: How did you make your way to doing it full time, freelance here in Washington, D.C.?

Michelle: Growing up as a young girl in Baltimore, I always went to the MAC counter, and always aspired to work for MAC. So, that was like my number one goal at 14. I’m going to work for MAC. And, I’m going to be this great makeup artist. And so, I landed a job at MAC. And, I worked there for 10 years in management.

And there were the ups and downs. And, I met amazing people. Had a lot of opportunities, but I knew I had to start doing my own thing. Because, I had given so much time to MAC and I was teaching so many people. I almost started to feel stagnant. And so, I said I’m going to leave. I’m going to go out on my own. I literally took two weeks. And, I said, I’m leaving. And, I never looked back.

Brogan: How did you start lining up gigs?

Michelle: My clients at MAC actually helped me with that. A lot of them saw a little bit in me that I didn’t see. And so, they were kind of my mirror. They were saying, oh Chris, you shouldn’t be behind this counter. You have way too much energy. Your skills are good. You should be out here doing the stars. And, I’m like, oh no. I’m just here to help people. Because, it was very fulfilling for me, again, to find makeup that looks good on women. And, it’s not too much. And, they could trust me. So, I was really getting my life that way. But then, I started to see the bigger picture. I started to see that there were more things out there for me besides just MAC. And, everybody kept telling me just to trust it.

And they kept telling me I’m the only person that’s in my way. Once I believed that I could do it, I just literally took off from there. My first month out after MAC was rough. I slept 12 hours a day. Because, I was literally exhausted. So, I was happy.

It’s just very emotional for me because I didn’t think I could do it. I’m very like structured and I’m all about my education. And doing what other people want me to do. And, every day I look at my life and I’m like, I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m working for myself and I had so many nay-sayers. So many people that said I couldn’t do it. And, I’m just really shocked.

And I’m grateful. And my life is so much better and so different. And, I just never knew that I could be this happy. And, my clients are my life. I do this literally to make other people happy. I don’t do it for the money. I do it for the experiences. I do it because I feel like so many people need someone to tell them they’re pretty. And I just get my life off that. I really do, I really do.

Brogan: So, what is your life like now? Do you have a regular roster of clients?

Michelle: Yeah, I have clients that call me monthly. I have one young lady—she’s kind of a D.C. socialite. She calls me every week. I would say about 95% of my business is referrals. Which is, again, fulfilling for me. I feel like women come back. And that’s like the best form of flattery. I’m on Yelp. So, that helps my business as well.

And, I think the biggest part of me, is I like to be diverse. I like to help all different types of clients. And so, my website reflects that. And, I guess you could say my roster of clients reflects that too. I help people from all walks of life. So, yeah.

Brogan: So, apart from the kind of referrals. Both from professionals and just from your clients, how else do you find new clients?

Michelle: SEO optimization, that’s always a thing, another expense you have to pay for. But, it works.

What else do I do to get clients? I hand out my card to everyone. I mean, this is a crazy story. Last weekend when I was having a busy Saturday, I had a two-hour break, which I never get. So, I was literally just driving around in a rental. And, I got pulled over. I got pulled over. So, I said, OK. What’s going on? So, they come to the car. There’s two of them. One’s looking all in the car. And, the other one’s like, could you please roll your window down? So, I’m calm. I’m like, OK. Get my I.D. out, he’s like, the tags on this car are stolen. What? I said, what?

Brogan: On this rental?

Michelle: On a rental. Long story short, something happened with the other person who was supposed to return it. Blah, blah, blah. At the end of the transaction, there was a female officer. And, I said, you guys have been really, really kind. I’m going to give you my card. If you and your ladies ever want to have a makeover session, please let me know. She held my card and she looked at it. She was like, thanks. And, I was like, seriously. If you and your ladies want to get together for like a girls night, or if you’re going out, let me know.

I live in the area. She was like, great! She said, no one has ever given me their business card after they’ve gotten pulled over. I will never forget you. Again, this is how I get new clients. You just have to put yourself out there. What’s the worst thing they’re going to do? Not call you, right? But, they’ll remember your logo. And they’ll remember that moment that you gave them your card, right?

Brogan: That’s great. What a wonderful story. I bet you end up doing her makeup.

Michelle: Listen, this just happened last week. But the holidays are coming up. She may give me a call.

Brogan: So what is your day like? When do you usually get started?

Michelle: I wake up every day between 6 and 8. And, that’s on a day that I don’t have a client until later. A lot of the times during maybe April through June, I’m waking up earlier because I have like five am clients, six am clients. Sometimes, if you’re production work, you get there at five and leave at eight.

So my days are long a lot of the times. But, even if I don’t have clients, I’m still working. I do a lot of research. I read a lot of entrepreneurial blogs, articles. Things that you wouldn’t think a makeup artist would read, I’m reading. Because running a business is completely separate than being a makeup artist. I want to be known for professionalism. I want to be known for someone who does polished makeup. And, I want people to be like, oh, I can tell that’s Christin’s work. Or, that looks nice. Is that Christin’s work? I want to be known for that.

I don’t want to be known for a lot of cookie cutter looks. I customize all my service. So, my clients never look alike. And, I work with a lot of brides. And, they all get a different experience.

Brogan: Do you do your own makeup in the morning?

Michelle: So, that’s the thing. I literally am the person that’s doing the makeup in the Uber. I literally spend 10 minutes on my own makeup. I just find so much more joy in doing everyone else’s. I do not spend a lot of time on myself.

I literally had a trip to Dallas. One of my clients flew me to Dallas a couple weeks ago. And, I was packing. And, I said, I don’t even have a black eyeliner for myself. What I don’t think people understand is you have to have two separate kits. You have to have a makeup kit for yourself. And then, a makeup kit for you. And, my makeup kit is so embarrassing. Like, if I were to go through it, you’d be like, Chris. Are you a makeup artist? Or, like an enthusiast? Because, I literally have very little makeup for myself.

Brogan: Is that also because you just know what works for you and you don’t have to have the same range of things?

Michelle: Honestly, what I’ve learned working in this industry is that you should not wear a lot of makeup when you go to these gigs. I would tell you maybe 80% of the time if it’s a first time client, I’ve never met them. I don’t want to walk in there with loud lipstick, lashes, blush everywhere. I don’t want them to think that what I look like is what I’m going to put on them. So, I really go in there with a neutral palette, minimal jewelry, minimal perfume.

And, I’m very, very neutral. I want people to be able to trust me. So, I go very, very soft on myself.

Brogan: It’s about letting them know that they can have their look instead of yours.

Michelle: Absolutely, absolutely.

Brogan: So, when do you start meeting with people?

Michelle: It really depends. My schedule is different every single day. There are weeks when I don’t have a day off for like 20 days. And then, there are sometimes I have three days off. But, when I say off, I mean I’m physically not helping anyone.

I’m never actually off. If a client emails me at 11:30, I’m going to email them back by 11:40. I am extremely big on responsiveness. In a saturated market, they could hit someone else up in two seconds and say, oh, they responded first, so I’m going to hire them.

Brogan: Is that how you communicate with clients, mostly, through e-mail?

Michelle: Yes, email. When they contact me in other venues, like Facebook, Instagram, I always redirect them back to email, just to let them know, we can be cool, but we’re not friends. And we have to keep it professional. Because sometimes, when people find that comfort level, conversations start to change.

And when you’re speaking about business and money and service, I feel like it should be professional at all times.

Brogan: How long do you normally spend with a client when you’re actually sitting down to do the work with them?

Michelle: I take about 45 minutes to an hour with a client, and that includes setup and breakdown. Now, my setup and breakdown has changed over the years. I feel like I change my kit pretty often, trying to find the easiest thing to transport, and the easiest thing to clean up.

So, my current kit right now is the most concise and the cleanest it’s ever been, and it’s really saved me so much time. Especially when I’m doing large events with more than one makeup artist, everyone knows, boom, that’s my station, and my stuff’s already laid out. So, about an hour per client.

Brogan: Can you tell us a little bit about the kit that you take around with you?

Michelle: Yeah, let me take a look at it. One thing that I have learned is that, even though I may be hired to do one client, I never know who else is going to be in that house with them.

Or I never know who is going to be in the hotel with them. It actually happened to me today. I was doing a client. She’s an Olympian. We walk in, and one of her good girlfriend comes in who is a completely different complexion than her. So, one thing I’ve learned is, always be prepared to have every color in your kit, from lightest to darkest. And you don’t have to have every color, but you need to be able to mix it to get that color.

Brogan: So, this is your standard kit that you have with you every day?

Michelle: This is my standard kit. Mm-hmm. OK, so, foundation. Foundation is the base. It’s going to pretty much even out your skin tone. I personally like to do eyes first, and then I go back and do foundation.

Brogan: It looks like there’s 30, 40, 50 containers of foundation there?

Michelle: Yes.

Brogan: How do you tell them apart?

Michelle: OK, so some of them are for different textures of skin, like oil controlling. And then, some are hydrating. Because literally, people can be one spectrum or the other.

I carry a variety, ‘cause like I said, I never know what I’m going to be working with. And I can always tell, that’s why I leave them this way, so the colors and the numbers are facing up. So, I can literally just grab and go, grab and go, grab and go. And it also makes it easy when the client is looking. She’s like, oh, you have Kevyn Aucoin; you have FACE atelier; oh, you have Armani. It lets them know what I’m using. And most of the time, they want to go out and buy it.

Brogan: Will they ask for particular brands?

Michelle: Absolutely. I do have certain clients that are brand loyal.

And I let them know, if it’s a brand that I think is amazing for everyday use, I’ll let them know. But if they’re doing red carpet, I’m going to let them know, I’m going to step it up a notch and maybe use something of my own.

Brogan: Are they ever like, I want to use that one. And you’re like, that’s actually not the right one for you. Do you let them have their thing?

Michelle: We have that conversation. I pick my battles. There are some people that are just very into what they love, and that’s what we’ll go with. And I’ll add—it’s a collaboration. I’ll add my spin on it, and I’ll still use their base, or their eyeliner, or their favorite mascara.

The other section that I’m really big in is correctors and highlighters, and concealer palettes. Again, these can change the whole look. Correcting is really very important in our field, because for a lot of women who have deeper complexions, if we don’t correct with an orange corrector, they can sometimes come out grey. And so, I’m really big into color correction. This section is my prep. Skin prep is really important, ‘cause not everyone takes care of their skin. And it’s just because they just may not know how.

So, I have neutral moisturizers that don’t have any fragrance that are hypo-allergenic. Makeup removers. Skin primers. Skin primers go on before, right after the moisturizer, and it helps if someone has dehydrated skin; if someone has redness or rosacea. Any different type of skin ailment, primers are really going to help with that. I also like to, of course, carry hand sanitizer. That’s number one. And lip conditioners. I always lip condition, especially for guys. I do a lot of guys, believe it or not. And they, of course, they’re anti-makeup.

Use neutral things. Oil controlling. Oil controlling is really big for brides and for guys that have bald heads. So, we put this all over them.

Brogan: Is that because of the sheen of the lighting?

Michelle: The sheen, yeah, yeah. You’d be surprised who wears makeup on TV. And, all those things, you’ve got to get them together.

Brogan: We’re just after a presidential debate, there’s that famous story about Nixon not wearing makeup and looking like a corpse on television. And losing the debate because of it.

Michelle: He could have used a little bronzer, I’m sure. Other things are disposables. Disposables are a very important part of my kit, because that’s what keeps things sanitized.

No double dipping. Everything is disposable, from mascaras to lip wands, brow gels, things of that nature. I carry wipes, napkins, all different types of grooming tools, including tweezers, scissors. You just never know what you’re going to run into, and you want everyone to look their best. So, I carry everything. I will tell you, if one thing is missing, I know. It’s like my arm. That’s how in tune I am with my kit.

I know every single color that I have. I know what’s low. I keep, like, a mental inventory. And I can just tell when something’s off or missing or just misplaced.

Brogan: How much does this weigh?

Michelle: A lot. I would say a good 30 pounds.

Brogan: And you carry this around all day?

Michelle: I carry this around, and another bag, and sometimes a makeup chair. So, I get my workout in.

Brogan: You must be tired by the end of the day.

Michelle: You know what? There’s been days I’ve done 13 people in a day. And I’m never tired until I sit down. So, I know that I’m in the right field. It’s my passion. And I can do this off two hours of sleep, literally. And I have.

Brogan: So, you said you spent about 45 minutes or an hour with a client, usually. What is that actual time that you spend with them like? What do you do over the course of that time? How much of it is hands on? How much of it is talking and consulting? What’s the process?

Michelle: OK, so, actually, my process starts before I even get to the client, because I am huge on communication. I actually like to have a conversation with them over the phone first, just so that we can get acquainted. They can be comfortable with me.

And I actually have them send me pictures of themselves if we’ve never met. And I actually have a Pinterest board of over a hundred looks, different ethnicities, and they can pick maybe their top five. Hey, Chris, I like this eye. I like this lip. I like this cheek. I like this glow. So I already know when I walk in, I already have an idea. And guess what? Clients change their mind, as well. So, we might just ixnay everything that we just looked at and go for the different look.

As I’m setting up, I’m also talking to them, doing another consultation. So, by the time I’m applying my Embryolisse moisturizer and primer, I kind of already know which direction I’m going to go in. Then, I have the clients that don’t care what I do. They’re like, you know what? I trust you. And so, I have the most fun with that, ‘cause then I can just do whatever I’m feeling that day.

Brogan: Is it harder, though, to not know as much about what they’re looking for.

Michelle: I think it goes both ways. I have clients that are extremely picky, which doesn’t bother me, ‘cause then, I know if they really, really love it.

And then, I have other clients that just say, OK, that’s good. And I never know if they love it.

Brogan: Just make me look pretty.

Michelle: Yeah, exactly. So, I’m happy either way. I’m a detail-oriented person, so, sometimes, maybe I am a little biased to the people that know what they really like, ‘cause then, I know—when they look in the mirror and they, oh, Chris, dead on. Oh, this is perfect. And then, sometimes, like, oh, Chris, can we add some more of this? I’d much rather have somebody say add than subtract.

Brogan: Because then you have to start all over?

Michelle: Well, no. It’s a little bit different when you troubleshoot. If you want to take away, you have to be very careful you’re not smudging things. And you have to use certain types of removers that aren’t oil-based, ’cause that’ll leave holes in the makeup. So, you have to use very specific makeup removers. But yeah, that whole process is consultation. Then, we start doing the makeup. And as I start wrapping up, we talk about lip color. We talk about if we want to do some false lashes. We talk about makeup after-care, how to remove it, how to take care of your skin afterwards, and how to remove the eyelashes.

Brogan: How long does your work last?

Michelle: Honestly, the makeup will last all night. Honestly, this is crazy, I have clients that come to me for early morning makeovers when they’re about to get on a plane. I’ve also had people come and have me do their makeup the night before. And they wake up, and then, they’re ready to go, ‘cause their morning is so early. But the makeup will last for a very long time, ‘cause I prime, I prep. I use waterproof items. So makeup’s going to last all night.

Brogan: You’ve been listening to freelance makeup artist Christin Michelle. In a minute, she tells us about managing all of those heightened emotions that come with the lead up to and preparation for a wedding.

It sounds like you’re pretty consistently busy. But are there times of the year—wedding season, what have you—that are busier than others?

Michelle: OK, so, I keep hearing this wedding season, and I’m like, Oh, my God—

Brogan: Is that not a thing?

Michelle: Well, no, it’s definitely a thing. But I feel like I’m doing weddings every single month, which I feel grateful for.

But the slowest month is January, which is when I plan travel; which is when I plan sleep; which is when I plan everything, seriously. I get a lot of downtime in January. And I really, really keep my schedule open for bridal trials. I try to get a lot of bridal trials done in January.

Brogan: What’s a bridal trial?

Michelle: A bridal trial is like a makeup preview. So, the brides will come, or I might go to them, and we’ll do makeup. I’ll get a hair stylist. And we’ll do the full look, so the bride will know what she looks like on the day of.

The bridal trials are very important, because you don’t want to be making any game day decisions on your wedding day. And you also want to know if they’re a good fit. I sometimes get brides that have already had two or three bridal trials. And that’s something different to work with, ’cause you have to be very, very, very open to listening. You need to look at pictures. You need to really listen to the client, because obviously, there’s been a disconnect with those other two to three artists. And you don’t want to be the fourth, or the third. I always want to nail it.

Brogan: Do you also have to think about things like what the lighting will be like in the venue when you’re planning out those kinds of trials?

Michelle: 100 percent. I try to do trials before two pm, because that’s when you have the best light. And then, I like for them to wear it throughout the day, so they can give me feedback on how it wore on them. So, on the day of, I may have to use a little bit more oil control. And if they say, hey, Chris, after maybe hour five, my skin started to look this way.

Or, you know what, Chris, after looking in different mirrors, I do want to add that black liner that we said we weren’t going to do. Or, I may want more lashes. So, that’s the main thing about the trial, is to really, really get the client comfortable with their look and see what they want to change.

Brogan: Yeah, if someone is being really picky, is there some point where you just have to tell them that they look beautiful?

Michelle: Yes. But I, personally, cannot change how someone feels about themselves.

So, I’ve been through that. I’ve been through the picky brides. And in order to troubleshoot that, I tell them to bring one friend or someone they trust with them. And I tell them to pick someone that’s not going to be very open-minded, that knows a little bit about makeup, whether it’s their mom—some people actually bring their fiancé. And some people bring a maid of honor or a bridesmaid or their sister. So, once I’ve started to implement that factor into it, I feel like I haven’t had those brides that are that picky as much anymore, because they have support.

And I have had picky brides where everything that I did just wasn’t good enough. So, what I started doing was, I started taking photos for them. OK, look at yourself from this angle. Look at yourself in that angle. ’Cause photos pick up things that my eye can’t see and their eye can’t see. All these different types of things to make them feel comfortable. I haven’t had any bridezillas as of late. And again, I think it’s just because I keep updating how I communicate with them. I get them on the phone. I get to know them. I talk to them about some things that are kind of personal, so I can just kind of see if we’re a good fit.

There have been many times where I’ve had to say I think I have an artist that’s going to be a better fit than me. And I’m very OK with that, ’cause there’s enough work out here for everybody.

Brogan: You’re very personable, and it seems like there’s a lot of talking in this business.

Michelle: A lot, there’s a lot of talking.

Brogan: You mean you talk through the whole session; you talk before the session; you talk when it wraps up. Do you ever run into someone who is not a talker?

Michelle: Absolutely. And so, you go with that. There are basic social cues that you have to pay attention to when you’re working with the public.

If you have someone who isn’t a talker, you find that one thing that they like, even if it’s not makeup related, and stick to it. ’Cause then they’ll open up to you. If they like a certain type of music, we’ll talk about that. If they’re a dog lover, we’ll talk about that. If they’re a world traveler, we’ll talk about that. It doesn’t always have to be about makeup. It’s about what makes them feel comfortable.

Brogan: Do you talk to them about the events that they’re going to?

Michelle: I do. But I do a lot of political events, so then, I try to stay away from that. So, I just try to make it a customized service where everyone feels happy. They leave feeling like, gosh, that was a treat.

Brogan: Do people ever come to you with a look, like, a celebrity or something, and say, make me look like that? Do they bring their own reading in?

Michelle: Yes. I do get a lot of photos of certain celebrities that people want to look like.

Kim Kardashian is very popular. J Lo is popular. I let them know that, just so you guys know, this is a lot of makeup. And this is a lot of Photoshop. And this is a lot of smoothing out. But what I do is, I look at a picture, and I look at it with the client and I ask them to show me what they like about the picture. Because I think at the end of the day, they see a picture, and they’re like, oh, that’s pretty. But they don’t look at the components. They don’t look at the variables that it takes to get there.

Brogan: It’s Kim Kardashian’s contouring or something like that that they really -

Michelle: Contouring, and long, long, long lashes. She does a lot of lining. But it’s not a lot of color. And so, when someone says, I want my eyes to pop, they can pop. But just so this is individual lashes. This is stack lashes. And they kind of get intimidated by that. So, I kind of have to interpret it in my way. And again, do less. And if they want more, then we can add. That’s really important to me, not to overdo it.

Brogan: Is there a different kind of makeup, a different kind of design that you’re going for if you know that someone is primarily going to be doing a TV appearance, as opposed to, say, a wedding where there might be still photography?

Michelle: Yes. For TV, with HD, you can’t do as much highlighting and contouring, because it comes across very hard. Things need to match almost perfectly. And you don’t want to do a lot of shimmers. You want to keep things kind of matte, satin finishes, things that are smooth. ’Cause the light will pick up on that one little shimmer, and it might look off. So you just play it safe, you want to keep things more on the matte and satin textured side.

Brogan: So it sounds like you do a whole range of events: photography, bridal work, galas and other live events. What is the most kind of common event that you’re prepping people for?

Michelle: I do weddings almost every single weekend at this point. Some weekends, I have four weddings in a weekend. Sometimes two in a day. That’s the biggest part of my business. And I find it very fulfilling, ’cause I feel like it’s a treat for somebody to trust me enough to have me be a part of, like, their most important day.

So I love doing that. I also love doing production work and commercials, because it’s physically easier. You don’t have to deal with, I guess you could say, the intensity of a bride, ‘cause it can be kind of intense. And you’re like, OK, this is their big day. You can’t mess up. Whereas, when it’s a commercial, it’s like, oh, powder. You know, powder on guys, some conditioner and just watch the monitor.

If they get shiny, you can just touch them up. So it’s from one spectrum to the other. But I think I enjoy bridal the most, because I guess you could say I’m able to support a lot of different personalities. And you will get that with the bridal party, with the planners, with the photographers. I just like the community feeling of it.

Brogan: What’s that like being there on a day that is so important to someone?

Michelle: Presumably, the people in many cases are very different on that day than they were when you were doing your consultation early on.

I’ve seen people change. I’m like, oh, what happened to happy Sally? Right. I start to meet the people that they—’cause they talk about their family and their friends during these trials. I’m like, oh, OK, I remember you telling me about her and her dog. I remember you telling about her and the college stories. So, once I get the bridesmaids in the chair, I’m like, OK, I start to identify who’s who.

To walk you through, I guess, a basic bridal day, I’ll arrive early. And a lot of times, they’re in hotels, so I literally rearrange the whole hotel room. Because if I’m working with hair, I know they need to be next to the sockets. I need to be next to the window. I need a space where they’re going to have lunch, ’cause they always have either breakfast or lunch, so we leave that space open. So, I literally have to rearrange the whole entire room just to make it work.

Brogan: You said you have to be next to a window. Is that because you want to see natural light as well as artificial light?

Michelle: Natural light is the best. And when you’re working a bridal party, you have to keep in mind of the other vendors. Photographers love natural light. So, I have to be cognizant of that. So, when they come in, a lot of the times, they want to turn off all the yellow light. So, I might as well just work with the window, ‘cause I know once they get here, they’re going to be moving things around and closing shades and things of that nature. So, I try to be considerate to everyone else. And natural light’s always the best. It takes the best natural photography. Even taking an iPhone pic, if you have natural light, it looks airbrushed.

Brogan: So, the room is set up. Your people come in. This is early in the day still. What’s the next part of the process?

Michelle: OK, so, I tend to do the bride last or second to last. So, sometimes, I’ll start with the moms, and then we’ll go to the bridesmaids. There might be a little break for lunch. I have learned to bring a kit separate than my makeup kit for bridal. Chalk, in case their dress gets a mark on it, it’ll take out any marks on the dress.

Fashion tape, ’cause sometimes, the brides haven’t had a fitting with their dresses and things need to be taped up. I bring straws, because they always want to drink their lips off after I’ve applied the lipstick. So, I bring straws. I just bring everything that I know. Safety pins, extra hairspray, bobby pins, even though I don’t do hair. Touch-up gloss, blot film. It does get a little intense by the time I get to the bride, ’cause all the bridesmaids are standing around. They’re watching. They’re doing this and that. So, you kind of have to say, hey, you know what, Sally? The bride wants some water. Can you go get her some water really quick?

And then, they start to walk around, they start to walk away, and they start to get the idea, OK, maybe we should just let her have her peace. ’Cause it does make the bride kind of anxious.

Brogan: And when you’re working with a whole bridal party, are you trying to coordinate their looks? Or are you just going for what’s best for each of them?

Michelle: ­It really depends on the bride. I have brides that like to dictate the look of the bridesmaids. And then, I have brides like, you know what? Do whatever the bridesmaids want. And I still have to take that with a grain of salt, because you don’t want any bridesmaids to outshine the bride.

And I’ve run into those situations where people want extra lashes and extra, extra black liner. And I’m like, let’s be aware that the bride is a very modest bride, and she likes neutral makeup. And you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. So, I have to kind of have that moment with a few bridesmaids. And it’s cool. Like, they get it, and you kind of have to like, play off them. I call it style stepping. Like, you have to take their energy and make it your own. OK now you know Sarah’s not going to like it if we rim your eye with black. Let’s try brown.

They’ll be like, OK. You just have to talk to them in a way where they feel comfortable and they understand where you’re coming from. And you’re not trying to like, change their whole idea of what their look is going to be.

Brogan: Alright. So, you’ve got all of these people in a room. Emotions are probably heightened. What happens if someone starts, like, crying or something?

Michelle: That happens often. So, I’m ready with tissue. I’ve also taught people how to control their tears by putting their tongue at the roof of their mouth and swallowing. It literally controls the tears.

Brogan: How did you learn that?

Michelle: A trick of the trade. I can’t remember where I picked that up at. But I also tell the ladies to cry pretty. And so, I’d show them how to fold a napkin, put it directly under their eye. And just sniff. And sniff and press and sniff and press. And that way, there’s not tears running all over the place. And I can just tell them at the end of the day, think about your makeup before you start crying.

Honestly, it’s just the tissues, the tongue at the roof of the mouth, all these little tricks. I have had a few instances where the bride was just like, completely bawling. And if everyone else is going nuts, honestly, they look to you to be the cool one. So, I’m like, you know what? This is the time for you to cry like crazy. I’m here to touch your makeup up. I’m here to make you look and feel good. Get it all out now so when you see your fiancé, you’ll be ready.

Brogan: So, sometimes people cry, it usually goes OK, ‘cause you teach them these tricks. Do you ever have anything where just the whole wedding just blows up in your face while it’s going on? Things just really fall apart, for whatever reason?

Michelle: Yes. In the past. I haven’t had anything extremely recent like that. There was a time when a bride literally just had a complete breakdown. And I literally had to start over. That was one time. And it was intense. But I went with it. You can’t break down if they break down. You literally have to be strong with them. I’ve held people’s hands. I rub their back. I do breathing with them. I talk to them.

I remind them why they’re here. I remind them why they chose their fiancé, ‘cause they’ve already told me these things. That’s where all the talking comes from. So, they literally feel like we’re friends and they trust it. As far as like, weddings going whacko, sometimes, there might be a bridesmaid or a cousin or somebody who kind of throws things off. And whoever’s in the chair, I kind of make a joke out of it. That’s my main thing is just keep people laughing and smiling.

And you can’t let one person ruin the whole entire day. So, I just—I stay neutral, but I really just add jokes into it. Or I say, hey, guys, what if we put this song on? Or, what are you guys having for lunch? I just try to, like, change the subject when I see that there’s an elephant in the room, because it affects my work, too. I don’t want to work in an environment where it’s negative or tense or just not feeling right.

Brogan: But it does sound like you have to play peacemaker?

Michelle: Absolutely, and that’s literally just part of the job. It’s part of the job.

Sometimes, I meet makeup artists and we have this conversation. And just hearing their stories, I’m like, I know I’m not the only one. I know I’m not out there alone.

Brogan: So, are there any moments over the course of your career that stand out as you think back on everything you’ve done since starting this freelance career?

Michelle: I actually have a lot of moments. A lot of my makeovers, I leave feeling very, very grateful that I’m able to do this every day. I really love it when a younger client sees me doing this on my own, whether it be for proms. And like, oh, my gosh, you really do this 100% yourself, you own your own business and it’s makeup? I’m like, yes, absolutely. So, I feel like it gives them hope. Or it gives them something else to aspire to. Like, they see me doing it, they can identify with me. And they’re like, oh, well, maybe I want to do something like that. So, we stay in contact. I help coach them sometimes. I have a few up-and-coming artists that I mentor. Because when I was coming up, I didn’t have that. So I always want to like, be that person, ‘cause I’ve been through all of it.

And I can just make something that I learned in five years, I can teach someone in ten minutes.

Brogan: What kind of tips do you have, if you just offer some kernels of wisdom to people who are looking to get into this kind of work?

Michelle: Hands-on training is number one. Be willing to do pro bono work. I did a lot of pro bono work just trying to get my name out there, get my foot in the door. Be open to a ton of feedback. There’s been days when I’ve gone home and I was very upset.

But I took the feedback and I said, you know what? I’m just going to do better. I’m going to do better. Pay very close attention to detail. It’s very important not to do everyone the same. So, customize your service. Get a mentor or two. You really want someone who’s been in the industry for a while and follow them around, assist them. See how they form their business and look at their techniques and make it your own. I would also tell people to read, read, read, read, read.

It’s old school, but you have to read. There’s no other way for you to gain all the knowledge that you need to, unless you’re going to take formal classes. And even in classes, you may not learn everything. You have to learn how to listen. You can’t just do what you want on everyone. You have to be able to listen to your client. You have to be a people person. Because honestly, no one wants to work with someone who’s just very stoic and dry. You want to work with someone who’s fun, who’s open-minded, and down-to-earth.

So, I would say being a makeup artist, it’s very fulfilling for me, but it’s not for the faint of heart. As a makeup artist, I wear a lot of hats. So, yeah, that’s what I would say, if you want to get into this industry.

Brogan: What do you love most about doing people’s makeup?

Michelle: I love the reaction afterwards, when people are like, oh, my gosh, is that me? Or, oh, my gosh, are those my lashes? I’m like, yes, this is all you. And I literally—I love that reaction when people—like, they fall in love with themselves again.

It’s hard out here. And just one makeover can change your whole year. Seriously. This past Saturday, I had a young lady who called me from six years ago. She kept my information. And those kind of things are what really make my career choice very fulfilling for me – when somebody just comes back after that long and there’s been a million makeup artists I’m sure that they’ve been in contact with, but they chose me again. So, that really makes me feel good.

Brogan: Wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

Michelle: Absolutely, this was amazing. Thank you for having me.

Brogan:  Thanks for listening to this episode of Working. I’m Jacob Brogan. We’d love to hear your thoughts about the podcast. Our email address is working@slate.com. If there’s a career that you think would be cool on the podcast, let us know. If you have thoughts, let us know. We love hearing from you. You can listen to all of our past episodes at slate.com/working. You can subscribe, and we hope you will.

Also, rate and review on iTunes or whatever you use to listen to your podcasts. Our producer is Nicky Capper. And he also edits the show. Thanks to Mike Vuolo. Our executive producer is Steve Lickteig. And the chief content officer of the Panoply Network is Andy Bowers.

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Brogan: In this Slate Plus extra, freelance makeup artist Christin Michelle tells us about how and where she shops for the makeup that she keeps in stock at all times.

You’ve been in this business for a super-long time, but how long did it take you to really build up a personal, professional kit that was this organized?

Michelle: I will tell you, I am a shopaholic when it comes to makeup. I buy a lot of makeup. Well, in the past, I’ve bought a lot of makeup. And I’ve just now started honing on things in that I love, and those are the things that I replenish on. But it took me years to get my kit to where it needed to be.

I will say, MAC helped me with that, because working at MAC, we got a little incentive with a discount. So, I was able to really just stock up. Every time I had a little bit of extra money, I was like, buying brushes, and I was buying makeup. And it’s literally an investment. It’s a personal investment. And I’m in this to win it, so I am always going to be buying makeup for my kit. My kit comes first, and then me.

Brogan: Are there different products that work better on different people, different skin types, different facial types?

Michelle: Yes, I noticed that products that don’t have SPF photograph better. Products that don’t have, like, the titanium dioxide and things of that nature, all these things can have what we call, in the makeup world, flashback. Flashback is when you see areas of the face that do not match, or they’re lighter. Technically, like, under the eye. Sometimes on the chin, you’ll see a little bit of discoloration, or it’s just too bright. It’s ‘cause the product wasn’t blended, and/or it had SPF, or it was just too light.

So, you always want to keep products that don’t have a lot of sunscreen in them. Another thing is, my mature beauties, they tend to need a little bit more hydration. So, I might use hydrating foundations as opposed to an oil controlling foundation. So, you really have to know the person’s skin. And you can just see how makeup lays on them. You can see what they need. And again, just customizing the makeup.

Brogan: What’s your shopping process like for building your kit? You said you’re kind of a shopaholic when it comes to makeup.

Michelle: Yes. So, I have a makeup best friend, a few of them. And we go back and forth about what we need to get for our kit, what works for us. And I am an online shopper. I mean, it’s ridiculous. So, I sometimes will pick, like, a day where I just go through my kit and I just figure out what I need to replenish. I order false lashes like, every two weeks, ‘cause I go through those a lot. So, I always have that. And believe it or not, as a makeup artist, you can get discounts from companies when you have call sheets, or if you have a website, if you have business cards.

Or if you just work with certain people, they’ll automatically give you a discount on your products.

Brogan: Does that mean you go directly to the companies? You’re not buying from... I don’t even know where you buy makeup. Where do you buy makeup?

Michelle: OK, so let’s talk about that. So, there are places like Namie’s, Nigel’s, Camera Ready Cosmetics. These are companies that have all different types of brands for a makeup professional, and they offer discounts. Then, there’s places like MAC, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Laura Mercier, Armani. They all offer what you call a pro discount.

A pro discount is for a working professional in the industry. Maybe an aesthetician, makeup artist, hair stylist. And they might give them 30% off any product that you buy. And so, that way you can keep up with your kit and not break the bank at the same time. So—and almost everything that I buy is at some form of a discount. ‘Cause everything that I love, they all offer a nice, pro-artist program. So, I really appreciate that.

Brogan: Does the amount of makeup that you have to buy to maintain your kit affect your bottom line at all?

Michelle: I’m going to say no. It’s just the cost of doing business? It’s the largest expense in my business. My other expenses are—well, the second largest expense is travel, because I’m always on the go. So—and then living in DC, I actually don’t own a car. So, I might do car share. Or I might Uber, ‘cause a lot of my clients are in these hotels in Downtown DC.

So, transportation is the second largest actual expense in my business. And other things like furthering my education, taking a few classes here and there. Online seminars, I do those. What else? Oh, and I actually have a few artists that I pay out to go do work when I can’t. So, that’s something else I’m getting into. Just again, sharing the wealth. Again, there’s enough work for everyone.

And there’s a few core artists that I really trust to be behind my name, and they’ll go, they’ll do the work, they won’t hand out their card. They say, hey, if you want to get back with me contact Chris. And so, I pay out artists, as well.