Ten Tips to Recession Proof Your Career from Michael DeVellis

It's not getting any easier out there. Competition is growing, the economy is in a tailspin and you are stuck with the results of poor fiscal planning on the part of people you'll never meet and likely couldn't care to. How will you be sure that you can make the most of your career now, and be sure to keep it growing as things turn around in the economy? Michael DeVellis, founder of The Powder Group, The Makeup Show and On Makeup Magazine, offers these ten tips on securing the future of your career. 

1) Meet more industry leaders
Knowing the people who make the industry move is a our number one way to ensure you get the work that you want - when you want it. But knowing them is just a part of the task - they must know you! Meet the cosmetics company owners and executives that you need to know, the agents and union artists that can hire and get you work and the pros who can bring you onboard their artist teams.

2) Know things that other makeup artists don't
One of the most sure-fire ways to be the first makeup artist people think of when hiring talent is to be the one they are certain knows the job best. Whether you use every skill in your repertoire on every job - understanding the implications of Hi-Def, how to create a realistic bruise, when airbrushing is the best option, or how photography effects the direction of your makeup application - will make you the expert that clients will hire every time.

3) Maximize your online presence
Nearly every search for new talent starts out online. Whether you are with an agency or out there on your own. Regardless of whether your specialty is bridal, film, catalogue or FX, the first thing most people know about you is what you tell them through your online presence. Maximize online networks like Linkedin, Myspace, Youtube, and Facebook, and back it all up with a great website, amazing images and an online promotional campaign. Finally, maximize your search engine results to ensure that you get noticed.

4) Develop and use photos that make your work saleable

Once you have their attention, blow your prospective clients away with your work. Understand how to create a great image by understanding the camera, and the clients perception of who you are and what you can do for them through a collection of great images. Learn how to edit down your images to make the most impact - and not throw your image off by including work that doesn't say "hire me!" Know what will sell and how to test or get the jobs that will give you the images to help sell your work.

5) Fine tune your technique and make your work unique

Even the greatest makeup artists need to update and learn a new tip here and there, and find new products and tools to help to help separate them from the pack. Being able to do beautiful makeup is not enough in a marketplace with increasing competition and shrinking budgets. Know the techniques, tools and products that will help you detail your work in a way that tells your clients you are passionate about your craft and that you care about the results of the work enough to pay attention to the finer points of makeup artistry.

6) Develop your artist network

It's a simple equation - the more other makeup artists you know - the more work you will get. Sounds crazy? It's not. You are not alone - there is strength in numbers. Even if you could do every job that comes your way - maximizing your relationships with your peers will ensure that you get referrals and assisting jobs, and that you can find a strong backup when you need one. Keep the work close to home by developing a network of like-minded creative types, (including hairstlylists and photographers!) who can help to strengthen your client base and ensure that you and your crew are the first people your clients think about when looking for talent.

7) Become creatively inspired

There is no doubt about it - boredom with your craft shows through to the final product and to your clients. It shows in the way you promote yourself, it shows in the way you produce your work. Whether you are doing makeup in a salon, at a retail counter or for film, theater or the red carpet - be sure that you are staying creatively inspired and bring the excitement of that inspiration into your work every day. You will grow faster, direct your career more steadily and work as often as you want to, if your clients know that you love what you do everyday.

8) Learn how the best got there

What better way to create a sustainable, impactful and satisfying career than to ask the people who have done it already how they did it. It doesn't matter if you are in the same field of makeup artistry - artistic integrity and a long lasting career cross over to every part of the career of the makeup artist. Get in front of the most talented artists in the industry, hear their story, apply their passion and insight to your own career and watch your own business grow and last.

9) Showcase your work as often as possible

The most amazing makeup artist in the world can't get hired if no one knows that they exist and they don't show anyone the work that they can do. Become an active part of the community of makeup artists and clients that hire them. Develop the strongest means by which to show off your work, and go to where the community is. Get your comp card out there, drive traffic to your website or agency, show the makeup artist world what you've got to offer and make yourself known to potential clients and network peers.

10) Become a brand that clients know and remember

Remember that makeup artist who you met a while back at that trade show? Right - neither does anyone else because they didn't have an image, a business card, or a story about their personal brand that stuck with you (or their potential clients). Ensure that you are remembered and though of first by the entire industry by creating a brand that is memorable, makes you stand out and clearly defines who you are as a makeup artist. It starts with a great personality that connects you to people, continues on with a strong business card and website, and keeps going until the job is done and you have followed up and gotten the next job. Is your brand is as strong and relevant to your industry as a certain coffee shop or or discount retailer with a big red dot in the middle of their logo? Get the work by making it so.

Michael DeVellis will be presenting Ten Words (To Recession Proof Your Career) at The Makeup Show NYC on Monday, May 18 at 10:00am. For more details and to purchase tickets to The Makeup Show - Sunday, May 17 and Monday, May 18, please visit www.themakeupshow.com

How Did I Get Here?

Okay, I admit that i am coming in from a few cocktails at my favorite show on the planet - Ryan Landry's "Showgirls" in Provincetown. I admit, as well, that you will likely hear more of this place called "Provincetown" through this blog, The Powder Group and On Makeup Magazine, than you ever thought you could hear of a place you barely have heard of before. But as i rode my $30 brown, beat up, twenty year old bike home from the Crown and Anchor tonight, to my dream studio on the beach, I looked up at a zillion stars in a pitch black sky, looked forward to walking my gorgeous dog Buddy, thought back on the amazing weekend I just had with my new boyfriend Brad, and thought to myself - damn I'm happy - how did I even get here? How did I arrive at a place in my life that I thought was a dream away and an impossibility for "someone like me."

The truth is I have been preparing for this moment my entire life - always knowing what it was going to take to make me feel complete and satisfied. Having just come off of the most exciting and successful editions of The Makeup Show NYC we could ever have imagined, having just spent five days with 20 artists who trusted us - little ol' us - to take them on a journey to a more insightful and successful career at Evolution - having just begun the process of putting together the Summer issue of On Makeup Magazine - the core of all of my personal creative goals and of my being - and having just finished the proposals for launching two new brands within my business - I thought to myself with a level of happiness in my soul that i didn't know existed - seriously how did i even get here?

Its one thing to say that hard work and perseverance got me to this place - wherever this "place" truly is, which is something I am still sorting out. But it is an entirely different thing to look at every aspect and angle of your life and say to yourself - this is what i have been waiting for, this is the place I have always wanted to be, this is the place I have always needed to get to, and to acknowledge that hard work was only a stepping stone to this place.

I had to know what i wanted. I had to know what i needed. I had to work hard to get to this place - yes - but more than that I had to put myself out there, ask for what i needed, insist on my own success and somehow find a way to be generous, open to learning and maintain my integrity along the way. Sometimes it was, or rather is, hard. Most often, the time and effort and cost of what makes me feel that my business and life are a success, would not seem worthwhile to a person who looks only at numbers, profits and credit scores to gauge success.

But when i wake up tomorrow morning - having had a good night sleep with Buddy by my side and Brad on my mind. I will know that this place I am at is beyond success for me. I will be happy in knowing that Mom and Dad are blushingly proud of what their first born is doing with his life. I will be hopeful in thinking that somewhere there is a makeup artist who has been given the faith in himself and has felt empowerment in the idea that he can be whatever and whoever he wants to be by something he experienced through one of my projects. I will be excited by the idea that a small business somewhere will start up today and begin the same path as i did nearly five years ago, and I will be hopeful that they are prepared for the turbulent road they are about to journey down, and they have a clear understanding of what success is for them.

Then, as i text a morning ILU to Brad, and harness up Buddy for a walk down the beach to get a coffee to shake off one too many Sapphire Tonics, the answer to last night's question of "how did i get here?" will be answered by the morning's even more important one - "and now where?"

9 Questions with Jon Hennessey

When you were a young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I think for a lot of kids, there tend to be leanings toward “hero” jobs…firefighters, policemen/women, I wanted to be a baker. I have a 4 year old son who wants to be a T. Rex, but he’s more likely to be IN T. Rex. He’s a creative little boy.

How did that transpose into makeup artistry?
My motivation for wanting to be a baker was that I really liked cakes and I wanted to eat a lot of them. It’s tricky to draw that connection to makeup artistry. I still like cakes and now I can afford to buy them from nicer places.

What are the things about working in makeup that you love?
Even on the most simple, straightforward projects, there is a way to approach the creative process in a different way.
I travel for work.
My clients often become friends.
I make a living as a painter.
I’m fortunate enough to be able to share my experience with other artists.
I learn something new every day.
My job is to participate in the creation of beautiful and/or thought provoking images.
The answers to this question could be pages long. I love what I do for a living.

What are the challenges you face working as a freelance artist?
Any time that you place the word “freelance” in front of anything, the potential is there for your anxiety level to rise exponentially. There is a popular misconception relating to and glamorization of the title “makeup artist”, but I suppose “makeup artist, promoter, marketer, accountant, cold caller, researcher, teacher-student” is a bit too long for a business card. I’ve met a lot of talented artists who didn’t know the first thing about marketing their businesses, or even see it as a necessity and ultimately wonder why things haven’t evolved for them professionally. ART&COMMERCE said it best….with the whole art and commerce thing. This also applies to when you’re represented by an agency. The relationship with your agent should work as a partnership, with both parties working actively to promote the business. Just because you’re rep’d doesn’t mean that you put your feet up and wait for the phone to ring. It’s a nice thought though.

Do you have a signature style?
I think so, but I often think that it’s easier for someone else to identify what that is. It’s easier to see in a visual than to write about, but generally, I lean toward something that’s very simple in appearance even if it takes me 2 hours to arrive at it. I approach each job with ideas, not plans.

Do you have a project that you’ve done that you are especially proud of?
Hands down, the project that I’m most proud of is NOBASURA. In January of this year, I opened NOBASURA Artist Management Inc. in order to be able to bring together the most talented group of individuals that I could find. We rep a small group of artists working in the categories of hair, makeup, styling and photography and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have all of these friends and collaborators in my life. NOBASURA is a tree with deep roots and long branches, we officially rep 8, but have a flow team and network of hundreds.

How do you continue to grow your career as an artist?
If you always consider yourself a student, then you never plateau.

What should someone who is looking to develop a career in makeup know before getting into the business?
Art is the hardest way to make an easy living.

Jon Hennessey is a Vancouver based makeup artist, the owner of Nobasura agenc, ywas profiled in the Winter 2008 issue of On Makeup Magazine, a special guest artist at Evolution Spring 2008, workshop presenter at The Makeup Show NYC and will be a featured presenter at the soon to be announced The Artist Summit program produced by The Powder Group. nobasura.com

9 Questions with Sandy Linter

When you were a young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was young, I lived on Staten Island. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I needed to move to New York City. I became a secretary, but spent every day in the bathroom making up my friends.

What was your first memorable work as an artist?
I got booked to do a big sitting with Polly Mellen at Vogue. The model was Karen Graham. The photos turned out amazing. I remember looking at them for the very first time. I was so happy. And then the bookings just kept on coming in! That was 1974.

What makes you a good makeup artist?
I have always felt that people are attracted to someone who enjoys what they are doing; someone who cares about satisfying the client. I love what I do and I try my best to satisfy my clients, so I believe that makes me a good makeup artist.

How did you know that the makeup artist industry was where you wanted to be?
I knew I would never be happy doing anything else. In all these years -- over 35 -- it has never once entered my mind that I should do anything else. Not once.

What are the things about your work that makes it the most interesting to you?
I love the instant gratification you feel when you know that you've made someone look and feel better. I really enjoy teaching women how to do their own makeup. I also like teamwork; that is why I've always attached my name to a salon. For my entire freelance career, I have been with at least five, maybe more, of the top salons in the city.

What are the challenges you face working as a freelance artist?
The biggest challenge of being a freelancer was waiting for the phone to ring. I like to be busy. Not too busy. But as a freelancer you can’t really control that...

What would you do differently if you were starting over today?
If I were starting over I would have learned how to network more effectively. When I first started out, the industry was tiny! I was one of five professional makeup artists in New York City, so my phone was ringing all the time. But when the 80’s rolled around everyone knew how to do makeup and was a makeup artist, so I lost a lot of business because I wasn’t networking like I should have – I didn’t even have a business card!

What advice would you give an artist just starting out?
I would tell a new artist to be humble.

How do you continue to grow your career as an artist?
I was lucky with my career. I was talented, but I wasn’t a business person. I just let the calls come to me instead of seeking out who I wanted to call me. What resulted were Vogue covers one day and underpaid catalogues jobs the next. I have learned that in order to grow my career I need to have more direction and be more proactive to get the things I really want and deserve. And so far it’s been really working in my favor.


Sandy Linter is represented by Bryan Bantry, is currently the Lancome Paris Beauty for All Ages Expert and works out of the Rita Hazan Salon in NYC. She is also one of the most inspiring and genuine people we have ever had the good fortune of working with. It was an honor to have her with us as a Keynote speaker at The Makeup Show NYC and to have been able to feature her in the Spring 2008 issue of On Makeup Magazine.

James Vincent Backstage at Ashley Paige

Who is Ashley Paige? Ashley Paige is a Los Angeles based swim wear designer and "it girl" who uses her name and recognition to raise money and bring attention to animal causes

How did you get involved with the show? Sharon Gault has been working with Ashley for years and has done every one of her shows and asked me if I would help her this season to design the look and oversee the enormous team of artists from multiple lines we assembled

How did you and she come up with the idea of collaborating different
lines on the show? She was at The Makeup Show Miami and met David from OCC and Tiffany from Anastasia. She asked David about airbrushing bodies for a show and asked him to design a custom lip color for Ashley's charity Ruffhouzen. She knew Anastasia's reputation for perfecting eyebrows and asked them to be involved with designing the brow for the show. Anastasia herself designed and oversaw her team.

How many collaborators worked on the show? We had artists from The Powder Group and Four different cosmetic lines sponsors including Anastasia, Obsessive Compulsive, Smashbox and Sephora Pro team...We also had freelancers from Nars and Make Up For Ever to bring across the specific look of the show.

What was the inspiration for the makeup design? Isadora Duncan and the glamour of the 1920's with a doomed romantic feel.

What did you like most about working with such a diverse team? Everything. I love the community and collaboration that happens during fashion week and Sharon was eager to assemble this collection of cosmetic lines. It was amazing to see executives and artsists and owners from such varied lines working side by side on a model.

What was the coolest thing about working on the show
I have to say working with Anastasia was exciting for me. She is a legend and one of the most warm and humble women you will ever meet. Her team and all of the other artsist worked so hard. Also working side by side with Lori Taylor from Smashbox. She oversees every show at Smashbox studios for LA fashion week and never stops running but she makes every designer and evry artist at the show feel liek they are the only person there.

What products were key items in the show? Smashbox Bionic Mascara gave the lush lash effect. Anastasia brow pencils and powders gave the period feel to the face. OCC Ashen gave the face and bodies the beautiful, haunting effect and the chocolate brown lip was custom designed by Sharon for the show.

Can you give me one word to describe the experience of working on the show? Definitely, it would be Community.

You can meet James and Sharon Gault both at The Makeup Show NYC - May 18 and 19. Sharon will be presenting our closing Keynote talk. James will be presenting a special hands-on session of Understanding Hi-Def. www.themakeupshow.com

9 Questions with Johnny Lavoy

How long have you been doing makeup and hair? OK I already see where this is going. I started in the business over 20 yrs ago . Yes, I was just 5 yrs old. lol

How did you get started? It all started when I was about 10. I got a haircut that i could not restyle when i got home. So my mom took me back to the Barber and told him to teach me how to style my hair. I guess she got tired of me complaining every morning. I learned how to style my hair so well that, when the same thing happened to my sister It was me who had to wake up every morning and Do her hair. And that was the start of my career . I knew hair was my passion at that point. I found out that in order to get a license, you had to have your 9th grade education. So that's when I started to train.I won a bunch of competitions while i was in high school and took a job for a product company doing platform work at the age of 18. I was doing shows over the country. I became friends with the make up artist that worked with us. And that's where my interest in make up started.

How does the preparation process differ for you when you are doing hair or makeup? Well actually the prep is pretty much same for both. The first thing I do is research. I try to gather as much information about the job as possible. If its working with a celebrity for the first time I go right to wiremage.com and gettyimages.com to see them made up at different recent events. If its a editorial I try to get a idea of what the team is thinking in terms of a story and research appropriately.

What is the last trip you took for pleasure? Well I kinda cheated. This Summer I went to Italy to do Giuliana's wedding.[Depandi-Rancic's, host of E!News] So I went a week early to enjoy Rome. So it was a work/pleasure trip.

What is the last trip you took for work? I guess that would be The Makeup Show Miami. But I was also in Mexico and Turks and Caicos within a three week period. All good trips for a cold February!

What one makeup product can you not live without? This is hard . But I guess moisturizers because if the skin looks healthy you almost don't need anything else.

In one word, can tell me something about yourself that few people know? A.D.D

Is there one thing you do for every makeup application? Yes. Groom brows. If the brows are a mess it throws off my Mo Jo.

What are you doing tomorrow? I recently reconnected with a old classmate. I learned that she is now teaching hair at the school we graduated from. I also learned that 5 of the students qualified to compete this competition called Skills USA. It was the same competition that I won over 20 yrs ago that launched what would become my career. I asked to meet the students that are going to Skills USA and offered to help them - she was saying that they use me as an example of what you can accomplish with hard work and determination - and they love that i work with famous people - lol. So, tomorrow I am going to the school to coach the kids for their big competition before I have to go to the Salon. It feels so good to able to give back and help the artist of tomorrow try to get to another level. So wish them all luck....

Join Johnny Lavoy at The Makeup Show NYC May 18 and 19. Johnny will be presenting Bridal and Event Makeup - a hands-on workshop open exclusively to attendees of the show. Additional fees apply for hands-on events. You can also see him at The Powder Group booth thorughout the day Monday May 19 www.themakeupshow.com

9 Questions with Chad Hayduk

What made you want to be a makeup artist?
As a kid, I was always fascinated by monster makeup and forensics. My dad used to buy me lots of books on monsters and my favorite toy was my "Hugo- Man of 1000 Faces" doll...sort of the Barbie head for boys! You would glue all sorts of fun things like eye balls, hair pieces and moustaches on him.

How did you, Trae and Scott [Hodge and Catto] come up with the concept of Three Custom Color? As makeup artists, we were never satisfied with the colors that were available to us and we often had to blend our own. With the custom end of our business, we could than make any color we desired. In addition, we decided to create a multi-functional Ready to Wear line of products that could be embraced by ALL- regardless of skin tone, age or skin type.

What is the most memorable project you've been asked to do last week I keyed makeup and hair for the movie A Four Letter Word that one of mydearest friends wrote and starred in. I got to design crazy drag makeup, use lots of sparkle and because of the long hours and tight schedule had to really put my concealing and blending abilities to the test.

Do you feel being a man in the makeup industry has helped or hindered you? It has definitely helped! Women tend to feel more comfortable working with a man for some reason- especially a gay man!

What excites you about a project? I love the creative process, brainstorming and collaboration. My mind goes a million miles a minute when approached with a new project. I find inspiration everywhere I go. Traveling the world have been the biggest influence on my work.

What is the last makeup job you worked on? For fashion week, I keyed the Carlos Campos and K-Swiss fashion shows, I just wrapped a movie called Between Love and Goodbye and am doing some design work for Julianna Margulies new TV show, Canterbury's Law.

What is the one biggest mistake artist make when doing men's makeup? Men should never look like they are "wearing makeup." I have seen many guys with too much color on the skin whether it be foundation, bronzer or lip color. They really just need to be cleaned up, groomed, concealed and powdered where needed. A little bronzer is great but don't make it look like blush. And watch the mascara- most guys have good lashes and don't need any!

Can you tell me one thing that people won't know about Three Custom Color? That my two partners, Trae and Scott, and I were club kids when we met in College!

What's your favorite color? I love all color but I would have to say the truly indescribable aqua blue that is color of the water in the Maldives.

You can check out more about Chad's thoughts on Men's Grooming at www.threecustom.com Then meet Scott in person at The Makeup Show NYC - May 18 and 19 at Metropolitan Pavilion.
www.themakeupshow.com