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Artful Adventures of a Celeb Makeup Artist
by Genevieve M. Blaber
A-list celebs, trips around the world, and an inside-look at the world of fame and fortune -- sound like a reality show on MTV? Maybe. But it could become your reality if you follow your passion for cosmetology to a career as a celeb makeup artist.
Painting the Future When Jeff Jones was 18 years old, the last thing he expected was to embark on a star-studded career. "I was always an artist in school, so doing makeup came naturally to me," says Jones. "I was completely unaware that I could become a makeup artist." It was a chance glance at an advertisement for a beauty school, and a meeting with an agent, that opened up the right doors for Jones.
The jump from working in a salon to working behind-the-scenes at photo shoots, commercials, and videos, wasn't quick or effortless though. Jones spent years doing freelance jobs, while building up a portfolio of his work, in order to create a name that would earn respect and trust from people in the business. Thanks to his hard work, Jones was offered his biggest break of all when a photographer asked him to come in and do R&B singer Luther Vandross's makeup for an upcoming album cover. The star was so impressed that he offered Jones a life-time gig as his makeup artist.
Celeb Styling Now, over 20 years later, Jones has worked with everyone from pop culture stars like Janet Jackson and Vanna White, to actors such as Morgan Fairchild and Cameron Diaz. But working with celebrities is not for everyone, he warns. "It's a whole mindset. You have to have a relationship with these people."
So if working as a celeb makeup artist is what you want to do, you'll have to build up your skills and self-confidence. "Grab anybody who will sit still and make them up," says Jones. And don't be picky about what jobs you accept. According to Jones, every job -- both paid and unpaid -- can help you build the right connections and reputation that will you help you snag bigger and better jobs in the future.
For Jones, however, the most satisfying part of his make-up career doesn't come from who he works on, but what he does for them. Inspired by Vandross's struggle with Type II diabetes, the singer's former personal assistant Max Szadek founded DIVABETIC, a diabetes outreach program named in honor of Vandross's love for the divas of music.
Today, Jones works with the group on the "Novo Nordisk Presents: Divabetic - Makeover Your Diabetes" education initiative. The program arranges events where women from around the country can meet to learn more about their disease and proper health routines, while getting free makeovers and photos. "It's nice to be involved with something that is helping and making a difference for these women," says Jones. "We're just here to make these women feel better."
>> For information about the "Novo Nordisk Presents: Divabetic - Makeover Your Diabetes" program, visit www.ChangingDiabetes-us.com.
Painting the Future When Jeff Jones was 18 years old, the last thing he expected was to embark on a star-studded career. "I was always an artist in school, so doing makeup came naturally to me," says Jones. "I was completely unaware that I could become a makeup artist." It was a chance glance at an advertisement for a beauty school, and a meeting with an agent, that opened up the right doors for Jones.
The jump from working in a salon to working behind-the-scenes at photo shoots, commercials, and videos, wasn't quick or effortless though. Jones spent years doing freelance jobs, while building up a portfolio of his work, in order to create a name that would earn respect and trust from people in the business. Thanks to his hard work, Jones was offered his biggest break of all when a photographer asked him to come in and do R&B singer Luther Vandross's makeup for an upcoming album cover. The star was so impressed that he offered Jones a life-time gig as his makeup artist.
Celeb Styling Now, over 20 years later, Jones has worked with everyone from pop culture stars like Janet Jackson and Vanna White, to actors such as Morgan Fairchild and Cameron Diaz. But working with celebrities is not for everyone, he warns. "It's a whole mindset. You have to have a relationship with these people."
So if working as a celeb makeup artist is what you want to do, you'll have to build up your skills and self-confidence. "Grab anybody who will sit still and make them up," says Jones. And don't be picky about what jobs you accept. According to Jones, every job -- both paid and unpaid -- can help you build the right connections and reputation that will you help you snag bigger and better jobs in the future.
For Jones, however, the most satisfying part of his make-up career doesn't come from who he works on, but what he does for them. Inspired by Vandross's struggle with Type II diabetes, the singer's former personal assistant Max Szadek founded DIVABETIC, a diabetes outreach program named in honor of Vandross's love for the divas of music.
Today, Jones works with the group on the "Novo Nordisk Presents: Divabetic - Makeover Your Diabetes" education initiative. The program arranges events where women from around the country can meet to learn more about their disease and proper health routines, while getting free makeovers and photos. "It's nice to be involved with something that is helping and making a difference for these women," says Jones. "We're just here to make these women feel better."
>> For information about the "Novo Nordisk Presents: Divabetic - Makeover Your Diabetes" program, visit www.ChangingDiabetes-us.com.
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