Hello! Here is My Story Part 1

Hellooooo and welcome to my beauty blog! I'm so happy you are here. My mission in writing this blog is to help anyone I can become more comfortable with makeup. I'm here to help guide someone who is just starting out in the world of makeup down to the most seasoned of artists. I want to help answer questions you might have about product application, purchasing products, new techniques and some fun random stuff in between. No beauty topic is off-limits.... and you can feel free to ask any question that comes to mind!  I believe we all could learn so much from each other so chime in if you want to add anything!

 This is a fun creative place where we can escape the everyday vanilla and have a good time.  I spend hundreds, probably thousands, of dollars on makeup (this is where the junkie part comes in...Don’t tell my husband) because I truly love to just play and test out new things. You want to know about that new foundation before you buy it? Chances are I tried it on myself or on a client and I can tell you the low down.....here I am already going on a tangent. Let me focus and tell you my story.

So to introduce myself, my name is Jillian, I am a thirty something wife, mom of a baby boy and a professional makeup artist, guru, and addict. It is safe to say I have a problem but at least I can admit it...those are the first steps I hear. I have been interested in makeup since I was a little girl. I used to love watching my mom getting ready every day, it was all so glamorous. It wasn't until after college where I really decided to waste my tuition money on something that I did not persue and become a makeup artist. Yay! I joined the elite "didn't get a job in what I studied" club. Actually, lets back up. I DID end up being a paralegal for 6 months after college. In case you were wondering I went to school to be a cop...What, you never heard of a makeup artist police officer before? Yea me either. After a few years in college I soon realized I am not fit to be a police officer. I didn't think my 5 foot 105 pound frame would do me any good in breaking up a bar fight at the local biker club.  And so the journey began...

Let's fast forward to me changing my major to Paralegal Studies in hopes I can be like one of those people on law and order. Again, wrong decision. I spent every day in my law firm gazing out the window wondering how much it would hurt if I jumped out of it....too dark? I won't go that route. But seriously, I was miserable. I was drafting wills and estates for a law firm that still filed their clients via Dewey decimal system while using a typewriter on the regular...yea this was 2006.  If you know me at all, you would know that didn't last long. I knew I needed out and decided to quit.
I took a leap of faith, went with my gut and applied for a part-time job at MAC cosmetics.  Now mind you I knew NOTHING about applying makeup on other people but I sure as shit wasn't going to let them know that.  So what did I do? Lived by my mantra, faked it till I made it. How you ask? Let me proceed...

In doing my research, I found out that to be a MAC makeup artist you had to go through multiple interviews. Some of these interviews were verbal and some were interactive and role-playing. Yes, role-playing. Meaning I had to bring a model, a real live person, to do makeup on in front of other live people.....talk about awkward. How was I going to fake doing makeup on someone else? The most I ever did was throw some Avon makeup on some of my sorority sisters before going on a binge drinking escapade in a dark basement where no one remembered or really saw what you looked like anyway. Talk about pressure. Have no fear! Jillian has a solution to everything.

So I'll share my secret, in case any of you guys want to ever become a makeup artist one day. (I'll write a blog on more tips for that later) First, I decided on who my model was going to be. Congratulations little sister Justine, you are coming along for the ride. That's the advantage of being a big sister, you can boss your little sister around. Who am I kidding? I bribed her with Great American Cookie cake after the interview was over. An offer she could not refuse. Now that my model was established I decided we needed to do a little research.
I knew they were going to ask me to apply makeup on her and make me pretend she was a real customer. This was frightening, I had to think on my feet. My solution?  Go to our not so local MAC store ( I didn't want them to catch on) and have her ask a bunch of questions and watch like a hawk and let the MAC experts do their job. I observed their demeanor, their verbiage and secretly took note of all the colors and types of products they were using. I listened as they explained each product, what was in it and why she needed it. It was fascinating to me and I loved every second.

I was ready…… I watched, I studied, I researched and most importantly I felt confident. I was called in for my interview, I was so excited! I was told the time and location, THE SAME STORE I USED FOR MY SECRET INTEL.  I panicked and prayed to God no one would remember us or what I was trying to pull. This WOULD have happened to me, it always does, trying to be slick and I shoot myself in the foot. Low and behold the lady that helped us that day was there, greeting us with a smile. SHIT. Now what.

My sister and I had a pep talk, a go to game plan in the car about what we would do if this happened.

​We.would.play.dumb.

It worked through our whole childhood, we did it then we certainly could do it now. So here I am getting ready for the most important interview of my life (or at least I thought) and I was already in deep shit. The girl directed me to my station and then whispered something to the lady who was interviewing me. GREAT. This is going to be awesome. So I powered through my interview the best I could and waited for the feedback and GUESS WHAT?!?! I got the job! They knew I came in and did my research. They applauded me for doing the leg work to become more familiar with their brand and how they liked to approach their customers. Wait, what??? They were actually happy I came in and spied! Of course I wasn't thinking about that being good news, I was thinking, that little brat that helped me had ratted me out....wtf.
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I got over that fast though and was super PUMPED to start my new job as a MAC makeup artist!! A dream come true! Finally I would be happy doing something that I loved. Want to know more about my journey??? Tune in to my next post where I talk about my experiences in the makeup and retail world. I look forward to seeing you again!