Who are some people that have inspired you throughout your career?
It’s really difficult to narrow this list down enough to answer the question!
There are some truly superb South African artists like SJ Van Zyl, Sam Scarborough, and Cicilia Kaufmann that I have looked up to for many years and I find wonderfully motivating.
Another person that comes to mind is photographer Nepenthe Om of Halo Studio and Dnihil, who is a hurricane of creativity, and working with her taught me and inspired me so much.
What have been your highlights as a makeup artist?
I have to say that seeing my work published in magazines and plastered across billboards will never lose its thrill, and is a constant highlight for me.
It feels great to get it out there and have so many people see the results of an intensely collaborative effort.
I often feel as though a great photoshoot is the high point of human cooperation, and shows just what we can achieve when we all work together and support each other.
And just when you thought my hippie moment was done, this question has a second soppy answer!
Seeing clients stare at themselves in the mirror in adoration for minutes on end after I’ve done their make-up feels pretty good, too.
Allowing somebody to get into your space like that and alter the way you see yourself and the face that you present to the world is an incredibly brave action, and every time that a client is happy with the results, I’m thrilled.
What do you love most about makeup?
I love that it’s adaptable in all the ways that we are often not.
We can keep it super light and natural, or glam it up, or draw attention to a favourite feature, or play down something we like less. And at the end of the day, we can wash it off and do something totally different tomorrow.
I always tell my boyfriend that my make-up is armour against the people I dislike, and a compliment to the people that I do like, and I love that it can serve both of those functions simultaneously while it makes me feel fierce to boot!
Who do you most enjoy collaborating with?
That would have to be Nepenthe Om, because I have a ludicrous amount of fun with her in studio (and outside of it) and we push each other to excel as creatives.
If you weren’t a makeup artist, what else would you do?
I already do that, too! Aside from being a qualified, working make-up artist, I also have my degree in English literature and I am currently doing my Honours in English literature. So if I wasn’t a make-up artist, I would probably just write more, read more, and study more. Maybe it’s a good thing make-up forces me to drag my nose out of the books every so often, huh?
Do you have a signature look? If so, how would you describe it?
I have two.
My summer signature look is called “A Hot Dark Sweaty Continent”, and it consists of tinted moisturiser, mascara, waterproof winged liner, fierce eyebrows filled in with smudge-proof gel eyeliner, and a bit of blush and tinted lip balm. It’s low-maintenance and as heat-proof as you can get in 36 degrees (sigh).
My winter signature look is called “Divine Cold Yes Please”, and with that one I get to go a little heavier on the foundation and do some pretty smoky eyes. I tend to like drawing attention to my eyes more than my lips, and am much more likely to rock a dark eye than any kind of lipstick.
Do you like creating out-there looks or do you prefer something classically beautiful?
I get really excited about the crazy avant-garde looks, but I appreciate the classically beautiful looks for the skill and time that goes into them. Most clients end up wanting classic, natural beauty so when I am given free rein in a test shoot I tend to go for the out-there stuff because it’s a nice change and I get to be really creative and experiment, which is what got me excited about doing make-up in the first place.
What sets you apart from other makeup artists?
Hmm, I would have to say that the crazy creative stuff is what makes me stand out from the crowd. When you study make-up there is a lot of emphasis on clean, wearable looks - as there is demand for that of course. And it’s really difficult to teach people how to do avant-garde make-up and come up with unusual concepts and styles – you either have a “feel” for it, or you don’t. I like to think I have a “feel” for it, and that’s when I’m in my happy place. I try to bring all of that experimentation and all of those skills to bear on my clean beauty make-up too, so no matter how straightforward the brief is, I strive to elevate it in some way.
What beauty advice can you give our readers?
Don’t sleep with make-up on! Seriously, don’t do it. Your skin needs to breathe and renew itself at night, and your crusty all-day-old make-up does not help that process. Nobody expects you to buy that R3000 diamond-infused face serum, but washing your face before you go to bed – every night, mind you – is not unreasonable.
Wear sunblock. It’s one of the cheapest things you can do to take care of your skin. We live in South Africa, people, the sun here is hardcore. Slather on that sunblock.
Cleanse, tone, moisturise. The products do not need to be expensive. Any effort is better than no effort at all.
If you do those three things for your skin, doing your make-up will be a breeze. It’s always nicer to enhance lovely fresh skin with a bit of tinted moisturizer than it is to plaster on the foundation to cover up blemishes and uneven skin tone. Oh, and drink lots of water. It’s good for you.
What are some common beauty mistakes women make?
I think that the beauty mistakes I often see all boil down to a lack of knowledge and experimentation. People wearing the wrong shade of foundation, or foundation that is clearly the wrong consistency for their skin type; people applying blush in unflattering places and colours; people wearing lip liner darker than their lipstick (but seriously, sies, don’t ever do that, it makes you look like you have a moustache); people walking around with solid lines of black eyeliner all the way around the eye.
The best advice I can give you is to book a one-on-one lesson with an artist if you are unwilling or unable to experiment with and research the make-up you’re buying and using. We are so happy to help show you how to use what you already have, or to go shopping with you for the right items, and teach you how to apply your make-up on your face in a way that suits you, your tastes, and your routine. One lesson can make all the difference to your skills and your confidence.
Does everyone look better with makeup?
Yes. It evens out your skin, hides little imperfections, makes your eyes look bigger and more alert, makes your cheeks and lips look a healthy pink...it does make you look better.
You are not ugly without make-up, and you do not need make-up to be beautiful. But make-up can give you a great confidence boost, and it gives you permission to play around with different aspects of your personality. It is not vital, it is fun. It is not a requirement, it is a tool. Use it (or don’t) in whatever way suits you. And enjoy the experience!
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dislike, and a compliment to the people that I do like, and I love that it can serve both of those functions simultaneously while it makes me feel fierce to boot!
Who do you most enjoy collaborating with?
That would have to be Nepenthe Om, because I have a ludicrous amount of fun with her in studio (and outside of it) and we push each other to excel as creatives.
If you weren’t a makeup artist, what else would you do?
I already do that, too! Aside from being a qualified, working make-up artist, I also have my degree in English literature and I am currently doing my Honours in English literature. So if I wasn’t a make-up artist, I would probably just write more, read more, and study more. Maybe it’s a good thing make-up forces me to drag my nose out of the books every so often, huh?
Do you have a signature look? If so, how would you describe it?
I have two.
My summer signature look is called “A Hot Dark Sweaty Continent”, and it consists of tinted moisturiser, mascara, waterproof winged liner, fierce eyebrows filled in with smudge-proof gel eyeliner, and a bit of blush and tinted lip balm.
It’s low-maintenance and as heat-proof as you can get in 36 degrees (sigh).My winter signature look is called “Divine Cold Yes Please”, and with that one I get to go a little heavier on the foundation
and do some pretty smoky eyes. I tend to like drawing attention to my eyes more than my lips, and am much more likely to rock a dark eye than any kind of lipstick.
Do you like creating out-there looks or do you prefer something classically beautiful?
I get really excited about the crazy avant-garde looks, but I appreciate the classically beautiful looks for the skill and time that goes into them. Most clients end up wanting classic, natural beauty so when I am given free rein in a test shoot I tend to go for the out-there stuff because it’s a nice change and I get to be really creative and experiment, which is what got me excited about doing make-up in the first place.
What sets you apart from other makeup artists?
Hmm, I would have to say that the crazy creative stuff is what makes me stand out from the crowd. When you study make-up there is a lot of emphasis on clean, wearable looks - as there is demand for that of course. And it’s really difficult to teach people how to do avant-garde make-up and come up with unusual concepts and styles – you either have a “feel” for it, or you don’t. I like to think I have a “feel” for it, and that’s when I’m in my happy place. I try to bring all of that experimentation and all of those skills to bear on my clean beauty make-up too, so no matter how straightforward the brief is, I strive to elevate it in some way.
What beauty advice can you give our readers?
Don’t sleep with make-up on! Seriously, don’t do it. Your skin needs to breathe and renew itself at night, and your crusty all-day-old make-up does not help that process. Nobody expects you to buy that R3000 diamond-infused face serum, but washing your face before you go to bed – every night, mind you – is not unreasonable.
Wear sunblock. It’s one of the cheapest things you can do to take care of your skin. We live in South Africa, people, the sun here is hardcore. Slather on that sunblock.
Cleanse, tone, moisturise. The products do not need to be expensive. Any effort is better than no effort at all.
If you do those three things for your skin, doing your make-up will be a breeze. It’s always nicer to enhance lovely fresh skin with a bit of tinted moisturizer than it is to plaster on the foundation to cover up blemishes and uneven skin tone. Oh, and drink lots of water. It’s good for you.
What are some common beauty mistakes women make?
I think that the beauty mistakes I often see all boil down to a lack of knowledge and experimentation. People wearing the wrong shade of foundation, or foundation that is clearly the wrong consistency for their skin type; people applying blush in unflattering places and colours; people wearing lip liner darker than their lipstick (but seriously, sies, don’t ever do that, it makes you look like you have a moustache); people walking around with solid lines of black eyeliner all the way around the eye.
The best advice I can give you is to book a one-on-one lesson with an artist if you are unwilling or unable to experiment with and research the make-up you’re buying and using. We are so happy to help show you how to use what you already have, or to go shopping with you for the right items, and teach you how to apply your make-up on your face in a way that suits you, your tastes, and your routine. One lesson can make all the difference to your skills and your confidence.
Does everyone look better with makeup?
Yes. It evens out your skin, hides little imperfections, makes your eyes look bigger and more alert, makes your cheeks and lips look a healthy pink...it does make you look better.
You are not ugly without make-up, and you do not need make-up to be beautiful. But make-up can give you a great confidence boost, and it gives you permission to play around with different aspects of your personality. It is not vital, it is fun. It is not a requirement, it is a tool. Use it (or don’t) in whatever way suits you. And enjoy the experience!
Model: Cindy Pretorius