What it’s like to key a show at London Fashion Week?!

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Last season for AW19 I got to fulfil a dream that I felt was out of my grasp. I was on abroad on holiday, it was a week or so before fashion week when I got an email in my inbox from the ladies at Poster Girl. whom I had done the makeup for their most recent look book.

Many thoughts crossed my mind, excitement, *squealing* then the dreaded voice at the back of my mind. Really Lisa... you. Before I knew it I had emailed Fran & Natasha back, yes, of course, I would be honoured!

Oh man, this means I actually have to do it, I've committed to doing it which scared the hell out of me!

What is working fashion week like?

I have worked at many seasons of fashion week over the past 11 or so years and over 100 shows. To describe the backstage environment is really hard as it is a truly unique one. You are working to create magic together to enhance the designer's vision alongside many others who all have their specific role; from the designer, their assistants, stylists, dressers, hairdressers, nail team, models, production, security and the photographers. On top of all that working with people, you have never met, due to my tenure I normally see a few familiar faces on the way. You run on adrenaline whilst remaining professional and calm, leave your ego at the door and knuckle down.

Louise Gray backstage workstation

Working backstage at fashion week the ultimate concentration

Back to the nitty gritty

We exchanged emails with images, mood boards and spoke about the inspiration for the collection, which was a 60's spa. I had an idea of the looks that would complement the collection, I also knew I had to get a team together that had the skill and etiquette that I needed. As the old saying goes you are only as good as your team! This couldn't be truer in this situation, as you simply don't have enough time to do all the makeup yourself with 12 models and 2 hours for hair and makeup. I messaged fellow makeup artists to assist me and many of them were on hold for or working on shows already. Thankfully I turned to Instagram to post a story saying I needed a team and managed to get a few artists to confirm which was an absolute blessing!

Fabric swatches from the AW19 collection

Inspiration images for the AW19 collection

Sponsor for the show

I wanted to secure a sponsor for the show, emailing a variety of brands PR that would fit with the show and be brands that I trust. I had many replies saying it was too late to do this or they weren't focusing on fashion, at which point I was really panicking. I then reached out to Dr Dennis Gross, a dermatologist lead skincare brand who had not long officially launched in the UK that has one of my favourite skincare products the Alpha-beta universal daily peel pads, the universe had answered my call! They were secured as a sponsor with the help of the PR Tape agency and a courier was arranged. Things were getting really real and the clock was ticking.

Kit prep

Using the reference images I had a clear idea of the texture and colours required. I played with the textures and tested them to ensure they translated. I packed a separate bag within my kit with these key colour products to recreate the look. We would usually conduct a test, which would be a day or so before the show, where we do a test run of the full look with hair and makeup to ensure it interprets the feel of the look. On this occasion this wasn't the case, there was no dress rehearsal, only show time.

Show day

The morning of the show is when I felt the nerves, feeling restless and trying not to overthink every detail. Armed with my kit, the sponsor's products and 3 assistants I head into the BFC show space. I greet the designers and have a quick chat to confirm everything. I breif the team on what's needed to set up their station. The look is spa skin, that's supple, plastic and glossy, with a punchy pink metallic flush on the eye. There were a handful of models with a pastel coloured face mask and cucumbers on their eyes as they would be led down in the presentation show. I demoed the key features of the look which were the skin texture, eyes and brushed up eyebrows, then answered any questions about the look they had. I called the designers to ensure they were happy with the look as we didn't do a test, they asked for more of a metallic texture on the eyelid. So I do as I am asked, it's not a time to get precious, simply act. I find a MAC eyeshadow in my kit that I barely use called Phloof, wash that over the pink and boom that the final look!

Poster girl LFW presentation AW19

Poster girl LFW presentation AW19

We had a list of all the models and who required the face paint, that we use to keep track of who has been done and by whom. It was time to dive into the makeup. Whilst I am doing makeup a team member asks me to check her look, it hits me, that I am keying my first show, the responsibility is on my shoulders to deliver this creative vision! So communicating with your team is essential, polish the skin more, take it down, blend the eyeshadow more, brush the brow up... ahh perfect! In the midst of all this chaos, you have photographers coming in taking pictures and filming the backstage action. The models were being ticked off in a swift manner, phew!

Poster girl LFW presentation AW19

Poster girl LFW presentation AW19

Before we know it, 5 minutes until show time. I brief the team that we need to check bodies for bruises, redness to cover them and moisturise limbs to finish the looks. The models start dressing and we all work together to get the job done, all hands on deck with palettes and adding final touches in situ to ensure the look is executed to perfection. Wow, we did it, I did it! Keyed my first show. What an experience and honour, thank you to Fran and Natasha @Poster Girl for trusting me to execute your vision. My team of assistants Jenna, Charley, Sam (who popped her LFW cherry!) and finally Dr Dennis Gross and Louise@TAPE team. You made the start of the year so wonderful by making a dream come true.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please share your fashion week experiences below, I would be interested to hear about them.

Love

Lisa x

How to get a job at MAC cosmetics

How to get a job at MAC Cosmetics

All hands on board whilst working at London Fashion Week

I have worked as a makeup artist since 2005 and worked at MAC for almost 10 years so I get asked this question a lot. I worked in two stores as a retail artist, first in Jollys Bath then I moved to Kensington London (which has now sadly shut down as it was one of the original MAC stores in London and where I bought my first MAC blue eyeshadow as an awkward shy tomboy of teenager. You will learn I digress a lot 🤭) I worked my way up through the company and got promoted to Resident Trainer and moved back to the South West. This meant I was heavily involved in the recruitment process during a time where the company were vastly expanding.

A selection of my MAC style evolution

Pre- MAC

Let's go back to the beginning. I enjoyed doing makeup, was studying Illustration at Bath Spa University and lived with many girls, which meant eagerly making them up before we went out-out 💃

Previous to MAC I had worked at pubs, clubs and then landed at Benefit Cosmetics, it was a part-time job whilst I studied at University. This gave me some basic knowledge as a makeup artist as well as a hunger to work for MAC, the counters were positioned next to each other. I remember being on my own on the first day at Benefit not knowing a thing then having to do a foundation match without ever having done one before 😳 The beauty of working on a counter is it pushes you out of your comfort zone ( we had to traffic stop, me being super shy this was hard, finding customers from around the store to invite them back to counter to show them products) and you get to work with all types of people and skin tones. I have always loved working with people so this seemed like the perfect thing to pursue, amalgamating my love of art and creativity with people. I practised lots of makeup looks on myself, tore out images of beautiful makeup and recreated it.

The dreaded application!

Nowadays you submit applications online, back in my day you went in face to face and gave in a CV which thinking back is a million times worse and scary, whilst giving you the opportunity to chat to the manager, team which is invaluable really! If you feel nervous (are you human if you don't?) about the process go into your local MAC, go shopping and talk to the team about what it’s like there. What experience is required to apply? The following points are an advantage and not all are essential:

* Any form of retail and customer service roles

* Experience in applying makeup not only on yourself. I am sure your freinds and family would be more than happy to be your canvas

* Passionate about makeup, people and learning

* Having a makeup qualification

Congratulations your application has been received

The hard part of filling in the form, redoing your CV and pressing send is complete. You will twitch and flinch every time you get an email or when you get an unknown caller ID not knowing whether to answer or not!! If successful you will be asked to complete a digital interview with the following sorts of questions:

*How does your personal style reflect the image and culture of the brand?

*How would you describe the brand?

*How do you adapt your customer service skills to different clients?

*Give an example of how you turned a good experience into a great one

*Provide an example about a time you struggled to reach a sales target and how you overcame it

Interview prep

OMG, it's MAC calling, YOU got the call the interview date and time is set. Shit has just got really real, help. Do your homework! This isn't like school where you can wing it, this is real life and more to the point your life, so own it. Ensure you know the following about the brand as you may get asked about these things:

*MAC history, the founders, the country, how it got so popular

* Viva Glam/MAC AIDS Fund

* Collaborations with people and new collections

* Fashion week, the industry and current trends. Think about what you like about them?

* What M.A.C stands for, it's an acronym

It's totally worth going in for a service in store so you get to have the MAC experience if you haven't before and a great opportunity to play with products, discover your favourites and get some samples. I remember doing this shopping for a blusher in Soho before my interview where Sam Chapman from Pixiwoos served me and we went for a really bold blush, this was before youtube and any broad use of social media.

Interview time

I was so nervous I could barely remember my own name! As long as you have prepared you will be ok, do not forget that.

Make sure you wear 100% black, I wore tailored shorts with a fitted top and waistcoat ( they were really in at the time) teamed with my favourite lipstick at the time which made me feel so good, Impassioned and a soft matte smoky eye. Try to wear as much MAC makeup as possible, you can always ask for samples of things prior to your visit if you cannot afford to buy it all, its certainly not worth getting into debt for an interview. You may be asked about the products and shade names of the makeup you are wearing, as they may ask " What is your favourite MAC product? What lipstick are you wearing? " The interview is fairly fluid. A good question to ask yourself is "what are you made of?" and to think about how working at MAC you can bring your skills to the brand as well as learn from them. This is a great opportunity to show a portfolio of your work, at least 5 strong images.

Trade test interview

A trade test is where you show your makeup skill to the interviewer. These have evolved a fair bit since I did mine as well as conducting them. Wear a different makeup look to your previous interview, I wore a heavier smokey eye with lashes and a nude lip. If you are stuck with what makeup to wear research red carpet and catwalk looks. You will be given a brief or asked to find out what the model acting as a customer wants for their look. This could be anything from glowing skin, smokey eyes, red lip to eyeliner. There will be a manager or trainer present to guide you with products and hygiene practices, do not be afraid to ask questions you may have (don't expect to be handheld, own your time with the client. Make them feel beautiful) and bring options over whilst keeping it simple for yourself. Try to lay the products out neatly so you can locate them easily, nerves do funny things to you and things under your nose can disappear. It can be overwhelming when you aren't familiar with over 2000 products and every colour possible.

Communication is key... talk to your customer:

* What is the makeup for? Every day, occasion?

*What do they normally do?

*What colours/textures do they like or skin type do they have?

* What don't they like?

Treat it like a fluid conversation with a friend on a professional level. Be conscious of time. So focus on practising the simple beauty elements of makeup and completing them in 20 or so minutes. It's an ‘instaglam’ myth that an eye look should take 1 hour, real people do not have that time.

The call back...again

It's that time again, waiting for another callback. “Lisa, we are delighted to offer you a part-time position at MAC!” I was elated, I totally squealed with joy as soon as Susan the manager at the time hung up. I got my job at MAC back in 2007. At this point full-time was what I wanted and needed to live off as I had just graduated from University, however, I had my foot in the door, happy to take on overtime, work hard until more hours came available. Note, if you apply for a department store, you will require store approval meeting the beauty department manager.

My career at MAC

Getting a job at MAC isn’t glamorous, it’s hard work and well worth it for the phenomenal training you receive. It is a fast-paced environment with a high volume of customers, you will mostly produce quick bespoke looks on a variety of customers. Working as a team is essential. I had the best time working at MAC, it's a hell of a lot of hard work but my god I LOVED my MAC family and still do. I was 21 when I joined, a baby, it was a place where I fit in, the brand "got me", allowed me to have an abundance of piercings and tattoos on display. I had lots of nurturing when I joined with a new starter induction and shipped off to London for a week of basic training and got my silver MAC badge of honour and wore it with such pride. At basic training, I learnt the ropes (foundation matching, colour theory, product knowledge and customer service) with 2 fantastic trainers Robyn and Nadine. This training was so inspiring and made me aspire to be a trainer. There are so many roles within a retail artist, product specialist, visual merchandiser, a variety of skill certifications... then there's the events team.

At my basic training in London. The unbelievably talented Carly Colley introduced us to body painting

The wonderful Jollys Bath team posing hard for a theme day

To be on the MAC pro and body painting team were both dreams of mine and within a year I was on it, working at London Fashion Week, photo shoots, BATFAs and tv work. I won a global competition with a fellow workmate and dear friend Naomi and we went to Bejing, China saw masterclasses from the master Gordon Espinet and a variety of senior artists. A lot of the other winners also went on to amazing roles at MAC and freelance careers. Nicole Thompson and Amber Dreadon are a few names that come to mind be sure to check their work out!

Carousel horse body paint for West end bares charity HIV event, Cafe De Paris, London

Body paint with Laura for the Soho store opening on Carnaby Street

Carly and I painting a body paint for a Pro event in Beirut, Lebanon

I relocated with MAC to London, where I was from to further my career. This was another round of hard interviews, rejection and a determination which lead to me working with the best and most inspiring manager ever- Victoria. Victoria helped me focus my creativity, hold workshops, help with basic training and apply for Resident Trainer. You guessed it, more interviews which included creating strategies and facilitating a workshop. After 9 months at Kensington, I landed that role. WOW. I spent the next 7 or so years travelling within the South West UK looking after up to 200 artists, and Miami, Florida, Dublin, Ibiza, Budapest, Lisbon and Toronto, (I feel so lucky and I worked extremely hard)training new and current MAC artists and holding masterclasses for the public. I worked closely with trainers and store managers to ultimately deliver the best MAC experience to the customers. I realised my dream was to become a Senior Artist for the brand which I applied for twice. The interview consisted of a verbal and makeup for the by the legendary Terry Barber twice. Not getting this was hard-hitting, eventually, I realised it was time to leave MAC to carve my own way in the freelance makeup world. This decision scared me SO much, it was the best decision for me. I am so grateful for the amazing career I had at MAC, the wonderful people I met ( there's too many to name individually) and the opportunity it gave me.

Thank you to Hannah for inspiring me to write this, Hannah has also got some great advice on the interview process and her journey with MAC.

Naomi and I on our way to the great wall of China, Bejing

MAC know how to throw a party, a roof top pool party in Miami with Harry, Claire, Sharryn, Lou and Terry

Conducting basic training with Laura and Dominic in Birmingham

My last day presenting at update training in Bristol, 2015

I hope you found this useful! Please reach out or comment below if you have any questions. Good luck with your application to MAC and your makeup journey.

Best wishes,

Lisa x