What exactly is a make-up consultation?:
A make-up consultation/lesson is your chance to ask all the questions you want about applying make-up to yourself. I always like to begin with a chat, over a coffee or tea of course, about what you want to get from your time with me. I establish what your current beauty and make-up routine is (don't worry if you don't have one!) and work out how much time
you honestly have to apply make-up each day. There is no point me teaching you a long list of difficult techniques if you're never going to have the time to use any of them! If you have only five minutes to throw on some make-up in the morning then it's my job to give you tips to 'throw' it on in the best way possible! I can also find products which will help you achieve this more easily. Alternatively if you are quite adept at applying make-up already and have more time to get ready each day then we can cover more advanced techniques such as highlighting and sculpting the face. Everyone is different and so every consultation is different. Your Make-up Bag Sort Out:
I always ask clients to bring along all of the make-up they own - yes even the bits you're embarrassed about and those items you paid a fortune for or were given as a gift which you just haven't ever really known how to use properly. I will then sort through all your products and advise you which ones to keep and explain how best to use them within the techniques we've already looked at. You can discard any products which either definitely won't work for you or are way past their use by date, leaving you with a cleansed, capsule make-up kit which you can add to as and when from the list of products I recommend. My aim is never for clients to have to leave me and have to go and spend a fortune on make-up but I will recommend essential products which will turn your kit around and make your make-up life much easier. Why come to The Make-up Man when shops give free consultations?:
Having a free consultation in a shop is great if you just want to buy their products or need a skin colour match for one of their foundations but there are many reasons why a private consultation with The Make-up Man will work better for you...these are gathered from my experience of talking to clients and my own experience of make-up shopping:
- You won't be in the middle of a busy make-up shop or a department store counter, trying to ignore all the other customers and becoming frustrated when the shop assistant helping you keeps dealing with other staff in the middle of your consultation. Instead you'll be in a quiet, relaxing environment with my full attention just on you.
- You won't just be having one brand of make-up applied to your face with the assistant carrying on regardless even if it's not quite working for you. Not all brands or products work on all people; if I try a foundation on you and it's not working, I'll always be honest, take it off and try another. There is no pressure on me to have you leaving the consultation having bought any products. It's up to you if you go make-up shopping afterwards.
- At the end of a shop consultation there is always the worry of the 'hard sell'. Clients have said they often leave with far more products than they intended buying and these are often the products which lie in their kits unused. I will recommend products for you, from different brands. Some will be 'must haves' and if so I will explain why, others will simply be recommendations for a treat day or a birthday gift. It's up to you when and if you buy them.
- You really can ask anything you want to. Often questions which clients felt were too silly to ask in a shop are very valid ones which many other people also want answers to. Ask away at The Make-up Man, you'll always get an answer. The Follow Up:
After you leave the consultation your mind will be buzzing with techniques, tips and product info but fear not; you will receive a follow up email containing information sheets on your recommended products, reminders of the techniques and links to my 'how to' videos such as 'Applying Eyeliner, the Dos and Don'ts'
You can practise at home and please keep in touch and email with any subsequent questions.
