Make-up Artist
Sejour

Vicky E

00:00:01 My name is Vicky E and I’m a makeup artist. I do film and TV and photo shoots. I enjoy the variety, it’s really nice to wake up in the morning and think, “Oh, where am I going today?” In this industry as a makeup artist you’re always learning because there will always be a new product, there will always be a new fashion and there’s lots and lots of brilliant talented people out there that you can learn off of.

00:00:29 When I was at school I wanted to be a fashion designer or a makeup artist. I wasn’t very academic, I was better, I passed my GSCEs but I was better at arts. I didn’t enjoy school very much, I got really badly bullied at school. I wish someone had turned around to me and said, “You know what, when you’re 16 you don’t have to see or speak to any of these people.” I was at school and I was so unhappy and I just thought, “Oh, is this it? Is this the way that it is because if it is then I don’t know how I’m going to cope.”

00:01:03 My careers advisor told me that I wouldn’t get anywhere doing make up so I’d be better off picking something else and going to university. So, I stayed and done my A levels and I got one A level in fine art. Then I got talked into doing a degree in graphic design which I left because I didn’t like it.

00:01:30 I spent about year after I’d left my degree going, “Oh, I don’t know.” I did some work, I worked in an office, done some waitressing, I’ve done some bar work and I felt a bit lost. I kind of thought, “What do I want to do? I don’t want to do this.” And I’ve kind of been pushed and I’ve not listened to myself so I decided that I was just going to research into being a makeup artist. I just researched and once I found that where I sort of had a goal of where I was going to I felt a lot better about everything.

00:02:05 I decided to go back to college and I trained as a beauty therapist and then I trained as a makeup artist. I did always think I will make it through this but I, but elements of doubt do creep in. Yeah, you have to believe and be strong and be positive. You’ve got to believe in yourself. The moment that I thought, “Wow, I’ve really achieved something,” was when I was actually as a sort of work experience trainee on “Children of Men”.

00:02:35 I was like, “Oh my God, wow.” It was just totally mind blowing. People think it’s easy and it’s not. It’s not easy. I remember when I trained as a beauty therapist and I’d done my first facial and you’re in someone else’s personal space all the time. It’s quite daunting. In a few years time I would like to either be doing special effects or I’d be someone’s personal makeup artist.

00:03:07 I do like, having been, working with someone a lot because you get to build up a sort of a personal relationship with them. You can sometimes end up being a bit of a confidant to the person who you’re doing, especially if you’re working with them for a long time. I wouldn’t go and do anything else. I don’t think I’d ever give it up at all.

ENDS