From the Chicago Tribune
By Ellen Fox
Special to the Tribune
January 16, 2002
It's midmorning in a photo studio overlooking the South Loop, and makeup artist
Marcus Geeter is dabbing concealer onto the imperceptible flaws of a blond,
high-cheekboned Ford model.
"It's not as glamorous as it seems," he insists. "I mean, it seems all . .
. " At a loss for words, he raises his hands for a moment at his surroundings, the
makeup case bursting with products, the bare-shouldered model at his mercy. "But it's
all smoke and mirrors," he decrees.
Maybe Geeter is right. The 25-year veteran of the makeup business is, on this
morning, working on a photo shoot for Sears. The hour he spends doing the model's hair and
makeup, plus the additional hour or so he spends on the set doing touchups, will result in
just a single photo for gold jewelry, to be found in a Sears newspaper circular next
month.
Still, at an hourly rate of $150 to $175, that's nice work if you can get it.
So how does one get work as a professional makeup artist in Chicago? According to many,
building a career in the sometimes-glamorous, potentially lucrative field of makeup
artistry requires not simply talent, but primo networking skills: It's not just what you
know, but who knows about you.
Once a makeup artist begins filling up that all-important portfolio (or "book")
with photos of accomplished work, he or she can start moving up from lesser-paying jobs,
like fashion shows and magazine spreads, to where the money's really at: advertisements.
Getting signed as an artist with one of the local modeling agencies--such as Elite, Ford
or Aria--definitely helps, but the only universal path to success is, as pro Cammy Kelly
puts it, "practice, practice, practice."
Take 44-year-old Geeter's story: He was a marketing major at Indiana University when he
became interested in theatrical makeup. On the recommendation of an actress friend, he
landed a part-time job doing makeup at a department-store cosmetics counter for $10 an
hour. When that same friend brought him to Chicago to prepare her for some head shots, he
made a lasting impression on the photographer. Soon, the word got around and the work came
rolling in.
Now Geeter routinely nabs work on advertising campaigns for clients like L'Oreal and
Alberto Culver, where the pay can run from $1,500 to $3,000 a day. Still, his humble
beginnings have proved invaluable.
"Working at a cosmetics counter in the beginning is some of the best practical
experience that you can get," he advises, "because you're working all day on all
sorts of women, over and over again, so you actually encounter a lot of problems that you
may not encounter working with models."
Newcomer Rachel Reiman, who just finished a five-year stint working at the MAC brand's
busy counters, seconds that. "The only reason why I know how to do anything I know
how to do is from working there," the 24-year-old Elgin native says.
Reiman had virtually no experience when she began working among MAC's black-clad ranks. In
addition to the training she received from the company, she honed her skills by practicing
on co-workers during slow hours, then began doing the makeup for weddings at $100 an hour.
Through contacts she formed at the counter, she landed jobs prepping actors for head
shots, assisting on locally shot commercials and videos, and grooming the occasional
visiting celebrity--like singer Alicia Keys. She recently signed on with Aria and is
fattening up her portfolio by doing test shoots with photographers for free.
A peek at Reiman's makeup case reveals thousands of dollars in brushes and makeup
palettes, mostly from MAC. But Geeter--who has worked on the famed faces of Halle Berry
and Michael Jordan--insists that some of the best makeup isn't always the most expensive.
"I have no specific rule where that makeup has to come from. I could walk into Osco
and think, 'What a gorgeous lip gloss!' and in the bag it goes." Some of his favorite
products include Black Opal lip glosses, Maybelline's Great Lash mascara and Dermablend
setting powder.
Both Reiman and Geeter recommend some formal training--such as Columbia College's
certificate program in makeup artistry--for those who want to learn the ropes, but Marie
Anderson, who co-owns Aria Model and Talent Management, says schooling is not a requisite
for success. To her, it's more important that a makeup artist have a sense of style, as
well as impeccable hygiene.
These days, however, even Chicago's top makeup artists have the challenges of a changed
economy to contend with. For while New York reigns as the nation's fashion and magazine
capital, and Hollywood trades in film and TV, Chicago was--until recently--the nation's
hotbed for catalog shoots.
But with big-name stores like Sears doing away with thick catalogs, or, like Montgomery
Wards, shutting down entirely, Chicago's once-busy makeup artists are seeing a drop in
steady work. Add to that a squeeze on advertising, plus the growing trend of staging
fashion shoots on location rather than in a studio, and the picture looks a little bleak.
"Right now, with this economy, you'll do anything. I mean, you'll sweep the floors if
you have to," laments Cammy Kelly, a former model who switched to doing makeup five
years ago. As recently as last year, says Kelly, she was booked for an assignment
"every single day." Now she's noticing that fellow makeup artists are traveling
farther away to get work. "But I am confident that it's going to turn around,"
she adds.
Geeter, however, is less optimistic: "I'm approached by so many new makeup people
wanting to do this, and I encourage them to leave," he says. "I always say if
you really want to do this now, go to a major city. Go to New York or Los Angeles, because
the opportunities will be greater."
Face: The facts from the pros
All makeup artists have some tricks tucked up their sleeves. Here are a few trade secrets
from the professionals.
Tips from Marcus Geeter
- To get a soft, dewy look, add a drop of moisturizer to your liquid foundation before
applying it.
- For fuller, thicker eyebrows, brush an old, slightly dried-out mascara wand through
brows.
- To reduce pain while tweezing eyebrows, add a dab of numbing Anbesol to the area on your
brows you wish to pluck.
- And the standby trick of models: To temporarily reduce bags and puffiness, blend equal
parts Preparation H with moisturizer and carefully apply under eyes.
Tips from Cammy Kelly
- When using powder eye shadow, make sure to apply a little foundation and loose powder to
the eye area beforehand, so the shadow will go on smoother and won't look blotchy.
- Sponge on a bit of translucent powder under eyes before applying shadow; if makeup
flakes off below eyes, simply flick away with a sponge.
- To make eye makeup "pop," dab a bit of beige or a shimmery color in the middle
of the eyelid.
- Curl lashes with an eyelash curler to make eyes appear bigger.
- When using cream blushes or shadows, don't apply powder to the area beforehand. Use a
little liquid foundation first, then apply the cream color, then dust lightly with powder.
-- Ellen Fox