MAs - pressure to look good always?

[User49]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ms.marymac Ha ha! My first meeting was similar. I went to a counter meeting before I actually was on the floor. It was on a Sunday morning and almost everybody had zero makeup on, caps on their head, etc. A couple of people that worked in the store walked by our group and did a triple take. "Are THOSE girls the MAC girls?" I am in a different region now and we are required to at least wear a prime look to meetings.

To be honest I quite like wearing make up all the time. It's just those few times a week you want to give your skin a break, or when you are feeling sleepy and would rather have the extra 20 minutes in bed. But it does shock me sometimes lol! I remember also when I started and seeing the ma's in the morning before make up and thinking WOAH!!! Make up makes a difference lol! Not that they aren't pretty but you know what I mean!! We tend to have team meetings after work so we all have the make up on.

 

[ms.marymac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glitternmyveins To be honest I quite like wearing make up all the time. It's just those few times a week you want to give your skin a break, or when you are feeling sleepy and would rather have the extra 20 minutes in bed. But it does shock me sometimes lol! I remember also when I started and seeing the ma's in the morning before make up and thinking WOAH!!! Make up makes a difference lol! Not that they aren't pretty but you know what I mean!! We tend to have team meetings after work so we all have the make up on.

Sooooo true! I'm thinking Update when we have to do makeup on each other and there's the few minutes before when people are wiping their face. You are like, "Daaaaaaaaaang!" lol. Exactly as you said though...not that they are not lovely without makeup, just that it is a BIG difference.

 

[DirtyPlum]

Bumping... any more MUAs out there?

 

[MissMarley]

I very very rarely wear makeup on my days off- like Lara said, we only have two of them! If I'm doing something out with friends or going to church, I'll do the minimal (concealer, mascara, blush, gloss), but other than that, it's a bare face.

 

[GreekChick]

I actually enjoy doing my makeup all the time. Even when I'm not working, I still need to put on what I call my face: nice skin, nice eyebrows, nice lashes. That's it. Lord knows I can't leave the house without my eyebrows on, I feel naked.
However when I'm not working, I rarely wear eyeshadow or lipstick. I'll do the occasional winged out eyeliner because I like doing it.

I agree though that it does feel good to come home after work, remove everything, and just slather on night cream.

I think my view relies on the fact that I like to look put together. I pull my hair back often when I'm not working and IMO, having hair off your face screams perfect brows.

 

[Bernadette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lara If it's my day off I'm not going to wear make-up no matter what, and I really don't care what people think if I tell them that I work for a cosmetics retailer. I only get two days a week sans make-up, damnit! I'm not sacrificing two days of skin-rest just so some jackass can go, 'oh, I can tell by your eyeliner!'.

Ditto! I usually only wear some under eye concealer on my days off, if that. I think it's really healthy to give yourself a break from the makeup. It keep syou inspired when it doesn't turn into a chore.

 

[leenybeeny]

I freelance, and tend to not mention it on days when I am not wearing makeup... I feel like if I am going to promote my craft, then I should be wearing it? It's too bad that it's that way though.. when I meet an accountant, they don't have their final grades pasted on their forehead so I can judge if I want them taking care of my money

 

[boudoirblonde]

I work for Dior (no not MAC

! ) and on my days off, I usually just wear mascara and a bit of blush. I hardly ever wear foundation on my days off, my skin just desperately needs a rest!

 

[CatsMeow]

I'm not a MUA yet, but I've just recently told my friends and family of my ambition to become one (going for a cert II shortly). Even though I hate to admit it, I'm finding now that I feel pressure to have my makeup look spotless whenever I see them. It's almost like saying 'yeah I have the skills to do this'. I know that sounds a little pathetic, but like many have mentioned in this thread, you're practically advertising your craft and ability. So of course, you want to put your best foot (or face!) forward.

My mum is a hairdresser - if she had crappy hair, I doubt many would go to her! Works the same way!

Having said all this, I still manage to have at least one makeup-free day per week.

 

[makeupNdesign]

Pressure is right!

I usually stick to just blush, eyeliner and gloss on my days off. Brows are a MUST though! But overall I feel nekkid sans makeup. And I look about 12 years old without it to make things worse.

This past weekend, I visited the Promenade at Santa Monica and didn't know they had a MAC freestanding store there and decided to stock up. But I didn't have my "MAC Face" on since I just came from the beach w/ my hubby and kept it on the light side. I never mentioned I worked for MAC because I didn't feel 'done up' enough. The snooty artist that assisted me, looked at my Staff card and actually had the nerve to say as she rang me up, "YOU work for MAC too?" I wanted to stab her in the eye with a mascara wand!

So much for spontaneous MAC trips.

 

[ms.marymac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by makeupNdesign Pressure is right! I usually stick to just blush, eyeliner and gloss on my days off. Brows are a MUST though! But overall I feel nekkid sans makeup. And I look about 12 years old without it to make things worse. This past weekend, I visited the Promenade at Santa Monica and didn't know they had a MAC freestanding store there and decided to stock up. But I didn't have my "MAC Face" on since I just came from the beach w/ my hubby and kept it on the light side. I never mentioned I worked for MAC because I didn't feel 'done up' enough. The snooty artist that assisted me, looked at my Staff card and actually had the nerve to say as she rang me up, "YOU work for MAC too?" I wanted to stab her in the eye with a mascara wand! So much for spontaneous MAC trips.

I hate that-I've had it done to me, too. Like we should wear our makeup full throttle all the time just so people will believe us. Too bad you couldn't say, "Yeah, I've just come from the beach, what's your excuse?"

 

[Wannabe Junkie]

Edited my original post as I felt a bit silly and it's probably not the place to say it

. But, I've been to your counter and always think you look amazing.

I can imagine it's nice to have a rest from makeup when your not working though. I imagine you would look stunning anyway.

 

[pumpkincat210]

I would seriously slob it out on my days off, unlike most other jobs, your appearance is a major major factor in your sells.

 

[tamarav]

I do a lot of transformation makeup and tend to be judged on my makeup application as a predictor of how my clients will look. If I am not totally "on", potential clients tend to make a judgement and think twice about having me do their transformation.

Since I do love makeup, I rarely am seen without it, so I generally am a walking advertisement for my services. Otherwise, I just look like a boy...

So, on my off days, I still go over the top a bit.




Tami

 

[X4biddenxLustX]

I'm not an MA but I'm a Beauty Adviser at a Walgreen's store in their beauty department. When I first started the job, I always tried to put a lot of effort in being made up everytime I was there to look nice. Now, I could honestly care less what I look like when I'm there. I show up completely naked face and looking like a hot mess lol. If you seen me at work you would probably think to yourself that this girl has absolutely no knowledge about makeup or anything beauty related. I've noticed that many of my other beauty advisers don't wear much makeup either or keep it really simple and natural, and I don't want my makeup to seem OTT compared to theirs. Plus I'm too tired and in a hurry to get ready to go to work to have time to whip out my kit.

When I actually look decent, I get a few customers who come in and ask what I use makeup and skincare wise. Which leaves me on the spot cause I don't use anything drugstore beauty products besides mascara, hair care, and chapstick. Of course, I'll show the customer to drugstore brand items that are similar to the MAC or Sephora products I use. I feel like I'm sort of lying to them when I'm not completely honest about which products I use. Cause when I tell them that "I use a product similar to this...." they'll mistakenly think that I actually DO use that product when I don't. I'll only rarely tell the customer secretly what I actually use cause I don't want to get in trouble. I've ran into a few MAC users there too and when I'm bare faced they're very surprised that I use MAC let alone know about it lol.

As for working for an actual high end cosmetic retailer or any freelancing work, then I would definitely be slapping the makeup on everyday I'm working. Because I agree that when you have a job like that it's important to advertise your services as best as you can. You have to be able to clearly demonstrate your skills on yourself in order to attract clients. Like everyone else is saying would you want someone who looks plain or has awful makeup on to do yours? I sure wouldn't. But this job I have now really in my opinion isn't really all that makeup related besides working in that department (which all really is just helping customers, ringing them up, stocking and cleaning) I don't really care what I look like since I don't get the opportunity to really even use any of my makeup skills for the job.