Beauty 101: Make Up Master Class

Ever wondered what it’s like behind the scenes as a makeup artist at a fashion show? Well boos, we suss it out, with an in-depth with MAC makeup artist and director for Australian Fashion Week, Nicole Thompson. We get the insider insight and info on the hot makeup looks right now and how to achieve them

Total chaos is how Nicole describes a typical Fashion Week show. Sometimes with only 5 minutes to get hair and makeup done and outfit on, it is crazy, frenetic, energetic and a total rush. “I love the craziness of it all!” Nicole says.

So, how does it all come together?

Nicole explains: “There’s quite a creative process leading up to a show. The makeup and hair director meet a few times, along with the styling team, and the PRs. The whole team collaborates on different ideas. The designer details the look and feel they want to create and everyone on the team then goes away to interpret that vision.

“After that initial brief, I do some research and come up with my interpretation of the designer’s brief. We then have a trial, giving the designer a few options in terms of makeup. We generally make up a model to give them a very clear idea of how it will come together. Sometimes this process can be days before the event, sometimes weeks. “

The MAC makeup team is made up of 65 artists so the team on a particular show changes all the time. It is the makeup director’s job to demonstrate to the team the vision of what they are trying to achieve on the day of the show. Before a show, the makeup director usually does a quick demo on a model. Then it’s all systems go as the team fires up. It usually takes half an hour to work on each model. And, as Nicole describes, the drama unfolds.

“The nature of a fashion show is that crazy stuff happens. A show might run late., which means you can have just 10 minutes to get a model ready – that’s hair, makeup and into the clothing! It can be totally crazy and you just have to keep your cool and get the job done.”

So how do you get the dream gig of makeup director of a fashion show for one of the world’s most iconic makeup brands?

“I started out working for MAC in Myer Parramatta in 2005. When I started out, I thought working for MAC was a good part-time way of getting experience to spearhead a freelance makeup artist career. I didn’t realise how strong MAC was in the fashion industry.

“Directing fashion shows has been extremely emotional for me. It’s like a dream come true. I had a big cry at the end of my first directing gig, as it was hugely emotional and a culmination of what I have been working toward. It has been a dream and I never take any of it for granted.”