Yvette Mendoza – Make-up and Hair Artist Interview
Enjoy this truly passionate interview with Orange County / Los Angeles based makeup artist, hairstylist, eyelash extension specialist Yvette Mendoza.
As she says: “beauty is in all of us” and the Q&A is a great example of a person who loves her job. So if you are an aspiring or professional makeup artist or interested in makeup and skincare keep on reading.
Q: What is your favorite or most exciting aspect about your job?
A: The best part of my job is that I never get bored. I am always doing something different. This is what keeps me so motivated. Whether I am on a photoshoot, giving a facial, applying lashes or airbrushing a bride I am loving my career.
Q: Tell a little about yourself personally and if you attended school or you are a self taught makeup artist?
A: I am a Southern California girl through and through. I always knew that i loved to create and be artistic but it wasn’t until I decided to change careers that I realized my true passion for beauty industry. I took M.A.C. advanced classes, I attended the Paul Mitchell skin academy and became an esthetician, I became a certified eyelash extension specialist, and I attend the international dermal institute in Los Angeles. The learning never ends.
Q: Do you think going to school for make-up artistry is important to excel in the business later on?
A: It just depends on which direction you take. If as a makeup artist you want to work on set with special effects for example you would find it needed, but if you know that is not the route you want to take than it is not necessary. Like any industry there are always advances being made. By attending classes you will always succeed.
Q: Did you always wanted to be an artist, or did you stumble upon your talent by chance? Who or what inspired you to become a makeup artist?
A: I did not always know that I wanted to be an artist, in fact it wasn’t until I got feed up with retail that I made a drastic change. I had been a manager at urban outfitters for two years, and I knew I couldn’t do it for very much longer, I always had a love for fashion and makeup so I took a leap of faith.
I contacted a friend that was a manager at one of the M.A.C. Stores, once hired my life completely changed. Soon I was reaching further than just makeup. I decided to become serious so I enrolled at the Paul Mitchell skin academy for my esthetican license, as school went on I found a love for skin and skin care, along with, lash extensions. I would definitely say my inspirations came from magazines including makeup magazine, zink, and metro pop.
Q: What surprises you most about working as a makeup artist?
A: The passion that comes out of me, I never thought I would be doing something I loved so much.
Q: Describe your “classic approach to beauty” How do you define beauty?
A: Beauty is in all of us. I feel my job is to be able to bring that out in anyone I work on. Even if its as simple as a little bit of blush and lip gloss. Beauty for me is in everyone.
Q: What individual products and brands you’re “addicted” to at the moment and you use on a daily basis?
A: Currently I am addicted to the Temptu air brush products, for all my shoots and brides. And I love love Paula Dorf.
Q: What are some of the most basic but effective skin care tips in general that you have, that are really important?
A: As an esthetician I fully enforce sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, aside that I believe in the importance of exfoliation, and regular facials. You would be surprised to find that most do not exfoliate or have ever had a facial. There are many benefits in both, as the skin ages the cells take longer to sloth off, by receiving facials you are helping the skin look and work best.
Q: What is the biggest skin care dont’s?
A: Ignoring skin care totally, washing the face with bar soap, and self extractions…big no no’s
Q: Have you had an extreme, crazy or bad experience with a skin care product or during a makeup session? If so, what happened?
A: The only thing I can honestly think of would have to be when I was a freelancer for M.A.C. and working on a client that did not know how to care for her skin, along with breakouts and dehydrated skin it was a process to prep her skin, and to make the application stay.
Q: What do you find to be the most common mistakes women make with makeup? What’s the worst thing a woman can do to her skin?
A: The most common mistake I find is that woman don’t know how to apply their eyeshadow. Every person has a different shaped eye, this along with applying too much foundation, whether it is the wrong shade or reapplying too many times resulting in skin breakouts. The worst thing a woman can do to her skin is not protect it from the sun and use expired makeup.
Q: What do you think are best/worst trends in the makeup / skin care industry right now?
A: It’s an ever changing industry, the worst is how they are making it easier for the average woman to get there hands on professional products or close to it, sort of a do it yourself. Cutting out the professional. I love that the skin care industry is educating the public of the importance of basic skin care, the worst is the number of products out there, a little over kill.
Q: Do teenage girls needs to splurge on high-priced makeup products, or are drugstore items are just as satisfactory?
A: At that age there priority should be taking care of there skin first my motto has always been beautiful makeup begins with beautiful skin, the rest is gravy when the skin is taken care of, so drug store makeup can totally get the job done.
Q: What feature(s) do you love to accentuate?
A: That answer would be different with everyone, it’s my job to spot it and enhance it.
Q: What are your steps for the perfect, flawless, natural look?
A: It’s as simple as a little brow fill, concealer for the imperfections foundation if needed, a sweep of blush that doubles as a bronzer, a simple lip gloss, and the finishing touch mascara of course.
Q: What is a really quick way to change a day look to a special occasion or nighttime face?
A: From day to night applying darker colors on the eye, stretching out the liner, thicking up the mascara, and lastly changing that lip gloss for a darker stain.
Q: What are the differences between applying makeup on models and on real women?
A: Depending on the shoot models need much more makeup unlike the general public. If we are talking about beauty looks than real woman need more help, whether it is contouring, highlighting, or adjusting eyeshadows for a maturing skin, models are mainly younger with easy skin that generally need mascara, blush and lip gloss.
Q: In terms of eyeliner, if you had to choose between a pencil, liquid, or creme/gel based, which one would you choose? Why?
A: When it comes to eyeliner the creme/gel based, typically pencils pull at the skin and liquids can easily be botched if applied incorrectly.
Q: Lip gloss or lipstick. Which product is best? Why?
A: It depends on the look, but I find I favor the lip gloss. For the most part if find a happy medium if I need the coverage of a lipstick I use a creme, it’s a little bit of gloss with the coverage of a lipstick.
Q: What should a client consider before deciding to try permanent makeup? What is the difference between permanent and semi-permanent makeup?
A: The client should be OK with the idea of this being on their face permanently, not to mention because the skin is always rejuvenating it will discolor and of fade with the years. Its a process involving application of permanent pigment into the dermal layer of the skin. A sterilized needle is used to implant hundreds of tiny dots of pigment. While semi-permanent is carried out with a disposable electric pen tool that is used to implant the iron oxide organic pigment. Either way it is a serious decision.
Q: What brand/type of concealer is your favorite for covering up the after effects of a late night out i.e. Under-eye circles, blemishes?
A: There are a few out Ben Nye, Mud, and Paula Dorf, all three have the salmon color that camo under eye’s.
Q: How about airbrush spray makeup trend? Are these products better or easier to use than standard sponge or finger application? If yes when would you recommend using them?
A: Airbrush is heaven sent especially for the brides, once the shade has been mixed it is as simple as painting, the sponge harbors bacteria, fingers can be just as unsanitary, brushes are still my favorite, giving an even application.
Q: What do your clients think of you? What are some individual testimonials?
A: I haven’t found any writing a client has given me but my own testimonial would be returning clients, the vast majority have been referred, I can’t say enough about that.
Q: Would you share some of your future goals, your life motto, any words of wisdom that get you by in life and professional career?
A: I would like to see myself in the future still after all this time motivated and above all still be inspired, and hopefully have opened my own shop. My motto: it’s never too late to start over in anything, as long as you believe in the result I’m not perfect, and never will be, and always have the courage to embrace change.
Q: What tips and advice do you have for aspiring makeup artists just starting out?
A: Never become discouraged, you are the only person that is going to make your career happen, and never stop learning.
Also visit Yvette’s MySpace and Facebook profiles.
wow…great advice. Me being a makeup artist myself I feel more inspired to get out there and do it. Yvette has amazing tips and tells you how it is.
I was blessed to meet this talented indivudual about 3 years ago. I have had the opportunity to work with her on several occasions and she is nothing short of fabulous. Her creative and artistic eye amazes me time and time again.