Nyree Leather – Beauty, Skin Care, Make-up Tips

Q: Tell a little about yourself personally and if you attended school or you are a self taught makeup artist?

A: Hello all, I am Nyree Leather I am a highly motivated and skilled hair and makeup artist! I have been hairdressing since I was 15years old and successfully competed in many competitions over the years as well as running training courses throughout NZ.

In the later years I relocated from NZ to Australia and I have retrained gaining a Diploma MUA, I know work as a freelance hair and makeup artist, and I am determined to make my mark on the industry!

Q: Do you think going to school for make-up artistry is important to excel in the business later on?
A: I think I can be a really good base for knowledge and knowing where to start, but if you have enough passion and drive you can do anything you put your mind to, just look at what Kevin Aucoin did in his lifetime!

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 have been working as a hairdresser for over 15years and during that time I successfully competed in many competitions, and to create a completely unique look for my models in the Avante Gaurde and other categories I would design a unique makeup look, so its something I have wanted to add to my repertoire
for a long time, and when I finally did I feel that I found my calling, as both skill areas complement each other so well, and came to me so easily.

Q: What is your favorite or most exciting aspect about your job?
A: I love never knowing what the next day is going to bring, working with other skilled artists, and traveling to great locations.

Q: What surprises you most about working as a makeup artist?
A: When doing a make over on someone not used to being pampered, it’s seeing the look on my clients faces when they actually can see how beautiful they really are. Also when working with top artists its how lovely they are to work with, we all really just love shearing knowledge and seeing whats in each other kit! LOL

Q: Describe your “Classic Approach to Beauty.” how do you define beauty?
A: Beauty comes from within, but everyone has beauty it just comes out in different ways, while some people are simply stunning and flawless to look at some of the most beautiful people in my eyes are the ones with that exotic beauty from Indigenous Australians to African nations and many other locations,all with there great skin and bone structure.

Q: What individual products and brands you’re “addicted” to at the moment and you use on a daily basis?
A: I love Murad skin care I am a new addict to this, I also love matt and Gloss texture by MAC, and some of the cream colours for beautiful dewy skin or highlighting. and I never leave home without paw paw cream and sunblock!

Q: What are some of the most basic but effective skin care tips in general that you have, that are really important?
A: Nothing you haven’t heard before, Cleanse, tone, moisturise and sunblock. Always removed makeup at the end of the day, drink lots of water and eat healthy food it shows in your skin!

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: No I haven’t personally, but I have seen people react to the cleansers in baby wipes, they are just not made for faces.

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: Two things, over plucking the eyebrows, and going to dark with foundation in an attempt to look tanned, it ages you and looks ridiculous and doesn’t look good. the worst thing is to exfoliate with body scrubs as they are far too harsh for the face,oh and not removing their makeup most commonly mascara! I can cause the eyelashes to break and even fall out! eek

Q: What do you think are best/worst trends in the makeup / skin care industry right now?
A: I love the fact that makeup of the moment is about beauty and glamour, it’s sexy and captivating.The only thing that I find irritating in the industry is that there are not nearly enough independent beauticians and skin care specialists, the large majority have to push the one range they have therefore it is less likely to get an unbiased view of what an individual needs

Q: Do teenage girls needs to splurge on high-priced makeup products, or are drugstore items are just as satisfactory?
A: I believe that there are some great ranges available in department stores these days and there is no need to spend excess amounts on skin care at a young age. If you however have problem skin, seek the advice of a skilled independent skin specialist or beautician. Most important cleanse, tone, moisturise and wear sunblock!

Q: What feature(s) do you love to accentuate and why?
A: I love great cheekbones! they’re just gorgeous and enhancing the contour of the cheek bones gives your skin a healthy glow, also defining beautiful brows as they frame the face and make the eyes stand out too.

Q: What are your steps for the perfect, flawless, natural look?
A: Proper preparation of the skin and lips this makes the skin glow from the inside and makes any makeup sit beautifully on the skin, choosing the best foundation for there skin texture and desired look, concealing/correcting any imperfections and highlighting and contouring the face to enhance the best and hide the rest! add balm to the lips and add a splash of natural colour to the cheeks and eyes to enhance but not show, a dash of mascara to show of those lashes. I’m not telling all my secrets though!

Q: What is a really quick way to change a day look to a special occasion or nighttime face?
A: Deepening the eye makeup a touch or adding a bit of colour to the lips is the quickest way to take a day look to a night look.

Q: What are the differences between applying makeup on models and on real women?
A: Models know how to look after their skin, so it is often flawless, they often have nothing you need to hide, also they often have no say in what they are having done. While the average person get to choose what they want, may not have flawless skin, and they may not be use to having much makeup or are use to the same looks so this all needs to be taken into account.

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: The answer to this depends a lot on the eye I am working on but I will usually grab either my liquid or gel liner first, I like how easy it just glides on and gives a beautiful clean line.

Q: Lip gloss or Lipstick. Which product is best? Why?
A: I like lipsticks majority of the time for lasting and the vast range of colours, although I will often add a dash of gloss over the top to moisten the lip. For young girls I often prefer a gloss though.

Q: What should a client consider before deciding to try permanent makeup? What is the difference between permanent and semi-permanent makeup?
A: Permanent makeup is basically cosmetic tattooing, you will have it for life, also you want to make sure you go to someone recommend with a good history of happy customers i don’t think I need to explain why. Personally I like to change my look and my makeup so if your like me go for something less committal that permanent makeup.

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: Kevin Aucoin and Ben Nye and MAC depending on desired coverage. Green Tea tea bags are also great for removing puffiness, just lie back with some damp tea bags and Whala

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: Airbrushes make makeup easy to apply, hygienic and very quick, they are long lasting and don’t wear off, they are best for a natural flawless result. They however are not suited to people with mature skin, and people with a lot of fine hairs as it will highlight these. I recommend them for my bridal clients and it can be great for fast fashion techniques when there are a large amount of models, I also like airbrush makeup for Hi definition photography and movie work as it is quick and doesn’t look caked like traditional makeups can.
I like to sponge on cream foundations when I do use them, the rest of the time I use my brushes.

Q: What do your clients think of you? What are some individual testimonials? here’s a couple I picked out
A: 1) “over the past 10 years I have worked with numerous hair & makeup artists throughout the world on a variety of projects. In my top 10 Nyree is rated very high on the list due to her professionalism, dedication and pure skill to create the look I need in the tight time frames I require. Her self assured relaxed personality is a must when working with individuals with little experience or a full team of professionals.”
wayne Quilliam Photography

2) “Exactly a week from today we met and this resulted in some truly amazing photographs, so we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your amazing qualities and consummate professionalism as a makeup artist on out Melbourne project campain”
Sean- studio Obscura- photographer

3) “Nyree you are an extremely organised and creative artist in both hairstyling and makeup alike. Though I have only used your services a handful of times, I can defiantly see us working together collaboratively more in times to come. It’s truly been a pleasure to have you on board. Thanks” ED
Purnonomo – Photographer

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: Well I am a very determined and goal driven individual, I believe that if you want something bad enough, and you put your mind to it, with some hard work and a lot of focus and determination you can achieve anything. where am I headed? to the top! it might sound big headed but I figure, aim for the top and see where you end up, it’s always going to be somewhere good! I have got some very definite goals for my future, but they are for me to work on, and when I get there, you will know!

Q: What tips and advice do you have for aspiring makeup artists just starting out?
A: It is the best career I ever could have imagined, its rewarding and varied. There is also a lot of great artists out there, its a competitive market, and you need to be a highly self motivated to make it!
Before paying out up to 10k for a course, figure out what you want to do and find a course that suits your needs, if a course is the right answer for you that is.

I hoped you enjoyed this interview.

Visit Nyree’s Facebook and ModelMayhem profiles.

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