Alexander Kodak on the specifics of working as a makeup artist with brands

Alexander Kodak is a famous artist with 15 years of experience, the official makeup artist of the Avon brand, facechart artist, and also a member of the jury of our new project - Pro Beauty Battle: Makeup . We invite everyone to join the competition in a new format to express themselves, catch inspiration, and also win professional prizes from our partners.

The topic of our material is the work of a makeup artist with brands, and who, if not Alexander, can tell us about the features of such cooperation and life hacks that will help you get your dream job. Our expert has contracts with brands such as Avon, Smashbox and MAC Cosmetics.

Sasha, tell us how your history of cooperation with brands began?

My story began in 2011. MAC Cosmetics opened for the first time in Ukraine, or rather, a small corner in the Globus shopping center. Getting to work at MAS was the dream of every makeup artist.

A month after the opening of the corner, I arrived in Kyiv with sparkling eyes and the most ridiculous portfolio that could be imagined. It was a cheap plastic photo album 10*15, in which my works were printed. At that time, it was fashionable to do makeup with rhinestones on the face and paint flowers on the faces of brides. However, MAS is a trendsetter in the field of makeup, and for the brand all these techniques were bad manners. Looking back, I understand that there was practically no chance of getting a job with such a portfolio. Apparently, my unshakable self-confidence and passion for makeup helped me get a job as a makeup artist-consultant for the brand.

Based on the personal experience that you already have at the moment, what professional skills are important for a makeup artist to have before starting to “knock” on cosmetic brands?

In order to work with a cosmetic brand, it is not enough to just be an “artist” - you need to be able to sell. By the way, this is one of the most common problems of beginning makeup artists: they don’t want to be salespeople, but only want to do makeup. In this case, you shouldn’t even try to get a job at a big brand.

You need to be able to speak, talk about cosmetics and win people over, be stress-resistant, because you will have to work with completely different clients and they may be in a bad mood.

As for makeup techniques, it is enough to have average skills and understand how to do basic types of makeup. You can improve your skills by working with people every day. My personal opinion: everyone who wants to become a professional makeup artist should work like this for at least a year. This is an invaluable experience that teaches you to understand people and select makeup to suit individual needs.

Is it important to have extensive work experience?

As with any job, experience is welcome. Preference will be given to those who have already worked in sales and understand what efficiency ratios and a sales plan are.

But brands also love newcomers with bright eyes and a desire to develop. The most important thing is to love your job!

What kind of work should be in a makeup artist’s portfolio in order to impress brand representatives?

First of all, don’t bring a portfolio with hundreds of photos - brand representatives don’t have time to look at all your work. Choose the best and most worthy. Let these be different makeup options: classic evening, daytime, wedding and creative, to show that you have a variety of techniques.

Take your portfolio seriously. Ask your friends for their opinion if you are in doubt about which works should be used. Choose those photos where the makeup is clearly visible, rather than the clothes and angle of the model. Nowadays there is no need to print photographs on paper - the portfolio can be in electronic format. Use creative platforms to create a vibrant portfolio, such as Canva.

How important do you think the master’s level of popularity is in this case, for example, the promotion of his Instagram page?

This is a rather difficult question, because... you need to understand what the master’s account is about, what he broadcasts on his page, whether the brand’s values coincide with his. I think that an overly promoted account can scare away brand representatives, because... it will seem that the person will not work at his main job, but will only promote his account.

At the same time, if we are talking about cooperation with a brand as an official expert, the promotion of the page is of great importance. And, as I said earlier, the content of the master is very important.

Is it possible to become an official makeup artist of a brand only in the capital? Or does every big city have its own “face” of the brand?

Indeed, most often, to become an official makeup artist of a brand, you need to work in the capital. The Ukrainian cosmetics market is small enough that companies can afford to have an official makeup artist in every major city.

But I think brands don’t mind having their own expert in every city who would convey the brand’s values and conduct training master classes. This is a great idea and opportunity for craftsmen who do not live in Kyiv. At the moment, this role is played by bloggers who collaborate with brands directly and hold open meetings or master classes in their cities.

How to attract the attention of brand representatives? How and where to write or call?

To get into the brand, you need to create a good resume, portfolio, come to the brand’s point of sale and arrange a meeting with the store manager. Prepare for this meeting, think through possible questions and your answers, dress according to the company dress code. If they like you, they recommend you for an interview for a job at the brand. Be prepared for the fact that in large companies you need to go through 3-4 stages of interviews.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on open vacancies on job search sites and the brand’s website. In the era of Instagram, you can even tag your brand on your social networks every day when you post your work. Try writing a letter to the company and tell them why you want to work for them and what you can give to the brand. Contacts of brands can be found on their official pages on social networks or on the website.

What to do if the first attempt fails? Do you have any personal life hacks on how to encourage yourself and continue moving towards your goal?

Ha! In fact, it is very rare when you manage to get into a large company the first time. There is nothing wrong with being rejected. Perhaps there was simply no free space. Next time, rework your portfolio. It is worth understanding what prevented you from getting a job the first time. Get some training in the field—you can learn almost everything for free on YouTube these days—prepare for interview questions, and try again.

You must understand that in order to achieve great goals, you need to believe in yourself and try more than once or twice. There are many steps and obstacles from the position of a consultant makeup artist to an official brand makeup artist. Work on yourself, hone your makeup techniques to the point of automaticity, develop in different areas - and success will definitely await you!