I Will Not Work For Free!

SAMPLE AD:
"Looking for Makeup Artist to shoot for amazing clothing line.  TFP (no pay) but you'll get photos for your portfolio, great exposure and you get to work with amazing people.  You'll only be needed for 2 hours.  If we like you and this does well, we'll pay you for future work.  Check out our site [website link here]."

Wait what?!

Let me share with you a little story.  Let me start by saying that anything I write on here advice wise is because I have gone through it personally.  It has happened to me, I have witnessed it.

When I first started as an artist, I was so eager to shoot and took pretty much anything that came my way because I needed the practice and experience.  I also took the "TFP we just need you for 2 hours and great for exposure" jobs and I know for a fact that they will NEVER call you again and will NEVER "pay you later if it does well".

TFP (Time For Prints) is when no one at all gets paid but walks away with some pretty good (or even amazing) photos.

This ad wants you to do a shoot where they will eventually make money selling their clothing but the team that helped put their awesome ad / lookbook / whatever together gets nothing.  How is that fair?  Also, that whole "we'll hire you again if we like your work" line is crap.  They obviously hired the artist because they like their work.  Why does the artist have to suddenly prove themselves?

These type of job ads are taking advantage of our newer artist who don't know any better.  New artists who will see this as an actual really good opportunity when it isn't.

We need to stand together and put a stop to ads like this.  It's because of artists that keep taking "jobs" like these that people will continue taking advantage.  This is why our industry is suffering and why many artists no longer get paid what we used to.  Negotiating and completely getting robbed are two totally different things! You want us to work?  Pay us!  Simple as that!

Makeup Sale

MAKEUP SALE

Eyeshadows

Empty 12 Well FACEatelier Palette

Shadows - $8 each

12 Well - $10

$2 shipping for shadows (no matter how many you get)
$5 shipping for 12 well

Shipping

* Shipping might vary if you get shadows and the palette.  Please feel free to email me if you have any   questions at contact[at]yisellsantos[dot]com

* I ship within 3 - 5 business days

* US Residents ONLY

Payment

* PayPal ONLY

Usage

*Most shadows are bran new, some have been used once or twice. 

Buying

* First come, first served basis

* Email me at contact[at]yisellsantos[dot]com to let me know what you'd like

Happy Shopping!!

The Magic of the Makeup Forever Flash Palette

Many claim "must have" items in their kit.  Be it an eyeshadow palette or a blush but when I mention that the Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Flash Palette is a MUST in their kit, most of the time I'm looked at with a questionable face.  "What do I need that for?", "What do you use it for?"  Well, let me tell you what you can use it for.  EVERYTHING!!  Yes, everything!

Things I use it for:

Lipstick

Eyeshadow

Blush

Eyeliner

Correcting Foundation

Adjusting Foundation

Creating Foundation

Let me tell you that this palette has saved my life in some occasions.  I've cleaned out the kit and OOPS! I forgot to pack my neutral matte eyeshadow palette.  Do I panic?  Nope!  Why?  Because I have my MUFE Flash palette.  The only time I ever remove that palette out of my kit is when I'm actually using it.  I even have a designated pocket for it in my Zuca.

To show you how important it is to have this palette in your kit, I've gone and done my 98% of my face using JUST the MUFE Flash Palette (the 2% is the gloss I used on my lips and mascara).

First things first, create the foundation color.  Mixing Brown, White, Yellow, Red & Peach I created my own foundation to match my skin tone.

Second, I made sure that it did indeed match my skin tone.  I swatched it on the back on my hand and even somewhat blended a bit just to make sure.

Now I went ahead and took one for the team and took some before, during and after pictures. 

NOTE: It's laundry day, my hair's a mess and my brows are over due for some love and grooming...don't judge me =P

I particularly photographed this side of my face which is where I have some old teenage acne (and even some reoccurring) scarring on the chin area.  I am completely bare faced here with nothing on but moisturizer.

With a Kabuki brush, I've completely buffed in the foundation I created to even out skin tone (and cover up those pesky little scars).

With the same flash palette I've contoured, added rosy cheeks (blush), did a day time brown matte smokey eye and a classy red lip.  The colors I used to create this looks were:

Brown (for the shadow and slight contouring)

Magenta (for the blush - buffed also with a kabuki brush for softness)

Red (for the lips - I added my own gloss for drama)

I swear by this palette and so should you.  If you already own this palette then you already know what I'm talking about.  If you have yet to put this palette in your kit, then I highly suggest it becomes #1 in the priority list.  Another artist that swears by this palette is Roshar.  He can make anything from it...but then again it's Roshar and I'm pretty sure he can magically bake cupcakes from this palette!

Win It! Yaby Cosmetics World of Pearl Paints Palette!

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED!

Because you guys are such awesome people I've decided to do a wonderful giveaway.  I want to share my love for Yaby Cosmetics with everyone.  Some already own Yaby products and some don't (yet).

Yaby was developed by Toroto makeup artist Liz Yu, when searching for a solution to condense her ever-growing kit.  After going through a number of DIY kit solutions, (which were all eventually replaced due to difficulties in finding easily sourced DIY materials) Liz decided the only solution was to create a more permanent and easily customized way for all artists looking for an answer to their kit's organization.

Royal & Langnickel [R]evolution Brushes

The very much anticipated Royal & Langnickel [R]evolution Brushes were launched yesterday night (April 11, 2012) at the beautiful Apella Event Space in New York City and I was one of the very lucky people to have been invited to the event.  And what an event it was!

As I reached the top of the stairs I was greeted by a friendly host who took and checked in my jacket, handed me an hor d'oeuvre and happily pointed me in the direction of the bar where I had a nice glass of wine.  The DJ was great, the music was fantastic and the people were giddy about the release of these new brushes.

Royal & Langnickel collaborated with Emmy Award winning makeup artist Kevin James Bennett to create this amazing collection of 32 pieces.  The [R]evolution collection has a sleek contemporary design and is definitely a game changer.  Our tools of the trade has never looked better.  Each brush head is made of DuPont Natrafil fibers which replicates the performance and feel of real natural hair.  Gone are the days where we used separate brushes; natural hairs for powders and synthetics for creams and liquids.  These brushes are meant to handle both wet and dry products like a champ!

Durability is also something that is no longer a concern.  As a makeup artist we all know how the wear and tear of our brushes is something that comes with time.  [R]evolution's handles are made of molded, high impact acrylic and coated in a rubberized finish for comfort and grip.  The ferrule is nickel plated solid brass which wont mold, corrode or fall apart which makes these brushes nearly indestructible.

Will you need to get all 32 brushes?

No.  Some of the brushes are the same brush but in different size.  KJB took into account that some makeup artist prefer bigger brushes and some prefer smaller brushes.  Personally I love smaller brushes and I'm not big on huge fluffy brushes (and that's ok, to each it's own).

How are they sold? Separately? In sets?

As of right now they're being sold separately but who's to say that won't change.

What's the price range?

Edit/Correction: With the exception of the Super sized Kabuki brush, the brushes will all be below $40 retail. (I'll blame the pumping music and my ears for being bit clogged due to the fact that I'm a bit sick for the misunderstanding of the prices ha!)

All in all, these are by far the softest brushes I have ever felt in my life.  I was very fortunate to have received 6 out of the 32 brushes and I have to say, they're lightweight and super amazing for blending (used them on myself to test it out).  It's no longer makeup artist and brush, these brushes are basically an extension of you.

And now I leave you with some pictures of last night's event.  Enjoy!

Business Cards - Revised

Business Cards...that lovely 2 x 3.5 piece of paper that you give out...that people keep...that plays a part in getting you work.  A while back I had done a blog post on business cards.  I stated that keeping it simple is the best way to go but if you wanted to add a photo, it had to be tasteful.  Well, my opinion on that has changed.

As artists, we see a blank canvas and we just can't resist filling it up with art and color.  Some people like to put images of their work on their cards and some don't.  Putting an image on your card is totally up to you but remember, it can make or break your card.  Which is why when I am asked "should I put an image on my business card?  If so, how many images should I put?"  My answer...NONE!  Yup, you read that correctly.  None.

Here's why:
* If I put a clean beauty image on my card and hand it out to a fashion client, they're going to assume that all I do is clean work and cannot execute a fashion story.
* If I put a fashion image on my card and hand it out to a catalog/TV client, they're going to assume that all I do is fashion work and won't be able to execute clean every day makeup.

So in turn, I've just lost work because the client assumed that I can only do the kind of makeup that is on my business card.  "But, Yisell, they can always just go to my site and see that I have lots of other work."  Yes that is true...but do they really go to your site?  Does anyone go past page 1 or 2 when searching Google?  Once they see the photo on your card, they won't see a reason to go to your site.  But if there's nothing there, the WANT to see more.  Like the lovely Michael DeVellis once said "Putting a photo on your card tells only ONE story."

Also, what if you've given away your business card 5 yrs ago, and your current work has gone a major improvement?  If I'm looking for a makeup artist or an assistant, all I have is that picture from 5 yrs ago that isn't the best.  What do you think is going to happen?

What should be on your business card?
* Your full real name.  Not "luscious lips makeup" or "sparkles of glitter".  First Name and Last Name (ie: Yisell Santos).

* What you do.  "Makeup Artist", "Hair Stylist" or maybe you do both "Makeup & Hair".

* Your website, which should be your first and last name.  Not "sparklesofglitter.com" or "makeupblush.com".  It should look like this: yisellsantos.com or jessicachoimakeup.com.  Why?  Because "sparkles of glitter" is NOT your name!  I don't say "hey, so glad to see you again sparkles of glitter", I say "hey, so glad to see you again Jane Smith".

* Your email address.  Preferably it should be with yourname.com.  Not gmail or yahoo or aol. (ie: contact[at]yisellsantos[dot]com).

* Your phone number

Your business card should also match your website as much as possible.  Same colors and/or font.  My site is gray and sky blue therefore my business card has the same colors and uses the same font.

What should not be in on your business card:
* Photos (as per discussed above)

* Crazy Clipart (or as I like to call it "Foo Foo").  What registers as foo foo?  Clip arts of glosses, mascara wands, powder puffs etc.  Those are extra unnecessary things that your card does not need, causes a distraction and can make your card look amateurish.
NOTE: Foo Foo is not to be confused with Logo's.  Logo's are perfectly ok to have (see Liz's card below).

Here are some examples of really great business cards (phone numbers have been blocked out for privacy purposes):

Liz Washer

Front

Back

Victor Amos

Front

Back

 Mine

Front

Back

Freelancing, Filing Taxes and Keeping Receipts

Filing your taxes and keeping receipts/records of everything is a daunting task but a very necessary one.  Keeping track of invoices, receipts, pay stubs, tax forms etc. is one of the most important things as a full time freelance makeup artist.

Because we are freelancers and most jobs do not take out taxes, when tax season comes most of the time you won't get a return.  It's not like a day job where the government takes out taxes every week from your pay and at the end of the year you get it back.  Most of the time you will probably owe the IRS money.  How much money?  Well that all depends on how much you worked and the amount you made that year  That's why it's important to keep your receipts.

Tax Forms

At the end of the year (or the beginning of the new year), the companies you worked for will send you a tax form only if you made $500 and above.  If you worked for X Company one time in 2011 and only made $400, they are not obligated to send you a tax form and you don't have to claim that in your taxes.  But if you worked for X Company 10 times and made $4,000, then by law they are entitled to send you a tax form (make sure they do) and you must claim it in your taxes.  If it goes unclaimed, I promise you it will come back to you the following year to bite you in the butt.

You will get multiple tax forms so make sure to keep them in a safe place until every single company you worked for sends you a form.  Once you have them all in your possession, that's when you take it to your accountant.  Discuss with him/her what would be best for you (depending on your status).  Are you married, single, kids, no kids, do you want to file joint or separate etc.

Receipts

Any and every time you make a purchase for your kit, for a client, for a production, you must keep all of your receipts.  This can help your taxes when filing for a return (if any).  You purchased these things to get the job done, therefore it counts as part of your work expenses.  Type of receipts to keep:

• Transportation - If you took a train, a bus, a ferry, a plane or even if you drove there and filled up your tank.
• Makeup/Hair Products - A can of spray, a simple eyeliner or a sponge.
• Literature - Any magazine or a book you purchased for reference or to help you create a character.
• Food - If you were on the job and you bought an iced coffee or a sandwich.

It is best to keep your work expenses separate from your daily life/home expenses.  It's just easier for you and everyone else at the end of the year when you have to calculate everything.  If you go to Target and buy a lamp and a mascara, have the lamp on one receipt and the mascara on another.

Misc.

Now lets say you worked a job in December of 2011 but your paycheck doesn't come in until February 2012 (and it's dated 2012), you will not get a tax form from that company until early 2013.  Technically it doesn't count as a 2011 job.  Because the date on the check says 2012, that's the year that it applies to.

Shoeboxed

I recently just found a wonderful app for my iPhone called Shoeboxed.  I wish I would have found it sooner, would have definitely made my 2011 receipt tracking a lot easier and more organized (I admit, I lost some receipts along the way).  This lovely app keeps all of your expenses tidy and tied in a little bow.  All you do is take a picture of your receipt, press submit and the lovely shoeboxed team does the rest (they input the date of purchase, amount, name of store...all that jazz).  Once the receipt has been processed they send you a friendly email pretty much letting you know that they're awesome and that everything is finished.  Best part?  The app is FREE.  You can email yourself reports and even log on from a computer.  Here are some pics I captured from my iPhone app.

Now at the end of 2012, I don't have to calculate anything.  Shoeboxed does it for me and I have less stress and more time to do other things...like shopping!

NOTE:  After some research (and a very good question from a blog reader) I read in the reviews (not in the info section of the app) that you get up to five free receipts per month.  You will then have to purchase additional receipt storage at .50 cents a pop OR $9.95/month.  Personally I think it's worth it (I only shop when I need).  

Please note that I am fully freelance and I am not represented by an agency nor do I belong to any union.  Tax rules and how/if they take out taxes from your jobs may be completely different.  This is how I do my taxes.  Different states have different laws.

If anyone has any questions at all, I'm always more than happy to respond and help to the best of my ability.