Our new columnist Eryca Freemantle gives us top tips for succeeding in the make-up industry

Shades of success

Back in February I had a life changing experience. I was invited to the Professional Beauty Show GCC in Dubai, not just to be a speaker but to be an ambassador for Professional Beauty. Why was it life changing? I had not been to Dubai before and I felt privileged to be among such industry experts. This experience has inspired me to want to work in the GCC and be part of the emerging beauty industry.

For those who didn’t attend my talk, a little more about me. My official title is “global beauty industry strategist”. What does this mean? My team and I work on major campaigns within the beauty industry analysing and anticipating trends and demands. We educate and train both professionals and beginners in how to become successful in the world of make-up. I have been a “beautyprenuer” and educator for a long time – I have seen the industry evolve with many changes. Education and retraining is imperative for a practitioner to stay abreast. We at Eryca Freemantle are very proud to be one of the market leaders and agents of change. We have a new global campaign “Embracing All Tones of Women” out of the UK, which is about to go global and encourages make-up artists and beauticians to retrain and become aware of opportunities with newfound knowledge. We offer programmes, competitions, business development, networks and short courses, which give therapists the opportunity to increase their profits through our various platforms.

I’d like to share our top tips for aspiring make-up artists in the GCC.

1 Your name is your brand

In the beauty industry it is imperative to protect your name, there is nowhere to hide once your name is tarnished. Remember to be professional at all times, deliver and be reliable.

2 Relationships

Your network is your net worth. It is important to learn how to nurture relationships and not expect all promises to manifest. Partnerships and alignments are great ways to grow your business. Networking events such as beauty shows and exhibitions are great platforms to meet others within the industry. At such events, be prepared, have your one-minute pitch ready, have your business cards, be ready for the unexpected, be confident and most of all enjoy the moment. Online beauty forums are becoming very popular, this is a softer way to meet others who can support you with your business. It can be a lifeline to the beauty community especially if you are too busy to attend the major shows.

3 Embrace all tones of women

Perfect the art of make-up for different skin tones. It is important that all artists are able to perfect the art of make-up or skincare application for any client with confidence. After market research, we found 75 per cent of therapists are nervous and reluctant to work on skin tones that are not their own. This must change and fortunately we offer professionals the opportunity to become educated through our short courses. We often collaborate with make-up schools, hairdressing academies and beauty establishments where we offer our master courses and consultancy services. The world is becoming smaller, and is often referred to as a global village. That is exactly how you should view your skills. Ask yourself if your business can truly cater for all skin tones? I can’t emphasise this enough – we in the industry should see things in tones and hues and not ethnicities.

4 The importance of training and up-skilling

It is essential to keep testing and refreshing your skills, meeting and mixing with other peers in the industry. If you are not careful the beauty industry will eat you alive. You can get caught up in the glitz and glamour and not make any profits. Many have fallen by the wayside simply because they didn’t or don’t have a plan. It is very hard to not want to be able to do everything. Continual training and honing your skills is the only way forward in order to grow your business. Every two years, you should look at your business and assess your weak areas and also consider embarking on something new. It is a hard and painful process – I know because we’ve just revaluated our business recently. Once you decide what you want to train or retrain in, it is important that you do your research and get a greater understanding of your chosen course. How will you benefit? What will you achieve? Remember make-up is not just about the art, there are thousands upon thousands of great people who can apply make-up – just look at Instagram. Make-up is serious business.

For further conversations with Eryca, whether you are a make-up or skincare brand or you are interested in her courses, please email [email protected] or visit www.erycafreemantle.com T: @erycafreemantle