Dear you-you beauty savvy miscreant who’s stumbled across my page (most likely at an ungodly hour, or while working hard. Ahem.). This is my introduction post; a few tidbits about the one and only Beauty Sniper, in order to provide a few facts as to my credibility (and then probably a few to discredit myself entirely).
For one thing, I’ve been wearing makeup since the age of nine. I remember watching my mother shellac with care, staining every eyelash an inky black, and painting her lips with a seductive rouge. I perch on the lid of the toilet and gape at the transformation her little pots and potions could achieve! My mother is quite a lovely woman on her own, but in my (somewhat) innocent eyes, she turned into an awe-inspiring goddess in those few swipes of the brush.
Every now and then, she’d sort through her “stash,” and pass on to me whatever eyeliners she’d changed her mind about, or whatever rouge was beginning to turn. These, to me, were coveted treasures. I stored them carefully in the upstairs bathroom, and would diligently paint my face whenever I felt occasion called for it. Often, that was on a school morning-and bless my mother; she’d let me out of the house in a smear of navy eye shadow and a mountain of lip gloss. I think she probably understood that if she said no, I’d only want to do it more-as is the case with all of youth, is it not?
In any case, over the past decade, my skills have become more proficient. I’ve stocked my shelves with more product than most drug stores, sniffed more scents than search dogs, and painted more than Picasso (okay, maybe not… but still!). Beauty has become my very life blood. I say this without a hint of judgment (rare, for the Beauty Sniper!) or snobbery… I simple love color, texture, art, and transformation. Cosmetics have introduced all of these facets of the world into my life, and I appreciate the industry wholeheartedly for having done so.
In turn, I’ve tried to give back. Perhaps the “peak,” of my career (if you’d like to call it that) thus far has been a play I donated my time and resources to. The production housed somewhere from fifty to one hundred individuals on which I was to bestow greatness! While the evening was certainly not one I’d like to repeat (theft isn’t a favorite experience of mine… even my lunch went missing!) it taught me a lot about time management, not to mention facial structures and skin tones!
I’ve also worked with local salons and boutiques in TFP (time-for-prints) style fashion shoots. If you’re interested in this sort of work, I highly encourage you-but I also ask that you beware of the motives and intentions of many an individual you will come across. Also, I strongly recommend that you bring you own camera, lest you find the “photographer” is more of a “phailure.”
As for “formal training,” I did a bit of time working for Estee Lauder. I enjoyed the experience thoroughly, but cannot say the same for the product! I don’t dislike the entire line by any means (and I can’t completely write off any company that both donates heavily to breast cancer, AND created MAC!). Therefore, you’ll see both positive AND negative reviews of their products in the future.
In terms of what to expect here… FUN! I’m a college student with both a tight schedule, and an inordinate amount of free time. I’ve worked as a secretary/personal assistant, recruiter, nanny, accountant, and of course, a makeup artist. I’ll be incorporating everything I’ve learned in the aforementioned fields, as well as the tidbits I’ve picked up along the way. Since one of my favorite categories on other beauty blogs are the product reviews, you can expect a lot of those! I’ll also let you know about sales (both fashion and beauty, since the two go hand in hand), new trends, techniques, and anything else that I think might be useful to share!
Oh, and lovelies? Comments and emails are ALWAYS welcome. My blogging world won’t spin without your help!
xoxo,
The Beauty Sniper