Enjoy the freedom of being your own boss.

As a makeup artist, you get paid to be around people that you actually would pay to hang out with. This rewarding career lets you work with flexible hours, if you start your own business as a freelance makeup artist you will enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. Top makeup artists get paid thousands a day for their services, and they may get invitations to parties, admission to exclusive events, or introductions to celebrities. For me, it’s pure fun!!! Of course, the most important consideration is that it is a vocation that lets you use your creativity.

I asked professional artist Xeng Zulueta on her inspirations and personal advice in starting a career in beauty:

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in makeup?

Xeng Zulueta: For me, it was a calling, and it came knocking late in life--at the age of 22. I say calling because I was a tomboy growing up, so I was never into these girly things. After three years of ignoring the call, I finally gave in and enrolled in makeup school.

At what point did you decide this would be your career path?

I started my makeup career in 1999. The big break came in 2002, when L’Oreal hired me to be the Chief Makeup Artist for Shu Uemura and the rest, as they say, is history.

As makeup artists, we all have people who are our mentors. Who is your makeup mentor and why? And do you have a makeup artist that inspires you?

Among the living, I look up to Topolino and Pat McGrath. Among the legends, Kevyn Aucoin and Shu Uemura, the latter being my mentor and teacher.

Throughout your career, you have worked with many celebrities and traveled to places around the world, what has been the highlight of your career?

I can point to two experiences. Air-brushing Ely Buendia and Raimund Marasigan at the final reunion concert of the Eraserheads (because they are the closest we Filipinos have to the Beatles), and when I shot for a travel magazine in Koh Samui, Thailand, where I rode on an elephant. Those are priceless moments for me.

In terms of makeup applications, what is your signature style?

Though I enjoy doing the clean, beautiful no-makeup look, I’m known best for my trademark avant-garde style. Think of it as beautiful, wearable art. The operative word being “beautiful.”

What are your favorite “must-have” products in your kit?

Shu Uemura blush, eyeshadows, brushes and brush cleaner, MAC Studio Fix and Mineralize powder foundations, Cinema Secrets cream concealer/foundations and brush cleaner, waterproof mascaras from: Maybelline, Cover Girl, ModelCO, MAC, Shu Uemura, Chanel, Max Factor and L’Oreal Paris. I’m a mascara freak!

For those who are interested in a career in makeup, what advice do you have for them?

Being able to afford all the expensive makeup brands, brushes, and expensive makeup schools does NOT make you a makeup artist. The best makeup artists in the world have something in common, it’s called humble beginnings. I believe that you have to have innate talent, something you were born with. I knew I had it in me but I needed makeup school to draw it out of me because I was 100 percent clueless with makeup. I was so broke at the time but I managed to find a school in London I could afford. I depleted all my savings but I made the most of it. It was worth every centavo.

Certified beauty training

So if being a makeup artist sounds like the career of your dreams, look for a good and reputable beauty school that offers vocational courses that are recognized worldwide and will let you discover how to get started and succeed in a career as professional beauty artist.

One of the very few schools that adhere to and apply international standards and certification is the Tony Galvez School of Cosmetology, whose aim is to professionalize the beauty industry. In fact, the school has tied up with the International Cosmetologist Licensing Organization (ICLO) and The National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) through its current marketing director, Kirby Morris, for graduates to get international recognition through valid and defensible programs.

With this tie-up, the NIC has invited the school to become an affiliate, paving the way for graduates of the Tony Galvez School of Cosmetology to be recognized in 37 US states and countries like the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, Shanghai, HongKong, South Korea, Guam, Canada and Australia.

For information, please call 913-3953 / 396-2112 or visitwww.tonygalvez.com.ph. The school is located at the third floor of the Tony Galvez Centrum at No. 124 9th Avenue near corner P.Tuazon Boulevard, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.