I started my makeup career thinking it was about product knowledge, technique, and aesthetics. I thought it was about making people look better, more polished and creating the coolest look. But over time, this work did something deeper. It rewired the way I see people. Not just their faces, but their humanity, their insecurities, their strength, and their stories. Makeup is about transformation, but not always in the way I expected.
1. I See Faces as Histories, Not Just Canvases
In the beginning, I looked at faces like they were blank slates. A shape to balance. A canvas to do makeup on. But now, I see a person’s life before I even reach for a brush.
A scar on the chin might be from a childhood accident they’re still self-conscious about.
Deep smile lines? A sign someone has lived, laughed, and probably cried a lot too.
Puffy under-eyes might be the result of a newborn at home, or crying all night from a breakup.
Doing someone’s makeup isn’t just about enhancing their features. It’s about understanding their story.
2. Everyone Has Insecurities
You’d be surprised how many beautiful people have sat in my chair and picked themselves apart. Models, celebrities, influencers, people you’d think had it all. They’d say things like,
“Can you contour my nose? I hate it.”
“I feel so ugly without lashes.”
“Do I look fat on camera?”
I quickly learned that beauty isn’t immunity. You can be admired by the world and still doubt yourself in the mirror. Now, when I meet someone who seems intimidating or “perfect,” I remind myself: beneath the surface, everyone sees themselves differently.
3. I've Learned to Spot Beauty That Can't Be Bought
After working on hundreds of faces has trained my eye differently. Now I notice,
The way someone lights up when they talk about something they love.
The warmth in someone’s voice when they’re kind.
The quiet confidence in how someone carries themselves, even when they aren’t “done up.”
These things don’t photograph well. You can’t bottle them or fake them. But they are so much more magnetic than perfect eyeliner and the perfect smokey eyes.
4. I've Become Less Critical of People
Makeup artists get to see the real version of someone. We’re there before the makeup & hair. We see skin texture, under-eye darkness, acne, facial hair, scars. We see what’s underneath the filter. But seeing so much “realness” up close actually made me less critical, because you realize how normal all these things are. The “flaws” people are trying to hide. We all have them. And 99% of the time, no one notices them the way we do.
5. I’ve Learned to See the Person, Not Just the Face
It might sound strange, but one of the biggest shifts for me was learning to look beyond the makeup and truly see the person sitting in front of me. Doing makeup means being in someone’s personal space, physically and emotionally. It’s one of the few jobs where you get to touch someone’s face while hearing their story.
A client might cry as she talks about missing her late parent.
A model might confess that she’s been struggling with body image.
A CEO might admit that she’s terrified of public speaking.
And sometimes, they just sit in silence, grateful to be there getting there makeup done. Once you’ve had that kind of intimacy with enough people, you don’t unsee it. It shifts how you move in the world.
Final Thoughts
Being a makeup artist taught me a lot, how to choose the right products, create the best winged liner and perfect red lips, seeing the smallest imperfections, and stay calm under pressure. But more than anything, it changed how I see people. I notice more now. I listen more, and I appreciate people in a whole new way. The most powerful transformations aren’t just on the surface, but in the person as a whole.
