Sips on her coffee whilst patiently sitting on a metal chair at Galata is Natasha Bonolo Mooko who is a self-taught makeup artist who is dressed like a 23-year-old stylish model. She was born and raised in Diepkloof, Bonolo describes her childhood as simply “amazing” and that her love for makeup started way back. “My love for this industry began at a tender age, when I was between the ages of 7-8 I would literally put baby powder on my doll’s face”. She smiled and continued, “However I realized my passion and talent a year ago”.
She mentioned that her life as a makeup artist has been a journey filled with amazing experience, as she has met a lot of new people and this has helped her in growing her brand. “I have been given the opportunity to work alongside well known people and in that way I network. It has been a very demanding line of work, but I must say that I am enjoying every moment”.
Bonolo stated that she is very much aware of the fact people have different skin types and before applying makeup, she feels the need to do a skin analysis on the client. She sipped once again on her coffee and said “this is where I then check for any impurities and contraindications on my client’s skin. From there diagnose the clients skin type so I know which steps to follow before applying makeup”. Moreover, she stated that one of the most vital preparations is to make use of a mild toning effect product to remove any access dirt or makeup. From there on a primer is important to apply to moisturize the skin and for better and smooth make up application. Furthermore, she smiled and said “once I have prepped my client skin, if there are any impurities, such as dark marks, I make use of a suitable corrector to conceal any dark marks”.
To improve her craft as a makeup artist, she watches a lot of YouTube videos about makeup and she also gets her inspiration from other makeup artists. “Being at a beauty school was also a great experience I got to learn how to create various looks and more than anything I got to learn the theory side of makeup”. Being in this line of work has also made me always want to try different looks and styles which is very important as a makeup artist because you encounter different people with different personalities and facial features and it’s always so important to consider these when doing someone’s makeup.
Common mistakes women make when it comes to make up include incorrect methods of application, making use of products that don’t go along with their skin or their skin type. The most common one is getting the wrong foundation shade. Most women want to get shades that make them lighter which cannot be the case. So in conclusion people that use makeup should learn that it is there to enhance what already exists and not to change you completely.
Aquaglam 