Makeup Artists Don't Need to Wear Makeup

I believe makeup should be used as a tool to enhance natural beauty, not as a mask to hide behind. I would like to reset the standard—makeup artists should be skincare professionals and have some background knowledge of what skincare products can do to improve the canvas upon which they work. But they don’t need to wear makeup themselves when they work.
In the world of esthetics, it is our job to help uplift and encourage the confidence and inner radiance of our client. We wear black as an industry standard and, in my opinion, it is so we blend into the shadows and make our clients shine. When our clients leave our chair, we want them to feel like they are as beautiful as they can be.
Wearing makeup is often done to show that we have the answers to help our clients find what makes them feel beautiful. But I don’t we need to wear makeup ourselves. Instead, we need to exude the passion and confidence in our skills. Hopefully our skin is clear. Our kind, helpful personalities are all we need to help our clients in finding the right colors for their personal color palette to achieve the look they want.
In the film and television industry, makeup artists work hours that are very long. Their days can start as early as it takes to get everyone done and camera ready for the time the day’s first scene is scheduled to shoot. In my life, that has been as early as 3:30 am or sometimes even an all-nighter. Our job is to care for the talent and their look, not for ourselves. If a makeup artist was on set and dolled-up over the top, it could be considered a distraction to the crew members—it tends to be a male dominated field — or the actors who don’t want a member of the crew stealing the spotlight.
Makeup artists should be able to talk about their products with confidence and ease. Most importantly, they should be able to use their true skills to use the makeup on the client. Since we are in the beauty world, some makeup artists want to show that they are up with the latest trends and always have a full face on. I’m not trying to take anything away from anyone. But I’d like to suggest that a bare, fresh face is something to be valued and acceptable in the workplace for makeup artists and skincare professionals.