Mona Jamal - Pakistani Makeup Artist

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At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a make-up artist and why?

I decided about 5 years back that I should be a makeup artist, I was a teacher before. It always made me happy to do makeup so I thought I might as well make it my profession.

Did you attend school or you are a self taught makeup artist?

I have attended many schools… in NY I attended NYU and Mod House and in London Tony and Guy.

What steps have you taken to break into the industry?

Very saturated industry more salons than there are people in Karachi. If your work is good and you have talent it’s not so difficult to break into the industry. Most of my clients spread the word about my work, I gained popularity through word of mouth.

What are the obstacles and challenges that you have faced in your field since you began?

Alhamdulillah, I haven’t faced such obstacles so far, most of my clients have been very cooperative.

However, there are many challenges everyday. New styles and new trends come out all the time…. You have to bring new styles and trends and sometimes even those that have been broken. Convincing clients that a certain style is better for them than the one they want is challenging, that is why education of client is very important. I have worked with clients who are very particular about how they want to look. I find the biggest challenge is when people are afraid to open their minds to something different. That is a huge brick wall when you're trying to work with someone who has done his or her makeup the same way for so many years.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

The actual process of make- up, changing the way a person looks from one extreme to another. I get so much satisfaction when my client likes my work and results. It makes me happy to see them happy with results, their smile brings a smile on my face.

Describe your “Classic Approach to Beauty.” how do you define beauty?

Every being is beautiful you just have to enhance the beauty. Every client is different needs to be handled with care.

What individual products and brands you’re “addicted” to at the moment and you use on a daily basis?

There is no one particular I use all the time… I keep changing brands. I go abroad and hand select the products after research and development. Then from those picked 1 choose 2 or 3. I do not follow what other artist are using but pick and choose what I think will be the best.

What are some of the most basic but effective skin care tips in general that you have, that are really important?

Sunblock and moisturizer. All your facials and other skin care treatments will go to waste if one doesn’t use sunblock, and without moisturizer the skin will age fast.

What is the biggest skin care dont’s?

Never sleep with makeup, even if you don’t have time to cleanse the face thoroughly use a cleansing tissue, makeup removal tissues are easily available in the market and effective in removing makeup when you do not have time to cleanse with face wash.

Is there anyone in particular that you can say was an absolute pleasure to work with?

There are o many people I enjoyed working with especially those that are open to new ideas and colors.

I enjoy working with anyone that is open to new ideas and colors because experimental work lets me be more innovative and it’s an adventure for me at the same time.

Is there anyone that you hope to work with in the future?

I always wanted to makeover Benazir Bhutto because she has lovely face, but unfortunately she is no more.