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Making it up as you go along
07 March 2010 By Jenny Hauser
The cosmetics industry wasn’t the obvious career choice for Zoe Clark when she graduated from University College London with a degree in anthropology.
Originally from Bangor in the North, Clark’s first job in the makeup business was behind the counter with MAC. But a two-week course that she enrolled in while living in London in the 1990s gave her the idea of opening her own make-up school.
‘‘I realised there were a lot of things I had learnt the hard way about the business which I wish I had been taught. I put all my experiences into my courses - they are very practical," said Clark. She has recently expanded her business into larger premises and widened the range of courses she offers. When Clark first moved to Dublin, she got a job in a cosmetics store.
‘‘But after about eight months, I realised that I could earn more in one day working on a photo-shoot than I would earn in a week in a shop. So I left and began working as a make-up artist on fashion shoots, TV programmes, video shoots and tours, as well as offering private services," she said. In 2005, while working with the singing group Celtic Woman on a US tour, Clark realised that life on the road was no longer right for her.
‘‘You think when you’re on the road that you’re going to have a really glamorous life. It did start off that way - in New York, I had my own suite and limousine - but then the reality of living on a bus kicked in. I think touring is a young person’s game," she said.
The following year, Clark decided to take the plunge and open her make-up school.
The business was originally based in her home, but she is now sharing premises with fashion photographer Barry McCall on Bond Street in Dublin 8. Her students range from girls just out of school dreaming of becoming make-up artists, to mothers wanting to earn some extra cash from doing make-up at weddings.
She has a number of freelance make-up artists working with her, among them Helen Maloney, who looks after the organisational side of things and whom Clark describes as her backbone. There is also Ciara O’Shea, a young artist who has already worked on fashion week shows in London, Milan, New York and Paris.
Prices for courses at the school start at €350 for the intensive ‘Airbrush’ course, which lasts two days. An introduction course lasts four days and is priced at €700, with a bridal course available for €800.
Individual lessons are also available for customers who are simply looking for advice on how to update their look, or get the most from their make-up bag.
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