Study Makeup Artistry In Paris!
Donation protected
The images shown in this video are selected from my portfolio.
Hello! My name is Chloe and I go to a small school called Puget Sound Community School, in Seattle. I’m a senior, which means in about five months they’ll kick me out. Er, graduate. I’ll graduate.
Most of my friends are receiving letters from the schools they applied to and making their decisions. Some of them are still deciding if the traditional college trajectory is right for them. I think it’s safe to say that this can be an incredibly difficult transition for a lot of us. Everyone is asking you “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I have an answer to the question that paralyzes most people my age. I’ve been fortunate enough to go to a school and live in a home where I’ve always been encouraged to explore many different things without judgment and when I’ve found something I liked, I was equally encouraged to pursue it. Through that process of discovery, I found an interest that quickly turned into something much more than a hobby. I found my true passion!
My passion is makeup artistry. Some days, it’s all I can think about. Heck, it’s all I’ve thought about for the last four years. Okay... maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea. For as long as I can remember, I’ve studied faces; the symmetry, the asymmetry, the different sections of the face, the features that emote and express. When I first started experimenting with makeup as a young teenager, something just clicked. It had transformative powers to evoke style, mood, and feeling. As I discovered makeup artistry, the face became a canvas that I could transform into anything that I wanted. I started practicing on myself and anyone that who would let me near their face. I was hooked. I am hooked. I’m hooked on the story you’re able to tell just by painting someone’s face.
Friends started asking me to do their makeup for special events, then friends of friends would ask. I do as much as I can on a daily basis to learn everything that I can on my own, constantly researching techniques and products. I’ve even been building a portfolio of my work (*some examples from my portfolio are in the video). After four years of doing this, I realized that I’m good at it. It's exciting to not only find something that I genuinely love to do, but to know that I can make a career out of it. The next steps for me are to earn the credentials and professional skills that I will need to launch my career.
A huge dream of mine is to be one of the head makeup artists at Paris Fashion Week. There aren’t clear steps to take to get there, so last year I started looking into what kind of schools were out there for people looking to expand their knowledge needed to succeed in the makeup industry. After extensive research, I discovered that traditional beauty schools weren’t for me, as they only provided a small amount of actual makeup training. It started looking like my only option was to get a cosmetology license just to get it over with, instead of advancing my skill level. I realized that I could not settle for that, so I kept looking.
I finally found a school that excites me called Make Up For Ever Academy, located in Paris, France. What they focus on is much more appealing to me and is exactly what I am looking for. Make Up For Ever Academy focuses on professional level training with emphasis on techniques and skills to specifically work in the field of makeup artistry, unlike traditional cosmetology schools that typically only offer minimal makeup instruction. It’s a ten month course that teaches you some of the history of makeup throughout the years, makeup for fashion, special effects makeup, etc. Beyond preparing me for a career in the makeup industry, Make Up For Ever Academy would also provide many opportunities and insider connections to begin working as a makeup artist upon graduation. There are several areas in the field of makeup artistry that one could specialize in, but my focus will be makeup for fashion - like what you see in print ads and on the runway.
The school is taught in French so I plan to live in France for a year prior, working as an au pair, to become fluent through immersion. I have had only one year of high school French, so I have also enrolled in French language classes here in Seattle to get a head start.
As the bigger picture came together for me, and I tackled the question of how I was going to be able to accomplish this next step in achieving my goals, I realized that my biggest obstacle would be to finance getting to France, paying for the tuition at the academy, and the cost of living in Paris while in school. I’ve been doing odd jobs like babysitting and cleaning to start to raise some money, but I can only get so far with that. Without the resources to come up with all of the funds on my own and not willing to give up on my dream, I was reminded that I am part of a larger community that supports passion and achievement. A community that appreciates personal drive and might want to contribute to my success. It is my hope that you will consider donating to my fund. Any amount, big or small, will help me get closer to my goal of becoming a professional makeup artist. Thank you in advance for your support!
Most of my friends are receiving letters from the schools they applied to and making their decisions. Some of them are still deciding if the traditional college trajectory is right for them. I think it’s safe to say that this can be an incredibly difficult transition for a lot of us. Everyone is asking you “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I have an answer to the question that paralyzes most people my age. I’ve been fortunate enough to go to a school and live in a home where I’ve always been encouraged to explore many different things without judgment and when I’ve found something I liked, I was equally encouraged to pursue it. Through that process of discovery, I found an interest that quickly turned into something much more than a hobby. I found my true passion!
My passion is makeup artistry. Some days, it’s all I can think about. Heck, it’s all I’ve thought about for the last four years. Okay... maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea. For as long as I can remember, I’ve studied faces; the symmetry, the asymmetry, the different sections of the face, the features that emote and express. When I first started experimenting with makeup as a young teenager, something just clicked. It had transformative powers to evoke style, mood, and feeling. As I discovered makeup artistry, the face became a canvas that I could transform into anything that I wanted. I started practicing on myself and anyone that who would let me near their face. I was hooked. I am hooked. I’m hooked on the story you’re able to tell just by painting someone’s face.
Friends started asking me to do their makeup for special events, then friends of friends would ask. I do as much as I can on a daily basis to learn everything that I can on my own, constantly researching techniques and products. I’ve even been building a portfolio of my work (*some examples from my portfolio are in the video). After four years of doing this, I realized that I’m good at it. It's exciting to not only find something that I genuinely love to do, but to know that I can make a career out of it. The next steps for me are to earn the credentials and professional skills that I will need to launch my career.
A huge dream of mine is to be one of the head makeup artists at Paris Fashion Week. There aren’t clear steps to take to get there, so last year I started looking into what kind of schools were out there for people looking to expand their knowledge needed to succeed in the makeup industry. After extensive research, I discovered that traditional beauty schools weren’t for me, as they only provided a small amount of actual makeup training. It started looking like my only option was to get a cosmetology license just to get it over with, instead of advancing my skill level. I realized that I could not settle for that, so I kept looking.
I finally found a school that excites me called Make Up For Ever Academy, located in Paris, France. What they focus on is much more appealing to me and is exactly what I am looking for. Make Up For Ever Academy focuses on professional level training with emphasis on techniques and skills to specifically work in the field of makeup artistry, unlike traditional cosmetology schools that typically only offer minimal makeup instruction. It’s a ten month course that teaches you some of the history of makeup throughout the years, makeup for fashion, special effects makeup, etc. Beyond preparing me for a career in the makeup industry, Make Up For Ever Academy would also provide many opportunities and insider connections to begin working as a makeup artist upon graduation. There are several areas in the field of makeup artistry that one could specialize in, but my focus will be makeup for fashion - like what you see in print ads and on the runway.
The school is taught in French so I plan to live in France for a year prior, working as an au pair, to become fluent through immersion. I have had only one year of high school French, so I have also enrolled in French language classes here in Seattle to get a head start.
As the bigger picture came together for me, and I tackled the question of how I was going to be able to accomplish this next step in achieving my goals, I realized that my biggest obstacle would be to finance getting to France, paying for the tuition at the academy, and the cost of living in Paris while in school. I’ve been doing odd jobs like babysitting and cleaning to start to raise some money, but I can only get so far with that. Without the resources to come up with all of the funds on my own and not willing to give up on my dream, I was reminded that I am part of a larger community that supports passion and achievement. A community that appreciates personal drive and might want to contribute to my success. It is my hope that you will consider donating to my fund. Any amount, big or small, will help me get closer to my goal of becoming a professional makeup artist. Thank you in advance for your support!
Organizer
Chloe Grae
Organizer
Seattle, WA
