PERFORMANCE art honours graduate turned make-up artist, Lucoh Mhlongo, has been painting the town with his artistic make-up skills over the past six years.
Inspired by the gratification he receives from his job, Mhlongo has worked with big names in the entertainment industry, such as Amanda DuPont, Unathi Msengana, Nandi Mngoma and Zonke Dikana.
At 30, the upcoming make-up artist who is based in Newtown, Johannesburg, is also Elizabeth Arden's national make-up artist. The early riser starts his day to the sounds of gospel music before he heads out to create and recreate.
Question: What is a make-up artist?
Answer: Someone who creates and brings beauty and makes people feel beautiful.
What sort of qualifications does a person need to be a make-up artist?
I am self taught but I always say to aspiring artists "get an education". There are great schools and colleges that offer make-up courses and diplomas. Arm yourself with knowledge. That way it will make your journey easier than mine, as I learnt from library books.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy creating, be it a high fashion look for a fashion show or a beauty look for a magazine. I enjoy putting what I see in my mind on a face chart and then on to a woman's face.
What are some of the challenges of being a make-up artist?
The first for me is perfecting your craft. You must be excellent. Next is finding work. Even as an established make-up artist you still encounter challenges.
And what would you say are some of the perks of being in this career?
You get to meet some amazing people and travel to amazing places.
How do you source your clients?
Clients come to me because they have either seen, heard or read about my work. My keyword is excellence. So, my work brings more work.
How do you deal with difficult clients?
I respect people and in that way I expect respect in return. But I understand that I provide a service and that I must ensure that the client is always happy.
How do you get paid and what kind of challenges do you experience with different clients? Do they always pay on time?
Like in any other business, you produce work and you invoice. And like in any other business you have clients who either pay upfront and follow procedure for payment and are always on time. Then you get those who take months to pay. It is often frustrating having to follow up on payments after people have enjoyed your excellent service.
How do you manage your finances?
That is a challenge to me as a creative person because I work a lot and sometimes I forget certain invoices. But as a businessman I have had to learn that if I do not have time for admin, then I must source someone who can.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
A creator of beauty
PERFORMANCE art honours graduate turned make-up artist, Lucoh Mhlongo, has been painting the town with his artistic make-up skills over the past six years.
Inspired by the gratification he receives from his job, Mhlongo has worked with big names in the entertainment industry, such as Amanda DuPont, Unathi Msengana, Nandi Mngoma and Zonke Dikana.
At 30, the upcoming make-up artist who is based in Newtown, Johannesburg, is also Elizabeth Arden's national make-up artist. The early riser starts his day to the sounds of gospel music before he heads out to create and recreate.
Question: What is a make-up artist?
Answer: Someone who creates and brings beauty and makes people feel beautiful.
What sort of qualifications does a person need to be a make-up artist?
I am self taught but I always say to aspiring artists "get an education". There are great schools and colleges that offer make-up courses and diplomas. Arm yourself with knowledge. That way it will make your journey easier than mine, as I learnt from library books.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy creating, be it a high fashion look for a fashion show or a beauty look for a magazine. I enjoy putting what I see in my mind on a face chart and then on to a woman's face.
What are some of the challenges of being a make-up artist?
The first for me is perfecting your craft. You must be excellent. Next is finding work. Even as an established make-up artist you still encounter challenges.
And what would you say are some of the perks of being in this career?
You get to meet some amazing people and travel to amazing places.
How do you source your clients?
Clients come to me because they have either seen, heard or read about my work. My keyword is excellence. So, my work brings more work.
How do you deal with difficult clients?
I respect people and in that way I expect respect in return. But I understand that I provide a service and that I must ensure that the client is always happy.
How do you get paid and what kind of challenges do you experience with different clients? Do they always pay on time?
Like in any other business, you produce work and you invoice. And like in any other business you have clients who either pay upfront and follow procedure for payment and are always on time. Then you get those who take months to pay. It is often frustrating having to follow up on payments after people have enjoyed your excellent service.
How do you manage your finances?
That is a challenge to me as a creative person because I work a lot and sometimes I forget certain invoices. But as a businessman I have had to learn that if I do not have time for admin, then I must source someone who can.
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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