Todra Payne, Makeup Artist
Today’s Cool Jobster arrives via my Twitter feed (you do have a Twitter feed, don’t you?) When someone new starts following me on Twitter, I always take the time to check out the follower’s home page and see what he or she is all about, and in the case of Makeup Artist Todra Payne I’m glad I did and I’m happy she agreed to be interviewed for My Cool Job today!
I must say right up front that I’m not a “can’t leave the house without my face on” makeup wearer these days, although I suspect I did severely impact the world’s supply of black eyeliner back in my teens and early twenties (see photos of Joan Jett circa 1985 and you’ll get the idea). I’ve never had much of a knack for applying makeup to my face, but I have been lucky enough to have been “done” by a professional makeup artist a time or two and I’ve always been blown away by what a huge change in my look and my attitude a small amount of mysterious “goo” makes when applied by someone with experience, artistry, and a passion for helping people to feel good about themselves.
Todra Payne is certainly one of those people with a passion for what they do, whether she is conducting a teaching seminar for company employees on how to look their best, working one on one with a spaz like me that can’t figure out the difference between a bronzer and a brow pencil, or glamming up celebrities and models for a magazine photo shoot.
So is being a Makeup Artist as glamorous and exciting as they make it look on the reality show “Blush” (and am I the only one that wants to drown contestant Maxi in a vat of foundation)? Let’s find out from today’s Cool Jobster, Todra Payne…
When people ask you “what do you do?” how do you describe your job?
I usually say, “I’m a displaced celebrity makeup artist.” When I lived in NYC, I worked with celebrities, top models, and skinny, rich women who were always “on the scene” – the ones who don’t actually do anything, but are always photographed by the media for being fabulous. Now I work a lot with “regular” women (and men) – people like myself – who want to learn how to bring out their best look, but don’t have $1,000 to pay for a (more…)
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