Nicole Marie - Makeup Artistry: Professional Makeup Artist Interview

Jennifer Toy of JT Artistry is a makeup artist based out of San Francisco, California. She has a beautiful soft-glam style that she has graced many brides and models with. Some of her clients include Sony, Microsoft, Farmers Insurance, Sandisk, PG&E, and she has also worked with photographers and talent from Disney, Vogue, Atlantic Records, and the Golden State Warriors among others. I discovered Jennifer's work on instagram, and it is my great pleasure to share it with you now!

Q: How long have you been a working professional and how did you get started in your career?
A:  I have been a professional makeup artist for about 8 years. I started my makeup career with MAC Cosmetics as their go-to artist for special events. After 3 years with MAC, I decided to go freelance. I haven’t looked back since!

Q: When did you know that you wanted to be a makeup artist?

A:   It all started when I was in school getting my bachelor’s degree in Business. I loved beauty blogs and watching beauty videos on Youtube. All my friends knew me as makeup obsessed! It wasn’t until I was booked for my first small wedding during college that I fell in love with the makeup process. Seeing how confident and beautiful these women felt was priceless!

Q: What do you love most about makeup and about your job? 
A: I love meeting people from all walks of life, like successful girl-bosses to teenage prom queens. It’s always fun meeting new people and hearing their stories. What other job unites people all in the name of makeup?

Q: What is your signature makeup style and what trends/looks have you been loving?
A:  My signature makeup style would be classy-glam. Think J Lo meets Beyonce. It’s timeless and looks amazing on everyone! I have been a huge fan of bold lips and soft eyes with minimum liner and lots of lashes!

Q: What are some of your go to, must have, all time favorite kit products? 
A: Brow pencil is my secret weapon. It not only helps you shape beautiful brows but can be doubled as a liner. I use Anastasia Beverly Hills brow pencil. I love multi-purpose products! Concealer is another product that is perfect for a quick makeover. My favorite is MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. I use it to prime lids as well as blur imperfections on the skin.

Q: What products have you recently discovered and can’t live without?
A:  One of my newest obsessions is the Tarte 'Tarlette In Bloom Palette'. It has the best neutral shades for all skin tones. It’s basically all you need for any eye shadow look. I also love the IT Cosmetics 'CC Cream' for a natural coverage with a dewy finish.

Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from? 

A: I get my inspiration from my friends. I am constantly learning from the people around me. I imagine beautiful makeup looks to go with different outfits.

Q: Who are some people that have inspired or influenced you throughout your career?
A:  I have always been inspired by beauty gurus from Youtube and blogs. I started off with beauty blogging and have formed such a close bond with so many people, some of which are still my friends to this day.

Q: What is your most important piece of beauty advice and/or makeup tip for women? 
A: Try something new. If you don’t like it, wipe it off! It’s makeup, not plastic surgery. Be open minded and don’t hate something you don’t know.

Q: What is your most important piece of advice for aspiring professionals? 
A: Practice, practice, practice. There is no handbook for becoming a successful artist. You need to feel confident in your craft and be versatile in all faces. Speed comes in handy when working with celebrity clients or huge bridal parties. However, don’t compromise quality for speed.

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known starting out?
A:  I wish I knew that my makeup journey would be like a roller coaster. There were times when I wanted to give up and then there were times where I was high on life. At the end of the day, I knew I was destined to do this.

Q: If you weren’t a makeup artist what would you be doing instead? 
A: I would want to create customized palettes for every kind of woman and man. It would include everything you could ever need in one palette: skin, eyes, lips, lashes, brows. How cool would that be?