Hooked on beauty

So I don’t know whether I’ve mentioned this, but I was really not interested in beauty at all when I started assisting Scary Beauty Editor. Somehow this changed. I became very excited whenever new packages – full of beauty products – arrived for us and begged Scary Beauty Editor – to let me open it. (Now I am so used to boxes arriving for me that I sometimes moan about it because I don’t have space for everything in my office!) The first parcel I ever opened was a Mac bag full of a limited edition Mac make-up range. I loved it! Today, Mac it is still one of my favourite make-up brands. After a few months of being beauty assistant something very strange happened, which I confessed to Scary Beauty Editor – who by this time was not scary anymore at all so let’s just call her Beauty Editor – on a Monday morning: I visited friends and when I used their bathroom I was suddenly overcome by a forceful curiosity about which beauty products they used. I looked around in their bathroom at the beauty products on display and even – I can’t believe I am telling you this! – opened their bathroom cupboard to see which other products they use. When I told Beauty Editor she said: “Haha, Beauty Gal, you’re hooked!” and hooked I was! I have to confess that I still snoop around for beauty products whenever I am using someone’s bathroom; I love knowing which products people use. It tells me more about them. If someone had to peak into by beauty cupboard they would be very confused, because it kind of looks like the shelves of a beauty shop – just a lot messier – full of different brands and products, some half used, some never used and a few almost empty containers. Not that I use all of them, I am usually just curious to see what the fuss is about.

2 of my favourite Mac products which I can’t live without
Mac Angled Contour Brush – I love the way it shapes my face when I apply my blusher.
Mac Eyeshadow in Periwink.



One of the few Mac products which I don’t like is the Lipglass – I find it too sticky. On a windy day my hair always seems to get stuck on my Lipglass.

My disastrous first beauty launch

Scary Beauty Editor was sick and emailed Business Manager to ask her whether she would attend a Fancy Brand launch on her behalf and send me to a Cheap Brand launch. Fancy Brand’s invite specifically stated that only editors were invited – no assistants. When Business Manager told me this I was over the moon! I couldn’t care less about the brand, it was my first launch. Business Manager gave me the date, time and venue for the launch. It was at a fancy five-star hotel I’ve never been to. I dressed up in my pretty red vintage coat and even put some mascara and lipstick on for the launch. When I arrived, the Marketing Director of Fancy Brand, welcomed me, and not exactly with a big smile. Oh no, no, no!!! Business Manager mixed-up the launches. I wanted to melt away but couldn’t leave. It was only Editors, Beauty Editors and Fancy Brand staff at the launch. I didn’t know anyone, no one spoke to me and I was too shy to speak to anyone since I didn’t really understand the beauty language they spoke. I was standing around, trying to look not out off place and felt very self-conscious. My vintage coat turned into a second hand coat, my skin felt dry and flaky and I was very aware of the fact that my nails are not manicured. As luck would have it I was seated opposite Fancy Brand Marketing Director. I couldn’t help but stare at his forehead that didn’t ever move. He did look up while I stared at him and I spilt my soup on my lap while he was looking at me. It was turning into the worst day of my life! Luckily Kind Editor felt sorry for me and started speaking to me. I am still grateful and vowed to always be nice to new, shy beauty assistants, no matter what my position. The rest of the launch was very interesting. We all rubbed Fancy Brand’s expensive new creams on the back of our hands and went ooh and aah (I just copied whatever the others were doing since I didn’t have a clue!). I was really excited about everything and the Fancy Brand Marketing Manager even gave me a smile! Thank goodness. Even though I am a beauty editor now and relatively important to Fancy Brand Marketing Manager I still feel like a self-conscious beauty assistant whenever I see him.

I got the job!

A few weeks after the shoot Editor informed me that she wants me to stay on and that the only place where she could create a position for me was in the beauty department as beauty assistant. Even though this meant that I had to assist Scary Beauty Editor I didn’t care – I got a real job at a magazine!!!! Whoa, I was ecstatic and really struggled not to jump up and down before Editor. I knew that his also meant that I definitely needed to start wearing some make-up, but I didn’t even mind. Little did I know how addicted I would become.During the first few weeks I sorted out Scary Beauty Editor’s office, learned how to make her the perfect cuppa tea and was willingly the guinea pig for all the nasty, cheap fragrances she sprayed on me. She laughed her head off about my painful expressions. Do you know how difficult it is to get a nasty smelling fragrance off your skin?!

The shoot: Post Mortem

After the shoot the packing up had to begin. For a stylist – or stylist’s assistant like moa at the time - this is definitely the worst part of the job. You have to make sure that nothing is damaged, dirty or missing in action and put them all in the right bags.
These are the tricks/lessons Stylist taught me one my first shoot.

1. Always hold a silk scarf in front of the models faces to prevent their make-up from rubbing off on the clothes when you are dressing them. This is also a great trick for brides.


2. Wipe some benzene over the soles of the shoes to remove the sticky residue from the tape.
3. Wet wipes are your best friend. It’s great for removing make-up or stains from clothing. This is also a great everyday trick. I always have the good intention to keep a small pack in my handbag for my everyday emergencies – spilling make-up on my jacket right before a client meeting etc. - but I somehow always end up not having it in my handbag. I am very good at preaching, but not practicing!


That day I also bought my first item on a shoot and started a habit I just can’t seem to kick; I still shop at shoots. I bought the most beautiful pare of ballet pumps, complete with satin ribbons to tie up at your ankles. It was love at first sight. I didn’t care that Stylist said it makes my feet look fat, I thought it looked pretty. I still have them in my cupboard and always think of my first shoot when I see them. Unfortunately I can’t wear them anymore; I was dumb enough to wear them to an outdoors rock fest. Who the hell wears light pink ballet pumps with satin ribbons (and fishnet stockings!) to a muddy, outdoors rock fest! I vaguely remember thoughts of going for the “grungy ballerina look” when dressing. Ha-ha, assisting Stylist on one shoot clearly went to my head. At least I felt very cool that night; unfortunately my pretty pumps didn’t survive.

My Cinderella pumps: worn and torn, but still loved!

Lights, camera, action: Part 2

So there I was sticking and steaming and I sooo curious. I sneaked out and peaked. It all looked amazing and yes, glamorous, but jeez, it took for freaking ever to get one shot right. The only thing I knew of shoots was what I saw on TV; models putting their hands behind their head, on their hips, pouting, camera flashes. Cringe, cringe, cringe! I had NO idea. Good looking but moody Photographer and Scary Beauty Editor looked at the pictures on Photographers computer. I was so excited that I opened my mouth and made a comment, an innocent comment, but a HUGE mistake. All of a sudden everyone was quiet and Scary Beauty Editor looked at me with dismay and said: “You just go back to your little room and do whatever it is you do, steam or something.” I was devastated and had to fight back the tears. Valuable lesson I learnt that day: when you are an intern or assistant zip it, shut up, your opinion does not count; you should be seen and not heard!

Lights, camera, action: Part 1

My BFF on my very first shoot

>After a few months of doing the dirty work I was finally allowed on a shoot, a REAL fashion and beauty shoot! I was so excited I could hardly sleep the night before. On the day of the shoot my job was to assist the stylist. My, oh my, did I feel important!

We carried hundreds of bags full of clothing, shoes and accessories up the stairs of and an old museum where we were doing the shoot. After unpacking everything Stylist showed me how to use a steamer. Even though I burned my fingers a few times I eventually got the hang of it and steam queen Beauty Gal was allowed to steam the clothes – on my own! Next Stylist showed me how to tape the shoes. I was amazed! I never knew you had to do all of this stuff on a shoot. I had to stick and cut duck tape at the sole of the shoes. This prevented the soles of the shoes from damaging. (If any shoes, clothes or accessories were damaged the shops where we borrowed them would not take it back, and the magazine had to pay for it, resulting in a very Unhappy editor – to be avoided at all times.) For some of the more expensive shoes I even had to stick pads – sanitary pads – underneath the soles. A styling trick I would remember and use for many more years.

I couldn’t wait to see the models, but when they finally arrived they did not look at all what they imagined them to be. Yes, they were thin, but not that pretty; they actually looked rather dull and boring. This was before the hair stylist and make-up artist did their magic.

The unglamorous life of an intern

I always dreamt of working for a magazine and after months of emailing I finally got an internship at a magazine. Intern = no pay and loads of dirty work.
The mag needed help in two departments, marketing and beauty, and I had to choose one. I choose marketing because I wasn't all that that interested in beauty + the beauty editor was scary and intimidating. She always looked at me over the rims of her glasses and the tea I so kindly made for her was never to her taste. Even though working for a magazine was not as glamorous as I expected it to be, I instantly new that this was where I belonged. I HAD to stay! I took my dad’s advice to ‘make myself indispensable” and did all the dirty work – carrying magazines (extremely heavy if you stack them), spoke to unhappy readers on the phone and my ultimate worst: filing – with such enthusiasm that the editor could not help but notice me.