Makeup artist, spokesperson and an advocate
for woman of colour, check out my interview with world renowned makeup artists Eryca
Freemantle, up close and personal about her views on the makeup industry and an
insight into her everyday life.
What beauty product can’t you live without?
‘Personally I can’t live without my Astral. Astral is a
moisturiser that has been in the market for over 30 years available in
Superdrug and Boots I normally buy the 500ml, it’s phenomenal. I have been
using it since I was a child, it gives you baby soft skin its quite lucrative
and I use it at night as well as during the day, that’s one thing that I can’t
do without its always in my makeup kit I have introduced it to so many people
whether it be celebrities, supermodels or just any ordinary woman. But for me it’s
my Astral Cream – sorry all the other big brands that I work with but I can’t
do without my Astral.’
What up and coming beauty
trends do you think are going to be a hit this ss13?
‘If you’re an expert and have been in the market for as long
as I have been you really don’t look at trends because trends are labels that
people put on particular things. Now, what I would always say would be
successful and always be around, if you want to call it a trend would be ‘the
clean makeup look’ – where you look very natural, very enhanced that’s what I’m
renowned for - the natural makeup artist. So that’s what I think will be a
beauty trend, which is actually one of the hardest to apply - very natural,
very soft, very demure, but at the same time very made up.’
Having worked in the industry
for so long, what is the most important thing you have learnt?
‘Whether it’s being in the beauty industry or any other
industry it’s professionalism, reliability and especially in my case health
& safety. Being punctual, being transparent and being very good at your job
having a good back team to support you. I’ve travelled the world I have my own
PA, I have my own management, my own agent, I have a PR company they all work
together to make sure I can live a normal everyday life so just being
organised, being transparent, being reasonably good at what you do and being
able to take criticism. I have survived because I am very opinionated and I say
exactly what I have to say but I say it in the right way, well I would like to
believe so anyway.’ [Followed by a light
hearted smile]
What words of advice would
you give to aspiring makeup artists?
‘The words of advice I would give to makeup artists would be
to be professional, be accurate, be transparent all the things that I said
before but more importantly know your job – know it inside out, outside in and
know what you are talking about.’
In retrospect to your past
experiences in life what advice would you give to someone struggling with low
confidence and personal images issues?
‘I would tell them to strip themselves back naked, look in
the mirror take a long hard look at themselves, write down exactly what it is
that they don’t like about themselves, then do something about it. By doing
something about it I mean surround yourself with people that are doing the
things that you want to do. Acknowledging, realising and telling yourself “you
are what you are” seek professional help, seek counselling someone that you can
talk to professionally that can sort out your insecurity and low self esteem, they
are the things that I did and they are the things that enabled me to grow and
become the women that I am today.’
Which celebrity do you think
has the best makeup at the moment and why?
‘I don’t really think any of
them have. I don’t go around looking at celebrities saying “this is that and
that is this” each individual is exactly that, an individual and I believe that
people wear make up to reflect who they are but I don’t really get caught up in
that, my whole ethos isn’t about celebrities it’s about education and training.
As long as a woman feels confident in what she’s wearing and how it is applied
to me she is the ‘celebrity.’
What does makeup and the
industry personally mean for you?
‘Makeup means being able to portray yourself how you would
like to be portrayed to the world, makeup is a mask, being able to put on your
mask no matter how many layers you feel that you need to put on. To me makeup is
very positive it’s very much about confidence building but it’s all about the
application. What does the industry personally means to me? – its my job, its
my career, its what I know, I don’t see it as anything else, I’m trained for
that, I happen to be one of the best and because of my professionalism and my knowledge
I have been in the market for a very long time, but its not the be all and end
all of my life. But the fact that I’m able to empower others for me that is
very fulfilling.’
What beauty advice would you
give to those looking for flawless skin?
‘It goes so much deeper than the surface. The advice I would
give would be to love yourself, tell yourself that you love yourself and by
acting out that you love yourself it will show. By that I mean look at what you
eat, drink lots of water, look at your diet, and look at your skincare regime don’t
just do it for one day, two days for that month it has to be a lifetime, it has
to be a lifestyle it should be a way of life. If you see any pimples coming up
on your face I would recommended that you have a facial at least once a week – especially
after the age of 25, a professional facial 4/5 times a year and then you follow
what they do what they taught you, you do the same at home. My advice would be
it starts from the inside to get to the outside.’
And finally, what are your
future plans for your empire?
‘To continue to do what I do - I am the industry leader when
it comes to women of colour for mainstream, acquiring and achieving
partnerships with worldwide brands, researching and creating new makeup lines. Being
a creative director for various brands and consulting. I am also branching out
into TV I have quite a few things planned around that for TV and the beauty
industry, continuing to write for various magazines globally and to get ready
for retirement!’
