It is not life as we know it. This is a bit of a public service announcement so that you are armed with the knowledge of what you can - and should expect - from any makeup artist or makeup retail artist - in the new COVID-19 world. It's important that you, my beloved tribe, know how things will be changing at Amanda Ramsay Makeup. We need to rethink and reconfigure how we now work in order to keep you, and us, plus the community at large safe. For a mini TED talk on makeup artistry in the new COVID-19 world, please click the video linked below
It’s true makeup artists are officially allowed to practice in Queensland, Australia as of Saturday 16 May. However, with the Government COVID Safe Checklists for Beauty Therapists & Nail Salons just released, I’ve been taking some time to really dive in, read it all and fully understand the Beauty Industry requirements. I can only hope that other professional makeup artists are doing the same. You can expect that beauty retailers will be undertaking the same changes.
This is pretty serious stuff. It's impossible to work makeup magic at 1.5m distance! For Makeup Artists really are up in your face. Of course we can wear a mask to protect you, however you can't wear one to protect us.
We carry a kit of makeup and brushes worth tens of thousands of dollars - every item within this kit must be disinfected before and after every use - we do this already, pre Coronavirus. And this takes a LOT of time. As this makeup kit is our life and is used on many people, it is critical that it is cleaned thoroughly - however this is no longer enough under the new COVID-19 regime. I'm not 100% sure at this stage how testing product in a retail environment will work - it is my opinion that Testers should not be used - but I am waiting for an Industry Expert to come back to me.
Take some time to read below some key changes that you should expect from Makeup Artists in the new Corona world, along with what the implications are for you as a client or customer and tips on what you should do. ** Please note this is based on the Queensland Government guidelines and may be different in your State, Territory or Country:
1. Personal hygiene
It is not a requirement for your Makeup Artist to wear a mask or gloves. It is however essential that you see your Makeup Artist wash her hands with soap.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
1. Wash your hands with soap before you sit in the Makeup Artists chair.
2. If you feel at all unwell - and that means a little runny nose, a throat tickle, anything unusual - please, please, please cancel your booking. You should be able to negotiate a refund or partial refund. This issue is bigger than money.
2. Makeup Set Up Hygiene
Anti-bacterial spray or wipes must be used to clean the makeup station every hour and between every client. Chair, palettes and products should be all wiped down between clients.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
1. Be on time for your appointment.
2. Be understanding if your Makeup Artist has put their pricing up. Allowing more time during every appointment and in-between each client to effectively sanitise everything, means longer and fewer appointments.
3. Makeup Kit Hygiene
Makeup brushes must not be worn on a belt, stored in an open container or laid out on the table. It is no longer sufficient to "spray disinfect" brushes between clients. Brushes must be thoroughly washed/shampooed between clients. Therefore your makeup artist must have a different set of brushes for every client. These brush sets should be stored in seperate, sealed containers, plastic bags or pouches.
Disposable
Disposable mascara wands, lip wands and sponges must be used where appropriate.
Testers
All products - including powder eyeshadows, blush, bronzers - must be decanted onto a stainless steel tile, ceramic tile or a disposable paper plate. Makeup Artists should not dip brushes back into a palette once the brush has been used on your skin. This means eyeshadow must be scraped out of an eyeshadow palette and placed onto a non-porous plate or tile. Same goes for blush, bronzer, highlighters and lip products. And yes, that means your Makeup Artist has to butcher her much-loved, coveted and outrageously expensive Urban Decay, Bobbi Brown, Pat McGrath or whatever-brand palette.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
1. Always ask to see the brushes your makeup artist will use on you.
2. Make sure see the Artist pull your brushes from a sealed pouch/plastic container.
3. It is absolutely okay to ask how the brushes were cleaned.
4. Refuse Beauty Blenders.
5. Request that your Makeup Artist decants every product onto a tile or plate before applying to your face.
6. Be mindful that your Makeup Artist will use significantly more product in order to fulfil this safety practice, therefore their costs or business has increased and pricing may have increased.
4. Social distancing
At the moment (16 May 2020) Makeup Artists/Beauty Salons are limited to a maximum of 10 people in “salon” at any one time. Plus there must be 4 square metres per person in the area. If you are making a group booking, the entire party/group can not be jammed into one hotel room, event space, or studio.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
1. Allocate an additional room for your Makeup Artist to work in, on one person at a time if it's a small space.
2. Come to an event or makeup trial on your own, please leave your Mum or friends at home (unless you are under 18).
5. Client Contact Register
Your Makeup Artist is required by law (at least here in Queensland) to keep a register of all clients. You will be requested to provide you name, address and mobile phone number and your Artist will keep these details for at least 28 days.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Always provide your correct name, address and mobile phone number.
When you book me, or one of my Team, know that this is now our modus operandi.
We take your health - and I take the health of my team - seriously.
I hope that this has helped to arm you with the right information before you attempt to "test or play" with any products in a retail environment or book a makeup artist. You can always come to me for advice and guidance on which products will work for and suit you - and I am always happy to help colour match you too. Please schedule an Online Personal Beauty Consult or email me for more info.
And know that the above are not fail-safe measures that will categorically protect you from getting or passing on COVID-19, you may still contract the Coronavirus. But they are a step in the right direction to protecting you, your makeup artist and the greater community at large.
I'd also love to implore you to really think about your Makeup Artist and your expectations of their fees. They have not been able to work at all for an extended period - and now have extensive changes to make to their work practices and significantly more expenses. Be fair and be empathetic. Your makeup artist is providing you a high-quality, professional service, they absolutely LOVE what they do! This takes time and substantial financial investment like any other profession to learn, perfect, hone, practice and maintain. Your makeup artist's kit costs a fortune to stock, which will now need to be restocked more frequently, adding more costs. It's an insanely expensive exercise to maintain a high-quality, professional kit. We do it because we darn well LOVE it but we are also running a business that we would all like to see thrive, right?
Know that your makeup appointment will
probably take a little longer than it once did
- allow your Makeup Artist more time -
and please be respectful and understand that fees may and really should rise.
How does all of the above affect the way I work?
Secrets from a Beauty Insider for women over 40 (what I like to refer to as the online shop, beauty blog, product investigation and reviews, recommendations, online tutorials, makeup how-to videos and so forth) will remain the same. Unchanged. All about arming you with the best makeup and beauty advice, tips, tricks, insider makeup know how to continue lifting you up to shine like the bright amazing stars that you are. Continuing my crusade for pro-age, and a fresh approach for age inclusiveness after all #beautyhasnoexpirydate yeah?
However in-person makeup classes, event makeup, and commercial makeup practice is forever changed. This is not a bad thing. But it's important you are aware of the post-COVID19 changes to my business and what you can and should now expect from any Makeup Artist or makeup retailer.
While product safety and hygiene has always been a priority at Amanda Ramsay Makeup - and any of you that have come to my classes can vouch we take hygiene seriously - we are moving to a whole new level of hygiene practices. And this will take some getting used to and has immediate impact on what and how I deliver my over 40's makeup classes and private makeup lessons.
So it's not quite "straight back to work" for me. It really is not life as we once knew it. It is super important to me that I really get this right. To be frank it scares the crap out of me, and worries me that some makeup artists, desperate to start earning again, will go straight to work without all the really careful consideration, planning, and reworking that is required.
I'm taking a little time to get my head around the implications for me, for you and your safety. Contemplating what I’m prepared to live with, and not live with, how to restructure my classes, and how it impacts you, my clients in the delivery of my in-person small group Makeup Masterclasses and in-person private makeup classes
Please bear with me while I do my due-diligence.
Once I’ve digested everything from the Government regulations,
I will re-launch the in-person Makeup Masterclasses and
in-person private Makeup Lessons.
They will be re-imagined, a little bit different,
and bloody amazing of course!
In the meantime you can engage with me via an Online Personal Beauty Consult, up your makeup skills via my FREE mini makeup classes Live on Facebook.
Now go forth, with some caution and mindfulness, and remember makeup is supposed to be fun. Play, and call me if you need help, guidance or would like to know a little more.
With love and good-health,
Amanda x
PS And remember, you can always come to me for advice and guidance on which products will work for and suit you - and I am always happy to help colour match you too. Please schedule an Online Personal Beauty Consult or email me for more info.
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