After 18 years it was all worth it!!

I found out about her after seeing the work she had done on a photo shoot! I could see how swiftly she applied make up on the model-like she’d be doing it for years.

I met up with Dionne Lafond and was immediately floored at how long she worked at MAC cosmetics. She started her career at MAC 18 years ago in Ottawa, Canada at a time when the company was a young, innovative addition to retail and beauty industries in this country. She wasn’t necessarily keen on make up artistry- but was able to pick up skills quickly through her general curiosity to learn. When I asked her to tell me about her career she closes her eyes and said, ‘Let me think…….there’s so much-I can’t remember’. She looks incredibly young for a lady whose career spanned 20 years at the ‘trend-setting organization’.

A friend who worked for MAC who thought she had style + solid retail work experience recommended she apply for a job there. Once she applied she got the job with an aim to watch, practice and learn. She embraced the different opportunities outside of the retail floor to practice skills discovered from being at MAC.

She embraced many opportunities to take part in so many ‘fashion meets charity’ causes affiliated with MAC. She worked at the very first Fashion Cares fashion show, the MAC AIDS fund show, L’Oreal Fashion Week-And in the late 90’s she did quite a few notable music videos!

It’s through her love of creating  and learning that she’s realized she loves to teach. She prefers to teach skills and techniques to students. After so many years of learning and building her expertise it became less interesting. With her love of teaching, she explains ‘I gain customer/client trust with trust I can show them how to make visual changes’. i.e. eyebrows, lip colour, blush

So what’s in store for Ms. Lafond MUA? She is currently participating in a  hair styling for make up artists program at George Brown College in Toronto and looks so excitedly forward to embrace this change. She had a general energy about her and any client would be excited to get dolled up! She continues to freelance for new and longtime clients.

So of course, I took the chance to ask her what was trending in make up this year and her are some trends she mentioned from runway, fashion spread to client requests:

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lafond says ‘All women regardless of look or ethnicity enjoy the contouring and exaggerated fully made face it’s great for the camera’.

                     

 

Her sound advice for those trying to get and stay in the game:

• Times have changed things aren’t the way they were. The competition is stiff. Keep this in mind.
• Get stuff published or at least ensure the projects you’re working  on get published-to get published means it’s decent work!
• Always work on your craft, never stop learning.
• Find other artists who inspire you-you don’t have to copy them per se but you can learn skills and techniques that they use (her inspirations are Sir John, Francesca Tolot, Lucia Pieroni and Pat McGrath).
• About make up application for clients or for yourself-remember to keep it simple….it’s okay to pare it down and keep it clean!

She does make-up for all occasions and can be contacted at dlafond@icloud.com!

-shine