Celebrity MUA Olivia Song On Representation In The Beauty Biz

Celebrity makeup artist Olivia Song is just one of the most sought immediately after make-up artists of her era. With nicely more than With above 11 several years of specialist experience, Song has secured clientele from The True Housewives of Atlanta reality star Porsha Williams to rappers Kash Doll and Asian Da Brat. While Song had to sad to say pivot for the duration of the pandemic and was not ready to provider her clientele in person, she established 7-figured beauty brand Tremendous Pure Cosmetics to give her shoppers the ability of experience wonderful safely quarantining absent.

“I experienced viewed makeup excursions before but never with unique celeb versions. This was significant for my college students because they could chose what product they required to see me exhibit on, as significantly as selected pores and skin tones they wanted to make improvements to on. It gave them options,” Track instructed For(bes) The Culture about her tour, that includes platinum-marketing rapper Latto. As a 50 % African-American and Korean make-up artist, Song desired to use her 6-cease tour to exhibit the nuances of representation in the natural beauty industry although training her college students as skilled artists. “They were being capable to check with my versions directly how they find glam, what they glimpse for in someone’s operate, and their anticipations. A whole lot of my students aspire to be celebrity make-up artists so placing them in the space with my versions was a pleasant addition to the whole practical experience.”

Subsequent her tour prevent in Atlanta, For(bes) The Culture caught up with Music about variety in the splendor marketplace, how beauty shifted during the pandemic and the significance of feeling observed as a female of color make-up artist.

For(bes) The Culture: As a half Black, 50 percent Korean lady in the beauty marketplace, why was it so significant for you to use your abilities as an MUA to signify other women in the industry who may not sense found?

Olivia Track: I was a female who didn’t truly feel viewed. It is scary attempting to navigate an field exactly where you really don’t see a large amount of girls, primarily girls of color, at the top rated. Some of the most celebrated make-up artists and hairstylists happen to be adult men. For this explanation, I’m super transparent about my journey as a solitary mom. I want to show that you can be super profitable in this field – no issue your circumstances or what you glimpse like. 

For(bes) The Lifestyle: What is the value of range and inclusion in the splendor sector, and what need to that search like?

Music: Minority consumers have enormous paying energy and it’s a no brainer that brand names really should continue to keep this in mind, make range and inclusion a priority, and a reflection of their firm values. I would like to see much more assorted merchandise offering, brand partnerships with make-up artists and influencers of each background, products of every single history, and much more variety of employees in each organization.

For(bes) The Tradition: What do you imagine are the most tricky areas of being a make-up artist of colour?

Track: The major issues are a lack of illustration in large box makeup outlets these as Ulta and Sephora, and a deficiency of representation in model partnerships. I’d like to see far more Black-owned brand names on the shelves and additional variety when it will come to make-up artists as the faces of these significant brands.

For(bes) The Tradition: How do you imagine the elegance marketplace shifted through the pandemic?

Track: I noticed a large amount of virtual courses and a lot of folks who wanted to find out how to do make-up by themselves. This was huge for cosmetic retail since that makes far more prospects. It was a big scare for freelance artists like myself, considering there could never ever be massive events yet again. Salons ended up forced to shut and it still left me making an attempt to occur up with strategies to create money without the need of currently being at the rear of the brush. As a outcome, I unveiled a virtual training course and began a merchandise line. I think it forced all artists to believe exterior of the box. 

For(bes) The Tradition: When did you 1st know that the attractiveness market was a thing that you preferred to pursue, and when did you see that the field wasn’t precisely forefronting for minorities?

Tune: Makeup was my side gig even though researching manner structure. During my 3rd calendar year of college or university, I realized how superior I was at make-up and I desired it above manner structure. This was 8 years ago just before the 40 shade basis selection was normal. You could just explain to by hunting at the shelf that the sector was not fore-fronting for minorities.

It also appeared like the major make-up artists did not search like myself. I didn’t have to lots of artists to seem up to who I could personally relate to. I wasn’t formally skilled and I was not living in a key town at the time. It seemed far etched that I could reach the stage of accomplishment that I have. I did not desire as large in the commencing of my vocation for the reason that of the absence of representation. 

For(bes) The Society: When it will come to actions this sort of as #PullUpOrShutUp, how did that rock that elegance industry as it called out the unique industries for their lack of illustration in the boardrooms?

Track: This was massive for the splendor sector. Individuals learned that the bigger cosmetics providers have been not varied when it came to their staff on the corporate degree. This known as for these providers to begin choosing individuals of coloration since as clients, we would like to know that we are getting represented in these rooms where by decisions are becoming made.