Beauty Survey

Taken from Mary's blog:

1. How old were you when you started wearing makeup? Actually, I didn't start wearing make-up until senior year of high school. I went to an all girls' private school for nine years and they were really strict about their "no make-up" policy. It wasn't until the summer of Grade 11 that I discovered the wonders of Sephora while doing a summer program at Parsons in New York City.
2. How did you get into make-up? I got hired as a Cosmetician at Shoppers Drug Mart when I was 18. I was in second-year university and needed a part-time job, and for whatever reason, they hired me, even though I had no cosmetics background or experience. But my obsession/addiction to make-up and skincare only escalated from there. It was like a whole new world to discover, and I eventually became so passionate about it that I decided to make it my career.
3. What are some of your favourite brands? MAC, Nars, and Illamasqua for make-up; Lancôme and Estée Lauder for skincare; Chanel, Deborah Lippmann, and OPI for nail polish.
4. What does makeup mean to you? At the core, it's about feeling good. If you look good, you feel good. But when I use a super bright lipstick or do a dramatic smoky eye, it's also about creativity and playing around with different looks and using make-up as an art form.
5. If you could only wear 4 products on your face what would they be? MAC Studio Fix+ Powder Foundation in C35, MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering, MAC Liquid Eye Liner in Boot Black, and Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara in Deep Black.
6. What is your favorite thing about makeup? There are so many ways to enhance your features and change your style. You can go from super natural with dewy skin, to super sexy with smoky eyes and nude lips, to Marilyn Monroe bombshell with bright red lips and winged liquid liner. You can make your eyes look bigger, lips more plump, cheeks more rosy, complexion more tanned. The possibilities are endless.
7. What do you think about drugstore makeup vs. high-end makeup? To be honest, I rarely ever use drugstore make-up now. I used to try out tons of products from almost every single drugstore brand (I guess working at Shoppers Drug Mart helped with that), and while there are a few stand-out items (e.g. L'Oréal Voluminous Mascara and HIP Eyeshadow Duos), I usually find that the pigmentation and texture of drugstore make-up are inferior to that of high-end. Most drugstore brands also don't have testers for all of their products. But it helps that I get discounts on almost all high-end make-up brands, so I don't feel the sting of the cost as much as a regular consumer. In the end, though, it's all about trial-and-error.
8. What is one tip of advice you can give to a beginner? Take care of your skin first. Think of your face as a canvas. Having clear, even, beautiful skin can change so much about how much make-up to put on, and the right make-up products to use.
9. What is one make-up trend you never understood? Pastel-coloured eyebrows.
10. What do you think about the beauty community on YouTube? I actually don't watch beauty videos on YouTube anymore. There are a few that are simple, effective, and educational, but most of them are just too annoying. And a lot of them are amateurs who have never actually been in the industry, so sometimes I can't help but roll my eyes at some of the "techniques" people are employing. Seriously, you would get fired for doing some of that shit on an actual client.