Portfora Magazine Interview with Make-up and Hair Artist Faye Smith

Faye Smith is the owner and lead artist at Faye Smith Make-up & Hair, a Vancouver-based team of highly-skilled and experienced make-up and hair stylists. Faye has been a qualified make-up and hair artist since 2007, bringing her skills from England to Canada in 2008 where she found her passion.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A FULL TIME MAKE-UP AND HAIR ARTIST?

I enrolled in make-up school in England in 2007 and was hired by my teacher of the time to work alongside her on opera sets in Birmingham. I soon realized I wanted and needed more education and enrolled in the masters make-up diploma at Blanche Macdonald, Vancouver, Canada in 2008. In 2009 I decided to stay a little longer to continue on with some volunteer opportunities that Blanche offered and it was very short after that that paid work started coming to me. It kept making sense to stay and stay and after only 6 months after graduating, I would consider to have had a full time career-building.

TELL US ABOUT STARTING YOUR COMPANY ‘FAYE SMITH MAKEUP & HAIR’

Faye Smith Makeup & Hair began as myself as a freelance artist and has now grown into a team of extremely skilled, experienced, and talented stylists. Every artist on the team is considered “bride-standard” meaning that we can accommodate absolutely all of our hair and make-up enquiries without sacrificing the quality of the service. Although we do specialize in weddings, we work in all areas of the industry including film.

YOU’RE ORIGINALLY FROM THE UK, HOW DO YOU ENJOY LIVING IN VANCOUVER, CANADA?

I came to Canada in 2008 to further my studies in make-up. Although the education I got in the UK was a fun kick-start to my career, I wanted to learn more and while learning more, go on an adventure. My adventure in Vancouver was scheduled for 11 months but now, over 6 years later, I couldn’t feel more at home here.

Your work has been published internationally in different magazines. What have been some of your favourite editorials?

I have been published so many times this year! I have really been enjoying spending my spare time developing my editorial style, working with new photographers and of course, having our amazing work printed. It is rather fulfilling. Some of my favourite’s of 2014 have been ones published from working with the amazingly talented photographer, Lanaya Flavelle Photography. I have worked with her twice this year and of course, with the standard of her work, published twice as well. Refashion Book and Opalus Magazine. I have also been published in Beau NU Magazine, Raine Magazine, SugarKiss Magazine, Vogue Italia, Tutu and Fru, Cultural Weddings, Real Weddings, Style Me Pretty, Modernly Wed, Freque Magazine, McCleans Magazine, CTV Live, The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, The Huffington Post and more.

Makeup by Faye Smith

WHAT FACTORS DO YOU THINK HAVE CONTRIBUTED MOST TO YOUR SUCCESS?

I was aged 19 when I moved to Vancouver, young and fearless. I had absolutely no expectations. I just knew I needed to do something with my life. As a youngster, trying to find your path in life seems so confusing but mine literally just fell into place. I call it, “rolling with it”, and I have rolled with it my whole working life. If an opportunity arises, I never say no, I try it, learn from it, and continue from there. I am ambitious and passionate about people, my art, and business. That is all you need to be successful.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR NEW HAIR AND MAKE-UP ARTISTS?

Get talking to successful artists in the industry and find out how they did it. As a freelancer, the more people who know you, the better. Even better still, the more people who remember you, the better. Know every body and make sure to stand out. You will be noticed.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE TO SPECIALIZE IN THE BRIDAL GENRE?

I met a lovely bunch of ladies on a pub crawl when I first moved to Vancouver and we added one another on Facebook. It was when one of them contacted me to ask if I would style hair and make-up for their wedding that I realized they had been following my posts and seeing me progress through school. Of course I took on the job and had a blast! It was so much fun to be the person responsible for making a woman look and feel the best she has ever felt on her wedding day. The following year her friend hired me and others in between. I now work with over a hundred brides a year, and although it makes for some hectic summer times, I love it!

WHAT INSPIRES YOUR HAIR AND MAKE-UP LOOKS?

I believe myself to be a very flexible artist and a wonderful listener. A lot of make-up artists have a style but I truly believe I don’t. I can create a no-make-up-make-up flawlessly, I can do the soft smoky eye and I can pump it up to wild fashion and creative looks. I am inspired by other artists around me. I love looking at other people’s ideas and combining them to create something of my own. Or simply creating my client’s vision. I love it all.

ARE THERE OTHER ARTISTS THAT YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM?

Absolutely! Some of the stylists on my team inspire me. I hire them because I absolutely love their work! I also love the work of creative stylists like Timothy Hung and John Hennessy. There are countless talents out there.

HAS YOUR WORK EVOLVED OVER TIME?

Of course. As an artist, you are always getting better and always finding new techniques and trying now products. My work has evolved by being better every day.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE PROJECT TO DATE?

Probably still my prosthetics final exam in school at Blanche Macdonald. It was one of the most amazing, intricate pieces I have ever created and I am honestly very impressed with my former self for creating that masterpiece.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR CAREER GOING?

I don’t know. Like I said before, I roll with it. I don’t object to moving elsewhere in the world to freshen things up but mostly, if an opportunity comes up, I will take it and go. I have control with a lot of things but since moving to Vancouver, I have become a bit of a believe-in-fate and I am excited to see where life goes next.