“Teach a man to fish”, but make it fashion.

Everyone’s relationship with makeup is different, but the way we’re introduced to it is, for the most part, the same. When we’re little, makeup is just the stuff Mom tells you not to play with in the top drawer of the bathroom. Then, around the time of your first school dance, you head to a department store where someone else tells you what to buy, applies it for you, and makes their commission. Thus begins your trial and mostly error phase. You’re on your own with a small, but mighty collection of foundation and one eyeliner pencil. You’d think, for as long as she’s used it herself, that your mom would offer you some instruction, but upon closer inspection, it seems like she’s not entirely sure what she’s doing either. She’s just further along in her trial and error phase and, through various hits and misses, has developed a routine.

No one ever teaches you what you’re doing, or why you’re doing it, but once you reach a certain age, you’re expected to do it every day.

Lucky for me, my exploration yielded some good results. I became The Makeover Friend. We all have one! They’re your first call when you have an event to dress up for, and their apartment is Halloween Headquarters. While I loved being a go-to, I assumed that the social media boom would put me out of the job. With instant access to thousands of makeup artists and an endless stream of tutorials, why would anyone keep coming to me? Surprisingly, though, they did. Was it because I had enough makeup to share? Maybe, but everyone I knew had a substantial makeup bag of their own. Was it because I enjoyed it enough to put in the practice? Sure, but we were all wearing makeup every day. What made my relationship with makeup different? One day, it finally hit me.

Illustration. I loved drawing, and years of art classes had offered me separate information that connected all the dots between my makeup and my face. I knew how color, light, and shadow interacted and adhered to specific patterns. I’d spent long hours looking at the dimensions and proportions of the face. More importantly, I’d always had clear and direct guidance. When I observed my own thought process as I applied my makeup, I realized that the lessons ringing in my ears had come from my art teachers.

I looked at my instagram feed with fresh eyes. If I didn’t have a background in illustration, would I know what these makeup artists were doing? Absolutely not. They all focused on showing without explaining, and selling without qualifying. That’s why I decided to develop my own method. By bringing the fundamentals of an art class to the application process, I could offer people the benefit of deep understanding and create something valuable.

In an industry built on giving out fish, Makeup Theory teaches you how to fish, and like the teachers who invested in my growth, I’m staying on the boat until you’re reeling them in yourself.

~ Katie LaMark, Creator of Makeup Theory