September 13, 2016

Meet Westchester Makeup Artist: April Ross

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to the dazzling April Ross.

April, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I worked for over a decade in the music business at record companies in A&R and Production, and in television. I’d had a life-long love of makeup, and after becoming disillusioned with and leaving the entertainment business, decided to pursue makeup artistry seriously. I started really as a hobbyist about eight years ago, then went and got a stellar education and training with veteran artist and educator Donna Mee, and began to do makeup professionally four years ago. It’s been go go go ever since!

Has it been a smooth road?
Anything worth having is worth working hard for. I was still working full-time when I decided to seriously pursue makeup artistry and go to makeup school. I’d get up at 4;45am, get to the office at 7am, leave Santa Monica at 3pm, drive two hours to Costa Mesa, be in class for five hours, get home at 11:30 or midnight, and get up and do it all over again, every day, for months. It was *very* challenging, and all worth it. I worked seven days a week the first year out of school to build my portfolio and client base, and network and build relationships with photographers and other creatives. I’m also a wife and a mother, whose spouse travels and is away a lot for work. So juggling responsibilities and time management are key. Doing makeup is wonderful and fun; running a business as a freelancer takes a LOT of persistence, planning, and drive. The biggest challenge is keeping up stamina and always pushing ahead in your business.

What are some of the influences that have played the biggest role in your journey so far?
There’s no question that my instructor and mentor, Donna Mee, played a pivotal role in my career. I saw that the caliber of work done by those she’d trained was jaw-dropping. Under her tutelage, my skill level, the development of my eye, and the depth of understanding of artistry just increased by leaps and bounds. Everything changed for the better for me as an artist after that.

Do you have a favorite type of client or project?
I’ve been in talks with a high-level celebrity artist and with a big name hairstylist — no names yet, I don’t want to jinx anything! — about future projects. That’s very exciting. That beauty and fashion for print work is my real love. But I also really enjoy my private clients, and will continue to build on working with a lot of professional women and women entrepreneurs. I have a program for them called the CEO, or “Chic Executive Officer”. There’s something about combining beauty with talented women who’ve achieved in their professions, or are out there building their businesses and ventures that’s very satisfying. I love all my clients, commercial and private. It’s the people, and delivering what they want, that make this work a pleasure. It’s the best feeling when someone turns to the mirror and says, “Wow!” and you know they’re pleased.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were just starting out?
I kicked the idea of makeup artistry around a few years before I went for it seriously. If I were to do things differently, I’d start ten years earlier!

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