Meet Marygene – West Hollywood Makeup Artist

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marygene.

Marygene, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am originally from Laredo, Texas in Deep South Texas located on the border of Mexico. I grew up on a ranch about 30 min from town, surrounded by horses cattle and cactus. Growing up I was always a little different from my family. I had an artistic flair. I was always crafting, drawing making things prettier. I was a rodeo cowgirl for 5 years of my life and during that time I discovered makeup and was drawn to the way you could transform a face. I began doing all my barrel racing friends makeup and realized that I loved making them feel more beautiful than they already were. After high school I immediately applied to MKC in Los Angeles and left my ranch life for the big city of La. I took on the city with my small town naivety and made it my own. After attending school I attacked the market making friends in the makeup industry and worked without pay for 5 years. I assisted and continue to assist. I feel that you can never stop learning and getting better at this craft. There is always new technology, new techniques, new products and there is always someone who know more than you do. As I continue my journey forward I have hopes of one day working for people like Pat McGrath who in my opinion is a legend and one-day doing makeup for a vogue cover shoot. I will never quit striving I will never stop being humble and I will never forget the little cowgirl who just wanted to sparkle!

Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely has been a rough road there were times when I felt like I was never going to make it pass apprenticeship. There were photo shoots where I was made to feel like I didn’t belong. There were many days I would leave a shoot in tears. I had to learn hard lessons about how to not be in the way or how to not be “too helpful” if that makes sense. I feel that anything that is worth doing in life is difficult and if you want to be the best you have to go through trial by fire and always be humble enough to take correction and learn from it.

What’s your outlook for the industry over the next 5-10 years?
In 5 years, I see myself keying for the top designers for New York, Milan, Paris and, London Fashion Week. In 10 years I plan to start my own makeup line. I have my sights set high, but if you don’t have vision you’ll never get far. Pat McGrath is my biggest inspiration, so I study her if you want to be successful, study successful people.

Has there been a particular challenge that you’ve faced over the years?
The biggest challenge is figuring out how this industry works, knowing who to contact and having the discernment to pick the right people to work with. You can easily get stuck with working with the same people because it took you this long to find them, but if you don’t branch out, you and your work will never develop.

What would you tell someone who is just starting out?
The biggest advice as a makeup artist is to become friends with other makeup artists, hair stylists too! And I’m not talking about becoming their friend because you want something from them, do it because you want them to be successful. What goes around comes around. Be genuine and trustworthy, because one day they aren’t going to be able to take a job and they will need to refer it to someone else. 85% of my work comes from personal referrals from other makeup artists. And one more thing, work for free a lot. You gain experience and it shows you’re passionate.

Pricing:

• Makeup sessions can range depending on your artists skill level and experience. Anywhere from $200-$3,000
• Pricing also varies depending on the type of makeup from photo shoots to bridal to videography.
• It can get even more extensive if you get into special effects

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marygene.com
• Phone: 9562867117
• Email: marygene@me.com
• Instagram: @marygenemua