Today we chat with Gold Coast based make-up artist Kylie Eustace who has just been announced as a finalist for the Australian Beauty and industry awards. – Makeup artist of the year. Congratulations Kylie on your making it as a finalist in the awards this year how does it feel to receive this amazing accolade? Thank you so much. I am very honoured to be a finalist for the Australian make-up Artist of the year award. The Industry awards has been judged on all the work we have done in the past year so it is very exciting to be a finalist. The standard and level of talent in the industry is exceptionally high and I am so happy to be associated with some of Australia’s most outstanding Artists. I also feel very proud that I have achieved a finalist position in such a competitive industry using all my own natural product range. With such a fast paced and competitive industry what do you think has set yourself apart as one of Australia’s top makeup artists?  I think to succeed in any artistic industry, one cannot be an artist just for money or think of it as just a job. Being an Artist is who I am and is a passion I cannot possibly imagine living without. I have always had such a love for what I do and I love working with other creative and passionate people in all fields and at all levels. I find it very important to always follow my intuition and heart and make the most of opportunities presented before me. Playing it safe may be less stressful but not being afraid of failure and constantly pushing the boundaries is where real growth, knowledge and skill come from. Being able to communicate clearly and having a good sense of humour is also essential when working with many different characters. What would you describe as the average work day of yours entails and how important it is to be motivated and dedicated to your industry to stay at the top of your game always pushing your limits …? Being more than a little make-up obsessed the dedication part is easy but because I do such a wide variety of jobs an average days work is nearly impossible to describe. Each day can be completely different, the personalities, the brief, the collection or models or clients worked on is always different. I usually have researched and planned what I may be creating before I arrive at a job. Sometimes however I have to decide in the moment what is best and that is where good communication and intuition comes in. I always strive to make my clients feel beautiful. Working on models often gives me more leeway for being more creative as they are used to different looks. Pushing my limits makes my heart beat with excitement. The underwater make-up needed for Beth Mitchell’s Imaginarium series and performer Feiu’s music video absolutely pushed my limits and yet was so much fun. Kylie clearly lives and breathes the industry and with over 20 years of experience where do you see the industry heading here in Australia …? The number of make-up Artists in Australia has grown steadily every year especially with all the great make-up Artists work so easy to admire on the internet, inspiring the young and talented. I love working with schools and with the new V.E.T. loans available now for the beauty industry, there has been a huge spike in make-up academy class numbers. I think only truly talented, determined and professional Make-up Artist’s will succeed with so much competition. The standard of work is sure to become even more amazing! I also see my industry choosing to use more of the professional quality natural and mineral products than it has before which I think is wonderful. This is especially good news for those with sensitive skin. I think it is a very exciting time for lovers of makeup in Australia For more information on Kylie or her work visit www.kylies.com.au ]]>