Meet Veronica Lane: Professional Makeup & Hair Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Veronica Lane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Veronica, how do you think about risk?
I have been a freelance Makeup & Hair Artist for over 25 years. Being a freelance artist is all about taking risks. There are financial risks, sporadic work, lack of benefits it is the ultimate responsibility. In the 1990’s, I worked for Sebastian International hair care and makeup company. I received a regular paycheck. I knew the amount I would make each week and received bonuses. It was a great time and of course I loved the company. It was also part of the Beauty Industry which was a plus. In 2000, I went completely freelance. I had to start all over again. I had no clients, no production prospects, nothing. It was up to me to let people know that I was looking for leads for possible jobs. This business is a lot of who you know. I was lucky enough to have been introduced to an Art Director for an advertising company that photographed for a major department store’s weekly clothing catalogs. I was put on a two week rotation with other artists making 2,000 a week. This new connection saved my career and put it on the right path. I met more artists from here and had the opportunity to work on more high profile productions. You take risks every time you do a makeup or hairstyle on a personal client or production job. You are hoping the producer / director will like your work. Even though you are hired as an independent artist for the duration of the job you work for whomever hired you. You have to be willing to have your work critiqued. The other risk is financial. Are you the type of person that can work paycheck to paycheck not really knowing how much you will make? When you start out you work for “credit only” or a “kit fee” which pays you a little money for your product usage. It is a great way to get your name in publications, photo shoots, more referrals, while building your print portfolio or reel in film (non-union), TV (non -union) and commercials. A lot new artists don’t know that and they give up because they have to have a regular paycheck. I get it, we all have bills to pay. I tell every new artist if you can just hang in there the reward of being your own boss, making your own schedule, setting your own rates, doing the jobs you want to do and if you enjoy the hustle this can be a very successful career for you. I was also given this advice from my mom, I must have car insurance and health insurance. So I made sure these 2 things were part of my budget. As a freelance artist there are many tax breaks because your fronting the costs as your own company. So yes there are risks but there are so many benefits.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a professional makeup artist. I love applying makeup on people. I can make someone look fabulous for a red carpet event or I can get creative with colors and textures working with models who inspire you. When applying makeup for a more Editorial, Fashion or Creative look, It is a team effort. You have the Photographer, Model, Hair Stylist, Makeup Artist and sometimes Fashion Stylist if you are photographing more than the face which is called a “Beauty” shot. It makes you feel proud to be a part of a team who are like minded. One person comes to mind whom I met years back is Angela Marklew, Beauty photographer. She was very instrumental in my beauty / fashion portfolio growing in size and my work maturing in quality. She pushed you to be better on every shoot. What sets me a part from others is I have seen my creative work evolve over 25 years. Starting out in the early 1990’s the looks that I recall back then were the tail end of the 80’s, the 90’s you either had the bronzed goddess looks inspired by the Supermodels, Cindy, Naomi, Linda and Christy to name a few or you had the pale face, red lips, heavy brows look. Since then many trends have come and gone. I think as an artist you have to be willing to let go of the old, try something new and occasionally revisit the past. Everything is circular eventually you will see that makeup trend again but in a new way. The technology (skincare meets makeup) in makeup is usually a big part of how to make “looks” more modern. How did I get here today professionally? Previously I gave a shout out to Kaz Amor and Jocelyn Zayco who were both very important. I also met many incredibly talented hair, makeup and photographers early on. To name a few Shelly Strazis, Andrea Gomez, Karen Millet, Rachel Weill and Blake Gardner. Rita D’Albert, who produces along with Liz Fairbairn one of the best live shows in DTLA at The Mayan, Lucha Vavoom. I have been on her makeup team since the beginning 2003, 18 years and very loyal. Kat Laskey, a good friend who is an incredible makeup artist and Elizabeth Fry, Film and TV makeup artist who I met in the late 90’s who brought me on many films. Makeup Designory in Burbank, a professional makeup school for aspiring artists who want to do makeup for entertainment film / television / photo shoots. Teaching as part of their part time staff for several years gave me the structure that I craved after being a freelance artist. Now I had the best of both worlds I was again part of a company that I believe in and I could still do my own side work. I try paying it forward by hiring our MUD grads. You spend years developing relationships with everyone, even those who are not in a position to hire you but can refer you. One of the challenges is maintaining these relationships. Some last, some you lose touch with, some move away or on to other artists. It can be a bit discouraging but you cannot take it personal. You have to move on and keep adding to your circle of friends. Lessons I learned along the way are trying to understand why you didn’t get a call back from that producer, client or art director. Was it because you didn’t have an item in your kit that was needed? Were you late for a job? Where you texting on the phone while working? Did the talent / actress not like your work? Did you not give “last looks” when they were called? These examples are not just mine but other artists I know. We have all had lessons to learn. I want the world to know about my story is if you would have told me when I was younger and just starting out that people would pay me to do hair and makeup I would have said NO WAY! I come from a working class family. I have no contacts in entertainment. Everything I achieved would not be possible without the help from others. Now of course you also have to be THAT person who wants to make things happen. You cannot sit and home and wait for the phone to ring. You have to enjoy the hustle as I call it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For a week long trip with a friend. You have to visit Grauman’s Chinese theater to see all the hand and footprints of many actors. The Hollywood sign is a must see. A ride up the PCH coast towards Malibu. A trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios and road trip to Palm Springs. Some of my favorite restaurants are in my neighborhood of Boyle Heights are El Tepeyac, made famous by their Hollenbeck burritos and Al and Bea’s. In the mood for sushi, Little Tokyo is not only a great place to visit but walk into any restaurant and your sure to have a great experience. Let’s have a cocktail at Clifton’s Cafeteria on Broadway in DTLA or Musso and Franks for an old Hollywood experience on Hollywood Blvd. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give special thanks to Kaz Amor. I met Kaz around 1992/93, at The Long Beach Hair Show. He gave me his card while I was doing makeup on models for another hair care company. I was a young girl from Boyle Heights (just east of DTLA). It took three weeks for me to get the courage to call him. West Hollywood was a world away from where I came from. It was intimidating but making that call opened up so many opportunities. I assisted Kaz in his salon, I shampooed clients, swept hair, cleaned. On the creative side I was able to do makeup on photo shoots he produced. That was my first start in building my portfolio and more. Being in that atmosphere was an education all its own. He is an expert Hair Stylist and Colorist. He is the founder/creator of a clean and vegan hair care line called https://www.vocehaircare.com/. He is truly a leader in the Salon Industry. Kaz introduced me to Jocelyn Zayco, Senior Make up Artist for Sebastian Internationalaround the same time. This introduction was a dream come true. I became a member of the Sebastian International Artistic Team and a full time employee with the company. I had the opportunity to travel, teach seasonal makeup collections, learn from the very best speakers, presenters and artists. I will admit Public speaking in front of not only your peers but larger audiences was challenging but I hung in there. You had to be out there on stage talking about the brand not just behind the scenes doing makeup. Being a part of an Elite team of artists was AMAZING. Today, Jocelyn is the Brand Manager for Albion Cosmetics America. Jocelyn has a gift for story telling as it pertains to the beauty industry. She is a thoughtful conceptual person who believes in what she does. Jocelyn remains till this day my friend and mentor.

Website: www.veronicalane.com

Instagram: @veronicalanemakeup

Twitter: @vronnnica

Facebook: Veronica Lane

Image Credits
Angela Marklew Veronica Lane (personal photo)