We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessi Pagel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessi below.

Hi Jessi , thanks for joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

The craziest story I have as a makeup artist/hair stylist is about an 80s band.

In 2008 I was booked on this job on Sunset Boulevard. I can’t say who because of the NDA I signed, but it was one of the most influential 80s bands of the punk/new wave era. I’m such a fan of this band and that decade of music so I had to keep that to myself while working with this band, My first experience was with one of the band members. He told me a story about a previous relationship with another musician that I work with, that told me to tell him Hello. He explained to me how much he despised her husband, and cursed him in every which way under the sun. As a Makeup Artist, you have to smile and go along remaining unaffected to finish your job doing their make up, while not trying to exasperate the situation. It definitely taught me not to ever speak to a celebrity, about another client.

When I went to do Make Up for the lead singer of the band. Every question I asked about his skin had a creepy, dirty old man response. It was funny in itself but again I can’t respond unprofessionally so I just did not respond. Next, I was escorted to the waiting area or Green room as you call it, to wait for the the crew to finish setting up the shot.

Waiting in the room with the only other female crew member, an intercom system came on playing a self-help recording of why you shouldn’t kill yourself, along with comedic-dark humor interjections. This went on for 20 minutes which felt like  we were being punked. The other crew member, and I just looked at each other in disbelief, and then the lead singer of the band poked his head around the corner of the entrance, giggled and then ran away.

This was such a surreal experience, on one hand I’m working with this amazing band that I’ve been a fan of for so long, and on the other hand I’m in a studio that’s world renowned. Plus, I’m dealing with this comedic humor that not everyone can understand.

Later on, I’m watching set and sitting in their recording studio, I found a deck of cards. Ten to fifteen minutes later, I was still waiting patiently, so I picked up the cards to play Solitaire. Little did I know these were not actually playing cards, they had some kind of art on them. So I put them down not really knowing what to do with them, and felt bad that I touched them because this is not my space, and I’m just being allowed to sit in this room.

At the end of the day I removed the Make Up For the lead singer of the band, and I asked the story of those playing cards. He told me to hold on, he ran away and came back with these cards. He explained that through the decades of their music career the band had drawn cartoons onto restaurant placemats, hotel room paper, and nightclub writers, (which is a piece of paper with instructions for your green room of the venue). Then using all these cartoons, they compiled them onto the back of a deck of cards.

I had such a special fan girl moment, nine times of ten people would ask for an autograph at this time. But I was taught that it’s bad form to ask any celebrity you are working with for autograph, so I did not. But I treasure these cards today still. Upon leaving, their manager ended up giving us all T-shirts bumper stickers and lapel pins as well. It was such a memorable experience, but such a weird one as well.

Jessi , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jessi Pagel. I’ve been working as a Makeup Artist since 1999.

Jumping back to my childhood, I drew clothing. I wanted to be a fashion designer. My religion at the time didn’t want you to have an education, so I ignored my passion. In my high school years, I left the religion and took every art class I could. I wanted to be some type of artist. Just not sure what.

After years of working different jobs, I wasn’t happy. Then I found makeup, wearing crazy eyeshadow, blending it well and wearing with pride. My close friends took notice and asked me to do their makeup, then shop with them for makeup. Seeing the joy it brought my friends, showed me THIS was what I was meant to do. Next, I needed to professionally get my feet wet. In 1997, I started working in a Makeup supply store while working multiple other jobs as well, and trying to build my portfolio, work weddings and my friends make up for fun ladies night’s out.

The more I would apply makeup to my friends, and show them a lipstick color, an eyeliner trick or an eyeshadow they’d never tried, that look of self-love and happiness on their face addicted me to this career. Giving that love was everything. And I somehow understood color theory, blending and application. So I dove hard into Kevyn Aucoin, NARS and other Makeup books.

Starting in 1999 and living in Las Vegas, I began to work at Clinique, back then we had to get a certificate to touch people’s faces and be allowed to do their makeup. I ended up correcting the teacher when she mis-quoted a trick from the glorious Kevyn Aucoin… my ferocity for the craft blossomed even more.

I worked there for a couple years and then relocated from Las Vegas to Laguna Beach, California in 2001. I quit Clinique, started freelancing and working with photographers to get my portfolio together as well as try to work weddings, all while holding a day job.

By 2003, I moved back to Las Vegas, (sentences omitted) I started assisting and interning an amazing makeup artist who introduced me to some more artists and hair stylists. This education was key for the future of my career. One Makeup Artist had been working over 25 years in the movie industry in California. The other Makeup artist had worked for over 15 years in the commercial and television industry in Las Vegas. This experience opened doors for me, to modeling agencies, a hairstylist that was the wig master for a big casino and another hairstylist that did off Broadway wigs as well as off Broadway and opera costuming. I cannot express this enough, that education is priceless. You truly cannot compare the experiences and education I received with all these people.

From 2003 to 2005 I was assisting and booking my own photo shoots as well as reality TV shows, private events, celebrity Makeup and more. Another epic part of my career was when I started to work with Photographers in Vegas, I was lucky enough to work with people that were still shooting on film so they would tell me how to critique my make up for their editing in the dark room.

I was referred by a friend to work as an assistant makeup/hair on a poker television show in 2005 and impressed the lead Makeup Artist. After continuing with her, a couple of shows later she basically handed over her department head job to me. I did not know how lucky I was when that happened. I continued to work as the lead Makeup artist for multiple poker television shows until 2011. I was so fortunate to have bookings on more tv shows as well as lead makeup for commercials, character makeup for events, working beauty and glam for live events and artsy avant-garde makeup and hair for fashion shows. Another cool note is that on my poker shows, I got to watch the camera’s change in definition and type of resolution, myself critiquing became imperative. I got to learn as I worked.

I relocated in 2007 to Los Angeles and then to Orange County continuing my career with new production companies and photographers. I worked the Banned MMA Affliction Fight in 2008 with another world renowned band. There, I met the creatives behind the Affliction brand while glamming up their ring girls. That led to a relationship with the brand, and from that relationship, my makeup and hair was published in fashion spreads in Lucky Magazine, Harper’s, BAZAAR magazine, ELLE magazine, and more.

I found out that as a Makeup artist you are the first person that the makeup and hair client sits down with, before they go and act in front of a group of people or work in front of a camera. The way you leave a person and their attitude is how they walk onto their job. It’s imperative to always help your clients feeling comfortable and taken care of. As well as the Director, Producer and the rest of your crew to feel like you’re executing your job professionally. So they don’t have to worry about telling you what to do. Again that’s where my interning and assisting paid off.

I relocated to Austin, Texas in 2010. I had no idea that bringing my career to Austin would take more time and effort to establish myself. It took five years of trying to make a name for myself. Since then, I have worked television shows and films as an assistant and as a lead for makeup and hair. I’ve also continued to work with celebrities, but my heart moved me towards the commercial and advertising medias of production.

As the climate of this career has changed with influencers, beauty bloggers and Internet educated Makeup Artists, I’m really lucky to say that I got to begin this career with real film photographers.

We have to constantly stay up to date on trends, fashion, brands, tricks and techniques to make ourselves standout. I am fortunate to work as an artist, I geek out on all things art and truly love to create as well as being able to help people smile and feel good about themselves. I’m not in front of the camera, they are. They need to feel confident in their shoes. I may have a suggestion about using a different color or technique…. but at the end of the day. Their face is in front of the camera, and if I have anything to do with it, they will be epic!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

My main problem is I exceed expectations as a human. When I hire colleagues to work with me on films, television shows or weddings. I expect me. And that’s not fair.

I had to relearn how to approach situations and give space for my team to flourish and give their best self. However it may be.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started my website in 2001 while working a day job and freelancing on the side. I had access to a computer all day, so I rocked my one page site all by myself. I have 100% been the web builder and maintained that plus my bridal site, facebook and instagram accounts as well as my blog.

All I do is post use hashtags and engage.

Contact Info:

• Website: Http://www.jessipagel.com
• Instagram: @jessipagel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessipagelmuah?mibextid=JRoKGi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessipagel?trk=contact-info
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/mj16YpFS-B

Image Credits
Photography by: CAC Photography Sanjay Patel Worth and Worth Ainsley Joseph Pieter M Van Hattem Dan Winters Ami Lee Photography