We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lindsay Ambrosio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsay, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

This has to be one of the hardest things to do when it comes to makeup artistry. Building a clientelle is very difficult. Artistry is very subjective. Most clients do not know exactly what they want when it comes to makeup but most know what they do not like. It is very important as a artist to be very diverse. Knowing how to do every skin color and textures. I see the same makeup artist doing the same makeup artistry they do on themselves on other people, which does not work. You must study different faces shapes and eye shapes. As far as the grind, it is a every day thing. I wake up and go to sleep thinking about my business. Some of my call times are when some people are coming home from the bars. That is the thing about freelance artisrty. It is a 24/7 grind. It’s not for everybody. Most of these younger artist are sitting at home thinking that Kim K is going to call them and offer them a job. Only the real creatives will understand me on this!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hi, my name is Lindsay Ambrosio and I’m a Professional Makeup Artist. I’m also a Photographer, Licensed Esthetician, Licensed Nail Tech and Massage Therapist. I’ve been a makeup artist for the past 22 years. I was obsessed with the industry as a young girl! I LOVED Madonna and George Michael music videos and watching all the  “SUPERMODELS” in the 90’s. My sister modeled in the 90’s and I found myself going to her shoots. I was intrigued by the whole process of photoshoots. Primarily makeup, styling and the photography! I did makeup for a lot of my friends in high school for dances. This was 1996-1998, all before the internet!  I started my professional career in 2001. I worked in Cherry Creek North doing makeup, nails and massage therapy. Back in those days you had to do so many different trades to earn a living. I worked at MAC Cherry Creek from 2003-2008.  In 2008, I started my own company Makeup Madame, doing just makeup. I’ve been so blessed to have such a successful business. I’ve had so many AMAZING opportunities throughout the years! Social media has changed my business so much. I’ve had so many opportunities come my way through social media. I’ve done so many celebrities and have done such extravagant events! I’m so excited for the future and can’t wait for what it will bring!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Being a makeup artist for so long, I was able to save a lot of money. I worked at MAC and freelanced here and there. I put away money and wasn’t a BIG spender. I think that sets me apart from so many people. I’ve always spent within my means. But being a very driven and hard worker makes a huge difference as well. I worked 7 days a week for almost 5 years. I was always making a lot more than I was ever spending. So when it came time to invest in my company, I had the money to do so. Something I always recommend to newer makeup artist or people wanting to re-brand is finding a great Brand Designer. You need a great logo and website. Another thing you need is a strong kit. Spend the extra money and buy professional products. Clients do not want to get their makeup done with a full face of drug store products. Sure a few drug store products like mascara and lip gloss isn’t bad, but trust me, invest in the GREAT stuff. Always come to the client with a director’s chair and of course a light. For me, it is important to have a glam studio for my clients. I have a ton of out town clients, so having a location is essential. I love having a glam studio that has beautiful lighting, a central location and aesthetic for the perfect selfie!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

This is for all my OG makeup artist’s of 15 years or more. For me, there have been 2 pivotal moments! 1. The change of makeup happened when MISS KIM KARDASHIAN was receiving GLAM on Keeping up with the Kardashian’s and letting the world know it was okay to receive makeup for any occasion. Not only for just weddings. It is hard for people to justify spending x amount on a service and have to wash your face in 8 hours, She made it normal. She also, put the highlight and contour back on the map. We all saw her photo that went viral when Makeup by Mario did her makeup of her extreme highlight and contour. Yes, drag queens have been doing that same method for decades but most people didn’t relate to the process like they did when it was done on Kim. After Keeping up was on, my website starting generating a lot more activity and I was a lot busier. 2. The power of social media! If a celebrity comes into town, or simply posts they need a MUA (makeup artist) in CO. They either post on their IG (InstaGram) stories and a ton of people tag me OR they search tags and I come up. So I get so many opportunities from celebs and influencers from social media!

Contact Info:

• Website: makeupmadame.com
• Instagram: lindsaymakeupmadame
• Facebook: facebook.com/lindsaymakeupmadame
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/makeupmadame

Image Credits
Thanks to: Jenna Mariah, Kourtney Kellar, Courtney Danielle, Jimi Marley, Krystal, Lucy, Stasia, Calai