Meet the Global Beauty Instructors: Flora Kay

Meet Flora Kay, an International makeup artist based out of NYC and one of QC Makeup Academy’s new instructors! Over the course of her career, she has traveled the globe from her native Hong Kong to London, Italy and beyond! Flora has been the personal makeup artist of top celebrities like Kate Moss, Wendy Malick, Mary Mary, and Kid Cudi. Her work has also been featured in Vogue, Elle, GQ, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Brides, and more.

Flora teaches you all about working with East Asian skin types in the global beauty course. This includes bridal makeup, every day makeup, and editorial looks for this clientele.

Watch the video below to learn more about Flora’s exciting career in makeup!

What makes you passionate about makeup?

Not only do I love makeup, I love everything about being a freelance makeup artist. You get to travel, work with different crews, different people, celebrities, socialites – people you would never have the chance to meet if you weren’t doing makeup. It’s the adventure.

Have you ever doubted yourself or your makeup skills?

I doubted myself all the time when I first started, and I’m starting to doubt myself now. But not in between my career when I was working every day – I didn’t have time to doubt myself, I was too busy to even sit down and think about what I’m doing.

When it’s not second nature, when you’re still learning and practicing, and when you’re not confident, 100% you naturally will doubt yourself. So I was doubting myself all the time, because when I first started I didn’t have any money so I didn’t have the best makeup. And when you don’t have the best makeup, it’s hard to deliver the best standard, and not having the experience makes you scared and nervous. People can feel it from you – if you have no confidence, then people won’t trust you. It’s very simple.

What has been your biggest regret throughout your makeup career?

I had the opportunity to get into one of the biggest agencies in LA when I first moved here, but I couldn’t drive so I didn’t go. I thought about learning how to drive but the way they drive so fast in LA I thought I’d be killed before I learned. I think it wasn’t the right time in my life to go there, but now I’m ready. If it happens again, I’ll make myself drive 8 hours a day just to get good at it.

Grab the opportunities while you can. I still think that this job could be the last job. As a freelancer, you never have that security. I’ve had that fear as a freelancer for 30 years. Do your best and the job will come!

Find out what you’ll learn in QC’s new Global Beauty Workshop!