Graduate Feature: Jessica Moore

Name: Jessica Moore

Location: Cairns, Australia

QC Makeup Courses taken:

• Master Makeup Artistry

• Hair Styling Essentials

Facebook: Facebook.com/jayinem.makeupmistress

Instagram: Instagram.com/jayinem

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Jess, and I own and operate Jayinem Makeup Mistress. I am a mother to two children ages 5 and 3, and I manage a Napoleon Perdis makeup counter.

After completing my Master Makeup Artistry course, I dove straight into my makeup business. I worked with some incredibly talented branding babes to bring Jayinem Makeup Mistress to life. Knowing the makeup industry in my region is quite saturated, we knew we had to give my business an edge—something other makeup businesses didn’t have and a point of difference.

I had an idea of how I wanted my service to make people feel and I knew how I wanted it to make me feel. This was the inspiration for the brand. Jayinem is essentially my initials spelled out, J and M. My brand also includes my signature purple wigs. Jayinem is my alter-ego, the sassy and confident version of myself that I love to bring out in my makeup clients.

Why did you decide to become a makeup artist?

I’ve always had a passion for all things makeup and beauty. My friends would constantly ask me to do their hair and makeup for events we were attending. Where I live, we don’t have many education options for those who want to pursue a makeup career, so I opted to go into the tourism industry.

I then became a mother and took time off work. I thoroughly enjoyed having the time at home with my children, but I longed for something more for myself—a passion other than my children.

I was scrolling through Facebook one afternoon and I saw an ad for the Master Makeup Course through QC makeup academy and it spoke to my soul. That night, I enrolled and was SO excited to begin the makeup course.

This was the perfect way for me to attend makeup school and be at home with my kids!

You were a finalist in this year’s Cairns Business Women’s Club Awards! Congrats! Can you tell us more about it?

Thank you! I’m very proud of this achievement. I was nominated for the Young Entrepreneur category. I was stoked when I got an email stating that I had been nominated for the award. The process was quite intense from there. I completed the nominated submission kit, which included a five-page questionnaire diving right into the ins-and-outs of my makeup business. I spoke about how I started my makeup business, my impact on the community, sustainability, and plans for the future.

When I learned I was a finalist, I was so excited. Out of 130 nominees, I was one of 33 finalists for the seven categories. There were four finalists in my category who are all completely amazing business women in my region.

During the interview process, we all had to do a short presentation and answer questions from the judges. It was nerve-racking, and I was totally out of my comfort zone. But I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to go through this process because it has made me grow as a person, which allows me to grow my business.

I didn’t come away as the winner, but I still feel like a winner with everything I have learned and the opportunities that have come from it. I had some excellent feedback from my judges as well.

How has being a mom impacted your career in makeup artistry?

It wasn’t an easy task to study and start a makeup business while being the best mum I could be to my children. I also went through a separation during that time. I decided to use that as fuel to go further instead of letting it drag me backward.

While I was studying my makeup course, I would include my kids in everything I was doing. When I was reading my textbooks, they were reading their books. When I was practicing my makeup application, my daughter was doing “makeup” on her dolly or I would be practicing on her. When I was doing the Hair Styling Essentials course, I practiced applying makeup on my daughter all the time. She absolutely loves being involved! She even has her own little makeup kit now and sits down to do her makeup when I do. She is actually getting quite good, too!

I’ve also had friends with children come over for “makeup play dates”. The kids would play, and I would practice my makeup on my friend.

I think when you’re passionate about something, you don’t make excuses not to do things. I decided to pursue a makeup career to show my kids that anything is possible when they set their mind to it.

You offer a variety of makeup artistry services. Would you say special effects makeup is your favorite?

I do—special effects makeup is so much fun! It’s something I have dabbled in a little bit, but I’m looking at doing QC’s Special FX Makeup course soon to build my skills.

I think special effects makeup is definitely one of my favorites types of artistry because it opens up a new opportunity to be creative. It’s also been good for my makeup business because it’s not a common service where I live.

You’re a graduate of QC’s Hair Styling Essential’s course. Do you offer hair styling services as part of your makeup business?

I sure do! I love to do hair styling along with makeup. I love to see a complete look for my clients, and I am able to offer quite a competitive rate for hair and makeup packages.

I think that it gives me a competitive edge business-wise. Finding one professional to do both services takes stress off clients. Although, it is a pretty tough makeup job when you have a wedding party of six for hair and makeup, a challenge I thrive on.

Why did you choose QC over all the other makeup schools out there?

I think in a way, QC found me, which I will be forever grateful for. The freedom to complete the makeup courses at my own pace is what made me 110% committed, especially having two young children. The course provided everything I needed to learn to do makeup, and I love that you get real and raw feedback from your tutor. I was lucky enough to have Nathan as my tutor for the Master Makeup Artistry Course, and I learned a lot from him.

The course is very in-depth. You will know everything you need to become a makeup artist once you complete the course. I love that it covers pretty much all the different makeup jobs and makeup career paths you can take.

What do you have in store for 2019?

I have some big plans for Jayinem Makeup Mistress. I’m in the process of releasing my own makeup line, offering more makeup services, and opening up my own shop. The shop goes beyond just selling makeup or providing makeup artistry services to client. I want it to be a one-stop beauty shop where my clients can come in and be completely transformed—doing nails, eyelash extensions, waxing and tinting, makeup, and hair styling. This also gives me a great opportunity to collaborate with other women in the beauty industry!

This industry is forever-changing and moving forward. So I’m always learning and keeping on-top of the newest makeup trends and keeping my business at the forefront of people’s minds.

Finally, if you only had 5 minutes to do your makeup—what products would you grab?

Oh, this is a good question! Firstly, I would use a good moisturizing primer. Especially coming into the colder seasons (in Australia), my skin can get quite dry. I would then do my brows. I have been using a wax-based pencil for longevity and mascara to open up my eyes.

I’d then use some concealer. I have a great color-correcting concealer that really helps to get rid of the dark circles under my eyes and set it with some concealer-based powder for a little extra coverage. Lastly, I would use a nice mineral blush to add some color into my face, and then some lipgloss. Simple yet very effective!

Thinking about becoming your own boss? Check out these 5 obvious signs you should start your own makeup business!