Name: Shannon Armstrong
Location: Tasmania, Australia
QC Courses completed:
QC Courses currently taking:
Social Media:
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Website: www.shannonarmstrongmua.com
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Facebook: @shannonarmstrongmua
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Instagram: @shannonarmstrongmua
Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m a 21 year old girl from a small town located on the far North-West Coast of Tasmania, Australia. I’ve been obsessed with makeup for as long as I can remember. I’m a proud owner of a little makeup business and a studio for my clients. I’d love to be a full time Makeup Artist, travelling around Australia (or the globe!) doing makeup for fashion shows, photoshoots and for everyday ladies who want to be pampered.
When did you decide you wanted to take a professional makeup artistry course? What inspired you?
Like any young girl, I first wanted to be a nurse, doctor, lawyer, and so on. I did end up taking some courses in regards to one of those careers. I soon realised that what I was studying for was not for me. I saw an ad for QC Academy and finally decided to jump head first into the courses. I’m so glad I did – I finally felt like I was doing something I always should’ve done.
My inspiration for deciding to become a certified Makeup Artist was my mum, dad, and brother. They’re my biggest inspirations and my biggest supporters to pursue anything I set my mind to. A lot of my creative work comes from things that remind me of them.
Which palette could you not live without?
My ride-or-die palette has been the Modern Renaissance by Anastasia Beverly Hills. I use at least one of the shades out of this palette on every single client I have.
Shannon’s work before (left) and after (right) taking QC courses!
How did your skills evolve while/after taking (each of) your courses with QC Makeup Academy?
My knowledge for skin evolved immensely, this is the one that comes to me the most. I learnt a lot from this section in Master Makeup Artistry course. Overall, the courses were great for refreshing my memory on certain things but also learning new things which I would have probably never thought about. So my skills evolved greatly.
Do you have a favorite style or look to do on clients?
Honestly, I love every style and look there is in the makeup industry. If I could only pick one, it would have to be a classic smokey, bronzed look. I absolutely LOVE this kind of style and it suits just about everyone. And of course, highlight! I love the highlighted look.
You’ve been doing work as a freelance MUA. Has there been any obstacles you’ve had to face? How did you deal with it?
My biggest obstacle has been and still is getting my name out there. Since being in a small town and a small state, the work for makeup artists is usually limited to the wedding season & proms. Although I have a lot of support from the community, I want to be able to do this full time one day. I deal with this by continuing to better my work, exposing my creations on social media and reminding myself that I’ll get to where I want to be as long as I keep pushing myself to be better tomorrow than I am today.
What skill did you gain from your QC Course that you continue to apply to your freelance work?
The best skill I gained from my course was definitely being able to identify skin tones and types. This was something I struggled with before taking my course – I’m so glad I can now use this to better my clients experience and overall finished look.
You’re very active on social media, especially Facebook and Instagram. What do you find the key is to running successful MUA social media accounts?
My biggest advice would be to post, post & post some more. At the start, I posted everyday that I could to expose my work to more people within the networks. Try to engage your clients, future clients & just about anybody who has a love for the same thing as you. The key to running a successful MUA social media account is to have passion and an up most love for every single thing you post. It really shows who genuinely cares about their accounts and careers in the makeup industry.
