This week, Australian makeup artists, influencers and beauty enthusiasts gathered at Pullman on the Park in Melbourne for Makeup Con 2023.
Hosted by Bombshell Beauty Academy – salon, training academy and brand – the event was the first to run in Australia, dedicated to the professional makeup industry.
The sell-out event welcomed 140 guests for a day of inspiring talks and exciting demonstrations. Spencer Street served as the event’s MC.
Professional Beauty had the pleasure of housing a spot at this year’s event, distributing copies of our March-April 2023 print issue and meeting conference guests.
Lunch, morning and afternoon tea were served. Guests also received a generous goodie bag, valued at over $400 a pop.
The event’s guestlist reflected a mix of aspiring makeup artists and content creators, as well as established artists looking to gain an industry refresher. 75% of guests currently work in makeup retail.
Makeup Con 2023 welcomed three guest speakers and two makeup artists to perform demonstrations for the crowd. One key point of discussion arose for all speakers – that of the importance of social media in elevating your career.
For TikTok famous makeup artist and trainer, Ellen Malone of AskEllenBeauty, aspiring artists/creators should ask themselves – “What is your goal? What are you attempting to do?” She assured artists that they shouldn’t believe they need to ‘do it all’ in order to be successful, and that artists should focus on their individual strengths.
Ellen reminded guests that the TikTok algorithm favours content that is produced and edited within the app itself, and that content with a higher production quality should be reserved for other platforms like Instagram or Youtube.
Creators should aim to create TikTok content that ignites “tasteful controversy” in order for it to go viral.
For Makeup Con 2023’s next speaker, pro makeup artist Tori Tye, artists need to be conscious of how they ‘brand’ themselves – “it’s important to find your signature look, and master it,” she explained.
Tori echoed Ellen’s advice around understanding your unique goals as a creator, reinforcing to artists that “you are your brand” and that “[clients] are hiring you because you are you.”
Networking is also considered vital. Tori recommended immersing yourself in your community, as “there’s so much [work] to go around” and artists/creators shouldn’t feel put off by the size of the industry.
Youtube sensation and beauty influencer, Nikkia Joy said “social media success is not an accident, it’s a strategy.” Nikkia distinguished the differences between a largely mature, dedicated Youtube audience versus what she described as the “cold traffic” produced via TikTok.
TikTok is good for brand awareness, Nikkia explained, yet YouTube is better at encouraging purchases.
Because smaller social media platforms like Facebook Reels (not to be confused with Facebook Stories) and Snapchat/Snap Stars are also operating, artists/creators are more likely to gain traction there over larger platforms. According to Nikkia, Instagram Carousels are getting slightly higher reach over Instagram Reels at the moment.
Application tips and tricks, as well as social media insights were also shared by Ashleigh Evans and The Ballerina Bride MUA at Makeup Con 2023, both of whom uphold a unique point-of-difference in the makeup work they produce.
For more on Makeup Con 2023, Bombshell Beauty Academy, and founder Kimmie Fox, keep your eyes peeled for Professional Beauty’s upcoming May-June 2023 print issue, out soon!
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