Makeup to Go!

…dedicated to the Art and Craft of Makeup

Instagram Facebook-f Twitter
makeup to go blog tania d Russell makeup educator Los Angeles San Francisco
  • Home
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Services
  • Personal Services
  • Contact
MAKEUP TO GO BLOG

Bookings

makeup to go blog tania d Russell makeup educator Los Angeles San Francisco behind the scenes

Tania D. Russell...

Tania D. Russell is a career media makeup artist of 25 years and counting with a career that has run the gamut from early hip hop videos to print advertising. Her work has appeared in magazines such as Elle Sweden and Runners’ World, on TV shows for clients such as BET, MTV, and HGTV, and for more commercial fashion and beauty clients than she can remember.
Instagram Facebook-f Twitter
makeup to go blog tania d Russell makeup educator Los Angeles San Francisco
Work With Us
visit the blog
Contact us

makeuptogoblog
@lipluffa and @macpro - two great brands that had @lipluffa and @macpro - two great brands that had great events on the same day 🤗 Lip Luffa is founded by Fab makeup artist and Makeup to Go fam @stephielashes , and they're an Indie brand doing big things. This was a celebration of their rebranding. And it was absolutely lovely. Proof positive that you can get after it and make fabulous things happen on your own 💪🏾. It was a well attended but intimate setting, yummy vegan nibbles were served. And we were given a delightful gift bag featuring a box of Lip Luffas (and a batch of Sage! 🤗). I have spoken about what a fab product this is before but let me take this opportunity to say it again. Lip Luffa can used both for prep and for demaquillage. And basically it's a little sock that the client puts on their finger and it removes lip color and exfoliate the lips. It is fabulous. Go get it. The second event I was invited to was a good old-fashioned Mac Pro party. I haven't been to something like this since before the pandemic and it was fabulous. It featured live on stage demos by Terry Barber, Kennedy, Andrew Dahling, and Jessica Smalls covering a range of makeup styles from high fashion editorial, to fantasy, to glam, to men's grooming. Along the way of doing these live demos they spoke to the artists about their process and about products. Even though each artist would be worthy of a deep dive demo of their own, it was very cool to see not only the contrasting styles but to see the artists be genuinely interested in each other's demonstrations and what they were doing. Afterwards attendees were treated to bevvies and nibbles, and we were able to (try to) meet the demo artists, and to go see – and if desired to purchase – the new products that Mac Pro is introducing. If you've ever been to one of these MAC masterclass parties, you know that you will leave there wanting to run home to your kit to go be creative. Many thanks to Lip Luffa and MAC Pro for having me and for these fab presentations and products 🤗 (MAC gave away goodie bags to the first few hundred attendees of which I received one 😁 so I will share what I got in my stories.)
I had such a blast presenting at the Craft Educati I had such a blast presenting at the Craft Education meeting this past Sunday. NGL - I was super nervous presenting to that audience. No doubt there were heavy hitters in the Makeup world in attendance. There was nothing particularly relevant I could say to them about makeup lol, but as a freelance make up artist what I can talk about is the hustle and how to market ourselves and keep things rolling even when production is a little bit slow. Here's what I shared about turning Downtime into Prime Time: JUST POST: Only 5-10% of your followers see your posts anyway, so stop overthinking and start posting consistently. And don't be afraid to re-post. No one has your feed memorized—I promise! GET PERSONAL: Social media is your personal hype person! Get in front of that camera. People connect with people, not just makeup looks. TEACH WHAT YOU KNOW: Share your process! People LOVE seeing how YOU do things, even if it's simple. Quick tips position you as the expert you already are. AFFILIATE LINKS ARE YOUR FRIENDS: You've already got the influence as a pro artist. People genuinely appreciate your product recommendations. We're just making shopping easier and faster for our clients 👍🏾 SIMPLY CREATE: Instead of waiting for work, create work. There's no telling where a self-initiated project might lead. If you build it, they will come! Want more practical tips without the fluff? Join my mailing list, Speaking of Makeup. Link is in the bio or you can comment LIST and I'll send the link to ya 👍🏾 #MakeupArtistTips #UnionMakeupArtist #FiveSmallThings #MakeupMarketing #CraftEducation #IATSE706 #immajoinsoon
To post rates or not to post rates? That is the q To post rates or not to post rates? That is the question. and the simple answer; Maybe. This question came up in my most recent confab for the Five Small Things Monthly Membership, because building because this month's theme has been building a portfolio that converts to bookings. The objective with any portfolio is obviously to showcase your work and to get booked. How to do that however depends on the type of makeup you are doing. So whereas it can be common for bridal artists and private client artists to list their rates, you probably (IMO actually, absolutely) Do Not want to do this if you are working primarily with photographic/media clients. Let's talk about whys: Bridal/Private client artists - On Threads I remember once seeing a post where they were absolutely adamant that there was no reason a makeup artist should cost $100. Suffice to say I don't agree with that opinion 😐. One of the big advantages of listing your rate is so you qualify the clientele that you work with. If a client who feels that makeup should never cost more than $100 sees on your website that you charge $250, they can act accordingly and you don't have to go back-and-forth with emails and phone calls. And your time is reserved for clients who'll pay your rate 👍🏾 Let's look at the flipside of why I do not recommend doing this for media clients . A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I was asked for my rate and I quoted them 950+ a kit fee and I just thought I was giving the most outrageous quote ever. Fortunately that producer was honest (and I've now worked with that producer for many years 🙏🏾) because the client had allocated $1500 for makeup for that job. I would've ganked myself right out of $550. 😵 Discussing rates and money is hard but it's part of the game of being a freelancer and we want to do so in such a way that is respectful of our clients and respectful of everyone's time but also gives us the best chance to earn a rate we feel good about. Do you list your rates? #makeuptogoblog #promakeupartistrates #mediamakepartists
Happy #NationalLashDay after I made my post in st Happy #NationalLashDay after I made my post in stories (about my beloved @eyeko having a mascara sale), I decided to take it all the way back and do an old school fakey social media holiday post. 🤗 Because as much as I am known as the "queen of clean makeup" (meaning my style of makeup is very natural generally), natural makeup takes more makeup than people realize first of all and second of all ya girl loves a lash. These are the lashes that stay in my rotation in my kit nowadays. Alas I'm out of several who stay in my rotation on people's faces - I am out of 747 small wispies and I am out of almost all of my @kashalashes lashes as I discovered at the wrong time when I was up in the San Francisco area to do a high profile private client. 🫠. I have been threatening to get the case that is filled with Kasha lashes for a while and I think it's about that time. But AnyWho my regular degulars that I use all the time are; @eyemimosanfrancisco - Individuals #Eyelure brand natural wispies @redcherrylashes or @thecremeshop 747s (xs, s, & m) @ardellbeauty Trios and Double Wispies Kasha lashes (Sheer luxe line, generally 2,3,&4) and get that case Kasha did with @myocosmeticcases on the real. What are your can't live without lashes? #makeuptogoblogapproved
What began as a little "I hope I can help" turned What began as a little "I hope I can help" turned into a whole thing with a little help from my friends. 🤗 Makeup to Go's involvement basically began with the @beautycollaborators group of which I am one of the co-moderators. They are largely Canadian artists who wanted to jump in and help when the Los Angeles fires were raging and I was like hey I'm in Los Angeles feel free to send things to me and I will help get them distributed. And indeed they did! We'll get back to that in a minute. Concurrently my makeup homegirl Claire Doyle @curlyourlashes started doing a collections effort so I reached out to her and said hey why don't we join forces. So behind the scenes she and I have been talking and coordinating and all what have you. As I have said previously we took a slightly different approach; Claire is in a position to be able to make sure the recipients are definite artists in need. I have an old house with huge rooms so I have storage space, so we have been pacing getting kits out to artists as they've reached out because some people who may be most in need aren't in a position to receive just yet. And that's fine when folks are ready we will be here for them. 👍🏾 I made my first two Kits this weekend to be combined with what Claire has so Claire can distribute them and I wanted to make a video to thank all folks I reached out to who sent contributions. The only contributor not mentioned is the fab @lisaderoma_mua who gave an extremely generous haul and I just haven't gone through all of those boxes yet but fear not your stuff will be going out very soon as well. 🤗 ALSO - in addition to the products shown here several Canadian artists made cash donations so I have $200 that I'll be taking to one of the pro shops to buy gift certificates so as we start to run low on certain products will be able to fill in the gaps with gift certificates. Yay! 🎉. Big thank yous to @thrivecausemetics @omniabrush @my_sappho @ber_amos @tofuskinmethod / @lynnyeemakeup @arinaizadi @rebeccawmakeup @lisaderoma_mua And the fab @aclairebeauty & the @beautycollaborators community!
Hey fam! You may have noticed I've not been on th Hey fam! You may have noticed I've not been on the main very much lately. Taking a break from posting has been eye-opening. What started as 'let me rethink my content' turned into something much bigger. While I've missed this space and all of you, stepping away gave me a fresh perspective on both teaching and my own artistry. Funny how that works, right? I used this picture for the background because I had an epiphany while I was on this job. About the work I was doing, the work I want to do more of, and how I want that to manifest in how I'm showing up and serving this Makeup to Go community. I'm coming back soon with renewed energy and plans to share more techniques for photo-ready makeup, continued honest 'biz talk, and the kind of real-world education that makes a difference in a career. Has taking a social media break ever given you unexpected clarity? Drop a ✨ below if you've ever needed to pause to find your path again.
Follow on Instagram

All images copyright of respective photographers | Many thanks to Sonya Bowman Photography, Saryn Christina Photography, and Together in Wellness RN for BTS and Portrait Images

Website Designed using Bluchic Themes | All content © 2008-2023, Makeup to Go / Tania D. Russell except where noted
Disclosures | Official Giveaway Rules | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy