My eureka moment: Carmie Locsin

“I've always enjoyed working with my hands and playing around with art materials. While I was doing my sister's makeup for fun, she told me that I can do this for a living if I wanted to. That was my light bulb moment. I gave up my job as a preschool teacher and took the basic makeup course and started from there.” - Carmie Locsin

HAVING that eureka moment, Carmie took a certificate course at the Center for Aesthetic Studies (CAS, formerly Franck Provost) in 2006. CAS is a TESDA registered school dedicated to the art and science of Cosmetology. Basic Makeup Artistry covers all the essentials for professional makeup artists from skin care, personal and professional makeup applications for all types of events like bridal, runway and haute couture, glam, avant-garde even period makeup and makeup theory. Courses at CAS are open to all from zero knowledge to those with some experience.

Not content with that, Carmie completed a Makeup Diploma course at Blanche Macdonald in Vancouver in 2008 to study bridal, fashion and film makeup.

Established in 1960, the Blanche Macdonald Centre is recognized worldwide for delivering an international-based curriculum that responds to the needs of the industry.

Their agenda is to provide excellence in education on a local, national and global scale. With a staff comprising of caring professionals dedicated to helping find the means to discover and express creative vision and unique potential, its specialized focus is on the Applied and Creative Arts.

With over one thousand students per year and three campuses in Vancouver, BC, Canada, the Blanche Macdonald Centre is Canada’s premium leader for professional training in Makeup Artistry, Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Hairstyling, Esthetics/Spa Therapy and Nail Technology.

Blanche MacDonald has enjoyed an endless stream of awards and nominations including Emmys, Geminis, Leos and Ariels. They list outstanding credits in Makeup for Fashion, Television, Film, Airbrushing, Special Effects and Prosthetics.

The names of BMC Makeup graduates are included on the roll of credits in major blockbusters and feature films like The Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter movies, the Twilight series, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (featuring Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell), Wolverine, I am Legend, the X-Men movies, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Apocalypto, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Brothers Grimm, The Sixth Day, the Oscar-winning Capote and many more.

Armed with all that as a background, Carmie went home and is currently based in Manila. Carmie says she does make up for weddings and other special events as well as some print ads and shoots for magazines and once in a blue moon, TV and film.

Asking Carmie if it was easy to penetrate the market, she says: “I spent my first 3 months accepting any makeup work that came my way (most of the time doing it for free) and building my portfolio. Supportive family members and friends would have their makeup done and they would refer me to their friends. In a way, it was difficult for me to get my name out since I had no connections, but I've always been a believer in finding a way if you love what you are doing.”

Carmie admits that beauty makeup is her favorite and nothing is more rewarding than seeing a bride walking down the aisle looking like a princess and knowing that she helped her look her best.

Carmie does trial sessions with her bride clients. In finding out her client’s skin type, skin care routine and daily makeup routine, she can adjust to the type of makeup that is suitable to the bride and how much will make her feel comfortable. She must have enough makeup to withstand tears during the emotional moments, endure perspiration, especially if the wedding is during the punishing heat of summer, and camera flashes. Makeup should never be too much that the bride is unrecognizable. She must look great not only in pictures but as she marches down that aisle.

For Carmie, when a bride leafs through her wedding album many years after celebrating their multiple anniversaries, she should be convinced that on that most important day, she definitely looked amazing!

Asking Carmie if the job is rewarding, she says “It's definitely rewarding. I consider myself extremely lucky to be doing something I love and making a living out of it. How many people can say that they are excited and happy because they have work the next day?”

A career shift can be enjoyed by all in fact, by anyone at any point of one’s life. Carmie did that and she hasn’t looked back!

Carmie’s approach to business is still very personalized. You can contact her through her mobile number 09209019630 or through her email address carmielocsin@gmail.com.