The Makeup Insider

Vanessa Barney
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Updated Weekly

The Makeup Insider is a weekly one-on-one podcast diving into the real life and career of makeup artists, hosted by freelance MUA Vanessa Barney. Finding your community of fellow creatives (talkative, adaptable, obsessed with colour) can feel daunting. Where do you even start? This podcast builds that community. Real conversations that grow your confidence, your connections and your career. New to the industry or years deep, tune in, check the show notes for key takeaways and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Find Vanessa: @vanessabarney @the.makeupinsider

  1. 2d ago

    123. Nicola Johnson on 23 Years, Fear of Rejection and Signing With an Agent at 44

    Episodes Blog Post Nicola Johnson has done makeup for 23 years, and she's worked in beauty her whole working life. She started as a beauty therapist in England at 16, worked a health farm, a resort spa in Turkey and a cruise ship, trained in makeup in London, then moved to Australia and built a freelance career across TV commercials, magazines, tourism campaigns and bridal. She's worked with Emma (yes, Emma from The Wiggles) for ten years, and she now has an agent at Vivien Creative. What we covered: Makeup school in London in 2003, where working artists taught the classes and took calls from their agents mid-lessonCold calling photographers from a sheet of paper to book her first testsFalling into TV through a family friend, including Grand DesignsTen months on a cruise ship out of LA with no wage, only tips and commissionTen years with Emma, and negotiating an eight-hour day on a three-month TV series so she could make school pickupThe agency that told her to come back in six months, and why she never didHow she books weddings: a separate bridal website and Instagram, ads when she needs bookings, and an automated Dubsado setupSigning with Vivien's, and the goal she's putting out there: a Vogue coverContent creation at 44, no filters, and the pro-age niche she seesHer advice for newer artists: back yourself, and ask for the two minutes @the.makeupinsider @vanessabarney The Makeup Insider Weekly Newsletter Follow Nicola: @nicolajohnsonmakeup | @nicolajohnsonbridal | www.sydneymakeupartist.com

    123. Nicola Johnson on 23 Years, Fear of Rejection and Signing With an Agent at 44

  2. Oct 12

    122. The Insider Edit: Nicola Johnson's Kit Favourites, Skin Prep and Three Bridal Lip Combos

    Episode Blog Post Makeup artist's Vanessa Barney and Nicola Johnson share the products they reach for in their personal routines and professional kits, and how they use them.From skin prep and foundation to blush, concealer, lip combinations, powders, and tools, this is an in-depth chat packed with product favourites and practical insights for makeup artists and beauty lovers. They discuss products from brands including Dermalogica, By Terry, Hourglass, Fenty Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Tower 28, Merit, and MAC.Hear how Nicola preps skin for makeup. Vanessa and Nicola also share their thoughts on texture, finish, coverage, and what makes a product useful in a kit.Whether you’re refreshing your professional kit or looking for new ideas for your own routine, this conversation is full of beauty recommendations and firsthand tips. ⁠@the.makeupinsider⁠ ⁠@vanessabarney⁠ ⁠The Makeup Insider ⁠ ⁠Weekly Newsletter ⁠

    122. The Insider Edit: Nicola Johnson's Kit Favourites, Skin Prep and Three Bridal Lip Combos

  3. Sep 21

    The Beliefs That Held Me Back For Decades

    This month's Insider Diary is just me. I'm talking about the limiting beliefs that held me back in my career for decades, and what shifted for me. In this episode: The 3 limiting beliefs that held me back for at least 13 years: fear of rejection, waiting to be "discovered," and not wanting to be annoyingWhy people rarely actually say no to you. Most of the time they just don't get back to you, and that's not the same thing3 quotes from past guests that changed how I think about rejection and follow-up (linked below)The Facebook message that sat unread in someone's "other" folder for weeks, and how it ended up leading to a job on NeighboursMy rejection challenge: trying to get to 100 no's (I made it to 33)Why following up isn't annoying, and how often is actually okayWhat I'd tell my younger self, who was doing weddings on the weekends and had no idea how to make this career work. Guests quoted in this episode : Ava Bell Harriet Hatfield, Harry Makes It Up Nicole Thompson, Pinky

    The Beliefs That Held Me Back For Decades

  4. Sep 8

    From the Opera House to Viral TikTok: Ask Ellen on Building a Beauty Career That Actually Lasts

    Ellen's Blog Post From the Opera House to Viral TikTok, with Ask Ellen. This week I sat down with Ellen Malone — makeup artist, beauty content creator, and reigning Australian and New Zealand Beauty and Fashion Creator of the Year. She's also, quietly, a trained opera singer who's performed at the Sydney Opera House and played the lead in Carmen. Yes, really. We got into everything. Her start on a Mac counter at 20, the year she completely flopped online before anything took off, the real numbers behind influencer pay, and the makeup technique she thinks the whole industry has been teaching wrong. We cover: Winning Creator of the Year and why the win itself hit different to the metricsWhy "creative careers choose you," and Ellen's double life as an opera singerThe real earnings gap between male and female influencers in AustraliaWhy "natural" is the most useless brief a client can give youHer first ever wedding, done via six buses and a train with a metal fold-out kitGetting hired at Mac at 20 with no formal training and having to prove herselfHer hot take that 80% of artists can't colour match properlyThe real history of underpainting, and why she thinks a whole generation of artists were taught it wrongThe wedding that got called off mid-makeup (and why it had nothing to do with the makeup)Why she'll never tell you her best client storiesHow COVID, a redundancy, and a full year of flopping led to her actual careerHer current kit favourites, from an underrated blush trio to a foundation for mature, textured skin.

    From the Opera House to Viral TikTok: Ask Ellen on Building a Beauty Career That Actually Lasts

  5. Sep 1

    A Full Face, Live: Every Product Michael Brown Reached For. Watch on Youtube.

    Send us Fan Mail Michael Brown is back on The Insider Edit, and this time it's not a chat, it's a full face, live, start to finish. Michael's been in the industry since the early 2000s (he started at Estée Lauder back in 2000), trained under Gucci Westman during her years as Lancôme's creative director, and now works mostly red carpet and event glam: Melbourne Cup, the Logies, Farmer Wants A Wife, Today Show appearances, and a week of 6am glams at Royal Ascot in London. In this episode he puts a full face on our model Kate and talks through every product and every step as he goes.  To watch this episode head to Youtube.  Head to The Makeup Insider Blog for a full list and links to all products used.  What we covered: Skin prep with the reformulated Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (peptides and niacinamides now in the formula, built not to pill under foundation), plus Naturium as a lighter, no-actives alternativeTarte's new mattifying ball primer, used just in the centre of the faceCharlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter as a glow and blur step, used under the eyes, above the lip, and down the centre of the faceTrying the brand new Make Up For Ever HD Foundation live for the first time, in shade 222N Neutral, applied with an Hourglass foundation brushWhy Michael's whole kit runs neutral shades, and how that compares to Hung Vanngo's all-neutral foundation rangeA rundown of the long-wear foundations Michael rates: Double Wear back in the day, NARS Longwear, and YSL All Hours on his to-try listConcealer with Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless, applied sparingly with a tiny Kitology spongeContour with a Westman Atelier stick (shade Truffle) and why Michael's placing contour higher for lift rather than lower for sculptingBronzer with Haus Labs (no shimmer, ever) and the one spot everyone forgets: the neckBlush with the Haus Labs Glassy Blush Balm in Ginger, used high on the orbital bone as a blush-highlighter hybridEyes with three of the Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-eyes sticks: Cashmere Sculpt, Mink Sculpt and Ballet QuartzTight lining with Fenty eyeliner, and why Michael's doing more tight line and less top eyeliner these daysTaking the look from day to night with Make Up For Ever's Limitless Brown liner along the lash lineBrows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills ArchiBrow pencil and Brow Freeze WaxThe Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish as a final brightening step under the eyesLips with the Make Up For Ever Artist Pencil in Anywhere Caffeine, buffed out with an eyeshadow brush, topped with the new Haus Labs Lip LacquerSetting the whole look with a touch of Fenty powder and MCo Beauty's brand new All Day-a spray, an official Skindinavia collaboration built on the original All-Nighter formula, not a dupeThe Hair Edit Waitlist  Weekly Newsletter  Follow TMI on IG  Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog  The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

    A Full Face, Live: Every Product Michael Brown Reached For. Watch on Youtube.

  6. Aug 24

    Inside Michael Brown's Kit: Charlotte Tilbury, House Labs And A $4 Amazon Find.

    Send us Fan Mail Michael Brown is back on The Insider Edit for round two. He's a freelance makeup artist with 25 years in the industry, he started out on retail counters for the Lauder Group, then moved in-house at L'Oréal, and he's been freelance for the last 12 years, mostly doing event and red carpet work. We kick off talking about the reality of PR gifting (15 to 20 deliveries a week is his average) before going full kit rundown, complexion through to tools. We're also trialling a new segment where we'll put some of these products on a model's face in real time. Watch on Youtube.  What we covered: Michael's system for sorting through 15 to 20 PR gifts a week: straight to kit, a gift for someone else, or "I'll see how it goes"Why he only posts about a gift when it's genuinely new, like Tarte's primers with roller balls built inBrands trusting him with pre-launch samples, including lab samples that aren't even in packaging yetAll products are Listed on the blog.  The Hair Edit Waitlist  Weekly Newsletter  Follow TMI on IG  Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog  The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

    Inside Michael Brown's Kit: Charlotte Tilbury, House Labs And A $4 Amazon Find.

  7. Aug 17

    Growth Wins And Gifting: My Instagram Update Plus A 5-Step Checklist to Gifting

    Send us Fan Mail It's just me this episode. I'm giving you an update on the last couple of weeks in my world, where Project 10K is really at, and a full five-step checklist for makeup artists trying to get gifting from brands. What I cover: Why it's finally busy again in the Sydney makeup world after a slow, quiet stretchMy last two weeks on the tools: five days of shoots, grooming Shep Rose from a US reality show, and grooming for the LogiesMy Project 10K update: I'm sitting at 5,500 followers, up around 500 in the last week aloneThe one reel that's driving most of my growth, and why I keep reposting it instead of chasing new contentThe five-step gifting checklist: write your wish list, optimise your page, find the contact, write your pitch, follow upWhy knowing someone's name matters before you pitch themHow to track your outreach, and why persistence is the whole game (I've had people respond after five follow-ups)"Shoot Your Shot Wednesday" and the 100 Rejections challengeA possible workshop on gifting, if you're interested, DM meGrab the checklist: download my free 5-step gifting checklist here. The Hair Edit Waitlist  Weekly Newsletter  Follow TMI on IG  Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog  The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

    Growth Wins And Gifting: My Instagram Update Plus A 5-Step Checklist to Gifting

  8. Aug 10

    Rejection, Reinvention And Taking Back Your Career

    Send us Fan Mail Blog post  Adam Garland is back on The Insider Diary for episode 116. He's a UK-based session hairstylist who spent five years as the face of global brand Authentic Beauty Concept. These days he's building his own path: mentoring other artists, shooting his own images, and working with heritage beauty brands he actually believes in. His first episode with us got such a good response we're turning this into a monthly chat. This episode was sparked by a listener question from Australia about brand loyalty, so we went deep on trust, rejection, and how to stop taking it personally when a client doesn't rebook you. What we covered: A listener's question about brand loyalty: a client took a whole team interstate for a shoot and left the makeup artist behindWhy a first option is never a confirmed booking, especially during fashion weekThe idea of "reducing uncertainty": clients don't book the best artist, they book the one they know won't cause complicationsVanessa's own story about brand loyalty, and never getting booked againWhy rejection in this industry is rarely personal, even when it feels like itThe Guido example: why a top hairstylist still gets ticked for a job before the shoot even startsWorking from your own essence instead of chasing what you think will get seenHairstylists and makeup artists building their own image worlds instead of waiting on brands: Mustafa Yanas, Joey George, Benjamin Mueller and Anataka HashiAdam's own move into photography, shooting his own models at Workroom Studios in Limehouse, London, with his mentee ZoranWhy heritage brands hit different: Isles Formula, Keune and Gisou, and what makes their stories genuineWhy asking for help is harder than it should be, for both of us The Hair Edit Waitlist  Weekly Newsletter  Follow TMI on IG  Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog  The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

    Rejection, Reinvention And Taking Back Your Career
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The Makeup Insider is a weekly one-on-one podcast diving into the real life and career of makeup artists, hosted by freelance MUA Vanessa Barney. Finding your community of fellow creatives (talkative, adaptable, obsessed with colour) can feel daunting. Where do you even start? This podcast builds that community. Real conversations that grow your confidence, your connections and your career. New to the industry or years deep, tune in, check the show notes for key takeaways and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Find Vanessa: @vanessabarney @the.makeupinsider

Information

  • Creator
    Vanessa Barney
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    123
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Vanessa Barney
  • Show Website
    The Makeup Insider

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