Make-up artist reveals best dupe, things you shouldn’t spend money on and why Victoria Beckham does it right

Make-up artist Joyce Connor reveals her pro tips and which trend has been completely played out in her answers below…

A typical salary for a retail make-up artist is usually… minimum wage. The more advanced artists and celebrity artists can be earning more than £100,000 easily. It takes time, skill and hard work to get to that level.

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I started a private pension about 25 years ago… I paid very little into it, so it’s not high value, but I have ISA investments instead. I don’t think I will ever retire completely. I did retire from doing weddings this year – I just wanted my weekends back. My dad retired at 80; I’ll probably do the same if I can.

I typically work between 30 and 60 hours a week… This includes all the admin, kit cleaning and planning my routes and appointments. To be honest, when you’re self-employed, you’re always working. But I try to go away at least six times a year, sometimes just for a weekend, other times for a week or a few days. I rarely get to go away for two weeks or more.

I absolutely love everything about my job except… having to wake up at 3am sometimes. I can wake up early, but I’m a night owl. So often this means I’ll have just two hours’ sleep.

I personally didn’t wear make-up… until I became a make-up artist at age 31. Mostly because I didn’t know how to apply it, and secondly because make-up for my skin tone was not accessible in the UK.

The one product you should splurge on is… foundation. It’s worth having the best product for your skin type, skin tone and the finish you want. I think the higher-end brands have definitely nailed the quality of the foundations.

You don’t need to spend much on… pencils. I’ve had some great results with lip liners that only cost £1.

If you’re trying to look glam on a budget, cheap products that do the job are… liquid highlighters. You can add them to foundation to give a natural glow and apply them to the cheekbone and brow bone to add definition. Avoid the ones with glitter and buy a glowy one instead.

My favourite dupe is the… MCo Beauty Miracle Flawless pressed powder. It’s the best dupe of the Charlotte Tilbury flawless filter powder.

A hack for saving money on make-up is… go shopping in your make-up cupboards and drawers. Do swaps of unused make-up with friends. It’s surprising how much make-up people have bought but never used.

One secret the beauty industry has is… there are some products such as haemorrhoid cream that can be used to temporarily make wrinkles disappear. I don’t recommend using it if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If I had to choose three make-up items for a job, I’d pick… concealer, because it’s a multitasking product; powder, because we need to eliminate shine; and mascara – it’s the one product that instantly changes your eyes.

Between a beauty blender and a brush, I’d choose… brushes all the way. I use an angled kabuki-style brush. It’s the absolute master of laying down foundation and buffing it onto the skin. Plus, it’s more hygienic to use brushes. Blenders are very difficult to keep completely clean. They are great for personal use, but having sat the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene exam, I’m a hygiene freak when it comes to cross-contamination. I also think that half the product stays in the blender, and so you have to use more product to achieve a good finish.

The biggest error people make is… purchasing and wearing the wrong shade of foundation. I understand there’s a lot out there to choose from, but knowing your shade makes all the difference to the final look.

My favourite make-up trend is… the natural make-up look. I specialise in it and it’s what I’m known for. So the base is natural, but they look like an enhanced version of themselves.

The one I hope is gone for good is… Instaglam. I’ve seen enough cut creases to last me a lifetime.

Business is steady… people still want to look and feel good when they go out. I’ve had an increase in make-up lesson bookings this year. Women want to learn to use what they already have.

The best thing to do with a difficult customer is… kill them with kindness. Stay polite and never retaliate. I have been very lucky and not really had many difficult customers.

I find people who hate make-up don’t like it because… they don’t know how to apply it on themselves, or they have had a bad experience when someone else applied it to them. You can spend £5 to do your whole face or £500. It’s what works best for you and your budget. I never judge anyone on how much they can afford to spend.

The celebrity who has marvellous make-up is… Victoria Beckham. She always looks incredible. She has a make-up brand, and she knows how to apply it.

The problem with the make-up industry is… social media telling us we need x, y, z but without the reasons behind why it would work for us. But it’s had a huge overhaul and a lot of new launches, and there is room for every budget.