By Andrea Martone
“Beauty is not just commerce, but a form of personal artistry”
Paradise News magazine editor, Andrea Martone, profiles Cindy Leon, an independent beauty consultant in both Clearwater and Brandon, but is far more than a saleswoman for beauty products. She paints confidence in her clients.
When I spoke to Cindy, I saw a portrait artist of confidence: someone who uses skin tone, color, texture, and transformation the way a painter or makeup artist uses a palette. “I treat my clients and beauty as a canvas,” says Cindy. “I create a finished look that expresses personality, mood, and identity. One of the first things I ask a new client is ‘what would you like to change about your skin?’ This tells me who she is and what is the most important thing to her at the moment. If she is not happy with her skin/look, it affects her confidence which affects her mood and identity. It’s also a way for me to build trust in her, knowing that she is an individual and I do not treat everyone the same. When she walks into a room, I want her to hold her head high and be confident about how she looks. If she looks pretty on the outside, she will feel pretty on the inside. That’s where the confidence comes from. She will walk differently, talk differently, shake hands differently. Others will take her more seriously in whatever the conversation,” she concludes.
Studies have shown that when a woman wears makeup well, she will be noticed more at an interview and can expect 20% more in her salary than if she wore no makeup at all. It shows the other person that she cares about herself. When someone cares about themselves and their appearance, they will care more about the job they are doing.
Cindy says it is most important to begin her “makeup” application with fresh clean skin. “When an artist paints a picture, they always choose a smooth, clean canvas, as opposed to a dirty, old, cracked canvas. If someone’s skin is not clean, if large pores are present, if excess oils invade her face daily, if she has uneven skin tone, or if her skin is dry and cracked, with deep wrinkles, then no matter what makeup she applies, it won’t look as good as it could if her skin is healthy and hydrated. In fact, if her skin isn’t healthy, and if she is using the wrong foundation and makeup, her skin could look even worse than no makeup at all.”
“Another important lesson I teach my clients: foundations should always be ‘non-comedogenic,’ not clogging the pores. If a foundation feels ‘heavy’ or like your skin isn’t breathing and you can’t WAIT to wash it off – it’s comedogenic and its clogging pores. Don’t use it, it’s not healthy. Also, based on the client’s skin needs and her desired results, we will recommend either a ‘matte’ finish foundation for combination to oily skin or a ‘luminous/dewy’ finish for dry skin. Foundation is the fifth step to a good skin care routine. It is commonly referred to as makeup; however, it is part of the skin care regime.”
Human canvas, human story. She centers the client’s confidence, milestones, and self-image as the “artwork.”
“Many clients I have worked with have never been taught how to take care of their skin, much less how to apply makeup. They’re sort to you-tube videos for their ‘instruction’ and ‘guidance’. Very few people in these videos have ever had any professional training, they just like making videos and having followers. Makeup should not be applied to everyone the same way, nor should every woman wear the same eyeshadow or blush colors as their best friend. That is why one look that looks fabulous on one woman, may look terrible on the next woman. One lipstick can be put on five different women in the same room, and it will look completely different on each of them. Makeup application also pulls from skin tone and is governed by a person’s face shape and eye shape. A round-faced woman will contour and highlight very differently than a woman with an oval shaped face, for instance. A woman with ‘hooded’ eyes should apply her makeup almost opposite than a woman with a ‘standard’ eye shape. If eyeshadow colors are applied incorrectly, the eyes will look smaller or more deep set. Eye makeup should make the natural color of the eye ‘pop’, if the wrong colors are used, the natural eye color will be diminished and could make the eye appear smaller.” When a woman’s skin is clean and healthy, when her makeup is applied correctly, she is confident in her skin, will stand up taller, walk differently, and shake a hand with more confidence. She may even land that perfect job she wanted and interviewed for. Beauty isn’t just skin deep. Beauty transforms! When she feels better about herself at her job, in public, at school, in front of the camera, she will feel better about herself at home. And her entire family benefits. Confidence breeds happiness. And a happy wife makes a happy home!
“When a person loves what they do for a living, she doesn’t work a day in her life. I love what I do and would do it even if I didn’t make any money. When I meet with a woman, I ask her to bring out all the skin care and makeup she is currently using. We discuss what she likes about each piece and what she doesn’t like, if anything. I review ingredients to be sure what she is using is suitable for her skin and her needs and desires. If it’s working for her and she loves it, GREAT! I won’t take her from that product. However, most times she is not getting the results she desires.
“Experience has taught me to treat everyone as if they had a sign around their necks that says, ‘make me feel important,’” that has come easy to me. My clients are very important to me. Not because I will make money from their purchase, but because I can fulfill a need and transform their skin and help their confidence by showing them tips for their makeup application.
“I have always admired people with real talent, artists with fabulous voices, painters/sculptures who can create an incredible piece of art. I never thought I had any ‘natural’ artistic talent as a young woman. When I began my business and found all the incredible people, mentors and artists who trained me to become the person I am today, what a hidden blessing! What I have received out of my business as a beauty artist is not simply about skin care and makeup, more valuable than that is how to be ‘teachable’ to remain humble and open to learning from others experience, to gleam from their wisdom. I have learned to trust God and His timing for my business.”
Contact Cindy: www.facebook.com/CindyLeonMK or cindyleon2@gmail.com