Anyone who works in beauty will tell you that it’s a fun, inspiring place, full of creative ideas (and the occasional free sample!), but exactly how do you break into the beauty industry? In this series, we’ll be chatting with beauty industry insiders to find out what their jobs involve and the paths they took to get where they are now.
From makeup artists and beauty editors to social media assistants, brand founders, and web developers – these stories are proof that you can enter the beauty industry via any career path.
Meet Matt, the man behind the shelfies on @dirtyboysgetclean.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I feel like I never really knew what I wanted to be, sadly. It wasn’t until 2017 when I started my Instagram account that I finally figured out what I wanted to do. Creating content, blogging, and working in beauty is truly my passion!
What attracted you to the beauty industry?
I felt like I was alone with bad skin for so many years – I didn’t see anyone who I felt was authentic and honest enough and I wasn’t sure who I could trust on YouTube. I wanted to be one of the bloggers who always keeps it real and transparent. The beauty industry is great and there are so many amazing people in it – I love beauty and I wanted to be able to share my journey with others, so they didn’t feel alone.
What did you study and did this guide your current role?
I actually was in the medical field prior to getting into beauty. I worked for a neurosurgeon as a medical assistant and at a local hospital in the rehab department. A very different skillset to those I use as a content creator/blogger! However, I think that the skills that apply to most jobs are communication and technology nowadays. I think it’s important that we all have great communication skills and there aren’t many jobs that don’t deal with technology.
What skills and experience do you need to succeed as a content creator/blogger?
You have to have a passion for it, or it just won’t work. I started doing this a few years back when I was sitting in the hospital during a thirteen hour shift feeling so miserable about my job. I asked myself ‘what makes you happy?’ and it was beauty. Leaving a secure job with great benefits was so scary. But I had the passion to make the leap. I think the skills you need are communication, photography, and a great eye for visuals. I am completely self-taught so I think if you want to blog and create content, a photography class would be super beneficial.
What does your day-to-day entail?
Lots of emails. I primarily communicate with brands via email. I also make it a point to respond to my Instagram direct messages and comments. Other daily tasks are photographing products, testing products, and reviewing contracts and offers for jobs. It can be overwhelming at times but then I tell myself that I am basically my own boss and that is rewarding to me. So many people think doing this full-time is easy but it is extremely exhausting at times!
What are some common misconceptions people have about your job?
That it is easy and happens overnight. I’ve been blogging for over two years now and it has taken so much out of me at times to do it. I can’t complain because it brings me joy – but if you think being a full-time blogger/content creator is easy, you’re wrong. I’ve worked many difficult jobs in my life but I was never 100% responsible for every aspect of the job until now – taking care of the creative, financial, and business side of things all by myself is exhausting, but it is so rewarding!
What is the best part of your job?
Getting to meet and talk to so many beautiful people and brands. It is honestly a delight to have befriended so many brilliant women and men through blogging. I love seeing brands and fellow bloggers succeed. Also, I have a nine year old dog and being able to work from home and spend time with him is the icing on the cake!
What has been the most surreal moment of your career so far?
There have been so many, honestly. I was recently featured in the German edition of Glamour magazine. It was just unreal to see people from Germany posting the page in their stories. Getting to work with so many iconic brands is also so surreal to me. I have been very fortunate!
What deskside essentials are vital to you doing your job?
Always lip balm, hand cream, a facial mist, a candle, and I usually have music playing.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to go into content creation/blogging ?
I would say have fun, be authentic, and don’t compare yourself or your success to others’. Social media can be very daunting sometimes because someone is always prettier, wealthier, gets better gigs, gets more likes, etc. But you are enough and if you try to be someone else or compare yourself to others you can honestly go a bit mad.
What’s your top piece of beauty advice?
Do what is best for your skin and know your own skin. Don’t fall into trends that aren’t geared towards your skin type. We can tend to want to try everything new just because everyone else is.
