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 Jake Jamie, makeup and skincare influencer.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I actually wanted to be a popstar! Or something in media. Even when I was younger, I used to create a little magazine called JWM, Jake Ward’s Magazine. It wasn’t very innovative when I think back to the name! But I used to make music videos in my bedroom. I always wanted to work in this kind world, so the fact I now am is really amazing.
What attracted you to the beauty industry?
When I was 19, I got acne on my cheeks and it used to make me feel crappy about myself. I used to go to beauty stores, and I used to feel like I shouldn’t be there. I felt like I could feel people looking at me and I just thought to myself ‘God, if I feel this way, surely there are other people who feel exactly the same.’
So, coming into this world was more from wanting to make a change and it grew into so much more than I ever expected. I didn’t see it as career path initially, it was just a way to connect with people that felt the same way that I did, who loved what I loved. It was a way to share my passion with other people.
What did you study and how did this guide your current role?
I left school when I was 16 years old and I went to work full time. I didn’t go to college university. By the time I reached the end of school at 16, I was done with education and I just wanted to start working straight away.
I started as a tea boy and I worked my way up. I only left my fulltime job in 2018, and I worked really hard to get to where I was in my personal career. But leaving fulltime work was the scariest thing in the world. I’m so pleased I did because it enabled me to take things to the next level and it’s changed my life.
What skills and experience do you need to succeed in the beauty industry?
I think the most important thing is persistence. It makes the biggest difference. We all have those morning where we wake up and think, ‘do you know what, I’m not feeling it today.’ But you have a couple of days like that and it stops everything in its tracks.
What does your day-to-day entail?
My day to day is so varied! It’s hard to say what an average day is because everyday is so vastly different. From making videos, to going to events, to planning videos to dealing with my finances and dealing with the admin. It is a lot, but because I love it, it never feels like work.
What are some of the common misconceptions people have about your job?
That it’s easy! Like I said, I worked fulltime until 2018 and I worked really hard to get to where I was in my personal career. And I would say, hands down, this is the hardest job I’ve ever done. I used to work with a team of 30 people, and now my brand is just me. I have to be at the forefront of every tiny decision that’s made, you can’t send someone else in your place to do something for you, so it’s a lot of pressure on one person.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of this job are the friends I’ve made along the way. You are put into a room filled with people that love what you love, that do what you do, that have achieved a similar thing that you have achieved, and I have made some of my bestest friends. People that will be my friends for life.
What has been the most surreal moment of your career so far?
I think creating the products with Revolution is the most surreal feeling. I got a DM from someone this morning saying the products had reached Singapore and seeing my products on shelves in Singapore in Asia is just the most surreal feeling I the whole entire world.
What essentials are vital to you doing your job?
Lip balm! Always. I like something quite simple for the lips, and I go through them like there is no tomorrow! My laptop is always close for editing and an essence spray to touch up throughout the day.
What’s your top piece of beauty advice?
If I get a pimple, I disguise it as a freckle! That’s my best piece of beauty advice because it looks so much cuter that a yellowhead!
