Q&A with Makeup Artist Liraz Jacoby

Recently I attended a makeup masterclass hosted by Liraz Jacoby, you may have read a recent blog post where I mentioned I was looking forward to attending.

Liraz is from Toronto, Canada and had loved makeup from an early age. During the masterclass I felt inspired. She told us a story of how she was rejected once, she was told that she didn’t have what was needed on the current market (her makeup is more on the glam side). This didn’t stop her. She decided not to change herself to fit in with everyone else, which I admire. I remember when I first arrived in Toronto over a year and a half ago, I learned the term “Instagram makeup”. I couldn’t understand this, I was told my makeup was “Instagram Makeup” and I quickly learned that a large majority of Toronto ladies like their makeup to be more subtle.. I was shocked at this terminology and appalled at this dark light over more “dramatic” makeup. Still to this day I don’t quite fully understand the term and I’ve decided to ignore it.

Another story that inspired me is how Liraz decided to work for herself. She said that she had promoted many brand names throughout her career, why hadn’t she been promoting her own name? This story resonated with me and I’m going to start working harder on promoting myself.

I had the opportunity to ask Liraz a few questions related to the beauty industry. I hope you enjoy!

Q&A With Liraz Jacoby

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1. When did you first discover your love for makeup?

   1. I first discovered my love for makeup as a young girl watching Bollywood movies with my mom. I was in awe of their colourful tradition of bold makeup and fashion.

2. If you had to use only one makeup product for the rest of your life, what would it be?

   1. Mascara. Something magical happens when you use mascara, it opens your eyes. I believe that eyes are the focus of the face and window to the soul. But I’m a makeup artist and have to get creative and would therefore cheat by using my food as makeup. I would squeeze colourful berries for tinted lip and cheek colours.

3. What are your three most favourite makeup brands?

   1. 1. NARS. I started my career with NARS and i’ve been carrying their philosophy of makeup to this day.

   2. 2. Kevin Aucoin. He created a revolution in the makeup world back in the 90’s and even though he passed away, the creative brain behind his line is still in the making of incredible artistic products.

   3. 3. Laura Mercier. I feel that Laura Mercier is my go to product when my vision is creating flawless, natural look. It doesn’t matter how many products i’m using in one application, it always looks effortless.

4. What is your favourite makeup trend and why? Do you follow any “Instagram” trends?

   1. I’m actually not a big fan of trends, I believe that trends come and go. When I have a vision for makeup, my goal is to always create a timeless look. However, I will occasionally get inspired by trends and find a way to introduce it into my technique.

   2. Yes, I love following new artists on Instagram because their fresh and always bringing new ideas into the game.

5. What is your biggest tip to any aspiring makeup artists starting out in their career?

   1. Stay true to yourself and just be you. There will always be competition, there are so many of us out there. But if we just stay true to ourselves, our vision and our artistry, we will realize there is only one of us. Another piece of advice I would give is not to copy others, but be inspired by them.

6. What is your favourite style of makeup to do? (wedding, glam, editorial etc)

   1. Glam is by far my favourite style. Everytime I create a glam look on a women, something beautiful comes out in her, whether it’s confidence, energy or attitude. Every women has a secret wish to walk the “red carpet” why not give them a taste?

7. Who are your favourite makeup artists?

   1. Kevin Aucoin, Francois Nars and Pat McGrath

8. When you are feeling unmotivated, who or where do you turn to for motivation?

   1. Chocolate and family. I first grab my Nutella with a big spoon, get the phone in my hand and start dialing the people who truly love and care about me.

      

      Gorgeous Glam Makeup by Liraz

9. Do you have any hobbies?

   1. When we started to develop the Shine for Suzan initiative, I was exposed to producing and directing which I fell in love with.

   2. My other hobby is cooking, which the end result is food. Since eating is another passion of mine. :)

10. Do you have a Liraz signature makeup look?

    1. Yes, it’s my glam look, which is centered around the eyes. Over the years I’ve had many women coming into my studio and requesting my glam eye look. I’ve realized women pay attention to the way I do eye makeup therefore I’ve created a trend where women request that specific look.

11. Whenever you doubted yourself or felt like giving up, what is the one thought that kept you going and working towards where you are today?

    1. I honestly feel that those moments are extremely important in any ones career. Those are the moments which either make you or break you. Obviously allowing that moment to stop you is the easy way out, but once you make a decision to keep going you’re allowing yourself to grow and be open to new opportunities and redirecting yourself into a new path. You get to a certain point in your life where you feel that you have nothing to lose and if you don’t do it now, you’ll never do it. I’ve made a decision to use those hard moments as my GPS in life. This is a sign to renew myself, to reinvent myself and to push out of my comfort zone.

12. What don’t you ever leave the house without?

    1. My underwear and phone. :D

13. Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

    1. I truly see myself becoming a dominant figure in the beauty education world. My vision is to inspire other artists to become successful entrepreneurs, follow their dreams and learn from my many career mistakes.

14. What inspired you to create the Makeup By Liraz Academy?

    1. I’ve realized throughout the years that teaching and educating is another passion of mine. Being able to shape and form new artists in the beginning of their journey is such an honor. Also, becoming a mentor and a coach, something I’ve never experienced in my own career is extremely rewarding since I’m able to direct them and prevent them from rookie mistakes (mistakes that I’ve made when I started.) The Makeup by Liraz Academy is bringing something fresh and new into the industry. We have created a successful influencer program, something no one else is doing. We have Influencers teaching within the Academy and our social media marketing program is a huge part of our curriculum. Being an good artist is great, but knowing how to grow your business will set you apart from the rest.

15. What plans are in the works for 2018?

    1. We are expending our Academy and moving into a larger, centralized location in the next couple of months. We’re introducing Pro Workshops that include: Advanced Bridal, Editorial, Hair Extensions as well as Business & Marketing Classes. As a makeup artist, I always try to grow and educate myself and I feel that the local market in Toronto is lacking these types of programs, which is why we’re bringing them to the city.

16. What makeup brush/tool can you not live without?

    1. My eye blending brush from Morphe #M502. It’s a $7 brush that I can do everything with, including my signature smokey eye.

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I’m impressed with these answers and I hope you have learned a little more about Liraz!

As you may know, I am a makeup artist myself. I would highly recommend anyone who is remotely interested in starting a makeup career to go to as many makeup events as possible. The masterclass by Liraz was excellent and Liraz would go into every detail of every step and explain the how’s and why’s. Liraz also has her own Makeup Academy where she teaches makeup artist courses. Definitely check out her website if you were interested in starting or advancing your career in makeup.

Thank you so much to Liraz for answering my questions above, I love getting to know someone on a more personal level, especially when we both share the same passion. If you’re interested in finding out more about Liraz, go find her on Instagram, Facebook and her website.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I loved doing the Q&A! Let me know if you enjoyed it in the comments below. Did I leave out any questions you would’ve asked Liraz? Comment them down below!