Geelong MUA Tess Holmes takes us through her path to success while juggling family life.

Send us Fan MailThis week: getting personal with Tess Homles, hair and makeup artist, mother and masterclass host. Tess is responsible for the makeup on the cover shoot of ‘Then there was her’, Sophie Cachia’s biography, which just dropped last month and the many-a celeb glow-ups, including Sophie Monk and Jessica Gomes. “You know, it never really gets easier taking photos of yourself for videos, or listening to your own voice for that matter” - remarks Tess.  Encouraging mua’s unsure what to charge when starting out, Tess suggests starting at a base of AU$150 for an hour’s work. Once you work out your market, brand and followers - you can start to increase your price. You just have to gauge what’s right for you and start off somewhere. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in the industry for a long time, tune in now, check out the key takeaways and subscribe for future podcasts below.  KEY TAKEAWAYS:TRIAL AND ERROR.Makeup is art. It’s your own art, on a living canvas.  Nothing is perfect until you practice - and as Tess says, nothing is wrong (I mean there’s not hitting the client brief - which is entirely a different story), but otherwise the best part about makeup is that you can really make your own look, because there’s no real right or wrong, it’s all about personal style. “It was all trial and error [in the early days]. It is all literally practice. You do something, then you rub it off. You know you can start again, and that is the best part about makeup.”Tess HolmesMAP TO SUCCESS.  Didn’t meatloaf say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions? Well, along those lines are also striving make up artists hoping to make it in the big bad world.Tess mapped her way to success by creating a clear path of what she wanted, what she needed to do, and how to get there. Launching her self-titled makeup masterclass, Tess educates people on how to do their own makeup.  Sponsored by Mecca and selling out EVERY TIME within minutes, Tess’ makeup classes are drawing people from all over Australia. While a masterclass requires a lot of work, it is very rewarding. You get to put your skills to good work by teaching a new generation of artists - you just need to find your niche. “I did my research and there was nothing out there [at the time]. There wasn’t anything for just your everyday person to learn makeup… So that’s where I started. I drew a map of what I wanted to create.”Tess Holmes The Hair Edit Waitlist Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IGThe Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok