Bibi Rhomberg - I Offer Customized Make-up Coachings On Products & Methods That Are Sustainable & Not Harmful To Either My Clients Or The Environment (Make-up Artist, Austria)
The most powerful thing is to look in the mirror into your own eyes and finding beauty there and peace with what you see - we can then further underline this beauty with sustainable products and self-care rituals as the cherry on the cake.
1. Tell me about you and your journey and why you chose this career?
My name is Bibi Rhomberg and I'm an Organic Make-up Artist, Conscious Beauty Coach and Yoga Teacher.
My journey started in Spain where I was living and working after my A-levels - the result of a strong longing to get away from my Austrian hometown to see what the world could offer.
And so it was that I moved alone to the Costa Brava in Spain. I always had an art or fashion design at the back of my mind but as I had to earn some money first I decided to just go there and at least learn the language. I fell in love with Barcelona on regular visits and after some saving and figuring out what I wanted, I moved there to attend a Make-up Artist School. Instantly I felt it was related to my deep love of drawing, colours and textures and I never felt happier in my life. During the course to make ends meet I started at Sephora, ultimately staying a few years as a make-up artist and product trainer. Throughout all this I was slowly building my own business on the side, doing stylings for various events, fashion shows, advertising, and more.
Being a freelancer always requires being honest with yourself and being in constant movement - it's important not to get stuck and become passive. As the years passed I developed a deeper understanding of the harmful impacts of the conventional make-up industry on our planet. I started to learn the ingredients of products, got to know alternatives (there are already loads of amazing substitutes on the market) and began to offer customized make-up coachings on products and methods that are sustainable and not harmful to either my clients or the environment.
2. What are some of your top makeup tips?
If you would have asked me some years ago what kind of make-up tips I would have to offer, I would have probably said something different! But by now one of my biggest beliefs is that whatever we use to make us feel more beautiful should not be at the cost of the planet or any other being. We should all try to spend time developing a healthy and loving relationship with ourselves instead of perhaps hiding our true essence behind a make-up mask. The most powerful thing is to look in the mirror into your own eyes and finding beauty there and peace with what you see - we can then further underline this beauty with sustainable products and self-care rituals as the cherry on the cake.
3. What kind of job opportunities one can get after becoming a make-up artist?
As a trained Make-up Artist there are many possible avenues to go down. First of all, you should figure out what your main passion is - be that beauty make-up, special effects, theatre or are you maybe just passionate about all the products? It is important to be aware that, depending on where you live, you will or will not be able to work in certain areas of make-up artistry. Bigger cities are generally more interesting in terms of dipping into all the different job opportunities and finding out where you see yourself in the future.
4. Which professional courses would you suggest for aspiring artists?
If you are an aspiring artist, I would recommend you to train up your skill-set in a bigger city where you start building up contacts and a portfolio. It might also be helpful to work part-time at a make-up store to get to know all the products. For these kinds of artistic jobs, there is no real order in what you have to do to get where you want to be. I think the best thing is intuitively starting somewhere, reconnecting with your dream regularly, and seeing where the journey takes you. In my experience as a freelance artist, I've discovered there is no such thing as "arriving" - it's a constant process of building and reconnecting with yourself, having trust and self-belief and hopefully enjoying the path you're going along.
5. Your favourite book and why?
I don't have one single favourite book but I'm a huge audiobook fan and listen to some repeatedly as they remind me of things and help me keep going on all levels with a positive attitude:
The Wise Heart - Jack Kornfield
The Book of Joy - The Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu
Face Paint - Lisa Eldridge
Interviewed by Pratibha Sahani