Paisley’s Story: Helping People Feel their Best

By Emma Kushnir, WorkStory Ambassador at Western University

Paisley Mattes loves helping people and making them feel beautiful is the best way for her to do it. She graduated from St Lawrence College, in Kingston, Ontario, and has been working as an Esthetician at Cher Mere Day Spa for about a year and a half.  Paisley focuses on manicures, pedicures, makeup, massage, facials and waxing. “I try to always make the client feel better-  whether it be making someone feel beautiful by doing their makeup or helping them de-stress by giving them a massage.”  The skills needed to become an esthetician can be learned at college, but Paisley explains that “you really have to have a passion for the industry because it is always changing, new brands or new techniques are developed and you [have to] keep up to date, so that when your clients ask you about something you can be a source of knowledge.”

When asked how she first got interested in this career, Paisley explains she’s always loved doing makeup on herself, and then some friends asked her to do their makeup for special events. “It made me realize that I could do it as a career and not just a hobby. At the time I was nearing the end of second year at university studying history and didn’t love it. So I applied to college and decided to go for it!” They didn’t specifically have a program for makeup, so esthetics was the best course because it still involved makeup.

Making the decision to enter this program was her biggest challenge. Was this something she wanted to spend time and money on – especially after two years, and two years of tuition bills, at university?  In the end, after talking to friends who went to the program right after high school, weighing the pros and cons, and with the support of parents and friends, Paisley found the transition was very easy.

Her inspiration was that esthetics combined her love for beauty and for making people feel better. She loves that every day she can be involved in “making people feel beautiful, helping them get ready for an event so they feel their best, or helping get rid of some of their pain or stress.”

Paisley’s advice for others?  “I went through about 10 different ideas about what I wanted to do before I decided on esthetics. And the truth is I could still change my mind if I wanted to, but I will always have the knowledge that I acquired about esthetics. If you feel that changing careers is the right decision for you, then do it!  Esthetics is not a glamorous job. You don’t get free manicures or waxing all the time. You probably won’t have had a massage since school even though your body hurts from helping other people feel better, but the reward is helping your clients feel good, feel happy and feel refreshed.” 

A path to make-up artistry…

By Monica Pavez

Goblins. Werewolves. Aliens and beauty queens. Pretty much any character’s look you can think of in any movie (or TV series) has been created or worked on by a makeup or special effects artist. If the job has been right, you won’t even notice the immense amount of work that has been done.

Growing up, like most other people, I didn’t really give much thought to the people working behind the scenes to bring stories to life on stage or screen.  I knew of course that there must be people who’s job it was to make movies, but it seemed like this unrealistic dream job that a few lucky people got to do. Like oyster divers or panda cub babysitters, we can’t all do that for a living. Not to mention, how does one learn those jobs? Do you need schooling, or can you learn on the job? Do you have to know someone who can get you “in”?

Towards the end of my high school career, I, like the rest of my classmates, was feeling the pressure to decide on a postsecondary program.  I had been an artisitic person my whole life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I would be a good artist. The problem was that when I started to go over the university materials and programs lists, nothing really jumped out at me. I decided instead to enroll in a 2 year art program at H.B. Beal Secondary School in London, where I could take arts courses that were in many cases equal to or better than taking the equivalents at an arts college. After graduating from that program, I worked for a while before deciding that I could see myself doing costuming work for theatre as a career. I applied to the Fashion Techniques and Design Program at George Brown in Toronto, intending to specialize in Costume Design afterwards.  The program wasn’t quite for me, and I ended up dropping out. I spent the next several years working a few different jobs, but still feeling like I was waiting for the next phase of my life to start. I knew I wanted to go to postsecondary school, but I was at a complete loss as to what I should study. 

Around what is now roughly two and half years ago, I began to hear about a school in Toronto called C|MU College of Makeup Art & Design. It was and is a private college that offers courses and programs for aspiring makeup artists. My girlfriend at the time knew someone who was attending the school, and so I booked a tour and info session at the school.  Almost as soon as I finished the tour I knew that I had finally found what I was looking for in a school. It would give the skills, techniques, and contacts I would need to become a successful makeup artist. I immediately applied to the school, and I was accepted into their Complete Makeup Artist Program, which gives you a two-year equivalent diploma and you learn everything from beauty and fashion makeup to makeup for theatre and film, as well as prosthetic and creature makeup. During the program I was able to gain experience in the field by way of the job posting board that the school oversees.

I graduated from the program in early June, and am now in the process of building my freelance portfolio and hopefully a career as a makeup artist for film. If I learned anything over the years while trying to figure out my life, it is that you have to know yourself. Know what you are good at and what you are not; know what you do want out of your career and what you don’t. It will at the very least help rule out what you don’t want to study. I guess most of all, don’t panic, everyone has their own path to take!