Walid Zoubi is a makeup artist and image consultant. He has worked on several videos and films worldwide. In his free time, Walid is also a fashion and jewelry designer, a painter, a writer, and a blogger. Walid shares his genius and artistic tendencies on his blog, Descantia. Walid started out as a full-time fashion designer, but later shifted into makeup which he found much more fulfilling. According to him, the transformation, look, and happiness on a client’s face when you are done are invaluable! Walid has his own image consultancy firm, S.I.C. (Styling Image Consultants). The biggest part of his job consists of looking at how people dress and redesigning their wardrobes, hair, and complete image (from head to toe!). For his work, Walid relies on his accumulated knowledge and experience gained since the mid 1980s. He also draws a lot from his fashion, behavioral psychology and beauty therapy studies, as well as his experience as an entertainer, performance artist, and model. In this blog, Walid takes us through a typical day in his very untypical life... Walid's agenda: 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM My day starts at 7AM (sometimes even earlier if I’m scheduled for a film or photo shoot) with two cups of freshly brewed coffee and an email browsing session. I can get dozens of emails overnight, so I try to keep up and reply to as many emails as I can in the morning. I leave less urgent emails for the afternoon. One of the reasons why I love my job is that nothing is fixed. Some days, for example, I have to wake up at 3:00AM to get ready to be on set by 5:00AM (yes, my morning grooming session can take two full hours!). 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM My days are extremely varied. One day I might be working on a film which means that I design the whole look of the actors, including the special effects, and this usually entails that I’m heading up a team. If I’m working with a magazine on a photo shoot, then I’m generally responsible for things running smoothly and ensuring that there are no problems, in addition to being the Art Director and the hair and makeup designer throughout the entire shoot. Whatever I do, it’s important to me that my team gets what they need to be able to work efficiently and that everyone is happy, because when things go well we all get the praise, but if things go wrong I’m responsible. I’m a perfectionist and have the reputation of being difficult, but like someone once told me, “We know you have a temper, but we like working with you because you’re fair and you work for everyone’s best interest.” I think that the challenge we face as makeup artists and stylists is that we have to change the perception of how people see this profession; it is not as simple as it seems! 2:00 – 3:00 PM Unless I’m on a filming set or at a photo shoot, I usually have lunch at home while watching TV or going through my Facebook profile. 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM During the second part of the day, I usually run the day-to-day business activities of my agency, which include meeting with clients, sorting out projects, and delegating work to my team. I love my work because most of my clients are by referral, so the people who come to me know what I do and how I do it. We are or become friends. So instead of a client service it becomes more like friends hanging out and having a good time. 7:00 – 11:00 PM I head out to grab dinner with friends. I love checking out new restaurants in the city; it gives me the opportunity to see Amman’s buzzing social scene. 11:00 PM 11:00PM is the time when I shut down my laptop and switch off my smartphone to sit with my dad or play with my dog before calling it a day. My advice for young professionals who want to enter this field would be to have a real passion for it. You should be artistic; you really have to know how to draw. You also need to be well-rounded. You have to read the history of makeup and fashion in order to learn all the techniques and styles. I recommend anyone interested in learning more about makeup to read, watch video tutorials, and practice. Makeup schools in general cannot teach you what full hands-on experience can. Read about skincare and techniques. Do not be fooled into thinking that makeup artists are beauty therapists because most are not; they do not understand the skin and can cause a lot of damage. My last advice would be to build an online portfolio where you could showcase your projects and a little summary about yourself, your qualifications, and key achievements. Do you have an exciting career? Would you like to share a day in YOUR life with us? Email me at reemb@bayt.net, and you'll be the next professional to get featured on our blog!
