Business of Makeup and Mentorship With Melissa Street

Hey everyone! This is Natalie Setareh, your makeup artist and beauty coach here a with another episode with the one and only, Melissa Street. My interview with Melissa was so good (and long), that I decided it best to divide it into two parts. This is part 1 of our interview and we cover the business of makeup and mentorship in the makeup artist industry. 

I consider myself super blessed and fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview Melissa Street. If you are a makeup artist, you likely already  know and love her — or you will by the end of this episode. If you are a makeup lover and beauty enthusiast, then you’ll get a deeper look into the world of an accomplished makeup artist and just how much work it takes to reach such a high level of success. 

Before you listen!

Eugenia Weston, industry leader and founder of Senna Cosmetics is one of Melissa’s mentors in the industry. You might even call Eugenia a mentor to the makeup artist industry itself, if I’m being perfectly honest. If you want to learn more about Eugenia and her story, you can find my interview with her here. As a matter of fact, it was during my interview with Eugenia that she  suggested I interview Melissa. And of course, I did — and that my friend, is how this interview came to be. The universe is a magical place!

So sit back, relax, and listen to episode here or wherever you tune into podcasts. As a content creator, let me tell you that nothing makes my day more you knowing you’re telling your friends about the show, sharing this post/episode with them, being tagged with screenshots on IG stories (@nataliesetareh), and/or reading your positive reviews on iTunes.

Listen Here

Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Meet Melissa

Melissa Street is an 8 time Emmy Award winning makeup artist for television and film – specializing in 4K, 6K and 8K Digital filming. She’s a veteran in the industry with over 30 years experience and has worked on shows like 20/20, Larry King Live, Guidance, Playbook 360, and Nancy Grace as well as films like the upcoming Top Gun and Super Athlete, just to name a few. 

Her impressive clientele includes many celebrities and high-ranking individuals. She’s a respected leader in the makeup artist community and is also and more informally known for her amazing makeup kit setup and organization.

#1 A Day In The Life of Melissa Street [04:31]

After reading your incredible and impressive introduction and having researched your amazing career (which I encourage everyone to do at their leisure, links are all in the show notes)… instead of asking you the predictable or expected question of how you got your start in makeup I thought it would be fun to describe a typical work/set day in the life of Melissa Street — give our listeners, both professional makeup artists and makeup enthusiasts alike, what’s it’s like to be on set or working in production. 

#2 Growing Your Company [11:42]

There are lots of freelance makeup artists listening to the show who have probably been solo artists, maybe contracting out assistants for larger jobs like weddings or corporate events. Some of these artists, for example artists in the bridal space want to extend their services and do so by growing a team or opening up a makeup studio or salon. 

I would love it if you could share how, when, and why you decided to form your own company in 2001 — and how you’ve managed to grow it into the successful company it is today. 

#3 Mentorship [27:11]

You’ve mentioned in several different interviews and articles about how mentorship has been instrumental in your success. Two of the mentors you referred to in a number of interviews come to mind. The first one is a mentor you apprenticed with for 3 years after high school and also the one and only, Eugenia Weston, who I mentioned in the intro paragraph. 

The two questions I have for you is, how does it feel to find yourself being the mentor and also — can you offer some practical advice on how seasoned and aspiring artists can find and become mentors?