How To Prep Your Skin For Make-Up


Make-up with Mollie


I love beauty and it is a topic I know a fair bit about but what I know is mainly down to experience, trial and error and all that jazz… Which is why I wanted to collaborate with a real pro to bring you a new series of How-To videos.I first met Mollie at 8am on a rather dull London day as I was dragging myself out of a cab in a backstreet of Soho… It wasn’t after a heavy night out, just on the very first day of London Fashion Week. Mollie had been hired to make me beautiful for a day of filming with TK Maxx. We grabbed a quick coffee and I quickly warmed to Mollie’s personality. As she was working away on my face, listening to my requests and giving me tips along the way, it struck me that her tips would really benefit you guys too. We filmed a few short videos covering some make-up basics and today I am happy to share the first one with you – but first, you should get to know the beautiful Mollie!

How are you? Can you tell me a little about yourself / your career / how you became a MUA?

I am very well, thank you. I am Mollie Whichello a beauty therapist and make-up artist. Previously I was a PR girl for 9 years up until two months ago when I decided it was time to go mobile and use my other passion and skill set.

From the ripe age of 15 I knew that I wanted to be involved in make-up and beauty. I had an attraction to trying out all sorts of ways of wearing make-up, with a few errors along the way! I qualified when I was 19 in Beauty Therapy Science, which included bridal make-up and treatments such as facials, massage and more. I continued to grow my skills in both areas, by attending further courses in make-up artistry across fashion and editorial, Asian and Arabic wedding, vintage and every day make-up looks.

What has been the most challenging part of this new job? The most gratifying?

Launching back into this industry has been extremely inspiring but also a little scary. Meeting a variety of people day to day is the best part of this job, but also the most challenging because everyone’s expectations are different, so you need to be ready to adapt to their requirements quickly.

What’s your daily make-up routine?

When I wake up, I always prepare my face with a short skincare routine which includes a cleanse, tone, oil, eye serum and moisturiser. This prepares my skin not only for make-up but also for other elements such as pollution and harsh weather. Once this is done, I start with my eye make-up and eyebrows, then you have the chance to clear up any unwanted product before you start the coverage, which includes a foundation, concealer and contouring if you are going for the full effect.

What looks do you love doing on clients and which ones do you like the least?

I love the use of bold, bight colours and whilst doing an Arabic wedding look recently I used nine stunning eye-shadows to create a stand-out look. Be brave but practice first, then you know what works and what doesn’t. For a more simple but beautiful look, a 1950s vintage style includes a cat-like eye-liner and alluring red lips. Doing an eye-liner can be a scary prospect but keep trying it out on yourself and your friends – you will get there!

Do you have any specific beauty secrets you could share with my readers?

My best beauty secret is a good skincare routine and lots of water! Your make-up will sit smoothly if you take the right precautions before applying it. Be kind to your skin and it will be kind to you!

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