"I Want This Job" Make-Up Artist & Ambassador for Max Factor Greece

OK, so, I am beyond excited about this installment of "I want this Job", why?
Well, basically this is one of the professions I would have loved to have done, had I not been in Fashion. (Fashion Butter if you're reading, in another life I'd be driving around in a big fat, ice cream style van, giving out make-overs, rainbow coloured nail polish and the finest Gelato (naturally!).

I love make-up, make-overs, whatever... it's the inner creative mojo that gets unleashed once in a while.
When I moved over here, I was blown away by the amazing live TV "How-To's" on "Kafes me tin Eleni" and I also noticed how amazing Zeta Makripoulia looked on Greek 'Dancing with the Stars' (apologies to those who have no clue what/who i'm talking, she's a Greek Beauty - famous TV presenter & actress below).

I simply had to know the force behind was making these women gorgeous. I posted this a while ago, in hope of hunting down the genius and lucky for me, the gorgeous Katerina of Fashion Algorithms shed me some the light! The secret beauty weapon is this guy!

Introducing the mega talented and brilliant make up artist extraordinaire - Yiannis Marketakis!

I Want This Job: Make Up Artist
Who do you work for?
Max Factor (MF), over the last five years as ambassador of MF in Greece


What sparked your interest in make-up/beauty?
I love make up, even though my studies at the beginning were in a completely different path (I studied financial and law in Panteion University of Athens, and conservation and restoration of Art and then I studied make up and hair styling).
I love make up and beauty because it's very creative, you are working with a "live canvas"which is giving you the pleasure to transform and make people beautiful.




What's a typical day in the life of Yiannis Marketakis?
A typical day for me is starting early in the morning, it depends on the daily schedule: from working on a photo-shoot on a location requiring the use of the day light, and then working on an advertisement, filming in a studio to working late at night in a night club doing the make up of a famous singer. The day after you can find me in a world conference of Max Factor presenting products or flying in new york for a campaign!

At the moment, i'm on tour with Helena Paparizou (snap shot above) all over Greece.

Elena Paparizou looking hot!

Can you tell us a little about what goes on behind the scenes? A sneak peek into your world - be it TV appearance, preparing a celebrity for a movie premiere/event, photo-shoot for a magazine or for a collaboration with a make up brand?
The reality behind the scenes can be very tough sometimes, it's not always so flashy and glamorous that people believe. There is always the constant pressure about the time there is (I can just picture someone in the background going "4 minutes, you got 4 minutes only!!!") & a lot of things that have to be prepared specially when we are on a live TV show.
There is no room for mistakes as everything must be perfect at the right time, everytime! The make up, the hair, the styling, the lights etc... so as you can probably imagine there is a lot of pressure!

Yiannis working on Doukissa Nomikou

In a photo shoot the things are different, there is more time to create, to repair fix and change everything that you don't like!

What do you love about this job & why is it so fabulous?
As I mentioned before, I love this job because of the creativity and with this job, it never get boring, you are in a different place everyday with different people doing different things!
It's very fabulous because you have to deal with celebrities, actors, singers, models and you are also part of the fashion industry.

Is it as glamorous as it sounds?
Yes! It's very glamorous, because you live with all these people and sometimes very close. For example, i'm working with Helena Paparizou for the last six years, I'm in her daily schedule and sometimes i'm following her program for a long time. So we'll end up living in the same hotels, eating in the same restaurants, going out in the same places! Of course it's glamorous!


Have you travelled anywhere amazing as a make-up artist?
I have travelled around the globe a lot as a make up artist, from Japan, China, Australia, French Polynesia, Bora Bora, Maldives, all around USA, Canada, Latin America, Russia and all over Europe, Africa and Asia.


What's most challenging/difficult about this job?
The most challenging thing with this job is to create different looks on one person, sometimes long hours and the most difficult is to have contact with the people that you're working with. What core responsibilities do you have as a Make-up artist?
-to be always there if needed

-to have always clean products and tools

-to be always informed and updated in trends and in fashion

Which celebrity do you love working with?
I love working with my girls Elena Paparizou, Zeta Makripoulia, and Eleni Menegaki the most but of course i love working with all the celebrities.

Eleni Menegaki

Elena Paparizou

Which brands of make up do you love working with?
Max Factor make up products.

What skills do you need to be a great Make-up artist?
The skills for being a make up artist is "free hand and creative mind" inspiration and observation

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to become a Make-up artist?
My advice for those who want to be a make-up artist is hard work, read a lot of international fashion magazines and my moto in make up is "less is more"


What's the career path like? (Education, training, how long does it take to get to where you are/successful make up artist?)
The education & training is the first step, most important is the practice, it depends on how creative you are. My advice is to open your mind and feed it with a lot of creative data! Get different information from different sources and try to make them yours! Create your own style so when somebody sees a picture, they can say "Oh, that's Marketakis' make up"!

Editorials for International magazines & L'Officiel

How did you find your dream job as a Make-up artist? Do you have a portfolio?
By working hard, finding myself an agency. My site is under construction, however, you can visit www.yiannismarketakis.com soon.
For the moment you can see a small sample at www.effex.gr which is the agency i'm with.

Any make up tips you'd like to share?
Sleep 8 hours a day, drink a lot of water and keep your skin clean and hydrated. That helps a lot in making it easier for the make up to look fabulous.

Use liquid and light foundations to have a light invisible cover, especially in the morning and never go OTT and use all the products together!

A huge thank you to Yiannis for sharing this info with us (he's super busy man) - we love him! Personally I'd love a mini version of Yiannis to take everywhere with me so I can look equally as gorgeous 1st thing in the morning! Elena Paparizou sure is one lucky lady!