The Makeup Insider

Hosted by Vanessa Barney

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Episodes

118

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-AU

About the show

The Makeup Insider is a fortnightly one-on-one podcast exploring the life and career of makeup artists, hosted by freelance mua Vanessa Barney.. Finding your community of other likeminded mua’s – the creative, artistic, talkative, flexible, adaptable with a good eye for colour kind-of-people, can often be daunting. Like, where do you start? The Makeup Insider is designed for just that. To build a collaborative online community of artists to build their confidence, connections and help drive their career to the next level.If you’re just starting out or have been in the industry for a long time, tune in now, check out the key takeaways in the show notes and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Find Vanessa @vanessabarney @the.makeupinsider

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September 8, 2026Episode 1201 hr 49 min

From the Opera House to Viral TikTok: Ask Ellen on Building a Beauty Career That Actually Lasts

Ellen's Blog Post From the Opera House to Viral TikTok, with Ask Ellen . This week I sat down with Ellen Malone — makeup artist, beauty content creator, and reigning Australian and New Zealand Beauty and Fashion Creator of the Year. She's also, quietly, a trained opera singer who's performed at the Sydney Opera House and played the lead in Carmen. Yes, really. We got into everything. Her start on a Mac counter at 20, the year she completely flopped online before anything took off, the real numbers behind influencer pay, and the makeup technique she thinks the whole industry has been teaching wrong. We cover: Winning Creator of the Year and why the win itself hit different to the metrics Why "creative careers choose you," and Ellen's double life as an opera singer The real earnings gap between male and female influencers in Australia Why "natural" is the most useless brief a client can give you Her first ever wedding, done via six buses and a train with a metal fold-out kit Getting hired at Mac at 20 with no formal training and having to prove herself Her hot take that 80% of artists can't colour match properly The real history of underpainting, and why she thinks a whole generation of artists were taught it wrong The wedding that got called off mid-makeup (and why it had nothing to do with the makeup) Why she'll never tell you her best client stories How COVID, a redundancy, and a full year of flopping led to her actual career Her current kit favourites, from an underrated blush trio to a foundation for mature, textured skin.

September 1, 202659 min

A Full Face, Live: Every Product Michael Brown Reached For. Watch on Youtube.

Send us Fan Mail Michael Brown is back on The Insider Edit, and this time it's not a chat, it's a full face, live, start to finish. Michael's been in the industry since the early 2000s (he started at Estée Lauder back in 2000), trained under Gucci Westman during her years as Lancôme's creative director, and now works mostly red carpet and event glam: Melbourne Cup, the Logies, Farmer Wants A Wife, Today Show appearances, and a week of 6am glams at Royal Ascot in London. In this episode he puts a full face on our model Kate and talks through every product and every step as he goes. To watch this episode head to Youtube . Head to The Makeup Insider Blog for a full list and links to all products used. What we covered: Skin prep with the reformulated Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (peptides and niacinamides now in the formula, built not to pill under foundation), plus Naturium as a lighter, no-actives alternative Tarte's new mattifying ball primer, used just in the centre of the face Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter as a glow and blur step, used under the eyes, above the lip, and down the centre of the face Trying the brand new Make Up For Ever HD Foundation live for the first time, in shade 222N Neutral, applied with an Hourglass foundation brush Why Michael's whole kit runs neutral shades, and how that compares to Hung Vanngo's all-neutral foundation range A rundown of the long-wear foundations Michael rates: Double Wear back in the day, NARS Longwear, and YSL All Hours on his to-try list Concealer with Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless, applied sparingly with a tiny Kitology sponge Contour with a Westman Atelier stick (shade Truffle) and why Michael's placing contour higher for lift rather than lower for sculpting Bronzer with Haus Labs (no shimmer, ever) and the one spot everyone forgets: the neck Blush with the Haus Labs Glassy Blush Balm in Ginger, used high on the orbital bone as a blush-highlighter hybrid Eyes with three of the Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-eyes sticks: Cashmere Sculpt, Mink Sculpt and Ballet Quartz Tight lining with Fenty eyeliner, and why Michael's doing more tight line and less top eyeliner these days Taking the look from day to night with Make Up For Ever's Limitless Brown liner along the lash line Brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills ArchiBrow pencil and Brow Freeze Wax The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish as a final brightening step under the eyes Lips with the Make Up For Ever Artist Pencil in Anywhere Caffeine, buffed out with an eyeshadow brush, topped with the new Haus Labs Lip Lacquer Setting the whole look with a touch of Fenty powder and MCo Beauty's brand new All Day-a spray, an official Skindinavia collaboration built on the original All-Nighter formula, not a dupe The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

August 24, 202634 min

Inside Michael Brown's Kit: Charlotte Tilbury, House Labs And A $4 Amazon Find.

Send us Fan Mail Michael Brown is back on The Insider Edit for round two. He's a freelance makeup artist with 25 years in the industry, he started out on retail counters for the Lauder Group, then moved in-house at L'Oréal, and he's been freelance for the last 12 years, mostly doing event and red carpet work. We kick off talking about the reality of PR gifting (15 to 20 deliveries a week is his average) before going full kit rundown, complexion through to tools. We're also trialling a new segment where we'll put some of these products on a model's face in real time. Watch on Youtube. What we covered: Michael's system for sorting through 15 to 20 PR gifts a week: straight to kit, a gift for someone else, or "I'll see how it goes" Why he only posts about a gift when it's genuinely new, like Tarte's primers with roller balls built in Brands trusting him with pre-launch samples, including lab samples that aren't even in packaging yet All products are Listed on the blog. The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

August 17, 202614 min

Growth Wins And Gifting: My Instagram Update Plus A 5-Step Checklist to Gifting

Send us Fan Mail It's just me this episode. I'm giving you an update on the last couple of weeks in my world, where Project 10K is really at, and a full five-step checklist for makeup artists trying to get gifting from brands. What I cover: Why it's finally busy again in the Sydney makeup world after a slow, quiet stretch My last two weeks on the tools: five days of shoots, grooming Shep Rose from a US reality show, and grooming for the Logies My Project 10K update: I'm sitting at 5,500 followers, up around 500 in the last week alone The one reel that's driving most of my growth, and why I keep reposting it instead of chasing new content The five-step gifting checklist: write your wish list, optimise your page, find the contact, write your pitch, follow up Why knowing someone's name matters before you pitch them How to track your outreach, and why persistence is the whole game (I've had people respond after five follow-ups) "Shoot Your Shot Wednesday" and the 100 Rejections challenge A possible workshop on gifting, if you're interested, DM me Grab the checklist: download my free 5-step gifting checklist here. The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

August 10, 202656 min

Rejection, Reinvention And Taking Back Your Career

Send us Fan Mail Blog post Adam Garland is back on The Insider Diary for episode 116. He's a UK-based session hairstylist who spent five years as the face of global brand Authentic Beauty Concept. These days he's building his own path: mentoring other artists, shooting his own images, and working with heritage beauty brands he actually believes in. His first episode with us got such a good response we're turning this into a monthly chat. This episode was sparked by a listener question from Australia about brand loyalty, so we went deep on trust, rejection, and how to stop taking it personally when a client doesn't rebook you. What we covered: A listener's question about brand loyalty: a client took a whole team interstate for a shoot and left the makeup artist behind Why a first option is never a confirmed booking, especially during fashion week The idea of "reducing uncertainty": clients don't book the best artist, they book the one they know won't cause complications Vanessa's own story about brand loyalty, and never getting booked again Why rejection in this industry is rarely personal, even when it feels like it The Guido example: why a top hairstylist still gets ticked for a job before the shoot even starts Working from your own essence instead of chasing what you think will get seen Hairstylists and makeup artists building their own image worlds instead of waiting on brands: Mustafa Yanas, Joey George, Benjamin Mueller and Anataka Hashi Adam's own move into photography, shooting his own models at Workroom Studios in Limehouse, London, with his mentee Zoran Why heritage brands hit different: Isles Formula, Keune and Gisou, and what makes their stories genuine Why asking for help is harder than it should be, for both of us The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

August 3, 20261 hr 18 min

From Sephora to Touring with Kesha: Alana Lucky on Building a Career in Makeup

Send us Fan Mail Link to blog - all products mentioned linked. Watch on Youtube Alana has been doing makeup for 12 years. She started fresh out of high school, worked the floor at Sephora's Broadway store, moved to London at 21 with zero plan and a backpack full of kit, built a career doing campaigns for Jaded London, came back to Australia during COVID, assisted the incredible Gillian Campbell, and has most recently been touring the world with Kesha. Oh, and she's now signed with a talent agency for her content. The girl moves. In this episode we get into: Why working retail at Sephora is the best foundation you'll ever get (and why it's also exhausting as hell) What it's actually like to do hair and makeup in London for an Uber-style beauty app The Jaded London campaign that changed everything COVID killing her momentum right when things were starting to move — and coming back from that Assisting Gillian Campbell and why feeling valued on set matters more than people admit What a day on tour with Kesha actually looks like (spoiler: you can't poo on the bus) The longevity routine she used to make Kesha's base last through a full concert How a TikTok she almost didn't post got her 27,000 followers in a month Why people don't care who you are on TikTok — they just want to learn something Everything being an exchange and why that's not a bad thing What's next: Europe, Canada, America and a product line in the works Website Talent The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

July 27, 202652 min

Inside Edit with Katie Moore's Kit: Merit, Westman Atelier and more.

Send us Fan Mail All products mentioned linked in blog. Watch on Youtube This week I'm joined by Sydney makeup artist Katie Moore . If you follow her work you'll know her style straight away, soft, skin focused, never overdone. We talked career, bridal work, and how she keeps things running without burning out. Then we did what we always do and pulled apart our kits. Katie Moore is a Sydney-based makeup artist, trained in New Zealand about 17 years ago at a four month full time makeup course focused on film and TV. She started out on the MECCA Cosmetica counter in Ponsonby, Auckland, then freelanced on music videos and worked on the TV series Spartacus in New Zealand. She moved to Australia in 2014 and broke into TV commercials after meeting a fashion stylist while waitressing in a Surry Hills cafe. Her work now spans fashion campaigns, lookbooks, e-com shoots, special events and bridal. Bridal work really kicked off for her after she had her son, and she's represented by an agent Kellie from The Future Mrs who handles her wedding bookings, trials and admin. Most of her work comes through referrals and word of mouth, plus Instagram, which she treats as an unofficial portfolio. She doesn't set hard goals, she calls it "manifesting" instead, and this year that included a wedding that landed in Vogue. July is her quiet month. She uses it for admin, taxes and catching up with other makeup artists before things pick back up around October with regional weddings. Her advice for makeup artists starting out: stay connected to your network, ask questions, say yes to hard jobs, and know there's no union for makeup artists so open conversations between artists matter. Katie and Vanessa go through their kit favourites, kit tools and personal skincare and haircare picks. Full list with notes in the blog post . The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

July 20, 20261 hr 22 min

25 Years, Two Continents, One Agency: Heidi Scarlett King on Building a Career That Actually Lasts

Send us Fan Mail From Mac OG to Agency Founder with Heidi Scarlett King This week I sat down with Sydney-based makeup artist and King Co Creative founder Heidi Scarlett King — and yes. Heidi has one of those careers that sounds like fiction. She started at Mac in Sydney when the brand had just launched, assisting Fashion Week shows a season. Then she packed up and moved to London with no plan, started again from scratch, ended up at the Mac Pro Store in Soho, ended up on ITV This Morning as a beauty expert, got on Pat McGrath's runway team in Paris, and came home in 2014 to build an agency with 45 artists on the books. This one covers the full arc. The exciting bits, the lonely bits, and the hard-won truths that only come from doing this for a really long time. We cover: Starting at Mac in the 2000s and what Australian Fashion Week looked like at its peak Assisting legend Dottie and why those early years were the making of her Starting over in London and what six years there taught her about resilience Getting onto Pat McGrath's team at Paris Fashion Week and what that world is really like Accidentally becoming a TV beauty expert on ITV This Morning Why she moved back to Sydney in 2014 and how hard it was to restart — again How the industry shifted post-Instagram and why events became where the money went Directing Australian Idol and The Voice — and how that gave birth to King Co Creative Managing 45 artists: what she values more than talent, and why integrity can't be taught The Cartier Opera House event: 63 hair and makeup artists across 10 Sydney hotels The best advice she has for artists just starting out Plus Heidi shares her current kit favourites — the By Terry powder she's been using for 15 years, her new Tarte tubing mascara obsession, and why the Half Percent lip liner is her ride or die right now. The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

July 13, 202614 min

I Grew Almost 2,000 Followers in 5 Weeks. Here's What Actually Worked.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Insider Diary, I give a personal update on how work and content creation have been going. The main focus is my Instagram growth, I've picked up almost 2,000 followers in five weeks by posting reels daily, and I break down exactly which reels worked, which ones flopped, and the workflow behind it all. I also cover my content days and open the waitlist for my upcoming hair masterclass. Started posting reels daily from 18 March this year. Nearly 2,000 new followers in about five weeks. Biggest lesson from the whole run: people only watch for 7 to 13 seconds. The hook decides whether they stay. My workflow: uses ChatGPT to help with captions, hooks and on-screen prompts, edits everything in the Edits app, posts to Instagram first, pulls the original file from Edits (not a re-download from Instagram) to post on TikTok, then reposts from TikTok to YouTube Shorts. Next move: repost her best performers again with a reworked hook, using ChatGPT to help tweak them. Advice for anyone starting out: just start. Mistakes are part of it. You'll find your style along the way. Collaboration helps (like her episode with Max) but isn't essential. Announcement: the waitlist is open for her hair masterclass. Format isn't locked in yet (leaning look-and-learn), and it'll be offered virtually too, so it's not just for Sydney or Australia. The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist

July 6, 20261 hr 23 min

You Were Born Enough: Adam Garland on Small Towns, Big Industry, and Letting Go

Send us Fan Mail Adam Garland has worked backstage, assisted Sam McKnight, and had two shots at getting onto Guido Palau's team. Right now he's in his dad's garage in Somerset, UK, building a hair education platform from scratch. In this episode we talk about how he broke into session work (Model Mayhem, zero plan), the real cost of working for free, imposter syndrome, addiction and recovery, why chasing the agency dream was holding him back, and what changed when he finally let it go. He also shares the products he genuinely uses on set and why the humble ponytail elastic deserves way more respect than it gets. How Adam fell into hairdressing at 14 and went from a village salon to Vidal Sassoon, Tony & Guy, and eventually session work Finding his way into editorial around 2008-2010 via Model Mayhem, testing before he even knew testing was a thing Assisting Sam McKnight backstage at Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld and Kendall Jenner in the chair What nobody tells you about walking into those environments for the first time when you're from a small town The industry language nobody teaches you: options, confirms, releases, pencils, hard outs The pay debate: why working for free is not a free university, it's one day of university His experience on Guido Palau's team, twice, and why it didn't work out either time Addiction, recovery, and how starting his recovery journey around 2018 changed everything Why Sam McKnight's team stood by him for five years through the hard stuff AI in the creative industry and why "AI slop" is the wrong response Letting go of the agency dream and what happened to his career when he did Building sessionhair.com: 1:1 mentoring, a free initial consult, and an education platform coming soon Archive research and why knowing your references is how you find your visual identity Products covered in this episode: Bedhead TIGI Queen for a Day thickening spray Keune Get a Grip texturiser Keune Sea Foam Sam McKnight Modern Hairspray Session Kit elastics (sessionkit.co.uk) Connect with Adam Instagram YouTube Session Hair The Hair Edit Waitlist Weekly Newsletter Follow TMI on IG Follow Vanessa on IG The Makeup Insider Blog The Makeup Insider TikTok The Gifting Checklist