Do you know who Jane Bradley is? Well, she's an MUA to the stars and one of our all round favourites to work with! Jane has been all over the world shooting with a host of top photographers and models for magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, GQ, Red and Vanity Fair. She’s also worked with many fashion and beauty brands like Stella McCartney, Max Factor, Liz Earle and she's always on hand as MUA at our shoots! We recently quizzed her to find out all of her beauty do's and don'ts.
Spoiler alert - there's not much she doesn't know! Read on to find out Jane's secrets...
So Jane, how did you get into the makeup profession?
My mum had a model agency and school up in Yorkshire where I grew up so I’ve always been surrounded by glamour. I was obsessed with make-up and used to teach the students how to apply it properly, so really I was self-taught. When I moved to London I did a short Make-up course during evenings and weekends while I held down a full time job. I wanted to hone my skills and learn new techniques. I then went to all the model agencies offering my services for free doing test shoots to help me build my portfolio. During that time I had a couple of lucky breaks working with two up and coming photographers who went on to be very successful; they booked me for everything, so for instance one day I’d be doing Linda Evangelista and the next Depeche Mode. I haven’t looked back since!
Jane is also the MUA for singing extraordinaire Leona Lewis. Here’s one of our favourite looks that she's created for her...
What is your favourite part of being a MUA?
I love seeing a face transform and the reaction from my clients. It feels great to be able to boost someone’s confidence; it makes us both happy! I also love all the travel and all the amazing people I get to meet; sometimes it seems quite surreal.
We know we'd be in awe of some of the clients you've had in your makeover seat, but which client have you been most starstruck by?
I don’t really get starstruck. I think we’re all just people doing our thing, so I tend to treat everyone the same. I’m not saying it’s not thrilling to work with highly accomplished talented people; I feel honoured if anything and sometimes nervous but that’s because I just want to do a brilliant job and do myself proud.
What’s your go-to Lily Lolo product?
I’m in love with the new Cream Foundations; they go on like a dream and have a beautiful finish. I also can’t live without the Sculpt & Glow contour palette which shades and highlights without any obvious sparkle. I also have to mention the loose blushers which are divine and last forever; Rosy Apple being one of my favourite colours. Then of course there’s the Mascara…..
Can you give us a top MUA tip for using Lily Lolo?
As with any make-up skin prep is everything, but especially when using loose powder foundation formulas. Your skin should be nicely exfoliated and moisturised so that it feels hydrated but not slippery or else you will get patchiness. Apply with a kabuki brush (I prefer the smaller one…I have lots) by tapping a little into the lid and swirling the brush around. Buff into the skin in a circular motion and build as desired wherever you need extra coverage. Once the whole make-up is complete, spritz with the Make-up Mist to fuse everything together for flawless long lasting perfection.
If you could only use one make-up item for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I guess it would be mascara! Beautiful dark elongated thick lashes frame and enhance the eyes making them look brighter, intensifying the colour of the iris and helping make the whites look whiter!
What is your favourite beauty trend of all time?
Oh this is too hard, as I love all the trends (all bar the so called ‘heroin chic’ look back in the 90’s). I love the simplicity of a perfectly applied red lip in the 50’s, the fun element of painted on lashes in the 60’s, the glowy shimmery make-up of the 70’s juxtaposed with the excitement and coolness of punk, the theatrical New Romantic weirdness of the 80’s, and the matte earthy toned smoky eye nude lip of the 90’s. As for now, I do love the glowy face, groomed fluffy brow trend. When the skin looks quite natural and dewy with the clever use of highlighters I think almost anything goes with it!
What is the most important beauty advice you can give?
I’m not preaching but this is a fact; smoking RUINS your looks! The chemicals in cigarettes break down the elastin in your skin and no matter what you do, once it loses the ability to bounce back it is gone forever. No amount of make-up in the world will rectify it, so if you want to look beautiful and youthful for as long as possible, don’t smoke!
Have you had any catastrophes when working on a job?
Years ago I was booked to do make-up for the crown prince of Greece and his wife for a Halloween ball at Buckingham Palace. I arrived on time but to my absolute horror, when I unpacked my kit my brush roll wasn’t there. As the panic set in it dawned on me that I’d washed my brushes the night before after a shoot and had left them drying in the kitchen at home!!!! I was absolutely totally mortified and embarrassed to say the least. I had to jump in my car, dash off to the nearest chemist and buy a very bog standard ‘all they had’ set of brushes. I had to rush the make-up with my heart thumping in my chest while trying to steady my hand as I apologised about a hundred times. They were very nice about it but I felt, and still feel to this day, terrible about it. What an idiot!! Needless to say, it has never happened again.
Finally, what advice do you have for any aspiring MUA’s out there?
If you're passionate about becoming a MUA, then practice on as many people as you can with as many different skin tones and face shapes as you can. Getting the correct shade of foundation is the cornerstone of great make-up and knowing how to balance and enhance a face shape is crucial to everything else you create.
Jane's not just an amazing MUA, she's also an author! We couldn’t be prouder, so we just had to share. Her first book the Teenage Girls Survival Guide is the must have modern day guide book for an adolescent girl and will make the perfect gift for your teenage daughter, sister or niece, you can grab a copy here https://amzn.to/2OQP5Zi.
So there you have it, Jane's tips of the trade, we hope we’ve inspired any aspiring make up artists out there.