Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Fazekas.
Hi Jamie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My name is Jamie Rose Fazekas and I am a professional makeup artist. I grew up in central Florida and many of my most vivid memories from childhood involve going to Universal Orlando. It was there that my first interest in horror and horror movie makeup began. Every visit without fail my family went to see the Horror Makeup Show. I remember being seven years old and watching parts of the show from behind my fingers because I was too scared to even look at the makeup in front of me, but I was fascinated by the hosts showing how the things that frightened me were made. That show has always stuck with me because it inspired me want to mentally reverse engineer my fears- if I understood how Robert Englund became Freddy Krueger then he wouldn’t have the power to haunt my dreams. By high school, I was the girl who classmates would go to for Halloween makeup or for their prom and homecoming makeups. My sophomore year I received my first airbrush gun and machine for Christmas- it was the only gift I asked for- and I began using airbrush to do simple body paints on myself. After I graduated in 2020, I enrolled at Florida Atlantic University with an initial major in art history which then became media studies with a focus in film. After a year of classes, I was acutely aware of how unhappy I was. I didn’t feel fulfilled just learning about movies, I knew that I needed to be working on them. In 2021 I decided to go to Cosmix Makeup School. That school changed the trajectory of my life because it not only gave me the necessary tools to enter into the professional makeup field but it also gave me the confidence in myself that I had lacked. Since then, I have worked at Sea World for their Howl-O-Scream and Spooktacular events, Miami Swim Week, Fort Lauderdale Fashion Week, and have done a great deal of work on independent clients while freelancing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like many other artists, finding confidence in myself to pursue a creative field has been possibly my greatest challenge. I constantly struggle with my own doubts. There will be months where I don’t receive many clients and I will immediately wonder if I’m cut out for this line of work. I’m a creative person who likes to constantly be working, whether that’s working on a makeup, building a costume, or even building a set for a future photoshoot. When I lack a job or project to throw myself into, I often start to feel like I’m not living up to my potential and that I’m chasing an impossible dream. Even while working I often second-guess myself and I catch myself criticizing my work. Luckily, I have my friends and family who are an incredible support network and remind me of my abilities and all the great opportunities to come. During the months where I don’t get as much freelance work, I have started doing personal photoshoots with my friends where I get to be as ambitious and creative as possible. It’s been these photoshoots that have reinvigorated my passion for my career.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Just like my personal style, my makeup combines the aesthetics of horror and glamour. My biggest inspirations are Elvira and Monster High dolls which is evident by the colorful and campy goth makeup I specialize in. I enjoy combining large, colorful eye makeup with gruesome prosthetics or morbid character designs. Being a film major, I often try to reference classic horror films and then combine them with my other passion: Drag makeup. I’ve loved airbrush makeup and body painting since I got my first airbrush machine at 15 years old but now, at 20, I feel confident in my abilities. Working at Howl-O-Scream at Sea World Orlando, I had to use airbrush for the majority of my makeup which pushed me to improve my skills and I’m a much better airbrush artist now because of it. Since then, I’ve ventured into large-scale full body paints using my airbrush. I love turning people into neon green aliens and bright pink demons because I think it’s more fun to live in a reality where people can look like the Monster High dolls, I grew up playing with.
My constant drive and creativity sets me apart from other artists. I spend my free time drawing detailed sketches of characters that I want to bring to life and I create little backstories for them. I hand paint and design the backdrops, almost always using recycled materials or items found at the dollar tree. I put thought into every detail in my makeup so that my characters are fully flushed out. I will sometimes do two photoshoots a week that I plan and construct often alone or with the help of one to two other people. I just love to create and I want my makeup and art to tell a story.
We’d love to hear about what you think about risk-taking.
Before becoming a professional makeup artist, I viewed makeup as a hobby that would never make me money. After graduating high school, I decided to continue my education at Florida Atlantic University with my initial plan being to major in art history and eventually work in a museum or school. It was my first semester of college and I already felt stuck in a career that didn’t bring me joy. I changed my major to film studies-which was more interesting to me-but I knew that my schooling wasn’t bringing me closer to a job that I actually was passionate about. After one full year of college, I took a giant risk and decided to pause my education at FAU to go to Cosmix makeup school. I took their 10-month-long Master-Pro program. It was there that I finally understood what I was meant to do for the rest of my life. Makeup is no longer a hobby for me, it is my job and my passion. For so long I was afraid to take that first step out of traditional schooling in order to follow my dream. I was lucky to have so many people supporting me but it was still a risk that frightened me. Choosing any career in an artistic profession often feels like taking a risk because it is often not a steady job. But the joy I feel when I work is worth the risk, and seeing the final products of my makeup is an incredible reward.
Pricing:
- Full Face Glam Makeup: starting at $70
- Face Painting: starting at $70 per hour
- Clean/Natural Makeup: starting at $60
- Body Painting: starting at $120
- Special Effects and Prosthetics: starting at $100
Contact Info:
- Instagram: sfx.by.jamie
- Other: TikTok: itsalljamiehere
Image Credits
Finn Dallas
Emily Fiscus
