Before her extraordinary fast-pace career started she assisted influential makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury.  Kirstin’s first makeup job was when she was still in college (finishing her training at London College of Fashion) her friend asked her if she wanted to come along with him for a shoot.  “Really they just needed someone to do makeup for free.  It was with photographer Rankin” (who is one of the founding editors of Dazed and Confused UK) Kirstin continues: “and editorial was with Dazed and Confused, which is a huge London Magazine and Rankin is a huge photographer now.  But that was my first job that I had anything published.” 

Kirstin’s first makeup artist she assisted was Jackie Hamilton Smith, “a lovely woman” she graciously describes her.  She worked lots of odd jobs and soon met makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury and assisted her. 

Kirstin thinks that it is a good thing to assist established makeup artists.  “It’s great if you can assist established makeup artists because of the level of the work that they do.  It’s not necessarily more creativity, but it’s a totally different world when you get to certain levels, like the campaign and the editorial work.  You’re with people that you work with so you learn a lot and obviously you learn a lot about makeup when you’re assisting, but you also learn a lot about how you as an individual should act on the set with all the clients or models.  You learn your own etiquette really, as well as learning makeup.  It’s a fantastic experience. 

As she is past her assisting days, Kirstin tells me what she looks for in assistant.  “First thing for me, and very important to me, is their personality.  It is about work, but it’s also nice to have someone you can get along with, someone you can have a friendship with too.  It makes your whole work experience much more enjoyable, so for me that's very important.  Second, “they should know the basics and have some experience of course, that’s kind of invaluable, but I also feel that if they are not totally where I expect them to be or at a certain level, I think it’s necessary to give them a try.  That’s why they are coming to assist as well, they are coming to learn.” 

Kirstin continues: “You know we have all been given opportunities like that so it really depends on the individual, because it’s good for people to have common sense and initiative is fantastic. You know you don’t have to tell them every little thing to do.  You know I probably was more like say, you know that looks good there, that should go right there, you know, just a bit forward thinking helps.”

With Kirstin’s successful career she has learned important lessons throughout the years.  “I think it is important to always be super organized.  And always be prepared.  Basically, those are the two main things; I would say they really are probably the most important things.  Organized and prepared.  Just the way you conduct yourself, you know the way you are professionally is really, really important.  The way you work within a team and I would think; treat people as you want to be treated too.”

Kirstin tells me some of her most memorable moments.  “That’s really hard actually, because there have been some amazing, amazing times, but one of them that probably springs to mind is when I worked with Joss Stone.  I have been with her now since she was fifteen, seven years so I’ve seen her grow too, which has been amazing.  I was with her when she was in Live Eight in High Park, it was watched worldwide.  The atmosphere was incredible.  It was just the whole energy and everything, and that was amazing, but then on the other side I think of a more makeup related experience was when I  was assisting Charlotte Tilbury on the Alexander McQueen Show.  That was two very hard things and they were so different.  Getting to work and doing makeup on the McQueen show, was almost like a dream come true.  I always thought that was one thing I’d love to do.  It wasn’t like I was heading it, but still it was an amazing experience as an assistant.”

We all know that being in the fashion industry requires working very long hours.  It is very important to find ways to keep yourself up beat, but if you have a passion for what you do it’s very easy to remain driven.  Kirstin laughs:  “I think, I really thank God; I actually love what I do.  Some days I work harder than others for whatever reason.  Whether it’s personal reasons, or work, whatever.  I think that one thing that really helps keep me up beat is that it’s great to work with a creative team and when you have a really nice team of people working with you, you kind of keep each other up beat.   I think that’s the really nice thing that we do, it’s creative, you can experiment with it and it’s kind of exciting when you’re working.  When you’re looking at the image building and photographer taking the pictures that keeps you up beat.  Just everyone’s energy around, not all jobs are like that.  Sometimes they might be harder, but that’s when you rely on your team.  Whether it’s the hairdresser or the manicurist, assistant, photographer, or stylist, we all kind of keep each other going.”

Kirstin says that it’s important to be business minded; it’s not just applying on makeup and it’s a lot of details that goes into it.  “I have an agent,” said Kirstin.  “When you start you have to have an agent right away.  When you start assisting and testing, there are reasons why you do it, you build up your portfolio.  So when you do your test shots with photographers you make sure you get your tears.” 

Kirstin also mentioned when you assist, you are collecting contacts and you work through their agents and the agent starts to know you and they might recommend you for jobs. Kirstin also says that making contact with an agency and obviously working incredibly hard too. “I was lucky enough, actually it was Charlotte Tilbury’s agency called 'Untitled' at that time, approached me and offered to take me on.”  Kirstin continues: “When you’re a makeup artist you have to think business wise, working with the right people, working with people who you think and share the same vision as you creatively so that you’re working in the direction together, which is really important.  When you get an agency, which a lot of people do want; get an agency that suits your, who understands your direction.  I’m very lucky with Jeffery, my agent understands me and I think he understands the direction I want to go in and the things I want to achieve.”

Kirstin loves the contract that she has with Rimmel London.  She thinks working with them was a great move and a great brand to work for. “Being about London, and being young and exciting because that’s the kind of work that I do.  Having all those affiliations was fantastic and I think it’s the agency, once they are working for you and get you moving, stepping stones, working up the levels  magazines; Marie Claire, Elle, Dazed and Confused, Another, and Vogue, they all help to take you up to different levels.  I think that’s what you have to understand.”  ‘Understand your own style and your own goals.’  “Being a freelance you have to keep up with the accounting side of it.  When I assisted Charlotte, I was only her second assistant.”  Kirstin used to teach makeup and has learned a lot about being organized, keeping records of what she did, and who she did it with.  “There’s an office side as well, which  is so exciting.”  Kirstin says.