Vanessa Ashley is a natural people-person and a strong communicator. When she speaks, it’s as if someone is confidently and warmly taking you by the hand and guiding you down a path. It is with this assurance and signature enthusiasm that she’ll tell you that although she was an artist from day one, she never saw herself in beauty per se. It is rare to meet someone who does makeup and hair for a living but who didn’t grow up elbow deep in their mom’s beauty drawer. Vanessa is that exception. After graduating high school, with a single lipstick to her name, she entered an Art History program at Concordia. However, she quickly got cold feet picturing the plausible careers at the other end – none of which appealed to her. “A friend of mine was like, ‘Why don’t you do makeup? It’s like painting on a live canvas; a different canvas every time.” Vanessa ran through the lifestyle, making a mental list, “It was like new people, teams, beauty and locations. Exploration! Stimulation! It seemed like an amazing career, even if I was wearing one lipstick at the time.” She laughs before continuing, “M.A.C Viva Glam One. That was it!”
Things changed rapidly. After six months at LaSalle College, Vanessa was hooked, describing her transformation as, “A unicorn meets Rainbow Bright. I really embraced colour more than anything.” Post graduation, Vanessa started working at the M.A.C counter in Ogilvy downtown Montreal. This was in the early 2000’s, when M.A.C was the destination. With senior staff, a hectic pace and clientele that knew as much as the pros, the learning curve was steep and Vanessa’s passion evolved quickly into a full-blown profession. She thrived for the better part of a decade, becoming part of the management team along the way. “I loved that it was a culture that celebrates your individuality and artistry,” she remembers.
Vanessa began taking on outside contracts in order to network and to grow her freelance career. Surprisingly, she found she particularly loved special effects: blood, scars, maggots and brains – the more gruesome the better.
“I enjoy the transformation aspect that FX makeup allows you to achieve. The not-prettiness of it all. You can be using these same products meant for glamour but making a wound. Like that beautiful highlight is awesome and I appreciate it but the slit neck really kills me!”
Her appetite to learn has resulted in a diverse portfolio, one she’s continuously shaping with an eye toward knowledge-sharing in her field. “I don’t want to have a thing; I want my thing to be all of it,” she explains. “My goal has been the same since day one; I am an educator. I want to share knowledge, to give someone information and see their reaction when they understand something they didn’t before.” Vanessa’s gift for sharing, both in spirit and skills, has translated into loyal, long-standing relationships within the fashion community.
“Many choose work solely for what it will look like from the outside, what it gives you for your portfolio. I honestly often choose jobs for the team I will work with. I love people.”
Interview by Naeme El-Zein.
