How did I end up here?!

Hi, my name is Clare and I flippin' love make up. 

I'm an aspiring mainly self taught makeup artist who just wants to play with, talk about and explore all things makeup. Sadly my husband doesn't seem to want to talk about makeup all the time (why not?!) so I thought I'd better find myself a little space to ramble!

I can't claim the cliche "I was stealing my mum's lipstick at 3 years old" as, to be honest, I didn't really discover the joy of makeup until I was out of university and into my 20s. Don't get me wrong, as a teenager I liked playing about with makeup and was regularly presented with a makeup wipe by my Latin teacher (thank you Miss Zamora) as I continued to wear it to school, but it wasn't a passion. 

Now it is. 

I qualified as a midwife in 2012 and while it is a very rewarding job, it's also incredibly tough and it didn't take me long to realise I needed an outlet. I can't paint, I can't knit or crochet, I absolutely will not go off on a long run but I will play with makeup. Makeup is my outlet, my creativity, my therapy and it's where I found my confidence. 

In a way, being a makeup artist is a little like being a midwife. I know that sounds ridiculous but hear me out. I absolute love helping people recognise how utterly strong, powerful and brilliant they are! If I can help you feel confident and like your best you then I'm bloody chuffed! Ok, helping a woman become a mother isn't exactly the same as doing her makeup...but in both I like to think I'm helping her to discover her true strength and beauty and hopefully we'll have a laugh together (and maybe a cry) along the way.

A few years into qualifying as I was enjoying makeup more and more, a friend introduced me to the brand SeneGence which was very new to the UK then. She had become a distributor of this ethical, long lasting makeup and I very quickly became one of her best customers. I loved it! It took me 18 months to work up to courage to join, but I got there eventually and I'm currently a distributor myself. This blog isn't here to promote or sell SeneGence products, it's about me and my journey with makeup, but I'll always be so grateful to my friend and to this brand. In joining I gained access to more training and delved deeper not just into the world of makeup, but makeup artistry. 

As strange as it sounds, I'll also always be grateful to lockdown! I was on maternity leave with a very new baby when lockdown was first announced so was well and truly stuck at home without even work to go to - if it wasn't for maternity leave I would've been a key worker at the hospital. I used the time to throw myself into makeup more than ever, learning new techniques, building confidence, taking part in training and giving online tutorials. 

That brings us to here. I've completed a few courses and am slowly getting more qualifications behind me. With the support of my excellent husband and frequent model (he's really starting to love eyeliner), I'm taking the leap and launching my business as a makeup artist - Clare DB Makeup. 

I'm 31 and didn't really expect that I'd be changing direction at this stage in my life but I'm very much ready for it. Makeup has given me the self confidence I need and I'm so thankful. I hope you enjoy coming along on this journey with me!

Lots of love 😘

Clare x