By ANNESE BLEICHERT
Contributing Writer
Having a job that also incorporates what you love is everyone’s dream. Ryan MacDonald is a full time sophomore student at the College of Saint Rose, and she works part time at the MAC Cosmetics located in the Macy’s in Colonie Center.
“Having a job during the school year is something new to me. I have to force myself to be on a strict schedule and had to develop time management skills in order to be able to work and do well in school,” said MacDonald. “I love makeup; I’ve always loved doing makeup. I need money because I need to pay for school and I live on my own so my parents don’t really support me.”
MacDonald taught herself how to apply makeup by simply watching YouTube videos and mimicking what they did in the video on her own face. She has always wanted to work at MAC because it is the hardest makeup section to get into at Macys, and it is the highest paying. MAC Cosmetics is a manufacturer of cosmetics headquartered in New York City.
MacDonald applied to MAC in February and was hired in August. The process of earning the job was brutal.
She had to put together a professional makeup portfolio that included hard copy pictures of makeup she did on models. In these pictures, she had to demonstrate that she could do a variety of different makeup styles and techniques. After completing her portfolio, MacDonald had two talking interviews at Macy’s where she was then critiqued as well as taught new techniques.
“They almost made me cry in the interview because they kept critiquing every single thing that they thought I did wrong,” MacDonald said. “But, after they told me everything I did right and how mature my makeup is for someone my age who also did not have a makeup license.”
Following the interview was a live makeup demonstration in Macy’s on a model. She then had to wait six months before they offered her the job.
Most people who work for MAC have a makeup or cosmetology license. The manager was shocked when she found out that MacDonald did not.
“I was surprised to find out that Ryan did not have her cosmetology license,” said Tayla Janowic, a coworker of MacDonald’s. “Since Ryan is young, she picks up on everything well and very fast. She is always the first one to master something new.”
MacDonald has a freelance on-call position, so she comes in to work when other employees call out or if they need an extra person working, so she is only there about eight hours each week.
This small amount of hours is fine because she makes $17 per hour. This month, a co-worker will be going on maternity leave so she is going to have a part-time position then.
MacDonald’s job is to sell products to customers. All the products are in drawers, so if a customer is interested in a specific product she assists them. She helps them match foundation to their skin tone and can do a full face of makeup for $50.
“I help them choose makeup that best fits them and brings out their features. I love helping people find makeup and teaching them how to use it by demonstrating it on them. It’s rewarding to see each customer’s reaction when they look at themselves in the mirror when their makeup is complete,” MacDonald said.
Although MacDonald loves doing makeup, this is not what she wants to do for the rest of her life.
“I would always like to do makeup as a hobby for weddings and proms, but my major is finance because I want to be a financial advisor. My grandpa is a financial advisor so he has a lot of clients. I hope to take over all of his clients and books once he retires,” MacDonald said.
While majoring in finance and a career as a financial planner is her end goal, MacDonald is making a difference with her makeup skills.
“Ryan made me look at myself in a different way. When she did my makeup and taught me how to do my makeup, she made me feel beautiful,” said Brittany Sperbeck, a friend of MacDonald’s. “I couldn’t thank her enough for making me feel that way.”
