The Makeup Insider is a weekly one-on-one podcast diving into the real life and career of makeup artists, hosted by freelance MUA Vanessa Barney.
Finding your community of fellow creatives (talkative, adaptable, obsessed with colour) can feel daunting. Where do you even start?
This podcast builds that community. Real conversations that grow your confidence, your connections and your career.
New to the industry or years deep, tune in, check the show notes for key takeaways and subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Find Vanessa: @vanessabarney @the.makeupinsider
"I'll See You in Milan." Richard Kavanagh on Fashion Week, Limiting Beliefs and Hair Products.
Blog Post (https://www.themakeupinsider.com/blog/Richard-kavanagh-on-saying-yes-guido-palaus-team-and-giving-it-a-crack)
Richard Kavanagh calls himself an odd jobber. Fair enough. He's a session stylist who started hairdressing in Auckland in 1986. Since then he has directed hair backstage at Fashion Week, worked on around 300 shows as part of Guido Palau's team, hosted a prime time home renovation show, written a hair book, run a tech company and coached other creatives for more than a decade. He still trains and competes in jiu-jitsu.
I met with Richard about two and a half years ago, heard his career story and thought, this is a podcast. We talked for so long I've split it in two. This is Part 1, his story. Part 2 is his hair kit on The Insider Edit.
What we covered:
The career
The post-punk haircut he got at 13 that made him choose hair over biochemistry
Door knocking every salon on Auckland's North Shore at 15 to find an apprenticeship
What a strict, old-school apprenticeship taught him, including the Mason Pearson brush that came flying over his boss's shoulder
Why his apprenticeship took seven or eight years, and the years in the middle when he lived on the street
The question he asked himself at 24: what if I applied the same focus to my career that I apply to martial arts?
Getting in the right room with the right people, and finding mentors
How helping out backstage in New York led to Guido Palau saying "I'll see you in Milan"
What working for Guido taught him about leading a team
19 Oct 2026
123. Nicola Johnson on 23 Years, Fear of Rejection and Signing With an Agent at 44
Episodes Blog Post (https://www.themakeupinsider.com/blog/nicola-johnson-on-23-years-in-makeup-fear-of-rejection-and-getting-an-agent-at-44)
Nicola Johnson ( www.sydneymakeupartist.com) has done makeup for 23 years, and she's worked in beauty her whole working life. She started as a beauty therapist in England at 16, worked a health farm, a resort spa in Turkey and a cruise ship, trained in makeup in London, then moved to Australia and built a freelance career across TV commercials, magazines, tourism campaigns and bridal. She's worked with Emma (yes, Emma from The Wiggles) for ten years, and she now has an agent at Vivien Creative. (https://vivienscreative.com.au/artists/nicola-johnson)
What we covered:
Makeup school in London in 2003, where working artists taught the classes and took calls from their agents mid-lesson
Cold calling photographers from a sheet of paper to book her first tests
Falling into TV through a family friend, including Grand Designs
Ten months on a cruise ship out of LA with no wage, only tips and commission
Ten years with Emma, and negotiating an eight-hour day on a three-month TV series so she could make school pickup
The agency that told her to come back in six months, and why she never did
How she books weddings: a separate bridal website and Instagram, ads when she needs bookings, and an automated Dubsado setup
Signing with Vivien's, and the goal she's putting out there: a Vogue cover
Content creation at 44, no filters, and the pro-age niche she sees
Her advice for newer artists: back yourself, and ask for the two minutes
@the.makeupinsider (https://www.instagram.com/the.makeupinsider/?hl=en)
@vanessabarney (https://www.instagram.com/vanessabarney/?hl=en)
The Makeup Insider (https://www.themakeupinsider.com/about)
Weekly Newsletter (https://themakeupinsider.kit.com/9666ce6b05)
Follow Nicola: @nicolajohnsonmakeup (https://www.instagram.com/nicolajohnsonmakeup/?hl=en)| @nicolajohnsonbridal (https://www.instagram.com/nicolajohnsonbridal/)| www.sydneymakeupartist.com (http://www.sydneymakeupartist.com/)
12 Oct 2026
122. The Insider Edit: Nicola Johnson's Kit Favourites, Skin Prep and Three Bridal Lip Combos
Episode Blog Post (https://www.themakeupinsider.com/blog/nicola-johnsons-kit-favourites)
Makeup artist's Vanessa Barney (https://www.instagram.com/vanessabarney/?hl=en)and Nicola Johnson (https://www.instagram.com/nicolajohnsonmakeup/?hl=en) share the products they reach for in their personal routines and professional kits, and how they use them.From skin prep and foundation to blush, concealer, lip combinations, powders, and tools, this is an in-depth chat packed with product favourites and practical insights for makeup artists and beauty lovers. They discuss products from brands including Dermalogica, By Terry, Hourglass, Fenty Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Tower 28, Merit, and MAC.Hear how Nicola preps skin for makeup. Vanessa and Nicola also share their thoughts on texture, finish, coverage, and what makes a product useful in a kit.Whether you’re refreshing your professional kit or looking for new ideas for your own routine, this conversation is full of beauty recommendations and firsthand tips.
@the.makeupinsider (https://www.instagram.com/the.makeupinsider/?hl=en)
@vanessabarney (https://www.instagram.com/vanessabarney/?hl=en)
The Makeup Insider (https://www.themakeupinsider.com/about)
Weekly Newsletter (https://themakeupinsider.kit.com/9666ce6b05)
[…] So you've got the model dressed in a certain, I don't know, Louis Vuitton outfit and they're describing that that is an editorial. So you're not advertising like a particular brand. So when you are shooting for a particular company, that would be called an advertising or commercial job. But an editorial job is where the talent or the model is in a complete mix of clothes. You're not working for a particular brand or anything like that. So, you know, that's your Harper's Bazaar, your Rush Magazine, Vogue, Elle, anything like that. And I suppose, in a sense, when you do a test shoot, it's kind of like an editorial. […]
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