Meet Mia Connor, esteemed makeup artist, hair stylist and educator who is killing it in the creative industry. 

With a combined following of nearly 200k followers, Mia has been in the makeup industry for fifteen years and educating for seven, equipping her with a wealth of knowledge and experience in this constantly changing landscape.  

She is particularly well known for her “red carpet” approach to makeup, where skin is fresh and eyes are dramatic but not overdone. 

Travelling the world to deliver her masterclasses to artists around the globe, Mia is incredibly passionate about teaching others, supporting this industry and inspiring artists.

On a personal note, having sat in on one of her masterclasses myself, Mia creates such a wonderful learning environment and is truly a magician when it comes to creating one of my favourite looks - the perfect winged shadow.  

We chatted to Mia and her team about some of her career highlights, how she got into the industry and her advice for the next generation:

What are some of the highlights of Mia’s career so far?

Mia’s international career hit the ground running in 2018 when she presented to over 1500 makeup artists in Lithuania.  Following this Europe stint the door opened to other big cities and countries requesting her Masterclasses such as London, Dublin, Glasgow, Croatia, Lima, New York, Miami & LA.  

 

Mia studied makeup at Napoleon Perdis in Sydney in 2003 before she moved to the Gold Coast to study under Peter Frampton in 2005. She was hired by MAC as one of the artists to open the first store on the Gold Coast shortly after. 

Two years later she opened her studio, The Makeup Bar, which she recently closed in December 2019 after twelve years. The lead up to opening her studio involved a lot of long hours – she worked full time as a paralegal and took makeup jobs before work, after work and every weekend, building her clientele. 

Mia quickly spotted an opportunity to use social media as a marketing tool way back when Myspace began.  Shortly thereafter, Facebook was the next big thing and then Instagram.  She has continued to use social media platforms to boost her following and job opportunities.  With a combined following of almost 200K followers, Mia often collaborates with big cosmetic labels to produce content for them.   

Mia encourages all artists to firstly perfect their craft, find their niche and remain authentic. Develop a style that is undeniably yours, remain on brand & use social media in every form to showcase your work whilst also showing your followers your personality.  Constantly create, step outside the box of your usual, push boundaries to separate yourself from other artists – this is what will set you apart. 

 

There you have it, from the Social Media makeup queen herself.  See more of Mia’s incredible makeup work here @miaconnor.