Written by Kennet Katze, of her real name Olga, is a Russian 34 year old woman who has been living in St. Petersburg for 18 years now; she lives with her son and her cat and is currently occupying a job she loves, all in all an amazing life ! Kennet is an all rounder person, passionate with lots of things including winter sports, movies, traveling but mostly with art, she says: « I started drawing from the age of 2 and always wanted to be an artist. » Moreover, she is passionate about Japanese animation and culture which inspires a lot of her art. She held exhibitions of her work on paper, in addition to now doing makeup for a living as a Makeup Artists’ trainer for the company Mac Cosmetics, where she’s been working for 12 years, although she has never studied makeup : « I have an engineering degree and I don’t have an art and makeup education.
The character development Kennet has experienced is one of a kind; she went from participating in makeup and body art contests in Russia, Austria, South Korea to attending those same contests as a jury. And she has already colledcted several awards since 2008 ! Thanks to her various activities, she has gained lots of experience working with different clients, from non-professional beginners to celebrities. It doesn’t end here: she was also the main makeup artist at fashion shows held by designers such as Tatiana Parfenova and Saint-Tokyo and furthermor worked for movies and video clips with TV shows stars and singers. Doing all of this surely helped improving her skills as a Makeup Artist: « My experience allows me to do any kind of
makeup – from neutral to super creative, I also quickly paint body art in mixed techniques – brushes, sponge and airbrush. In addition to body art and makeup, I teach airbrush interior and auto. »
Out of all these moments she has lived, we asked her the most memorable memory for her as a Makeup Artist, and here is what she replied: « I recall with warmth two body art festivals in Equatorial Guinea, where I managed to participate as one of the world champions of body art competitions. It was an incredibly beautiful place where artists created at their own pleasure without competing for a show on stage! It was only for our audience. The delight of the children and the audience I will remember for a long time, as well as the incredible beauty and grace of the local models it’s something fabulous. Building a pattern on dark skin is different from building it on light skin – I love playing with the special effects of light and color on it, it always looks amazing. During the two festivals I created about 10 memorable works, many of them are included in the publications of the festival and the official calendar. I love revisiting them. »
Since Kennet Katz has been in this field for years, we thought she could give out advice for those who want to follow her path ! « I would suggest practicing more of the basics, even if you’re more interested in creative makeup than classic makeup. Without knowing the basics about different face types and eye shapes, how to create contrast and combine textures, you won’t learn how to be creative. Watch the world’s artists, get inspired, and find your own way and style! »
You can find Kennet on all her socials:
Olga Sokolova on Facebook
@kennetkatze on Instagram
@kennetkatze on TikTok