I have a lot of respect for the perfectionist, especially as I’m not one. The perfectionist will strive to make every detail of his or her makeup. . . well, perfect! Though there’s a lot to be admired about the perfectionist, and I know and admire a lot of them, they also have a habit of driving people nuts. Makeup is often a collaborative medium; actually, it’s nearly always a collaborative medium as it involves a subject, often an actor, who participates by being the canvas for the makeup, but the perfectionist doesn’t consider anyone or anything other than his or her own work.
When makeup artists keep an actor tied to the chair for five hours and push the makeup to the extremes of wearability and comfort to perfect a masterpiece, they’re neglecting to consider the job of the actor who then needs to perform while wearing their creation. When this happens it’s no longer collaboration. There’s so much more to the job of the makeup artist than the makeup itself,
but the perfectionist is often simply too consumed by his or her own interests to give a fig. Sadly, it’s always for naught anyway, since nothing can ever be perfect and they spend a career chasing their tails.