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As I push the steel doors open to the beauty set, I am ready to conquer the night; or at least the beauty show that starts in a few hours!  I plug in the hot glue gun, clean a few mirrors, and finally tear the tiny silver seal from a bottle of StriVectin.  The realization sets in that it is four hours until show time, and I have to display nine different beauty products for the two-hour beauty show – the pressure is on! But that is the typical intensity before any show at the Q, especially beauty shows! The set is a buzz of excitement as vendors, guests, hosts, directors, producers, and models briskly make their way to the studio, prepping hair and makeup, taking final notes, and anxiously waiting for show time to begin. Working as a Studio Coordinator on many beauty shows, I get the full experience of the show in its entirety – at least from a studio perspective. It’s my job to help display the products, switch them out with the next item, and assist producers, hosts, and guests before, during, and after the live show. It can be a lot of work as decisions are made in seconds, but like any flawless finish, the work is worth the results!

While I’m busy prepping the beauty products, a crew comes in quickly hanging posters, decorating the set, and adjusting tables. Everything the team adds is carefully planned out – right down to the color of flowers you see behind the set! Another team backstage checks the lighting and cameras – lighting is vitally important in a beauty show to accurately represent how the product appears on the models and hosts on air.  Show monitors are swung below the cameras for the host to use, and finally the set is getting its personal makeover in preparation for the big show!

Two hours until show time and I still have to finish setting up the product—that takes ingenuity, inventiveness, and perhaps the help of a clever colleague – oh and a really hot glue gun!  Studio Coordinators are entrusted with arranging everything you’ll get at home when you open your package – literally!  With a few carefully placed glue dots, it’s time for the final checklist of “no-no’s”.  No fingerprints, no glue globs, no strings, no marks, no spots, no smudges, and no smears.  Every item has to look perfect to you at home, especially in High Definition!

Erin (me) – Studio Coordinator

As I am finalizing the show, I hear the familiar clickity clack of heels, and know it’s time for the models to get their “before shots.”  Before shots are photos taken of the models prior to any makeup or skincare being applied.  Then the product is either applied just before the show or applied live on air, and the viewer is given a front row seat to the astonishing transformation that the products have made possible. 

PS – the models are brave women to bare their faces without any makeup for the public!

One hour until show time!  Things are starting to fall into place, the excitement starts to build, more and more people are filing in.  This is usually crunch time for Studio Coordinators!  The guests going on air with their product will meet with the host, director, and producers in order to go over the details of their products and demonstration.  Notes are jotted down, numbers are scribbled on cards, and a few cups of coffee are downed.

Quiet on the set!  Mics are turned on, a few last glances in the mirror, you can feel the energy as the red light blinks and the camera is rolling – it’s show time! During the show each product is rolled out and switched out in a matter of seconds, models take their positions, directors and producers communicate with the crew and host – all working together to create the final result that you see home.  If you think about it, it’s very similar to that of a makeover, you start with a blank canvas and slowly add layer upon layer until the final beauty emerges. The real beauty of the live show is how everyone comes together for a common goal – to produce the best possible show for you at home!

That is a small glimpse into my world on set for a beauty show – not every show is the same, and I have to be prepared for anything, as anything can happen when you’re live!

Here’s is a video of host, Jacque Gonzales looking gorgeous as she gets her make up done by Mally before a show.

If you could get anyone to do your makeup at the Q, who would it be?