5 Questions with Creatives Makeup Artist, Jo Rich

Jo Rich, Esthetician & Makeup Artist by Nicole Willis

Local makeup artist, esthetician and entrepreneur, Jo Rich is the owner and operator of Jo Rich Beauty in downtown Pensacola, where she provides esthetic services, including permanent makeup, lash lifts and extensions, skincare procedures, professional and special effects (SFX) makeup services

and more. When it comes to professional makeup services, Jo Rich serves a wide variety of clients, ranging from brides and models to cosplayers and halloween party attendees.

Rich enjoys practicing the more traditional, bridal-style or glam makeup looks, but also specializes in SFX makeup. Rich’s skillset in the art of makeup is diverse; one day she can be found doing soft, bridal makeup for someone’s big day, and the next, you might find her turning someone into a zombie! Whether you’re dressing up for Halloween or need someone to help you create the perfect look for an upcoming event, Rich and her team have the skills and tools to make it happen. View more of her work or book an appointment at jorichbeauty.com or check out @JoRichBeauty on Instagram.

Let’s start with you telling me a little bit about your personal and professional background.

I am originally from Des Moines, Iowa. I moved to Pensacola with my parents in 1998 and fell in love with the area, so I decided to stay after high school. I started college in 2002, but didn’t actually go back and finish until 2015 for my business degree. I knew I always wanted to own my own business, but it wasn’t until the age of 32 that I decided exactly what type of business that would be. I spent my entire adult career in upper retail management, which is where I learned everything I know about running a business. It wasn’t until 2018 that I really immersed myself in makeup and esthetics and decided to obtain my esthetic license at Cindy Cassady School of Esthetics.

When and how did you first become interested in doing SFX makeup and was this something that you were always interested in? Who or what inspired you to get into SFX makeup?

My journey in SFX makeup started by just doing bridal and special event makeup. I started out playing around with makeup and using shadowing effects and then slowly taught myself SFX techniques from other famous SFX artists on YouTube. I get a lot of my inspiration from other special effects artists, but also from everyday ordinary things and ideas that I personally have. I love to take something ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary!

What made you decide to incorporate gore and fantasy SFX makeup into your primarily glam-focused business?

Honestly, I just started working on looks on myself and then clients started calling to see if I could create a look for them for Halloween. I never thought it would actually become something. Before Halloween was even over in 2021, I had clients booking me to complete their looks for Halloween 2022. It was an unexpected surprise.

Can you tell me about some of the most exciting SFX projects you have worked on? What types of clients do you typically serve?

Most of my work has been predominantly local special effects for Halloween. I was asked to provide my services to David J. Malloney for an ad for the Superbowl in 2020, but was unable to because of COVID. Last year, two of the special effects makeup jobs that I did won local costume contests. We will also be a part of Pensacon 2023.

The work you do is very intricate. How long does SFX makeup typically take? What is the largest project or the most time-consuming makeup look that you have worked on?

Normally special effects makeup for just the face takes about two hours. I do have a local art teacher who is coming in to do a full body piece for her class to teach them about art as it pertains to makeup and special effects, this project will take me about four hours. I look forward to doing bigger pieces this year that may take up to five hours.