I use my Mac for make-up tutorials
MacFormat: What about Apple kit makes you choose it for your personal and professional life?
Lisa Eldridge: Apple’s computers have always felt less about ‘using a computer’ and more about what you are doing with it — and of course they look fabulous and are very cool too! My whole family is Apple obsessed.
Just being able to turn on a computer or iPad and get started is incredibly easy but whilst they are easy to use its not at the expense of the professional user. Over the years I’ve got more and more confident and although I still do all my day to day stuff such as emailing and the like, the same machine is still capable of performing much more advanced tasks like video editing.
MF: How technically involved with the production of your video tutorials are you?
LE: Very. Having worked on several series of Channel 4’s 10 Years Younger where I had no say in the edit, I love being able to fully control every aspect of my films now.
I have a make-up studio/office in my house, which I’ve recently turned into a home studio. Thanks to improvements in technology and cost this has meant we can produce broadcast-quality HD films at a fraction of what they would have cost even 2 years ago. As filmmaking has finally left tape behind, films have just become chunks of data — which can be moved around cheaply and easily. Add to that the fast broadband speeds we all have these days, plus sites like YouTube and Vimeo serving HD video and you have an end-to-end production and distribution system that you can control every aspect of.
MF: Has your website helped you understand what women want from makeup?
LE: The interaction and feedback from our readers has been phenomenal. Make up fans are a very passionate and driven bunch and it’s been really interesting seeing which films and items have proved most popular. I get so many emails and requests every day so I get a really good insight in to what women want to see and which areas of make-up they are struggling with. I’ve recently started having competitions on the site which has been exciting. Since the site launched at the beginning of the year I’ve seen a huge rise in people signing up to my mailing list and Twitter stream, and then really staying engaged and following the site from then on.
My followers are a very verbal bunch!
MF: Has the iPad changed the way you work or present?
LE: My site was really designed with the iPad in mind, even though it wasn’t even available or confirmed at the time. I was in New York on the day of the launch so was one of the first people in the UK to have one. I practically screamed when it was finally in my hands. The iPad and iPhone have really changed the pace of interaction with my followers on the site. Getting to answer a few questions wherever you are and have a few minutes really keeps the site alive. It’s much more of a live discussion, rather than a load of questions, followed by answers when I’m back at home 2 days later.
MF: Does the tech industry’s profiling of women frustrate you?
LE: 3 out of 4 women rely on peer to peer recommendations for beauty and health products and they are increasingly getting those recommendation on line from social media sites. So whilst women don’t come across as text-book techy types who are mainly interested in the kit, they are actively playing a huge part in the technical revolution.
While techy sales assistants are busy talking to the boys, not taking women seriously, women like Natalie Massenet are building hugely successful businesses online.
MF: You’ve worked with many celebrities and models; do you encounter much love for Apple on the red carpet and catwalk?
LE: Oh yes! The majority of the celebs and models I work with are big Apple fans. I regularly work with actress Keeley Hawes and we tend to spend the first half of the day catching up on each others new apps!
When sites like Facebook finally blew up, the Internet became a much more two-way proposition — people started to realise that they can use the internet to give as well as take. Every celebrity has an online presence these days, whether it’s a full-blown site, a Facebook page or even a Twitter stream. With hardware like the iPhone and iPad bringing the Internet with you wherever you go, almost everybody is now engaged on the move in some form or other.
By Christopher Phin for MacFormat.
(Source: MacFormat)