Fiona Outridge: Life in balance

KIERAN ANDREW KHAN

Fiona Outridge is a dynamic powerhouse – an attorney, make-up artist and insurance sales executive who demonstrates what it means to be a modern, millennial woman at her best. WMN met with Fiona to discuss what it takes to be successful and balanced in today’s hectic world and she also shared her best make-up advice for the season.

“I have always loved make-up from as far back as I remember,” she recalled. “I was always keen to dress up from a young age, donning my mom’s heels and dresses even as a little girl so it was only natural that I would gravitate to that as I got older, even during my studies while reading for my law degree in London,” she pointed out.

Outridge, whose mother was a cosmetologist and whose father wore many hats in his lifetime – from senator to quantity surveyor, valuator, arbitrator, project manager and lecturer – has no need of role models from which to draw inspiration. “When I went to England to study law, my passion for make-up grew alongside my studies, especially visiting all the department stores and simply being in London where fashion is a way of life,” she noted.

On returning home from studying, she learned as much as she could in the area of make-up artistry, attending any course she could on the subject. Soon enough, she was the designated make-up artist for her friends and family. She balanced it all by tending to her 9-5 profession in law and her other passion on the weekends.

“Some clients would require that I get up at 3 am or 4 am… to do their make-up before a TV segment even, but I was happy to be able to do it,” she said. Before long, Outridge was able to begin setting her own rates and times for her second job.

“It took my mind off of all the other things that I do and was somewhat an escape for me. By day, I was helping people at the law firm where I worked and then I was able to bring a different kind of help to people who wanted a professional make-up service. I began researching and testing the best products to work with so that my clients would only get the best both in the products I used and the service I offered,” she added.

“There is a real joy in both areas of my work – but particularly in doing people’s make up – getting to see the look of exhilaration and share in their joy when you see their expression as you show them the finished look, that brings real joy to my heart,” Outridge mused. That intention to help led her to a third profession – insurance.

“I believe that people need insurance more than they think – and yes the industry has been tainted by people in the past who may not have explained the product properly to the client, but when I was approached by a branch manager with the idea of becoming a sales agent, I immediately realised it was just one more way to do good work while helping people. I have also seen first-hand how insurance has saved people and benefited them tremendously,” she added.

“The essence of me doing these three things is in the desire to help people and this third aspect of my life is providing someone with a safety net or plan for their future.”

Since taking on her third role, Outridge has moved on to entirely work for herself in all three fields from her home office. “I’m a very particular scheduler – I still use a traditional planner or diary to keep all my appointments in line and that’s the secret to maintaining a good balance and also being able to have a healthy social life and spend time with my partner, Asif. Some weeks are tougher than others and on those weeks we stick to our weekly movie dates but if it gets real busy he would sometimes join me to drive around with me to all my appointments – which is amazing support.”

Her focus though, often returns to make-up, where her passion to help finds its truest expression. “I always recommend to people that they take great care in selecting premium make-up products as this is something that goes onto their faces and stays there for hours at a time,” she advised. As for what to expect for the Christmas season which includes New Year’s Eve celebrations, her advice was simple – glitter.

“For the daytime looks, keep it simple especially for family events or the professional days in between. There’s no need to contour your face in the daytime – simply get some bronzer in the right places and that’s enough. For the night time looks though, that’s when you can break out the lashes, the contouring (for which she is well-known for her prowess) and the glitter lips. There’s a new jelly eye shadow that brings a metallic liquid finish to the eye area which is fantastic. And highlighters for the cheekbones and nose can work too with a nice deep red for the lips, it is Christmas after all!”