LIPSTICK LESSONS

From a brush with fame that changed her life to a diagnosis of ADHD, Rae Morris' career has been a wild, beautiful ride. Here, she charts her 30 years as one of Australia's most iconic and inspirational makeup artists

- SALLY HUNWICK

I always say it was two seconds of Naomi Campbell's life, which she will never remember, that changed my life forever.

I'd started my career as a hairdresser, working in a salon in Brisbane. I travelled to Istanbul to work on the Model of the World pageant and Naomi Campbell was there. She wanted someone to touch up her lipstick. I'd never had makeup training but I happened to be standing there, so I put lip gloss on her, surrounded by photographers.

This was before there was internet as we know it today and nothing was instant. So I came back to Australia and then a friend said to me, “I've got news.” The photos were of Naomi, but there was me, putting lip gloss on a supermodel. The images went everywhere. It was a really big deal in Brisbane, as Naomi was – and still is – a superstar. Like I said, it was seconds of Naomi's life but it all started from there for me.

I was still working in the salon, but I started doing makeup for weddings and formals on the side. Now, I advise people that weddings are probably the last thing they should be doing when starting up as a makeup artist. I was getting booked for jobs and just turning up and winging it, so I decided I'd better get some training. I trained with Richard Sharah, who was David Bowie's makeup artist, and I was one of his last students.

From there, things changed. I moved to Sydney and worked as Richard's assistant. I started editorial work at 54 Park Street, where I was doing jobs for Dolly magazine. It was a big deal for me. I instantly felt like this was for me. It felt like a dream.