By Tine Roycroft

Unless you’re a model who works with professional makeup artists every day, the thought of having someone else apply “your face” can cause flutterings of panic ~ especially if you’re prepping for senior pics or about to walk down the aisle. Luckily, Worcester has cosmetic queen Lesli Patrock, who mixes emotional intelligence and pure talent.

Patrock ~ also known by her artist name, Izzy Morgan ~ starts off each client relationship with a conversation. The self-taught artist gets a feel for the client, learning about what they do for a living, what skin type they have and what products they typically use. When working with brides, Patrock’s goal is to make the client look beautiful, but more importantly, make the client look like herself. And at 23, Patrock has already developed a number of ways to keep a client calm and relaxed.

“I walk them through every step of the process,” Patrock said. “And that puts them at ease. I also like to do this technique called ‘the touch.’ If you’re having your makeup done and you have your eyes shut, you’re probably relaxed. If a person starts to work on you, you can jump, out of surprise. So I’ll put my hand on their shoulder to let them know I’m going to line their eyes, for example. It lessens the shock.”

Patrock’s talents have kept her busy in 2012. She’s done the makeup for Pulse Magazine cover shoots, a four-page spread in Tattooed Lifestyle Magazine and this past fall, she worked New York Fashion Week. Fashion Week has a reputation of being fast and cutthroat ~ only the best can survive. But Patrock’s prior experience gave the tools she needed to succeed.

“When I first started in makeup, I didn’t go right into a salon or work strictly with brides,” she said. “I did lots of photo shoots, and when you’re in that environment, you need to be professional and give the photographers and models the quality they expect in a short amount of time. I’ve been under the gun before, so I was ready for Fashion Week. Great work in a short amount of time is my niche.”

Patrock, who just graduated from Worcester State College with a double major in education and sociology, spends her days other people look fresh, but she always takes care to glam herself.

“On days when I don’t need a full face of makeup, I exfoliate in the shower and put moisturizer on. That will give my face a bit of a glow,” she says. “And I will never, ever leave the house without my winged eyeliner. That’s my signature.”

Patrock has big plans for the future. She hopes to open her own store, one side of which will be a salon where she and other artists can work on clients. The other side will be filled with incredible indie makeup that she has come to swear by. And this makeup maven will officially have “made it” when she launches her own line of cosmetics.

For more information, visit facebook.com/IzzyMorganMakeup

Photo credit: Time Obscured