Mindy Klein, 27, has a COOL JOB as a Hair and Make-Up Artist.

Her Gig:
“I became interested in what I do when I was 4 years old, believe it or not. My grandma and my mom were both stylist and I’d play beauty shop all the time. My first big break was when I did Lisa Stansfield’s hair! Once you do one celebrity, you’ll have more in the future.”

Klein's list of credits include Sally Kirkland, Liz Phair, Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), The Coors, Sparkle Drive, Frog Pond, Verucca Salt, Mighty Blue Kings, Angelique Kidjo, Bruce Johnston (Beach Boys), Valerie Harper, Sharon & Amy Osbourne and Kameron Fry.

Her work has appeared in Glamour, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Allure, Hair & Beauty, Hair Now, Today's Chicago Woman, Chicago Social and Pulse.

Runway shows include Banana Republic, Luca Luca and Nicole Miller.

Klein has also done Redken Platform work and is an American Crew Trained Educator.

Career Path:
“I’m 27 now. I went to Pivot Point International for cosmetology when I was in grade school! I wanted to wear make-up so my dad sent me to school to learn how to do it properly. Cool, huh?! I was the only girl in high school using professional brushes & I failed gym class because I wasn’t about to ruin my hair and make-up!!”

A Day in the Life Of:
“My days are always different…that can be good or bad. It’s all in how you look at it.”

Down Low:
“When I’m at the salon, it can be a 10-hour day on my feet without eating! When I’m on a photo shoot, it’s usually anywhere from 4 to 8 hours.

High Five:
“The best part of the job is that I’m doing something that is like breathing to me. So, I love it, I’m never bored and I make people feel good about themselves. Plus, I’m always meeting new people!”

Wish List:
“My biggest fantasy about my job is two things: One is to do Tommy Lee’s hair. Two is to do the cover of Cosmo! I think I’ll do both, or at least one. Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Words of Wisdom:
“For someone who thinks they’d like to do what I do, I’d have to say a few things. First of all, doing hair is a skill that you can learn, but, you have to have passion and love hair in order to be successful. Oh, make sure you have great people skills, you’ll need them. Be able to take criticism. You’ll never be able to please everyone all the time. As far as doing photo work, again, you should have visions that you want to bring to life. No one can teach you vision. It comes from within. Go to an agency, get the testing list of photographers and start working for free to get a portfolio going. It’s expensive and time consuming and you have to wait your turn. But, remember, there is always someone better than you who has been around longer.

Paying the Bills:
“It varies in salary. Some stylist make $100,000 a year, some make $15,000 a year. Make sure you are doing color. On shoots, the day rate is between $450.00 and $650.00 a day!”