Before Taylor Swift became the NFL WAGs poster child — signature red lip, custom bomber jacket, and all — there have, of course, been other sports wives and partners. Behind many of them on the Kansas City Chiefs (plus 14 other NFL teams) is makeup artist Allison Kaye.

After getting her start in the beauty industry a decade ago, Kaye’s entry to the WAGs world came by way of the 2021 NFL Draft. In April of that year, she was presented with the opportunity to do the glam for Sophie Scott, who is Mac Jones (the now quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars)’s girlfriend. From that night on, word of mouth did its magic. Other WAGs started following her on Instagram, and soon thereafter, the bookings for game day came pouring in.

“I thought doing makeup for the NFL draft was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it turned into something much bigger,” she tells PS. “My favorite part is that now teams will fly me out to do their makeup for Sunday game days.”

Here’s exactly what a day in the life of a WAGS makeup artist is like.

Getting Ready For Game Day

First, it’s worth noting that Kaye is hired by the WAGS themselves — not the NFL. Because of that, “my schedule is random.”

Kaye splits her time between Cleveland and Miami, so during football season she’ll often glam up the WAGS of the Browns and Dolphins teams in each respective city. That means she also has to fly out to wherever another team is playing, which is paid for by her WAGS clients. “Last year I was flown out by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Jacksonville Jaguars to do glam on location for a home game this season,” she says.

As for the day-of run of show, she’ll typically head to either their house or hotel two to three hours before kickoff, working with anywhere from two to eight WAGS per game, depending. “The girls like to get to the stadium early because they can go on the field and say hi to their husbands and get photos before the game,” she says, adding that she’ll send each client off with their own “makeup touchup kit” to reapply as needed.

While she has done some light-touch makeup for the athletes themselves — mostly a little foundation, concealer, and eyebrow grooming — for photoshoots, game day makeup is mostly for the WAGS.