PERSONAL MAKE-UP ARTISTS

For some, seeing the beautiful Scarlet Johansson or the super sexy Brad Pitt, is love at first sight but we know behind every smoldering star is a talented make-up artist.

Yes, that's right, Brad did not just roll out of bed looking deliciously unkempt.  It took celebrity make-up artist Jean Ann Black to put the perfect tint on those lips that make the world swoon. In fact, Brad knows this, as do many stars who keep their make-up artist on speed dial.

Much like when you find that stylist who does your hair exactly the way you want it and you stalk them from salon to salon, afraid that no one will understand your style the way they do, it's the same with make-up artistry - especially for the stars.

For them, their face is their livelihood and keeping it youthful and flawless could make or break their career.  It's not just about the roles they play, but how they market themselves off screen as well. So, when they find that artist who takes them from character to celebrity without batting a false lash it's only natural to want to collaborate as much as possible.

Some celebrities opt to have their favorite artists on board only for special projects, while others want them at their disposal for any and all occasions to keep their star burning bright.

Who are these magicians of the brush? Take a look at some of these well-known performers and the make-up artists that have brought out the best in them.

MERYL STREEP

J. Roy Helland

JULIE ANDREWS

Rick Sharp

JENNIFER ANISTON

Angela Levin

HALLIE BERRY

Mary Burton

CATE BLANCHETT

Morag Ross

SANDRA BULLOCK

Pamela S Westmore

SCARLETT JOHANSSON

Heba Thorisdottir

NICOLE KIDMAN

Angela Levin

JULIA ROBERTS

Genevieve Herr

ZOE SALDANA

Vera Steimberg Moder

WILL SMITH

Judy Murdock

PAUL BETTANY

Veronica Brebner (McAleer)

MATT DAMON

Christine Beveridge

JOHNNY DEPP

Joel Harlow

LEONARDO DICAPRIO

Sian Grigg

MORGAN FREEMAN

Nancy Hancock

EDDIE MURPHY

Vera Steimberg Moder

EDWARD NORTON

Julie Pearce

BRAD PITT

Jean Ann Black

Our very own, Mr. Blasco, served as personal make-up artist to several well-known performers including Carol Burnett, Dorothy Lamour, Marlene Dietrich, Oliva Newton-John, and Lauren Bacall.

Pageant Season Make-Up Review

Here we are in August, the very tail end of pageant season.  It's enough to make you cry dramatically until the mascara streams down your face...or maybe that's just us!

This year's competitions showcased some of the most stunning beauties and diva-licious looks we have ever seen. What is the secret to crown-winning make-up? After some research, it seems the most successful contestants were those with a clean, girl-next-door look, and a touch of something more to enhance their best features.

Great skin is always the first step in a fantastic pageant look so staying hydrated, moisturized and sun screened can prevent most any blemish or sun spot before the big night.  For eye colors, sticking to browns, beiges or even light pinks will help compliment your skin. Try your best to stay away from frosty or sparkly colors on eyes and cheeks as they tend to make a reflection on the skin. Set the look off with a liner and lip color similar to the eye, and finish it with a dab of gloss on the bottom lip. From there, a set of tasteful, but glamourous false lashes will complete the look.

In the past, full glitz and glamour was the attitude toward pageant make-up. This is no longer the case.  Glamour make-up is not to be heavy and flashy, it should accentuate the contestant's features enough to be seen from a distance and last throughout the various rounds of competition without looking streaky or shiny.

To achieve the right look for you and your pageant, practice makes perfect, especially if you are not a pro with false eyelashes.

One of the best pageants for fresh glamour make-up this year was Miss USA. The winner, Miss California, pulled off all of the above tips flawlessly, but with a smoky eye twist on the neutral eye color by using some smudged black liner. Congratulations Miss USA! Here are some crown winning  pageant looks from this season:

Drawing Inspiration from the Masters

For two months every year in Laguna Beach, California, Van Gogh, DaVinci, Rembrant, Renoir and other masters literally come to life with the help of Make-Up Artists at the Pageant of the Masters. 

Starting in 1933, citizens of Laguna would gather, dressed in costumes, to represent a living canvas of various art masterpieces. These tableaux vivants, or "living pictures," have come a long way from those early days. Today, the pageant is a 90 minute experience complete with narration, an orchestra, and vocal performances. As well as some of the most amazing make-up transformations the world has ever seen. 

Joy Trent, the show's Make-up Director, is always using new innovations in the application of the nearly 100 gallons of make-up that are used on the 150 performers that make up these paintings each year. One of her tricks to making the transformations so smooth is creating template styrofoam heads for each face in the show.  The heads have the exact tones and hi-lights the artist must use to represent that role. Trent says that each night the make-up for each cast member takes anywhere between 25 to 45 minutes to complete by the 50 volunteer make-up artists. 

That is the most astonishing part, all of these amazing artists and performers are volunteers. As they have been for the last 78 years! The make-up artists that create these masterpieces are not just freelance make-up artists, but more often teachers, doctors, lawyers and other community members, all with the common goal to pay tribute to the Masters through make-up artistry. 

You can see this unbelievable concert performance at the Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts from now until August 31st.  Check out some of these photos from behind-the-scenes at the pageant: 

http://www.foapom.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pageant_of_the_Masters

This pageant is one of the many ways we, as Make-Up Artists, can draw inspiration from traditional works of art. Like with the canvas, make-up artistry is translated differently from face to face and artist to artist. Check out our students' interpretation of works by Joan Miro in last month's Advanced Beauty Seminar and feel free to share any work you've done to pay homage to the greats.