You GLOW Girl - Interview with an MUA

In recent months, I'm been lucky enough to work with a makeup artist (MUA) on multiple occasions. For most of conceptual projects, I've been working with the dream team: Choco, Adriana, and myself. Every mood board I share, Adriana nails the looks, Choco "just presses some buttons" and now we've had two publications as a team! Last week I took off of work so we could do my birthday looks. As Adriana did my makeup, I thought it could be a great blog to talk about working with an MUA, and she was gracious enough to take the time to answer my questions!

Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My journey as a makeup artist has been anything but typical. My interest in makeup artistry started at a young age. However, it was not until many years later that I finally made the conscious choice to BE a makeup artist.

I spent almost 15 years of my life as a training executive managing skincare and makeup brands such as Shiseido, NARS and YSL. This helped shape my beauty esthetic and gave me immense experience teaching and inspiring others. Being hands on with people and products was always what I enjoyed most so in 2019 I signed up for an intense 7-month program to learn makeup for film, television, and special effects. Since then, I have had unique opportunities to create makeup looks. I see my path as a makeup artist developing and I could not be happier.

Doing makeup is something I am passionate about and I thoroughly enjoy. They say that when you do what you love, you will not work a day in your life and frankly I finally feel like I am there.

Adriana has also started a business creating unique wearable art, such as scarves and beach covers up. You can find that work on her ADRIARTexpressions page.

What are your top 3 tips for models in preparation to work with an MUA?

1. I think the most important thing to prepare is to have excellent communication with the makeup artist/photographer.  This will ensure that everyone knows what to expect on shoot day.
2. Make sure to inform the makeup artist ahead of time if your skin requires any additional attention. This is to say, let her/him know if you have breakouts, particularly dry skin, or sunburn. (She's talking to me on this one! 😅) If it is for a fashion show, this is not always feasible, so I suggest being mindful and trying to prep your skin, so it is in optimal condition for the shoot/show date. A great thing to do is apply an ultra hydrating “sheet mask” the night before. Remember that the makeup will only look as good as the canvas (your skin).  Getting sufficient sleep and staying out of the sun will also contribute to your skin looking its best on the shoot/show day.
3. Have a good attitude. If you followed tip #1, there should be no surprises for you when the makeup artist is doing your makeup.  However, things do not always go as planned so if it is out of your hands, “be chill, be cooperative.” Things will go better for everyone involved if you have a positive attitude.

What are your biggest pet peeves as an MUA?

I have to say that my top pet peeves are: 

1. Models that are constantly on their phone when the artist is trying to apply makeup.  It is difficult for the makeup artist to work as this usually means they are sitting with their face down.

2. Models with an attitude. Sometimes there are people in the makeup artist chair that act like “divas”.

3. Models that show up late. Shoots/shows are usually on a timeline so if someone is late it affects everything.

Do you have a favorite look you've done?

A tough call. I have many that I love. I think my top 2 are from the valentine’s day shoot and spring shoot 2021. One is a bold red makeup look on eyes and lips with finger waved hair. The other a soft pastel pink look on eyes, cheeks, and lips with a floral garden headpiece.

What are your favorite and least favorite 2021 makeup trends?

Favorites:
Glowy skin – it always gives a healthy feel to the skin. There are many options to create this from powders to creams. Great tip – apply your “glow” product before you apply your foundation. This works best when using a cream glow product.

All about the eyes – am loving the focus on eye makeup. My favorite item, false lashes. You can really make a face “pop” with false lashes. The important thing is to pick ones that are appropriate for your eyes, so you do not look like you have “spiders” on your eyes.

Least favorite:

An overly done eye. I will never understand why people want to create eyebrows and eye makeup that looks like you are in a theater production and they need to see your makeup from the nosebleeds. Yes! There is a focus on eyes since we are all still walking around with masks, but it should be makeup that complements your face by making your features stand out and not the makeup itself.

Do you have any gig horror stories?

Thankfully, I have not had too many bad ones, but so far, the most cringe worthy for me has been a photoshoot where both the photographer and the model were super dirty.  I left the location feeling like I had to take a shower and disinfect my entire kit.  Just writing about this makes me cringe.

What are your favorite brands to use on clients?

For makeup colors, I tend to gravitate to brands that are makeup artist oriented because they usually have a better array of color combinations.  This said though, they need to be highly pigmented and have appealing textures. There are many great ones in every price range. You just need to experiment and find your favorites.

Some recent favorites are:

1. Revolution Pro palette (curated by celebrity makeup artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis). This palette has everything you need; bold, vibrant eye colors, lip pigments, blush and even highlight and contour.
2. Makeup artist line Danessa Myricks colorfix cream color. I love the versatility of colorfix, and the amazing number of colors and finishes offered. You can use them on eyes, lips, and cheeks. Another one of her palettes that I am obsessed with is the “light works palette #2”. An amazing combination of highlighting powders that offer and incredible glow to the skin.  
3. Violet Voss, “Sea You Later” palette. An amazing array of colors that will make any makeup look pop.

For skincare, I like brands that really respect and nurture the skin. Again, there are great brands in all price points.  I think you should take the time to read labels and really see if a product has a decent amount of the “key” ingredient in its formulation.  A good trick is to check; the higher up the ingredient is on the list, the more of it is in the product.