“I find that makeup and skin care is very different for the average woman then for fashion. I am really pretty simple—especially with skin care. I don’t believe that the more money you spend the better the product is. I use this Burt’s Bees cleanser that is made with orange and olive oil. I tend to go for natural products and I don’t like a lot of artificial fragrances. I have been using the same things on my face for a long time now. In the daytime I use this Alba SPF 15 face lotion, which I really like. It makes your skin so soft and adds a nice glow but is not too greasy or opaque like a lot of other moisturizers with sunscreen.”
“At night I use this body balm called Badger’s Balm. I started using it when I was snowboarding; to help prevent wind chap and to keep my skin moisturized in the dry mountain air and then I started using it at home. It’s a mixture of all of my favorite ingredients like olive oil, jojoba oil, Shea butter, lavender oil, etc. It is really thick and is actually meant to be used as a hand or elbow cream—but I love how it makes my face feel hydrated in the morning. I mean, I use it for everything. I will even use it to take off my eye makeup. I have tried many different moisturizers on my dry skin and this has the best results. I can put it on my lips, on my cuticles and also around my eyes. Plus the tin packaging is easy to carry when I travel.
One of my other favorite products is actually apple cider vinegar—I am obsessed with it. I use it as a toner and dilute it with water. The acetic acid helps exfoliate my skin and tone down any redness. If my skin’s irritated, I put some on and it helps to calm and brighten it. It is a little bit smelly so I put it on at night and not every day–only when my skin looks tired or irritated. That’s one of my beauty tricks but it’s not necessarily something that I would use at work because it smells so strong.”
“I like to use Weleda Skin Food when I need a heavy moisturizer for models that have really dry skin. Quite a few other makeup artists have this in their kit; it’s a great nutritious creamy moisturizer that absorbs super well. To keep everyone’s lips soft I love using Papaw ointment. It goes on a bit shiny but really moisturizes them. It is from Australia and is made with papaya extract and even smells super good.”
“ I am also the Creative Director of Maker Magazine which is an arts magazine that’s launching next year. I am helping to curate the content and, along with the editor and our design director in Brussels, create the overall feeling of the magazine. We have illustrations, photography, some fashion and short stories—a bit of everything really. We wanted to create a non-commercial creative outlet for all these amazing artists who we know. Some of our contributors are well known and others involved are less established. We are also interested in artists’ side projects. For example, one of our contributors is a well-known actress who also paints and makes these beautiful children’s books, but people don’t really know that side of her. Often artists are identified by one medium, as a painter or as a photographer for example—but in most cases, art permeates many aspects of their lives and they engage themselves in several mediums. It doesn’t have to be so separate. The magazine is called “Maker” because it is about people who simply make things—it’s about the person and the creative process.
I am also really interested in how opening up a magazine or a book affects somebody—how they feel in terms of their senses. I don’t like to spend too much time in front of the computer, I rarely go to the movies and I haven’t owned a TV for the past 10 years—I am a very tactile person. The way that something physically feels to me is very important. Even with my clothing, I prefer lots of silk and textured fabrics; it has to feel good on my skin. And doing makeup is extremely tactile too-feeling the volume of someone’s face, the powders, the creams, the liquids, I love playing and creating different textures.”
“I have been using Almay eyeliner since I was like sixteen. It’s funny because it is actually not expensive at all. I have tried a bunch of different ones but I find this works the best. I really like it because it lasts a long time but then it blends really well. And it’s not too dry— see a lot of waterproof eyeliners are super dry and almost kind of drag on your skin. But that one is good, it’s kind of crazy I have been using it that long. I don’t really use foundation on myself, I just use concealer.”
“For shoots I am all about individual lashes. They just make anyone look good. They make your lashes really long and they don’t have a band so it doesn’t look as fake- you don’t have to draw eyeliner on to disguise them. The concealer that I am using at work right now is from Cle De Peau. They are highly pigmented but not dry like a lot of heavier concealers. Plus, the shades are great and not ashy on the skin.”
“It’s always enjoyable to make someone look pretty. I am really good at the natural look–but these days I’m really into more dramatic transformations. I like to feel like I’m really creating a character, that what I’m doing is more than just making someone look pretty. Sometimes I think about what would normally be considered “ugly” and how I can use it in a way that is beautiful. It’s important to think outside the box. Right now I’m experimenting with non conventional materials for an editorial. I am using lots of supplies from the art store. In situations like this I experiment on myself first because you never know what’s going to happen when you’re mixing materials that aren’t typically used as makeup.”
“So last night I was playing with these pigments and wound up staining my face pink! And I was like Shit! I knew you were coming to take pictures, so I thought “oh man, I’m going to have to ask her to Photoshop the pink out!” Fortunately it finally came off after using some olive oil and sugar. Doing these kinds of projects you realize that everything doesn’t look perfect from the start. It takes fine-tuning. I get a notion in my head and then it needs to be worked, it’s like playing arts and crafts until you find a way of making it precise and look really amazing.”
photos by: THE FORMULA
Tags: Alba, Almay, Babe, Badger Balm, Burt's Bees, Cle De Peau, Joanna Lily Wong, Love Her, Lucas' Papaw Ointment, Maker Magazine, Makeup Artist, The Expert, Weleda
LOVING the new Q & A format. such beautiful ladies.