9 Questions with Johnny Lavoy

How long have you been doing makeup and hair? OK I already see where this is going. I started in the business over 20 yrs ago . Yes, I was just 5 yrs old. lol

How did you get started? It all started when I was about 10. I got a haircut that i could not restyle when i got home. So my mom took me back to the Barber and told him to teach me how to style my hair. I guess she got tired of me complaining every morning. I learned how to style my hair so well that, when the same thing happened to my sister It was me who had to wake up every morning and Do her hair. And that was the start of my career . I knew hair was my passion at that point. I found out that in order to get a license, you had to have your 9th grade education. So that's when I started to train.I won a bunch of competitions while i was in high school and took a job for a product company doing platform work at the age of 18. I was doing shows over the country. I became friends with the make up artist that worked with us. And that's where my interest in make up started.

How does the preparation process differ for you when you are doing hair or makeup? Well actually the prep is pretty much same for both. The first thing I do is research. I try to gather as much information about the job as possible. If its working with a celebrity for the first time I go right to wiremage.com and gettyimages.com to see them made up at different recent events. If its a editorial I try to get a idea of what the team is thinking in terms of a story and research appropriately.

What is the last trip you took for pleasure? Well I kinda cheated. This Summer I went to Italy to do Giuliana's wedding.[Depandi-Rancic's, host of E!News] So I went a week early to enjoy Rome. So it was a work/pleasure trip.

What is the last trip you took for work? I guess that would be The Makeup Show Miami. But I was also in Mexico and Turks and Caicos within a three week period. All good trips for a cold February!

What one makeup product can you not live without? This is hard . But I guess moisturizers because if the skin looks healthy you almost don't need anything else.

In one word, can tell me something about yourself that few people know? A.D.D

Is there one thing you do for every makeup application? Yes. Groom brows. If the brows are a mess it throws off my Mo Jo.

What are you doing tomorrow? I recently reconnected with a old classmate. I learned that she is now teaching hair at the school we graduated from. I also learned that 5 of the students qualified to compete this competition called Skills USA. It was the same competition that I won over 20 yrs ago that launched what would become my career. I asked to meet the students that are going to Skills USA and offered to help them - she was saying that they use me as an example of what you can accomplish with hard work and determination - and they love that i work with famous people - lol. So, tomorrow I am going to the school to coach the kids for their big competition before I have to go to the Salon. It feels so good to able to give back and help the artist of tomorrow try to get to another level. So wish them all luck....

Join Johnny Lavoy at The Makeup Show NYC May 18 and 19. Johnny will be presenting Bridal and Event Makeup - a hands-on workshop open exclusively to attendees of the show. Additional fees apply for hands-on events. You can also see him at The Powder Group booth thorughout the day Monday May 19 www.themakeupshow.com