How Did I Get Here?

Okay, I admit that i am coming in from a few cocktails at my favorite show on the planet - Ryan Landry's "Showgirls" in Provincetown. I admit, as well, that you will likely hear more of this place called "Provincetown" through this blog, The Powder Group and On Makeup Magazine, than you ever thought you could hear of a place you barely have heard of before. But as i rode my $30 brown, beat up, twenty year old bike home from the Crown and Anchor tonight, to my dream studio on the beach, I looked up at a zillion stars in a pitch black sky, looked forward to walking my gorgeous dog Buddy, thought back on the amazing weekend I just had with my new boyfriend Brad, and thought to myself - damn I'm happy - how did I even get here? How did I arrive at a place in my life that I thought was a dream away and an impossibility for "someone like me."

The truth is I have been preparing for this moment my entire life - always knowing what it was going to take to make me feel complete and satisfied. Having just come off of the most exciting and successful editions of The Makeup Show NYC we could ever have imagined, having just spent five days with 20 artists who trusted us - little ol' us - to take them on a journey to a more insightful and successful career at Evolution - having just begun the process of putting together the Summer issue of On Makeup Magazine - the core of all of my personal creative goals and of my being - and having just finished the proposals for launching two new brands within my business - I thought to myself with a level of happiness in my soul that i didn't know existed - seriously how did i even get here?

Its one thing to say that hard work and perseverance got me to this place - wherever this "place" truly is, which is something I am still sorting out. But it is an entirely different thing to look at every aspect and angle of your life and say to yourself - this is what i have been waiting for, this is the place I have always wanted to be, this is the place I have always needed to get to, and to acknowledge that hard work was only a stepping stone to this place.

I had to know what i wanted. I had to know what i needed. I had to work hard to get to this place - yes - but more than that I had to put myself out there, ask for what i needed, insist on my own success and somehow find a way to be generous, open to learning and maintain my integrity along the way. Sometimes it was, or rather is, hard. Most often, the time and effort and cost of what makes me feel that my business and life are a success, would not seem worthwhile to a person who looks only at numbers, profits and credit scores to gauge success.

But when i wake up tomorrow morning - having had a good night sleep with Buddy by my side and Brad on my mind. I will know that this place I am at is beyond success for me. I will be happy in knowing that Mom and Dad are blushingly proud of what their first born is doing with his life. I will be hopeful in thinking that somewhere there is a makeup artist who has been given the faith in himself and has felt empowerment in the idea that he can be whatever and whoever he wants to be by something he experienced through one of my projects. I will be excited by the idea that a small business somewhere will start up today and begin the same path as i did nearly five years ago, and I will be hopeful that they are prepared for the turbulent road they are about to journey down, and they have a clear understanding of what success is for them.

Then, as i text a morning ILU to Brad, and harness up Buddy for a walk down the beach to get a coffee to shake off one too many Sapphire Tonics, the answer to last night's question of "how did i get here?" will be answered by the morning's even more important one - "and now where?"

9 Questions with Jon Hennessey

When you were a young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I think for a lot of kids, there tend to be leanings toward “hero” jobs…firefighters, policemen/women, I wanted to be a baker. I have a 4 year old son who wants to be a T. Rex, but he’s more likely to be IN T. Rex. He’s a creative little boy.

How did that transpose into makeup artistry?
My motivation for wanting to be a baker was that I really liked cakes and I wanted to eat a lot of them. It’s tricky to draw that connection to makeup artistry. I still like cakes and now I can afford to buy them from nicer places.

What are the things about working in makeup that you love?
Even on the most simple, straightforward projects, there is a way to approach the creative process in a different way.
I travel for work.
My clients often become friends.
I make a living as a painter.
I’m fortunate enough to be able to share my experience with other artists.
I learn something new every day.
My job is to participate in the creation of beautiful and/or thought provoking images.
The answers to this question could be pages long. I love what I do for a living.

What are the challenges you face working as a freelance artist?
Any time that you place the word “freelance” in front of anything, the potential is there for your anxiety level to rise exponentially. There is a popular misconception relating to and glamorization of the title “makeup artist”, but I suppose “makeup artist, promoter, marketer, accountant, cold caller, researcher, teacher-student” is a bit too long for a business card. I’ve met a lot of talented artists who didn’t know the first thing about marketing their businesses, or even see it as a necessity and ultimately wonder why things haven’t evolved for them professionally. ART&COMMERCE said it best….with the whole art and commerce thing. This also applies to when you’re represented by an agency. The relationship with your agent should work as a partnership, with both parties working actively to promote the business. Just because you’re rep’d doesn’t mean that you put your feet up and wait for the phone to ring. It’s a nice thought though.

Do you have a signature style?
I think so, but I often think that it’s easier for someone else to identify what that is. It’s easier to see in a visual than to write about, but generally, I lean toward something that’s very simple in appearance even if it takes me 2 hours to arrive at it. I approach each job with ideas, not plans.

Do you have a project that you’ve done that you are especially proud of?
Hands down, the project that I’m most proud of is NOBASURA. In January of this year, I opened NOBASURA Artist Management Inc. in order to be able to bring together the most talented group of individuals that I could find. We rep a small group of artists working in the categories of hair, makeup, styling and photography and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have all of these friends and collaborators in my life. NOBASURA is a tree with deep roots and long branches, we officially rep 8, but have a flow team and network of hundreds.

How do you continue to grow your career as an artist?
If you always consider yourself a student, then you never plateau.

What should someone who is looking to develop a career in makeup know before getting into the business?
Art is the hardest way to make an easy living.

Jon Hennessey is a Vancouver based makeup artist, the owner of Nobasura agenc, ywas profiled in the Winter 2008 issue of On Makeup Magazine, a special guest artist at Evolution Spring 2008, workshop presenter at The Makeup Show NYC and will be a featured presenter at the soon to be announced The Artist Summit program produced by The Powder Group. nobasura.com

9 Questions with Sandy Linter

When you were a young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was young, I lived on Staten Island. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I needed to move to New York City. I became a secretary, but spent every day in the bathroom making up my friends.

What was your first memorable work as an artist?
I got booked to do a big sitting with Polly Mellen at Vogue. The model was Karen Graham. The photos turned out amazing. I remember looking at them for the very first time. I was so happy. And then the bookings just kept on coming in! That was 1974.

What makes you a good makeup artist?
I have always felt that people are attracted to someone who enjoys what they are doing; someone who cares about satisfying the client. I love what I do and I try my best to satisfy my clients, so I believe that makes me a good makeup artist.

How did you know that the makeup artist industry was where you wanted to be?
I knew I would never be happy doing anything else. In all these years -- over 35 -- it has never once entered my mind that I should do anything else. Not once.

What are the things about your work that makes it the most interesting to you?
I love the instant gratification you feel when you know that you've made someone look and feel better. I really enjoy teaching women how to do their own makeup. I also like teamwork; that is why I've always attached my name to a salon. For my entire freelance career, I have been with at least five, maybe more, of the top salons in the city.

What are the challenges you face working as a freelance artist?
The biggest challenge of being a freelancer was waiting for the phone to ring. I like to be busy. Not too busy. But as a freelancer you can’t really control that...

What would you do differently if you were starting over today?
If I were starting over I would have learned how to network more effectively. When I first started out, the industry was tiny! I was one of five professional makeup artists in New York City, so my phone was ringing all the time. But when the 80’s rolled around everyone knew how to do makeup and was a makeup artist, so I lost a lot of business because I wasn’t networking like I should have – I didn’t even have a business card!

What advice would you give an artist just starting out?
I would tell a new artist to be humble.

How do you continue to grow your career as an artist?
I was lucky with my career. I was talented, but I wasn’t a business person. I just let the calls come to me instead of seeking out who I wanted to call me. What resulted were Vogue covers one day and underpaid catalogues jobs the next. I have learned that in order to grow my career I need to have more direction and be more proactive to get the things I really want and deserve. And so far it’s been really working in my favor.


Sandy Linter is represented by Bryan Bantry, is currently the Lancome Paris Beauty for All Ages Expert and works out of the Rita Hazan Salon in NYC. She is also one of the most inspiring and genuine people we have ever had the good fortune of working with. It was an honor to have her with us as a Keynote speaker at The Makeup Show NYC and to have been able to feature her in the Spring 2008 issue of On Makeup Magazine.

James Vincent Backstage at Ashley Paige

Who is Ashley Paige? Ashley Paige is a Los Angeles based swim wear designer and "it girl" who uses her name and recognition to raise money and bring attention to animal causes

How did you get involved with the show? Sharon Gault has been working with Ashley for years and has done every one of her shows and asked me if I would help her this season to design the look and oversee the enormous team of artists from multiple lines we assembled

How did you and she come up with the idea of collaborating different
lines on the show? She was at The Makeup Show Miami and met David from OCC and Tiffany from Anastasia. She asked David about airbrushing bodies for a show and asked him to design a custom lip color for Ashley's charity Ruffhouzen. She knew Anastasia's reputation for perfecting eyebrows and asked them to be involved with designing the brow for the show. Anastasia herself designed and oversaw her team.

How many collaborators worked on the show? We had artists from The Powder Group and Four different cosmetic lines sponsors including Anastasia, Obsessive Compulsive, Smashbox and Sephora Pro team...We also had freelancers from Nars and Make Up For Ever to bring across the specific look of the show.

What was the inspiration for the makeup design? Isadora Duncan and the glamour of the 1920's with a doomed romantic feel.

What did you like most about working with such a diverse team? Everything. I love the community and collaboration that happens during fashion week and Sharon was eager to assemble this collection of cosmetic lines. It was amazing to see executives and artsists and owners from such varied lines working side by side on a model.

What was the coolest thing about working on the show
I have to say working with Anastasia was exciting for me. She is a legend and one of the most warm and humble women you will ever meet. Her team and all of the other artsist worked so hard. Also working side by side with Lori Taylor from Smashbox. She oversees every show at Smashbox studios for LA fashion week and never stops running but she makes every designer and evry artist at the show feel liek they are the only person there.

What products were key items in the show? Smashbox Bionic Mascara gave the lush lash effect. Anastasia brow pencils and powders gave the period feel to the face. OCC Ashen gave the face and bodies the beautiful, haunting effect and the chocolate brown lip was custom designed by Sharon for the show.

Can you give me one word to describe the experience of working on the show? Definitely, it would be Community.

You can meet James and Sharon Gault both at The Makeup Show NYC - May 18 and 19. Sharon will be presenting our closing Keynote talk. James will be presenting a special hands-on session of Understanding Hi-Def. www.themakeupshow.com

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

9 Questions with Chad Hayduk

What made you want to be a makeup artist?
As a kid, I was always fascinated by monster makeup and forensics. My dad used to buy me lots of books on monsters and my favorite toy was my "Hugo- Man of 1000 Faces" doll...sort of the Barbie head for boys! You would glue all sorts of fun things like eye balls, hair pieces and moustaches on him.

How did you, Trae and Scott [Hodge and Catto] come up with the concept of Three Custom Color? As makeup artists, we were never satisfied with the colors that were available to us and we often had to blend our own. With the custom end of our business, we could than make any color we desired. In addition, we decided to create a multi-functional Ready to Wear line of products that could be embraced by ALL- regardless of skin tone, age or skin type.

What is the most memorable project you've been asked to do last week I keyed makeup and hair for the movie A Four Letter Word that one of mydearest friends wrote and starred in. I got to design crazy drag makeup, use lots of sparkle and because of the long hours and tight schedule had to really put my concealing and blending abilities to the test.

Do you feel being a man in the makeup industry has helped or hindered you? It has definitely helped! Women tend to feel more comfortable working with a man for some reason- especially a gay man!

What excites you about a project? I love the creative process, brainstorming and collaboration. My mind goes a million miles a minute when approached with a new project. I find inspiration everywhere I go. Traveling the world have been the biggest influence on my work.

What is the last makeup job you worked on? For fashion week, I keyed the Carlos Campos and K-Swiss fashion shows, I just wrapped a movie called Between Love and Goodbye and am doing some design work for Julianna Margulies new TV show, Canterbury's Law.

What is the one biggest mistake artist make when doing men's makeup? Men should never look like they are "wearing makeup." I have seen many guys with too much color on the skin whether it be foundation, bronzer or lip color. They really just need to be cleaned up, groomed, concealed and powdered where needed. A little bronzer is great but don't make it look like blush. And watch the mascara- most guys have good lashes and don't need any!

Can you tell me one thing that people won't know about Three Custom Color? That my two partners, Trae and Scott, and I were club kids when we met in College!

What's your favorite color? I love all color but I would have to say the truly indescribable aqua blue that is color of the water in the Maldives.

You can check out more about Chad's thoughts on Men's Grooming at www.threecustom.com Then meet Scott in person at The Makeup Show NYC - May 18 and 19 at Metropolitan Pavilion.
www.themakeupshow.com

Perchance to Dream

We all have dreams - relationship dreams, career dreams, lifestyle dreams.

Over time, some of those dreams turn into our goals, and some of those goals turn into our realities.

The difference between these three states of our ideas can be marked by many factors - but two of the most important ones I have found in my life are determination and passion. Determination to do whatever it takes and work as hard as one has to, in order to turn dreams into realities; passion so strong that it gives you energy when you are exhausted, faith when you feel doubtful and such pride in what you are accomplishing that nothing can stop you. Today, on the occasion of my 41st birthday, I have found myself thinking about the people I have known in my life who are living the reality of their dreams.

I think of my friend Johnny who, when we first met 20 years ago, spoke of opening his own salon and working as a makeup artist and hairstylist around the world. Johnny recently bought a building to which he relocated his existing salon, and has expanded into a beautiful new full spa and salon. He is also now represented by one of the top artist agencies in New York working on celebrity clients across the globe.

I think of my friend Jack who, when we met working on a charity benefit 14 years ago, had only just begun to seriously explore moving from his work as a prominent CPA into his long term goal of producing theater. This past year Jack celebrated his first Tony Award win as one of the producers on a huge Broadway hit and has moved on to produce not only theater but film projects.

I think of my friend Kimberly who I met over 10 years ago as she was running one of the most respected businesses in the beauty industry and who left to begin her new path as the owner of her own marketing businesses around the time I started my own business. Kimberly's business has evolved into the development of a new area of business, and she is currently in the midst of launching one of the most exciting new concepts in the salon and retail industries.

These are only three of many - but three that come to mind first when I think of those people I know who understand the difference between dreaming and doing. These three friends understand that in order to reach your realities you have to be willing to evolve - to allow the changes in your life that you didn’t anticipate, to lead you in a direction you may not have expected. They understand that they are likely going to work too much; that they need to surround themselves with people who support their goals, share their vision and are excited to see their dreams become realities; and that they have to expect some mistakes along the way. They also have some other things in common - they also done the work that was required, and expected nothing to be handed to them without earning it. Tthey have asked for what they have needed, worked hard to gain the respect of those in their industry and each have a high level of personal and professional integrity. They also understand that there is risk in any dream.

I also think about my own goals when I was a student at University, how they changed when I began my career in the makeup industry, and how they evolved even further as I started my company - The Powder Group. I think of the 12 to 18 hour days I now work, the 7 day work week and the long time that has passed since I had a real vacation. I think of the work done on holidays and, yes even on my birthday. I think of the goals I have had since I was younger, some of them personal some professional, and the ones that I have been able to turn into realties, and that it is those same things that Johnny, Jack and Kimberly understand that have helped me reach some of my most lofty goals.

But for every one of my realized dreams, there are many more - both personal and professional - that have yet to come. As I celebrate the beginning of another year, I also celebrate the accomplishments of my first 41 years as I look to the future and to what’s next, I have finally begun to understand why the hard work all feels so absolutely right, where I get the balance to be able to make it all work, and how I can begin to move toward my next reality. I have realized that the work doesn’t get easier as you reach a goal and move onto another - there is just more work to do, and perhaps a different way to do it and that evolving your career, your life and your relationships is an essential part of growth. That for every foggy horizon there is an unknown shore waiting for you to take your first step onto unspoiled ground - a step that can lead to many paths - just so long as you have the perseverance and patience to wait for the fog to clear and the path to become apparent.

I think of the times when people have said to me “you need to make time for yourself” - and that all this time I have been missing the proper response to that comment. The truth is this is all time for myself. When your life is filled with your dreams and your work is your passion, every bit of work and every long day becomes for you, and the next reality is simply a little more hard work away.

Michael DeVellis