February 2012

Behind the Scenes: An Interview with Makeup Artist Jessica D'Addario

Jess works on actor Peter Schutz

Depending on the size of a project, we often work with other artistic professionals and we’d like for you to meet them.  So we asked our make-up artist Jess a few questions.  She’s got a “real” day-job, but she loves the artistry of face-paint.

1) What’s your professional and educational background?
“I started playing around with make-up color at a very young age.  When I was child all of my Barbies and Dolls were covered in make-up and nail polish.  When I became old enough to wear make-up I became obsessed with it!  I was always asking my friends if I could do their make-up or give them make-overs starting at age 14.  Of course, at that age it was wasn’t something I took seriously but I seemed to have a knack for it.

I went away to college and continued to do make-up for my roommates and friends while obtaining degrees in communication and business with a minor in public relations.  I have been working in the Insurance Industry for over 10 years now and a few years ago I found myself really missing the excitement of giving someone a makeover.  I missed being able to make someone feel good about themselves just by applying make-up.  My friends were still coming to me for tips on skin care and make-up application so I decided to take a second job selling Mary Kay Cosmetics and Skin Care.

I started my Mary Kay business in 2010 and have attended numerous training seminars and conferences on product application and color technique.  In March 2012 I will be completing my certification in Airbrush Make-Up application.  Airbrush make-up has become my latest obsession so I decided to buy an airbrush machine and get my certification.  Airbrush can be used for both make-up application and spray tanning.”

2) How did you get into make-up consulting?  And why?
“A close friend talked me into make-up consulting.  After years of friends and acquaintances asking me to help them with make-up eventually, through word of mouth, people I didn’t know were asking my opinion or asking me to do make-up for an event.  It seemed to make sense for me to take my passion for make-up and skin care to the next level and invest in my own business.”

3) You seem to really like the artistry.  Would you consider this an art form?
“Like most make-up artists I use make-up to bring out someone’s natural beauty and I am a firm believer in “less is more”.  However, I also love to use make-up to express what I’m feeling.  On a day I’m feeling moody or dramatic I’ll wear darker eye colors but on a day I have lots of energy or I’m feeling motivated, I’ll wear a bright lip color.  For me, make-up is not only about enhancing one’s natural beauty, it’s a way to express my emotions.”

4) What have been your two favorite clients?
“Right away a bride I did make-up for named Amy comes to mind.  I started working with Amy about 8 months prior to her big day and Amy had adult acne.  Amy was tomboy who admitted she knew nothing about make-up.  She was really concerned about covering up her acne for her wedding day.  I suggested we try treating her acne instead of covering it up.  Amy was very skeptical that her acne could be successfully treated.  We tried several different skin care regimes until we found one that worked for her and after about 3 months her acne was mostly gone.  When her wedding day came around her skin looked flawless and we were able to focus on using make-up to bring out her eyes rather than cover up her acne.  Amy went from being so self-conscious and not wanting her picture taken to loving her skin and being photographed.  She has been married for over a year now and still contacts me regularly for advice on her skin and make-up.

Another favorite client was also a bride, named Kate.  Kate was very self-conscious about the dark circles under eyes.  I gave Kate an under eye serum that helps treat dark circles and puffiness.  She used the serum twice a day for a month.  The day of her wedding her dark circles had gotten considerably lighter.  Kate loved wearing lipstick so I used a vibrant red lip color which brighten up her whole face (and matched her cool shoes!).  After the ceremony Kate called me in a panic because she cried through the entire ceremony and now her eyes were puffy and red.  She left the concealer I had given her for touch-ups in the limo so I told her to get two spoons from the restaurant, run them under cold water and put them over her eyes for a few minutes.  She texted me about an hour later saying my trick worked perfectly, her puffiness was gone and her waterproof make-up was still intact.  She couldn’t believe how many little tips I had taught her and how beautiful and confident she felt just from a little eye serum and lip color.”

5) What’s your favorite product/tool and why?
“I have to pick just one??!!  My personal favorite product is my eye brightener.  I work a lot and as a result I’m sleep deprived!  I put a little eye brightener in the corner of eyes every morning and it really makes my eyes pop and it brightens up my face.  You would never know I didn’t sleep the night before.  I don’t leave my house without it on!”

6) Give us the one tip you’d like everyone to know…  For general everyday makeup or for film makeup….
“When doing make-up on yourself or on someone else just pick one feature to accentuate and focus on that.  When I’m doing someone’s make-up I find their best feature, whether it’s their eyes, check bones, lips etc., and that is where I draw attention.  Only stick to one feature, otherwise you’ll end up applying too much make-up.”

Thanks for talking with us Jess!

CLICK HERE if you’d like to contact Jess for her professional make-up expertise or to check out her professional Mary Kay Cosmetics page.