Press

Skin Savior

Los Angeles Times

For most gadget-crazed Americans, the moment word of high definition TVs came out crowds roared, strangers embraced and spouses collectively rolled their eyes. But in spite of this hi-def mayhem, celebrity makeup artist Gail Johnson was not thrilled.
"It's way more than cover-up," explains Johnson. "With hi-def, you've got the highest resolution, so all the tricks we as makeup artists learn are pretty much out the window. The kind of shading you can do, the kind of makeup you can do you cannot do now because it's just too harsh."
A veteran actress-turned-makeup artist, Johnson has worked on several productions, including 1997's "Sunset Beach," where life with her team could be - quite literally - like pulling teeth (or in her case, caramel). As a makeup artist in the entertainment industry, everyday life is much more than making actors and actresses look pretty. Your creativity and ability to quickly think on your feet can be called into action at any moment.

"That show was so challenging," she says. "I remember one of our actresses was supposed to have a very debilitating disease where her body would blister and she'd basically become the Elephant Man. The makeup we did had a silicone base to it that you can buy at any professional makeup store. The girl ended up being allergic to the products we were using to create 'blisters' and she was getting horrible rashes.
"We were all racking our brains trying to think of a way to fix this until the hairdresser had the idea to use Brach's chocolate and caramel to create the same effect. We ended up melting that on her arm and painting over it and it worked beautifully."

Learn from experience

That's exactly the type of ingenuity that Johnson says students may not learn in school. In fact, being as versatile as possible is a great way to get a leg up in this highly competitive field.
"The best thing to do is really learn the trade inside and out and understand the different mediums," Johnson advises. "Makeup for runway is different from makeup for print. Hi-def, TV, film and tape makeup artists all have different lifestyles associated with them, some that include traveling. So it's important to think about the way you want to live and base your decision on that."
For Johnson, a single parent, traveling was out of the question. Even though traveling to exotic locations can be a more lucrative option, that lifestyle comes with its own downfalls.
Conversely, working locally provides a bit more stability in terms of establishing a home base. Either way, for those considering a career in makeup artistry for the entertainment industry, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons of every medium.

Egos in check

Whichever path you choose, there will no doubt be difficult - dare we say egotistical - clients to deal with. That's why Johnson says it's important to remember that everything in this industry is a team effort. Makeup artists relay on lighting just as much as they do each other and so forth.
"It's not one person doing something; it takes the cooperation of the team to get things done," she adds. "If one falls short, everything falls short. One of the reasons why I love what I do is that the heart and soul of any production lies in the makeup room - it's the microcosm of a small society. If that room has an unhappy attitude to it because of ego, that affects the entire production, but if that room is a happy place to come and has a team spirit, it makes the whole thing glisten."