Makeup Artist Gracie Atherton, founder artists’ services

Celebrity makeup artist, Gracie Atherton (featured with Sharon Stone in Catwoman cast/crew photo) is renowned as a leading beauty expert whose work has glossed the faces of A-list celebrities including Liv Tyler, Rebecca Romijn, Sharon Stone, Lauren Hutton, Hugh Grant and Johnny Depp to name a few.

Gracie’s Tips and Tricks

Sunscreen – a must! The most important facial skin care tip I have for you is - keep your face out of the sun! The sun is the harshest critic to your skin and will cause significant damage over time.

Always use sunscreen on bare skin and under foundation. If your face is going to have extreme exposure to the sun, I recommend using a sunscreen by La Roche – Posay, Anthelios-L # 60 SPF (www.westcoastskin.com). For everyday use, I recommend a lighter sunscreen by Neutrogena, Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sun Block in SPF 45 (available at most drug stores).

Skincare Maintenance

A sure way to prolong the healthy survival of your skin is to follow a daily skin care regime. This includes cleansing, exfoliation, moisturizing and having a facial with an esthetician every few months for deep pore cleansing.

My favorite skincare products are by La Mer. Crème de La Mer is the best cream on the market. If your skin is oily, I recommend using the Gel Cream, because the ‘Crème’ (while not being greasy) is very rich in texture and may be too strong for oily skin. I also highly recommend the Serum by La Mer. This is a miracle serum that traps moisture in the skin and corrects minor skin discolorations. I use it before applying the Crème or Gel Cream. This Serum can be used under any moisturizing cream of your choice. www.cremedelamer.com

Another skincare product line that I highly recommend is Aveda. For those who prefer a light moisturizer, I recommend the Hydrating Lotion. I have found most skin types tolerate this product well. For a richer cream, I recommend their Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Cream. www.aveda.com

I use both La Mer and Aveda products on all my celebrity clientele whether working on photo shoots, film or for private consultation. 

Favorite makeup products

Whether working on men or women here are a few of my ‘quick picks’ –

Dior – Anticerne Diorlift Concealer – This under eye concealer has a dense texture, but spreads ‘like a dream’ it provides the best under eye coverage.  It also has just the right amount of ‘yellow’ base tones. www.dior.com

MAC – Refined Golden Bronzing Powder – This all-purpose bronzing powder should be a staple in every makeup artist’s kit.  I have used it on women and men to give a natural bronzed glow. www.maccosmetics.com

NARS – All NARS Lip Pencils and Lipsticks rock!  My kit is filled with them. www.narscosmetics.com

DHC– Moisture Care Lip Gloss (best buy for the buck) –This lip gloss contains tocopherol (pure natural vitamin E).  It’s rich and creamy, but not sticky - and it is available in lots of colors. www.dhccare.com

Makeup Artist Greta Weatherby

Greta Weatherby (featured with Harrison Ford) studied under Shu Uemura and his team for 6 years.  Her spirit is very free…she is able to use her creativity to its fullest advantage. Whether she’s applying makeup to personalities, commercial talent, or real people – from red carpet to ad campaigns, Greta has just the right touch! – Gracie

Beautiful Skin

My approach to makeup is ‘beautiful skin’.  It takes just a few minutes to slough off dead skin and make the skin glow from the start! 

 

Product recommendations:

Shiseido Face Exfoliate - a must for tight beauty shots. 

C.O. Bigelow Soothing Lip Buffer - models love this! It’s minty fresh, and makes lips smooth and silky.

Shu Uemura Deep Sea Water - After makeup application, I spritz the face with this product to make the skin look dewy and delicious.

Another tip is that I always look at my model's hands. A quick, one minute manicure feels great and is sometimes needed – kids included! I want my models to feel smooth and sexy. When you treat then like movie stars, they remember you. (One Minute Manicure – available online).

Hair Stylist + Makeup Artist- Martin Kiss

Martin Kiss (featured with Jean Paul Gaultier) is originally from Prague, spending many years working internationally as well as in New York City. He works with top couture design houses styling hair and inovating looks for their fashion shows in Paris, Vienna, and Prague.  Designers include: Dior, Dsquared, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gucci, La Perla, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Paco Rabanne, Versace, Vivienne Westwood

Monica Bellucci – Curly Hair Secrets

Monica Bellucci, for beautiful curly hair, I use a mixture of leave in conditioner and curl enhancer by Kérastase. After completing the hairstyle, I use extra shine spray by Schwarzkopf for an extremely healthy look.

Naomi Campbell – Conditioning Dry Hair

Naomi’s hair is very dry and curly, I worked with her on fashion shows in which I either straightened her hair with a flat iron, using flat ironing lotion by Schwartzkopf to protect her hair from drying out, or I used wigs/hair pieces to extend her own hair length.

Daniela Pestova – Fine Hair Tips

I worked with Daniela on photo shoots for swimsuit and lingerie campaigns. Her blond hair is very fine, so, when working on the lingerie campaigns, I used a lot of hair extensions and products to add volume and shine – like L’Oreal Shine Serum and volumizing tonic by Kérastase. For the swimsuit photo shoot, her hair needed to have a gritty, beached/salt water look, so I used Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray.

Jean Paul Gaultier – Runway Hair

Jean Paul and I collaborate on the hair looks for his runway shows. For one of his shows, we created big hairstyles with a lot of height. To achieve this specific look, I rely on my favorite hair spray, Elnett by L’Oreal. 

Makeup Artist + Hair Stylist: Clifford Hashimoto

Clifford Hashimoto is an unusual talent. He is an extraordinary hair stylist and also a gifted makeup artist. While most high profile celebrities prefer to book a separate hair stylist and makeup artist for their events, Clifford is often requested to do both. Here are some of Clifford’s beauty secrets and hair tips in his own words - Gracie

Virginia Madsen - Beautiful Skin

Virginia has great skin…but, even the most beautiful celebrities need to wear foundation on the red carpet.  I always use Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation on Virginia, and on all of my other celebrity clients. It’s a light formula with great coverage, so I don’t need to use a lot, but I can still achieve flawless results. I apply it with the Giorgio Armani Foundation Brush. The finish is so realistic…not too matte, nor to shinny. I can even use it when shooting in High Definition.

Jennifer Beals - Smoky Eyes

Many celebrities love smoky, smoldering eyes. Whenever I do this look, I always place a layer of translucent powder under the eyes to catch any fallen eye shadow.  I dip a small fluffy brush, (like Nars #13) in a container of loose translucent powder and place it from the lash line to the top of the check. After I complete the eyes, I am able to brush away shadow specs or mascara flakes without disturbing the foundation underneath.

Cindy Crawford - Big Sexy Hair

While working with Cindy Crawford in the height of her career, big hair ruled the runways. To achieve Cindy’s full mane, I started by adding a volumizing product (like Davines Volume Mousse) to her wet hair. I then had her flip her head upside down, while I blew her hair dry, using my hands to move the hair around. When her hair was 80% dry, I had her flip back and used a paddle brush while blow-drying to smooth her hair. When her hair was completely dry, I used a large barrel curling iron to add in her signature wave.  At this stage, back in the nineties, I would have backcombed the hair to create the over-the-top structure and height. For today’s sleeker looks, place a dime sized amount of a shine pomade (like Davines For Wizards Universal Polishing Coat) in your palm and rub your hands together, until the product disappears, then rack your fingers through the wave to create definition and shine!

Makeup Artist – Miles Berdache

From beauty to men’s grooming, Miles has an eye for detail. He is adept at special FX makeup, and skilled with an airbrush. In this medium, he can create a flawless beauty makeup and also define muscle tone on body builders and rock stars - Gracie

Makeup Foundations – Natural & Polished Finish

Foundation doesn’t have to be seen to achieve a flawless look. To keep the skin looking polished, and the foundation minimal, I use Make Up For Ever Corrective Make Up Base, to even out the skin tone. Then, I can determine if, and where, I will need more coverage. These bases are available in 7 corrective shades depending on your needs, and can also act as a primer for your foundation. They are definitely a staple for all my grooming or makeup applications. For men, it is the best method for keeping the look natural.

Freddy Rodriguez - Foundation Base Tones

For men, I always like to keep it simple. Working with Freddy Rodriguez, I use Make Up For Ever Corrective Makeup #0 (a soft yellow/gold) to even out and enhance that sexy Latin skin tone - followed by a custom blend of Ben Nye Loose Powders.

Mariska Hargitay – Glowing Skin

For women, after correcting the skin with Make Up For Ever Corrective Make Up Base, I follow with a foundation that best suits her coverage needs. To achieve a natural, dewy look, I use Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Makeup. Its user-friendly gel base offers a sheer coverage that is buildable and, better yet, water-resistant. When working with Mariska, I used Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Makeup #2. To keep that beautiful tawny skin looking healthy and polished – ‘red carpet to beachfront.’ For a finishing touch, I added Laura Mercier Star Dust Finishing Powder to highlight areas on her face, maintaining her signature silky glow.

Giada De Laurentis – Botanical based Skin Care

Skincare is by far the most important step, no matter what skin type you have. Your makeup will only look as good as the condition of your skin – and for my clients, I exclusively use skincare that is botanical-based. To keep Giada looking fresh and youthful, in and out of makeup, I use L’ Occitane’s Amande Velvet Concentrate and Immortelle Eye Balm.