I've been a makeup artist since I was 12 and it was always a dream of mine back them to have my own line. I would spend hours every night recreating looks I saw in my mother's Cosmo magazines and it was my escape. When you come from a poor background and a family full of alcoholics, you don't fully understand what that means when you're a little kid. I found art and makeup, it changed my life.
My mother, we were a very poor family. When I was a kid, we would be in our little room, and there would be a knock on the door almost every night with a hobo begging for food. Even though we didn't even have enough to eat, my mother always found something to give them.
I have been watching Youtube makeup tutorials since I was born. I did my own prom makeup and used to do peoples' makeup in high school for money.
My idea of no makeup on actors is really no makeup. I mean, they can be wearing makeup. I don't care what they're wearing as long as it looks like they're not wearing makeup. But an actress will suddenly appear with some lipstick on. And that's makeup. Keener's character wears makeup. Her character would wear makeup. I try to stay true to whoever that person is. I hate that kind of thing where you're waking up in the morning with makeup on in a movie. I just think it pulls you out of the movie.
I was at Pepperdine University in Malibu, and during my sophomore year, I played a dying burn victim on 'ER.' The makeup artist put burn makeup all over my body and I couldn't move or eat for 12 hours. I lost 8 pounds that week.
I don't feel very glowing, especially after wearing makeup - and not necessarily my choice of makeup - for 12 hours straight on a movie set. When I'm playing a character, her look is sometimes different from my own.
I chose makeup over photography because there was something very sensual about makeup that I loved. But photography was always in the back of my mind. That was always something that I was very connected with: looking at magazines, enjoying photography, and then taking pictures myself when I was a kid.
I am not so bad, actually, at doing my own makeup, so for more low-key events, I'll do my own, but for something like 'Harper's Bazaar' Icons Party, I would definitely get a makeup artist or a hair artist if I had time.
I was never into makeup when I was younger, and I still love not piling on the makeup every day, but as I've gotten older I've actually found makeup to be fun.
For dance recitals, my mom would do my makeup all extravagant because obviously I was really little and where else would I be wearing makeup? We would always be in her bathroom before the dance recital, and she'd do our hair and makeup.
I always wanted to be a makeup artist. When I don't get to have my stylist, I do my own makeup!
I do a combo situation of lotion and body makeup and put it on with my moisturizer in the morning. That seems to work best for me because self-tanning lotion always streaks and looks kind of crazy. So I put on some body makeup and wash it off at night. I have to do it every day, but that's just a part of my life now.
I've been doing my own makeup since I was 15. I would steal my mom's products, go online, watch YouTube videos of girls doing their makeup, and try.
I love strong looks, so to me, no makeup is strong. As long as it makes a statement, that's what I like. The girls look very real, and I'm probably the only makeup artist who will say that I love a woman without makeup.
We have a snap of my dad wearing blue eye shadow, which I would always make fun of. When I was about 12 and first started wearing lipstick, my dad would ask, 'Are you wearing makeup?' I would say back, 'You're wearing more makeup there than I am!'
Being in the beauty industry, since there wasn't many men in makeup it was weird and obviously at beauty events we would get weird looks. But over time it's been amazing seeing how accepting everyone is when it comes to boys wearing makeup.
Generally, when I'm going to a new project, I take my own makeup. I'll explain to them what it is that I would like. If they are receptive, we figure it out together. If they're not, I'll be going to back to my trailer and doing my own makeup. And that's the same for hair.