Inside the mind of film makeup artist: Morgan Mcdonnell
Welcome back everyone to Anna Milhouse beauty blog! I am SO SO SO excited for the next season for the beauty blog because I will have a lot of beauty experts and working professionals as guest writers. We are so lucky to have the insight of all types of professionals ranging from beauty business owners to retired super models. Yes, keep tuned!!!
Now, I am so excited to introduce you to one of my favorite makeup artist and friend. Morgan and I met at a wedding expo in downtown Los Angeles where I was doing hair and she was assistant a makeup artist. As we began to chat at the expo we uncovered that we were in fact, next door neighbors. Through that, we have been hanging out and trading beauty secrets and industry insights ever since. Morgan has her career emphasis in film so we works mostly on movies, documentaries and short films. In this post you will hear about all of her favorites for working on set but you will also find out some great techniques and products you would love to use everyday. Not to mention shes as weird and awesome as me.
Well hello er-body, it's Morgan! Anna has asked me to write about the magical world of film/television makeup…so here I go.
I often feel like being successful in your makeup field you have to pick your path and pour all your heart and energy into it. Like in med school when you choose to repair hearts, or brains, or kids with runny noses…except minus all the life saving and snot. I chose film for many reasons, but my top three reasons are 1) there isn't as much ego flying around as print 2) I like makeup, but can't/don't want to compete with rainbow eye'd glamazons and 3) set families are awesome.
Anna and I talk a lot about the aesthetic differences/preferences of fashion vs film. She goes gaga over dewy skin and glowing highlights, and I am constantly on the search for a matte foundation with longevity and a powder that won't ball up after 12 hours. My job is to take a script, break it down character by character, sort out a timeline, and design a makeup based on who this person is: Exhausted Stay at Home Mom, Homeless Drug Addict, Rebel Tween, Hungover Frat Boy, Wall Street Protester…you get it. I also have to make sure the audience isn't distracted by what I do, which means most of the time I'm doing corrective makeup.
Lemme break it down-
Primer: It's like double stick tape-it sticks to your skin, smooths out pores and fine lines, and gives your foundation a nice surface to stick to. They range from slippery silicone to tacky gel. I'm still playing the primer field and haven't picked a favorite. Stay tuned though, there's time to settle down.
Foundation: A good foundation match is tres tres key, so I match the nape of the neck and lower cheek. There's nothing worse than ombre skin that has also been documented for the rest of time. Types of foundation I like to use are creams (MUD, RCMA, MAC) and HD liquid (Makeup Forever HD is killa if you can afford it). If someone has beautiful skin, I'm not going to spackle their pores with a bunch-o-cream, but it's great for covering acne, hyper pigmentation etc. For cream, I like using a makeup sponge because I get better coverage and I can stipple (it's a real word I promise) out any streaks. Brushes are where it's at when it comes to liquid though.
Concealing: Here's a little secret-if you do your foundation first you won't have to use so much concealer. Here's another-if you use a concealer in the opposite color of what you're covering up you will use even less. This isn't just for film either, it goes for all you jump and go gals who would rather sleep than make an optical illusion of your face. Let's say you have a blemish (that's the fancy PC term I have to use instead of zit)…grab a yellowish or greenish concealer and only use it on the part that is red, then powered it. Boom. Done. Or let's just say you have some blue/purple under your eyes (if you don't- I hate you)…take a peach colored concealer and only put it where the color is showing through the foundation. Brown spots? This one's a little more tricky…red. I know, I know, whaaaaat?!?! But seriously. Mix a little orange-red lipstick/color corrector into your foundation and put it on the brown. Weird, but it works. Lemon Aid and Erase Paste are two great every day color correcting concealers from Benefit, MAC has a professional palette with six cream concealers, otherwise any makeup artist brand like Cinema Secrets, RCMA, Ben Nye etc. all make cream concealers that work well.
Powder: Do it. A lot. And use a puff, or you will be in there after every take. "Stepping in!!! …again…" My fav is Makeup Forever's HD powder. Gaaaah, I die for a good fine-milled powder and my lord is it FIIIIINE.
As for cheeks, lips and brows: don't go overboard. Think about the character, what that character is doing in the scene, the actor's skin tone, and enhancing natural beauty rather than perfecting the MAC brow.
Eyes: Curl them lashes, throw some mascara on them (L'Oreal 24hr Power Volume is killin' it), and move on. Unless what? Unless the character calls for it.
Cliffs notes version:
-longevity
-color correct
-powder
-WWTCD (what would the character do?)
-laugh. Like…a lot.
Class dismissed.
Oh and P.S.- Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn…then always be a unicorn. But seriously, the only reason I get referred jobs and get call backs is because I was entirely myself. I have fun, I'm professional, and I love my job.
Morgan Mcdonnell
530.219.1184
morganbmcdonnell.carbonmade.com
morganbmcdonnell@gmail.com
Muah!!!
Anna Milhouse Artistry
Fb: Anna Milhouse Artistry
IG: Annam_artistry
Vine: Anna Marie Milhouse
Twitter: anna_reeee
Now, I am so excited to introduce you to one of my favorite makeup artist and friend. Morgan and I met at a wedding expo in downtown Los Angeles where I was doing hair and she was assistant a makeup artist. As we began to chat at the expo we uncovered that we were in fact, next door neighbors. Through that, we have been hanging out and trading beauty secrets and industry insights ever since. Morgan has her career emphasis in film so we works mostly on movies, documentaries and short films. In this post you will hear about all of her favorites for working on set but you will also find out some great techniques and products you would love to use everyday. Not to mention shes as weird and awesome as me.
Well hello er-body, it's Morgan! Anna has asked me to write about the magical world of film/television makeup…so here I go.
I often feel like being successful in your makeup field you have to pick your path and pour all your heart and energy into it. Like in med school when you choose to repair hearts, or brains, or kids with runny noses…except minus all the life saving and snot. I chose film for many reasons, but my top three reasons are 1) there isn't as much ego flying around as print 2) I like makeup, but can't/don't want to compete with rainbow eye'd glamazons and 3) set families are awesome.
Anna and I talk a lot about the aesthetic differences/preferences of fashion vs film. She goes gaga over dewy skin and glowing highlights, and I am constantly on the search for a matte foundation with longevity and a powder that won't ball up after 12 hours. My job is to take a script, break it down character by character, sort out a timeline, and design a makeup based on who this person is: Exhausted Stay at Home Mom, Homeless Drug Addict, Rebel Tween, Hungover Frat Boy, Wall Street Protester…you get it. I also have to make sure the audience isn't distracted by what I do, which means most of the time I'm doing corrective makeup.
Lemme break it down-
Primer: It's like double stick tape-it sticks to your skin, smooths out pores and fine lines, and gives your foundation a nice surface to stick to. They range from slippery silicone to tacky gel. I'm still playing the primer field and haven't picked a favorite. Stay tuned though, there's time to settle down.
Foundation: A good foundation match is tres tres key, so I match the nape of the neck and lower cheek. There's nothing worse than ombre skin that has also been documented for the rest of time. Types of foundation I like to use are creams (MUD, RCMA, MAC) and HD liquid (Makeup Forever HD is killa if you can afford it). If someone has beautiful skin, I'm not going to spackle their pores with a bunch-o-cream, but it's great for covering acne, hyper pigmentation etc. For cream, I like using a makeup sponge because I get better coverage and I can stipple (it's a real word I promise) out any streaks. Brushes are where it's at when it comes to liquid though.
Concealing: Here's a little secret-if you do your foundation first you won't have to use so much concealer. Here's another-if you use a concealer in the opposite color of what you're covering up you will use even less. This isn't just for film either, it goes for all you jump and go gals who would rather sleep than make an optical illusion of your face. Let's say you have a blemish (that's the fancy PC term I have to use instead of zit)…grab a yellowish or greenish concealer and only use it on the part that is red, then powered it. Boom. Done. Or let's just say you have some blue/purple under your eyes (if you don't- I hate you)…take a peach colored concealer and only put it where the color is showing through the foundation. Brown spots? This one's a little more tricky…red. I know, I know, whaaaaat?!?! But seriously. Mix a little orange-red lipstick/color corrector into your foundation and put it on the brown. Weird, but it works. Lemon Aid and Erase Paste are two great every day color correcting concealers from Benefit, MAC has a professional palette with six cream concealers, otherwise any makeup artist brand like Cinema Secrets, RCMA, Ben Nye etc. all make cream concealers that work well.
Powder: Do it. A lot. And use a puff, or you will be in there after every take. "Stepping in!!! …again…" My fav is Makeup Forever's HD powder. Gaaaah, I die for a good fine-milled powder and my lord is it FIIIIINE.
As for cheeks, lips and brows: don't go overboard. Think about the character, what that character is doing in the scene, the actor's skin tone, and enhancing natural beauty rather than perfecting the MAC brow.
Eyes: Curl them lashes, throw some mascara on them (L'Oreal 24hr Power Volume is killin' it), and move on. Unless what? Unless the character calls for it.
Cliffs notes version:
-longevity
-color correct
-powder
-WWTCD (what would the character do?)
-laugh. Like…a lot.
Class dismissed.
Oh and P.S.- Always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn…then always be a unicorn. But seriously, the only reason I get referred jobs and get call backs is because I was entirely myself. I have fun, I'm professional, and I love my job.
Want to hire me?
Ask me questions?
Do it!Morgan Mcdonnell
530.219.1184
morganbmcdonnell.carbonmade.com
morganbmcdonnell@gmail.com
Muah!!!
Anna Milhouse Artistry
Fb: Anna Milhouse Artistry
IG: Annam_artistry
Vine: Anna Marie Milhouse
Twitter: anna_reeee
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