An Interview with Beauty Ambassador, Kelley Mitchell
- What inspired you to be a makeup artist?
"I had gone to school for musical theatre and I had taken a makeup stage class, but I really didn’t know what I wanted to do after college. I ended up meeting a few makeup artists and I thought, “That sounds like a lot of fun.” I had never known I could make a career out of it. I ended up working for low paying or no paying independent films for years and I finally got into the industry.”
- What are some highlights in your career?
"Julie was great to me when we first got together. She took me on the movie, “Leatherheads,” in 2008. It was a football movie with lots of men, with very little makeup, but we also had the opportunity to do this great 1920’s/30’s flapper girl makeup theme. Watching Julie recreate makeup looks was so incredible! She told the film director what she had envisioned. So we tried to recreate what Julie did in about 4 minutes, it ended up taking us about 20 minutes to do! Julie is amazing, her eye makeup is incredible. That was amazing to me!
I also worked on “Glee,” which was so much fun, there were always new things we were having to do like something from the musical “Dreamgirls,” or having actors look like Madonna or Nicki Manaj. There was always something new and different. Whatever it was, that show was so creatively fun and challenging to work on!”
- What is your aesthetic? (Natural, runway makeup, futuristic, etc)
"Natural tends to be what I work for.
I tend more towards natural beauty, I don’t do great drag queen makeup. I am more into great skin, a nice eye or a great lip. It also depends on what type of film and makeup I am working on. TV today is a lot more realistic and more natural.”
- Are there any movies or actors that have inspired you throughout your career?
"I thought “Moulin Rouge” was a great makeup film! I thought “Alias,” the TV show would have been such a fun job. They did all types of different disguises for Jennifer Garner.”
- What is your philosophy on skincare?
"I think you need to do a really great job removing all face makeup, then using a great moisturizer and eye-cream. I also believe people need to treat any skin concerns, like rosacea or if its acne, use products that are tailored to your own personal skin type. You have to keep it as simple as possible, because if it’s not simple, your actors are never going to follow.”
- What is your secret to long-lasting makeup?
"A great primer is really the best thing you can do, for both the face and eyes. When it comes to eyeliner, dipping a slightly damp brush in a similar shade of eye-shadow and then going over the original code to make it last even longer.”
- What are the top three products you cannot live without from the Julie Hewett collection?
"Peachie Cheekie! It is universal and it looks great on everyone. Every time I put it on someone they say “Wow, what is that?” They always love it! Kiki is a great lip color! I use that a lot on Emma Roberts from “Scream Queens” and on Dianna Agon from “Glee!” The Goldie Shimmy is also one of my favorites! Especially with all the highlighting and strobing effects that are so big right now. Julie has been doing it for a long time.”
