Collette Dunhill Talks About Life As A Sought After Makeup Artist

Collette Dunhill is a renowned makeup professional and a sought after creative entrepreneur. In a recent interview with us, she discussed her journey to stardom and career at large. Collette has worked in Hollywood and with many world-renowned brands.

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I am Collette Dunhill- a professional makeup artist. I have extensive experience all over the world. At New York Fashion Week, with designers, models, celebrities, etc. I have actually come a long way to be where I am now. I’m grateful to my loved ones for my success. They’ve always been there for me. I’m grateful for my genetics because as long as I can remember I’ve been drawing all the time. And I’m grateful to my parents for allowing me to paint the walls in our house.

I’m so blessed to have a best friend/husband, who was the very first person to believe in me. He was the first one to arrange a meeting for me with the most famous artist in my country. That moment was the beginning of my journey as a makeup artist. Each person who comes into my life brings me either an experience or a new view of life. That’s why I am grateful to everyone. I know for a fact that you cannot even imagine how society needs my profession. A lot of people think that it is not a serious job, that no one really needs it.

But this profession is not as easy as you might think. We are on the same row with psychologists as we also control and create emotions. Our appearance is equally crucial to us as our souls. And even for those who strongly deny it. Our appearance creates our image, and through the image, we create the first impression. We all well understand that almost always the first impression affects further communication. The first impression can also awaken love at first sight. Most of the time it is the key to a successful career. A pleasant person usually looks more reliable. Therefore, I always try to make everyone who sits in my chair feel irresistible. And there is no miracle in that. You all have this magic inside you, and I am only trying to show it with the help of my makeup brushes. A fresh face, luminous eyes, mix of colors – your charm. That is why I confidently call myself an artist, who helps not only to believe in yourself but also to love everything around.

What makeup philosophy do you follow?

I follow very basic guidelines regarding my makeup philosophy – less is more. In my opinion, a professional makeup artist shouldn’t cast his ideas and emotions on their clients as an art. Instead, they should emphasize positive attributes and create a better version of their client rather than cover their personality and soul.

Tell us about your experience while working at the New York Film Academy.

Films and cinema industries are the main components of my daily work. I have a close connection with cinema since my childhood. My older sister used to study at the art academy and would come back home with drama literature books which she would vocally read it loud out to me. I didn’t know the exact reason but I just simply felt that cinema, the theater is so close to me. I always dreamed about being one of the Hollywood ‘Diva’ but destiny led me to be the one creating other ‘Diva’. I am extremely proud of each piece of work that we produce cooperating with Film Academy. I can firmly assure you that cinema has not lost its magic in me in all those years. I am enjoying every project that I am working on and I admire each of the actors that are getting filmed with my art/makeup.

How do you stay connected with the latest fashion trends?

I am following the most recent fashion trends. Most of these ideas and knowledge have come from fashion weeks that I attended in New York, London, and even Paris. These are the locations where most of the new fashion images and trends are being born. I am there to witness it with my team and gather the knowledge, inspiration for upcoming work. My main goal, including my team, is to produce the final result of my work and present it on the podium.

Would you like to spill the beans on behind the scenes hustle-bustle in your industry?

I am more than happy to share an extraordinary unusual story. While working for a photo session with a star photographer I had to prepare makeup for one of the Hollywood actors. Everything went as per usual: makeup, hairstyle, eyebrows, trimming the beard and lastly, the actor has requested to hide his ears by gluing them to sides in order to hide them. It was so unexpected to me, so it took me a second to gather myself and I told that I honestly never had any similar request in the past. That was not an issue, I fulfilled his request and we continued with our work. This was a lesson to me to always be prepared for anything that could come up.

What advice would you like to give to an upcoming fashion stylist?

In order to begin a fashion stylist career, your main focus is to not be afraid and do not limit yourself with questions “will it work?”, “what others are going to think about this?”. Sadly, some of the really talented and creative stylists often find themselves stuck in this mindset and are unable to continue and improve due to being afraid. Trust yourself and follow your dreams. Hard work always pays out. Another observation from my point of view – do not raise yourself above the others after a few photo sessions or work with one of the more known actors and just enjoy what you’re doing and allow stars to be stars and makeup artists to be the artist.

How can we connect with you? Where can we find your work?

Welcome to New York !!!!! Here I have a large studio. You can find me on Instagram @MUAikona or connect with me via my website

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