BellaSugar

Want to Become a Makeup Artist? Here's One Way to Do It

BellaSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:00:16 -0700

When watching the Emmys and/or Oscars, do you perk right up when hearing the nominees for the best makeup artistry categories? Do you have such a passion for makeup and theatrical stylings that you daydream about what it might be like to be a part of this aspect of the business?

After talking to makeup artist Debbie Zoller about her behind-the-scenes work on Castle, along with her techniques for making the gory details of her job come to life, I wanted to know how she got to where she is today. With an impressive resume including work on Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, The Sweetest Thing, I Heart Huckabees, Mad Men, and Castle, you might be surprised to hear that Zoller dropped out of beauty school and hit a few road bumps along the way before finding her true passion. To find out more of her inspiring story, just keep reading.

Look Behind the Scenes With Castle's Makeup Artist

BellaSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:00:52 -0700

For more than 25 years, Debbie Zoller has been creating makeup looks from practically every vantage point, whether it's her initial work as Lancôme rep at Macy's in LA, her 1960s-style creations on Mad Men, or most recently, her role as lead makeup artist on Castle. "People on the show are so incredibly nice," she said during a recent interview, where we talked about the gory details of her current position, along with what it's like to be a part of the behind-the-scenes action on the crime dramedy, now in its second year of production.

View 5 Photos ›

Check out some of Zoller's work in the gallery above. Then, to find out what she had to say about working with the cast, along with some of her favorite beauty products, just keep reading.

Castle's Makeup Artist Debbie Zoller Gets Gory At Work

BellaSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

As the head makeup artist on ABC's crime dramedy Castle, Debbie Zoller creates everyday makeup looks for the show's main characters. But, seeing that the program is not without its fair share of murder mysteries, Zoller must also create blood spatters, prosthetic detached fingers, and mangled body parts, often working in the most unusual of situations. "Last season we had [to create] a frozen girl dumped out of a freezer," she said. Yikes.

Recently, I caught up with Zoller, who is up for an Emmy for her previous work on Mad Men (more here), to find out more about what a typical workday is like onset at Castle.

View 5 Photos ›

To find out more about Zoller's work, read more.

How-To: The Look of Mad Men's Joan Holloway

BellaSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:00:22 -0700

Joan Holloway proves that you don't need to show skin to be the hottest woman in the room. (OK, she's often the only woman in the room, but still.) The Mad Men character has a sultry secretary style that would still turn heads today.

Makeup artist Debbie Zoller researches every character's look to make it as authentically '60s as possible, and she emphasizes Joan's personality through her makeup. "Joan knows how to get what she wants by using her skills and sexuality," Debbie says. "She reads all of the latest fashion magazines and knows what works best for her to make her presence known at Sterling Cooper. I play up her amazing eyes so she can mesmerize every man she comes in contact with."

For the behind-the-scenes scoop on the precise products used to transform actress Christina Hendricks into Joan Holloway, read more.

Face: Debbie uses Laura Mercier foundations to create a peaches-and-cream complexion, followed by Lancôme dual-finish powder to keep her skin matte. She then dabs Julie Hewett Cheekies on the apples of the cheeks. "I have [Christina's] smile so I know exactly where to put it," Debbie says.
Eyes: In true '60s style, Debbie strokes black Dior liquid eyeliner on the top lid. She then uses watercake mascara on the top lashes only.
Lips: "The lips are lined first with a lip liner that matches the lipstick we choose," Debbie says." She frequently turns to Laura Mercier lipstick in Baby Lips, a sheer pink; and Mistress, a pinky red.

Photo courtesy of AMC.

Behind-the-Scenes Beauty Secrets of Mad Men

BellaSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Love Mad Men? You're not the only one - practically everyone at Sugar HQ is obsessed with this brilliant show due to its tight writing, great acting, and amazing style. Seriously, who wouldn't love to look like Joan Holloway? As the makeup department head of the show, Debbie Zoller is responsible for creating these sexy '60s looks, and she's been kind enough to share a few secrets from the set. Soon, I'll share her tips for recreating Joan's sex-kitten look, but to read about the world of Mad Men now, read more.

View 3 Photos ›

The '60s look is 100 percent authentic.
"I did a tremendous amount of research for both the first and second season of Mad Men. I used eBay a lot to order books and vintage magazines like Look, Life, and Ladies Home Journal. I designed the looks for the secretaries of Sterling Cooper from Sears catalogs and New York newspaper clippings from 1959 to 1962. I also asked members of my own family to send me photos from that period. Those were priceless!"

You won’t see any blue-ish lipsticks on the show.
"Because of the fluorescent lights in Sterling Cooper, I didn’t use any lipsticks or nail polish colors that had blue undertones. They popped out too much on film. I wanted everyone to look natural. I stuck to true reds, true pinks, and true corals."

For inspiration, Zoller looked at a famous Mouseketeer.
"Betty’s look is inspired from a book on Grace Kelly, classic perfection. For Joan’s character, I used a very famous red-headed model from that era by the name of Suzy Parker as inspiration. And for Peggy, I looked to famous young actresses like Annette Funicello to capture her naiveté."

Betty's lipstick speaks volumes.
"I pay special attention to Betty’s lips so when she speaks she feels like she’s being heard."

Everyone - everyone - on screen gets a specific look.
"The first thing that happens when I get a new script is a concept meeting with all of the department heads and Matt Weiner, the executive producer. He explains to us his vision and then we break off to do our homework and prepare. The costume designer and I will discuss color palettes for each character. Every actor, day-player, and background artist receives the same attention to detail. I then design their look from brows to lips to nails. Every actor, after they have been cast, comes in for a consultation with each department and then we do a test look. We take pictures and send them up to Matt for approval. The actors love it because they see the transition from current day to 1962. They are amazed at how they have been transformed in just a few hours."

Photos courtesy of AMC

Castle Makeup Looks

BellaSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:05:50 -0700

View Slideshow ›

Castle Photos

BellaSugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:36:06 -0700

View Slideshow ›

Best of Bella, 9/28

BellaSugar — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:04:17 -0700

Makeup artist Carmindy's latest book has tips, tricks and pep talks.
You might not be sure what your biggest skincare problem is, but yoga teacher-turned-skincare guru Kimberly Snyder has The Solution.
In an exclusive interview, Eva Mendes reveals she can't leave home without her eyes. She means makeup.
Debbie Zoller, the makeup artist for Mad Men, gives all the tips you need to put on your best Joan Holloway.
Spill your biggest beauty blunders, lest you repeat them.
Tom Ford's new fragrance, White Patchouli, smells as good as Erykah Badu looks.

Find out how to do six-minute makeup, straight from the Emmys makeup artist.
There's controversy galore in the comments. Who knew Hayden Panettiere's makeup would cause such a ruckus?
Meet some of the most inspiring beauticians in the world.
America Ferrera's hairstylist explains how to get her Emmys hairstyle at home.

Source