Benn98
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What It's Like To Assist A Top Makeup Artist
- by INTO THE GLOSS
Last Tuesday, we profiled Yadim, who rather famously went from being Pat McGrath's first assistant to one of most sought-after makeup artists around the world, in what feels like no time at all. Which got us thinking: Who's next? So on the eve of New York Fashion Week, here are three of the artists right behind some of the greats. They've worked with the likes of Tom Pecheux (who does Chanel's shows), Diane Kendal (Alexander Wang, Jason Wu), and yes, Yadim—not to mention clocking their fair share of solo work as well. Here's a bit about their career paths—part How To Be A First Assistant, part Branching Out On Your Own Path. Keep an eye out for these names in a few years time...
GRACE AHN
"Currently, I don’t have an agent, but I work with Peter Philips for all of his shows, and I’m on Diane Kendal’s core team. I also do Tom Pecheux’s shows. Before that, I was Benjamin Puckey’s first assistant for about a year, so I’ve gotten the chance to work with a lot of people in a lot of different capacities. It's really easy to get hooked on assistant work—you get used to getting that paycheck...but I try to balance it with my own stuff more and more. Recently, I’ve done editorial work for L’Officiel and French Elle. I also do makeup for e-commerce shoots at Urban Outfitters out of Philadelphia. I’ll get assistants for that kind of work. It’s so weird to be on the other side of that relationship now.
Before I moved to New York four years ago, I was working behind a makeup counter in LA. Eventually, I decided I wanted to go freelance and do makeup for shoots and shows, so my boyfriend and I came here. It was a surprisingly easy transition, actually—a friend of mine knew an agent that gave me some small jobs right away. The, the first big show I worked on was with Diane Kendal, and it was like an epiphany for me. We were working with Lancôme for Jason Wu, and I was so nervous that’d I’d mess up in front of her because she’s such a legend…but then, oddly enough, when I met her, it came naturally to me. We got along really well.
Shows are chaos everywhere for like, four hours, and then it's over. A lot of people don’t like it because they kind of enjoy the calmness of an isolated shoot—whereas before a show, there's anxiety-driven craziness. But surprisingly, for how mellow I am, it came naturally to me and I got it. My favorite backstage by far is the Chanel show—I do that one with Tom. It’s really different from the rest of the shows because they don’t let press backstage, and it’s the last show of the season for most people, and everyone’s really happy and excited to be there.
From my experience, success in this industry is a combination of luck and seizing that opportunity. Things happen very quickly because all of a sudden you get a last minute chance to work with this person, and then you take it, and while you’re doing it and in that moment, you just have to be the best. That’s the best way I can say it. And if an artist notices you, they’ll ask for you again, and you build a relationship with them over time. The point is you do your job really well to make their job easier. But there are other artists who need to know they’ll get along with you personally and that the energy is synched. In my experience, it’s been 50/50. You kind of have to mold with their personality as well as do the work.”
