|
The Interview
By Amber
Gibson, News Editor
Styleforfree: You
began your career as a makeup artist when you were
a teen. By seventeen, you had already received
your license from the State Board of Cosmetology.
What were some of your first experiences working
with makeup as a teen??
Yolanda: Probably
the first experience that I had was helping a friend
of the family with makeup on a film. She was working
on a movie called Bad Influence, and I went and assisted
her. I had always known that I wanted to be a makeup
artist. I’d take my mom’s makeup out
of her drawer and play with it when I was little.
I’ve always loved makeup, but I’m a less
is more makeup artist. My style is really more Sports
Illustrated, a minimal look.
Styleforfree: What
are some of your favorite makeup products that you
bring with you on the job?
Yolanda: My favorite mascara of all time is L’Oreal
Lash Out. L’Oreal products are great, especially
mascara, because they’re creamy and don’t
dry as fast. You don’t get the clumps that
you get with other mascaras. I also love Laura Mercier
lipgloss, and I just loooove Stila eyeshadow.
SFF: How
did you make the transition from being a makeup artist
to starting your own line of cosmetics?
Yolanda: It
really sort of just happened. I wasn’t looking
to start a cosmetic line. I came up as a makeup artist
in the 90s, when a lot of makeup artists were coming
out with lines. I actually took the opportunity in
the beginning of my career to go out to New York
and make appointments with all of these people, to
see what their styles were. So I had the opportunity
to have my makeup done by many top makeup artists.
In 1996, a cosmetic surgeon called me one day. The
doctors were using cosmetic surgery to remove fine
lines, tattoos, etc. They told their patients that
they could wear makeup in 7-10 days. But nothing
will stick to slick, pink, healing, “aftermath” skin.
It’s so fragile and sensitive. Just like with
really bad sunburn, your skin is producing massive
amounts of heat. So whatever you put on your skin
just melts. One of the ladies that most inspired
me was a sheriff. She couldn’t wear layers
upon layers of makeup on the job, and I wanted to
help her. I didn’t start Classified
Cosmetics to have this retail product; I started to help people.
The doctor asked me to recommend a foundation to
cover this healing skin. It left me thinking that
how is it that we can put a man on the moon and we
can’t make a skin product that gives good coverage
but looks natural. How do I get this thin layer of
makeup on the skin without touching it?.
SFF: What
inspired you to come up with the idea of spray-on
makeup from an aerosol can?
Yolanda: As
soon as I thought about not touching the skin, I
thought of a spray can. It’s similar to an
airbrush, but it is so easy to use. When you shake
the can, the makeup gets mixed together. There are
many layers, so it’s very important the shake
the can before each use. The biggest layer is water,
followed by vitamins, color pigments and propellant.
The color is ground down so small; we try to get
it between four and five microns. They are undetectable
on the skin when you’re looking at it. When
you spray the can, the little particles go right
on your face, so you just do a little zig-zag right
down the front of your skin. It looks dewy and moist,
just like misting your face. If you want a more matte
look, you can use the powder puff to soak up extra
moisture. We’ve traveled across the globe,
spending more than a million air-miles in the past
four years! South America, Japan, Ireland, everywhere.
We’ve had a color for every person’s
skin because the makeup is so lightly feathered,
and the colors are very forgiving.
SFF: Era
cosmetics are 60% water. How does Era feel on your
skin?
Yolanda: The
first time you spray, it’s similar to a tinted
moisturizer, the second time is like liquid foundation.
With four layers, you can cover a tattoo. You control
the coverage. If you can spray your face in two seconds,
you can get your perfect feathered airbrush look.
The can is sealed, so there is no possibility of
contamination, the makeup is fresh every time you
use it. It’s very simple, but the magic is
there’s no contamination. You’re not
spreading your own bacteria around you face!
SFF: Spray-on
makeup is a pretty new concept, and many girls have never
tried it before. Which of your products, Era Primer, Era
Face, Era Rayz, or Era Glaze do you recommend to start with?
Yolanda: Definitely
the Primer, it’s our newest product. It’s
an incredible product to use, because if you’re
nervous about the spray, it’s totally transparent.
The great part about the foundation is that I’ve
worked for years to get the spray pattern right,
but the primer is transparent so you can get the
feel of it. The primer is also a skin brightener;
it fills in the pores on your face. It creates a
transparent canvas by smoothing over your pores,
so when you spray makeup on your skin, it all reflects
light, so you use less makeup and your skin appears
smoother. You spray your whole face, lids, lashes,
cheeks, lips. Even if you don’t use foundation
it makes all of your makeup stay on better.
SFF: Besides
looking pretty, it is also important to keep your
skin healthy. What are the beneficial effects that
Era has on your skin?
Yolanda: If
you think about the vitamin botanical evaporation,
if you have your bottle of era face or your bronzers
or shimmers, you’re getting fresh vitamins
and botanicals every day. Soothing aloe vera and
chamomile are great for sensitive skin. It keeps
the skin from getting that red, irritated look. The
vitamin E is a nourishing antioxidant. Vitamin D
helps to collect moisture from the air and retain
it in the skin. Everytime you mist your face, it’s
fresh. But as soon as you take the lid off you’re
never getting a hundred percent. From the first time
you spray your face to the last time you spray your
face. It would be the difference in your skin as
drinking freshly squeezed juices everyday. The no
contamination factor also causes your skin be healthier,
it will have less breakouts. You don’t have
to constantly treat your skin. When we hit our early
twenties, our skin stops producing collagen and starts
getting wrinkles. Eventually our skin will lose its
elasticity, like a rubber band. The less you manipulate
your skin, the less it will stretch. With Era, you
don’t even have to touch your face.
SFF: Does
Era have any cool new products coming out soon that
we can look forward to?
Yolanda: Yes,
we do! We have a spray on cheek and lip color, eyeshadow,
and we have concealers. They’re going to applied
a different way, very simply because you have to
have your eyes open when applying.
SFF: You
have worked with many celebrities on movies, tv appearances,
and even getting ready for the Oscars. Tell us about
one of your most memorable experiences?
Yolanda: I
would say that my most memorable experience in general
was not with a celebrity. It was in Tokyo, Japan
when we were invited over to demonstrate the product.
They do everything really big in Tokyo, and they
have us come down this red carpet lined staircase
with spotlights and music and hundreds of people
in the audience. I invited a couple of girls up on
stage to demonstrate the process. I have a translator,
and I say you can use it lightly or even cover a
scar. One of the girls asked my translator to ask
me if I could cover a scar on her leg. For her to
ask me to do that when she’s up on a stage
in front of hundreds of people is incredible. Of
course, I immediately said yes. So she pulls off
her pant leg, and she’s got a scar on her ankle
that’s five inches long and about as wide as
my thumb. She said that she can’t wear a skirt,
and she was so young, it must be horrible to be trapped
into wearing pants everyday. So I just shook the
can and sprayed a little in the palm of my hand,
and when I touched her scar, she started to tremble.
She was so overwhelemed by the coverage, and she
just started crying as I misted over the scar. Something
like that you just can’t even explain, and
that’s why I do it.
SFF: Are
there any celebrity fans of Era?
Yolanda: I
could name so many. I was flown to New York for a
Sports Illustrated shoot with all these top models.
Tyra Banks was there, everybody was there. So anyway,
every girl had their own makeup artist and hair stylist.
They give you four hours to do hair and makeup for
a cover shoot, but it only takes me twenty minutes.
I was working with Rachel Hunter. Her hair stylist,
Terry, does all the top girls. Rachel has naturally
curly hair, and he literally takes three and a half
hours on hair, and everybody else has done makeup
first. So everyone was already doing touch-ups, when
I mist the sides of her face with a foundation. Then
I do the same thing with the bronzer and she looks
like she’s just spent a week in the Caribbean.
Then I do her eyes, very natural, add some individual
lashes, and some lipgloss. She puts her bathing suit
on, and I wrap her bathing suit in tissue, then I
spray her entire body with 3 By the Sea Bronzer.
Then I took the 1 In the Sun and the 24-Karat shimmer
to highlight her stomach muscles, shoulders, and
cleavage. So I sculpted her entire body with these
shades. I buffed her really good and removed the
tissue, and every single girl looked at her body
and their own body, and started grabbing cans from
my station. It turned into this whirlwind of spraying
shimmer, Tyra was using the 24 karat. It was a great
makeup experience with a group of beautiful girls
getting ready to do a shoot. All the Charlie’s Angels:
Full Throttle girls used it. For the surfing scene
they ran out, and they had to shut down production
because Demi Moore couldn’t go on without her
Era! Britney Spears, Fergie, Gwen Stefani, Janet
Jackson are all fans. Star Jones called yesterday
and she asked me to send her some because she’s
going on vacation.
SFF: What
are some of your online and offline retail locations?
Yolanda: We
have an incredible website that we sell our products
on at ClassifiedCosmetics.com. We use this software
program, automatch, that allows you to match your
perfect shade to the foundation you are already using.
You can plug in the brands you’re using and
hit send. It will send you back within seconds, your
Era Face shade. That way you don’t get the
wrong color of foundation. It’s such a drag
when you’re so excited to try out your new
foundation and the color doesn’t match. Then
of course, we’re in high-end makeup boutiques
all over the world. I love Alexander's
in California because
they ship all over the world and shipping is free!
Era is in all the cosmetics warehouses, several hundred
locations around the world. A full listing is on
our website.
|
