Celebrity and fashion makeup artist, Garret Gervais recently wrapped a great covershoot for Wired Magazine that we just had to share. Garret has become known in the beauty industry for custom mixes of cosmetics that have created beautiful faces on celebrity red carpets and stunning images in fashion and beauty publications. His work has been in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Allure, Elle, GQ, and In Style. Garret's celebrity clientele include Jessica Alba, Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Garner, Rosario Dawson, Britney Spears, and now Alison Brie of AMC's hit TV show, Mad Men. We sat with Garret to find out what makeup genius went into each of Alison's great looks. Read on to learn more about how the photoshoot came together, learn what products Allison and Garret love, and click through the slideshow for looks from the photoshoot and Garret's product recommendations.
Garret, what an amazing cover! What was the overall concept?
Thanks, it was great fun! The cover was a nod to a Mad Men ad that starred Alison's castmate, John Ham.
How did the look come together? What was your vision for Alison's makeup?
We originally thought to keep the makeup very clean in keeping with the ad, but once she tried on the suit, we decided to go in a more Helmut Newton woman direction.
Allison looks so dramatically different on the cover, versus her looks inside the magazine. How did you create these different personas?
There are 4 different looks for the magazine overall. We have the look on the cover, and inside we have Alison as a vintage nurse, a bombshell, and finally Alison as herself. For the Helmut Newton woman, I created a strong, smoky eye and a glossy red lip. For the bombshell look, I created a strong cat with eyeliner and went with a deep burgundy lip.
Each look is great. So in what ways do you suggest everyday women change up their makeup looks for a fun or dramatic change of pace?
Easiest way: play with lip colors and textures. I love the new Velvet Matte Lip Pencils by Nars Cosmetics. Try shade 'Red Square' for a great summer red. The velvet matte texture makes it very chic. I'm also loving the new L'Oreal Stain Glosses. One of my favorites is Coral Tattoo. It's a perfect summery, daytime look.
What was your favorite feature of Alison's to play up and accentuate? What techniques did you use to bring this feature out?
Alison has big, gorgeous eyes, and great lashes that are thick and long. With her lashes, I always play with mascaras because they're a great testing ground. I usually do at least 2 coats, starting with Cover Girl Clump Crusher, followed by L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara.
Does Alison have any beauty product favorites?
Yes. She loves Colorescience Pro-Mineral Corrector in Light-Medium. It helps to gently neutralize skin, hiding imperfections and correcting skin color.
What are some of your beauty product favorites to use during photoshoots and why?
Depending on my model's skin, I'll start with either a moisturizer like Chanel Sublimage La Crème, Embroyalisse Lait-Crème, or a primer like Too Faced Primed & Poreless. I love La Mer foundations for how moisturizing they are. They make skin glow and I also love Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer for coverage. I LOVE this product!
Any additional tips, tricks, or application techniques you recommend?
I generally like skin to look plump and moist. I love cream color products on eyes and cheeks because I find it to looks more modern and youthful. Even if I have powder shadow on an eye, there will usually be something creamy as well, typically a cream high-lighter like Nars Copacabana Illuminator.
What were some of the products you used to achieve this look?
For the cover look, I used the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Mirifique and Emerveille on the eye. And I used Rouge Allure in Coromandel on the lip.
Thanks Garret! Find more of Garret's work here at http://opusbeauty.com/make-up/garret-gervais/bio/location:los_angeles
