Hey, beauties! Let me introduce you to the talented Jan, She just turned 27 and is a recently certified makeup artist. She works in Beverly Hills as an Ophthalmic Technician (aka she checks your vision at the eye doctor.) Born and raised in the SF Bay Area, she needed a change. She desired growth, so she moved to LA six months ago to pursue her love for makeup. She fell into the love for makeup due to her love for collecting MAC lipsticks. Her collection became large enough for her boyfriend to notice and tell her that she’d better start using them on other people lol! She started doing her friends’ makeup and decided to put herself in school. She just finished the basics class and the Special Effects class.
Q&A
What is your favorite high-end brand?
I LOVE everything Anastasia. I am often asked about my brows and my lips, which is always Anastasia (if I don’t have Kat Von D or MAC on the lips.)
What are 3 makeup items you couldn’t possibly live without?
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow: My eyebrows are done so perfectly and more precise with this product. It’s definitely my holy grail item for brows. Kat Von D Everlasting Love liquid lipsticks: I love how long lasting and pigmented these lippies are. They don’t come off when I eat and it literally doesn’t feel like I even have anything on. I can wear this lipstick everywhere and most importantly at work in the office. Make Up For Ever Aqua Seal: Oh my God, I love this product! I have somewhat of a hooded lid and a huge problem for me is when my eyeliner transfers product to my crease. So, when I do my liner now I just mix in Aqua Seal and my liner stays put all day!
What’s your favorite drugstore brand?
L’oreal Infallible Pro Matte foundation 108 in Caramel Beige. This product just makes my skin look so smooth & matte. It just oxidizes with my skin so beautifully! It doesn’t break me out and it’s totally buildable. By the end of the day, my oily t-zone makes me look exhausted and I love that this foundation keeps me looking put together. If we’re talking just brands, I love Maybelline the most!
What type of beauty product do you buy the most of (mascaras, concealers, lipsticks etc)?
Definitely, definitely, definitely LIPSTICK! Come to my apartment and you’ll find at least one lipstick in each room. At least two in the bathroom, one on the living room shelf, in my car, in my purse, and of course, the rest sitting on my vanity. I never leave the house without lipstick on.
What is the most common makeup faux pas that you see?
I’m obsessed with staring at people’s eyebrows – I literally fix them in my head. I hate blocky eyebrows at the front of the brow and I hate brows that are not cleaned up with concealer!
Do you have a “beauty budget” or do you spend freely?
As far as a “beauty budget” goes, I buy strictly for my kit. I try to buy things that I can use for multiple reasons. I’ll buy a pretty highlighter that I can use as shimmery shadow, a cream blush that I can use as shadow or lipstick, and a concealer that can also be used as foundation if I’m not looking to do lots of cover. The times that I do want to spend freely will go to products that I know will translate well on camera. I do lots of photo shoot makeup so I invest in quality face products like foundation, concealer, & bronzer/blush.
What’s your favorite lipstick?
My favorite lipstick? As in just one? Do you know how hard that is? There are so many colors that I LOVE and obsess over but if I had to pick only one it would be Kat Von D’s Lolita liquid lipstick. That color goes with everything! It’s one of my most used lipsticks next to Mac’s Riri Woo (sorry I had to throw that one in there as a fave too haha!)
Describe your everyday makeup look.
I work in a medical office so I try to keep it as simple as possible. For the days where I need to rush out the house, I’ll have my brows done, mascara on, concealer on to hide my blemishes, and a gloss to make me look put together. The days that do I have extra time I’ll go with foundation, blush, and lipstick. If I wake up early, I’ll put a full face on including lashes & a subtle shimmery brown smokey eye with a winged liner.
What’s your favorite mascara?
My two favorite mascaras right now are L’oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes mascara and Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant mascara. Both volumizing and lengthening – the two key things I require of my mascara to do!
Is there any celebrity that you get your makeup inspiration from & why that celebrity?
RIHANNA! Her look is so badass – OBSESSED! She has this beautiful glow in all of her shoots and her makeup just translates so well. From her skin, to her eyes, to her lips – she just entrances the audience. That is what I want to achieve for the makeup looks I do. I want it to translate so well on camera that you’re just in awe of the work.
Do you have some favorite beauty gurus? If so, who?
Desi Perkins (@desimakeup) and Karen Sarahi (@iluvsarahii) Whenever I’m looking for a new technique or if I’m feeling uninspired I look on their Instagram & end up feeling so motivated to throw glitter everywhere – they totally glow! They’re both such beautiful people. They work so hard and definitely are living out their dreams. It’s so encouraging to know that it’s definitely possible to make a living off of makeup full time!
If you could leave the house with only ONE makeup product, which would it be?
An eyebrow pencil! So that I can do my brows and line my eyes! I never leave the house with bare brows – are you crazy?!
Are there any brands that you try to avoid?
Not that I “stay away” but for some reason Cover Girl products never appealed to me. Hourglass either. Not a swatch or even a browse. That makes me want to research some reviews now lol.
Do you usually “haul” or buy items here & there?
I used to do hauls, but now I’ve got more than enough. Lately, I just replenish items or buy when I’m curious about a product. I really need to buy a bigger train case soon!
What’s your favorite skincare brand?
Embryolisse! Amazing amazing stuff it makes my skin feel so hydrated and moisturized! I prefer the Lait-Creme and the Hydra-Mat moisturizers for myself. I try not to recommend skin products because everyone is different. I made the mistake once of recommending eye cream to a friend and she found out she was allergic to an ingredient! I felt terrible!
What is one beauty tool/brush that you’d recommend to anyone?
Duh! A Beauty Blender! It definitely helps my skin take in the moisturizers & the primers and of course, blends my foundation so seamlessly. I hardly use a brush for my foundation anymore! And it also helps when I “bake” under my eyes.
What is one beauty product that you’d recommend to ANYONE & why?
DUO eyelash glue – the green one for strip lashes! I always get asked how I even “get those things on.” This particular eyelash glue does the trick every time. It gets tacky very fast and makes application clean & easy. I think what discourages people from wearing falsies is 1.) it’s already hard enough figuring how to get the strip lash off the holder and 2.) having to deal with the mess of gooey white glue that gets all over and dries way too slow.
If you had to give up one makeup item for the rest of your life, which would it be?
An eyelash curler – I have curly lashes already so it’s totally not used in my kit.
Where do you see your makeup career in the next 5 years?
I’d love to do more photo shoots, and since I’m in LA I’d love to be a red carpet MUA. Since I’m starting Special Effects, that’ll open newer doors so we’ll see where it goes. I love my makeup career so much. It’s a total adventure meeting new people right now. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet such talented people and I can’t wait to see where my career takes me in the next 5 years!
Share a beauty tip/trick/hack.. whatever you’d like to call it. Lol
I always get asked about contouring. First take your hands and feel your face – feel the place where your teeth meet. That is where you start your contour so start your brush with the product there and sweep down into that groove and LIGHTLY sweep up towards your nose thereafter. Remember that less product is best as it can be built up! And please remember that most of the product should be placed at that point where your teeth meet. Your makeup should make sense, and a big dark brown contour does not make sense where your nose is!
What’s the best way for future clients to reach you?
All clients should correspond via email: JDegillo3@gmail.com or Instagram @jan.doe_ I answer within a day. And if I have at least one week’s notice I am available. I typically do shoots or events all Saturday and only Sunday morning.
fashenty 