A GIF Diary of What It's Like to Be a Pro Makeup Artist at Fashion Week
On her first day of boot camp, an 18-year-old Erin Parsons arrived with a fresh cut and a full face of makeup — false lashes and all. “The drill instructor looked at me like I was insane,” the guest Maybelline makeup artist laughs. “Needless to say, I didn’t last there very long.” Take a peek at the strikingly unique looks she crafted for Jonathan Simkhai, LRS Studio, and Gypsy Sport, and you’d never guess that Erin once had a career in the Air Force — or that this is her very first season as the key makeup artist behind four big New York Fashion Week shows. Her rise is nothing short of meteoric; after years of studying under the legendary Pat McGrath, Parsons went from her first assistant and right-hand woman to a leading lady herself, dreaming up an equal share of ethereal and edgy urban looks for this season and turning her visions into real-life works of art. What’s distinct about Erin’s style is that she doesn’t think twice about converting a classic, glossy red pout into the shape of a heart, or painting a thick black stripe of liner across models' lids with surgeon-like precision. She can just as skillfully turn her hand — or stippling brush — to create a pretty, no-makeup makeup look with ease. It’s this versatility that even Pat took notice of, and the skill that is sure to skyrocket her to makeup artist superstardom. We tagged along with Erin backstage to watch it all happen first-hand.
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman1/13An eternally chaotic scene of snap-happy photographers, frantic stylists, and models munching casually on kale salads, backstage has become Erin’s second home over the years. She talks shop with beauty editors and makeup artists like a pro, divulging her sources of inspiration to those who are listening in — all while overseeing and approving the rest of her team’s work and painting her own faces.
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman2/13After ending her brief military stint, Erin began her beauty career behind a Lancôme counter in Texas. She sold makeup there before graduating to MAC, where she linked up with another one of Pat’s soon-to-be assistants. “I moved to New York, and met up with her after she had become Pat’s official first assistant,” Erin recalls. “She asked me to help backstage at a few shows. I jumped at the chance!” Before she knew it, Erin was flying all over the world alongside the legendary artist.
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman3/13Erin was thrilled to find out she’d be working with designer Jonathan Simkhai this season. To prep for her first meeting with him, she printed out the designer’s creative brief and tucked it into her bag. “When I showed him he said, ‘Throw that away. Let me tell you about the real girl that inspired this,’” she says. “I loved that. I build up a character in my head before I start focusing on the details.”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman4/13Jonathan described to her a shy woman who wasn’t really caught up in the beauty scene. That’s when a light bulb switched on in Erin's head. “I suddenly had a vision of a girl coming inside after hitting the slopes, with a little bit of snow dusting the tips of her lashes and a rosy, wind-induced flush,” she explains. All it took was one attempt for the designer to fall in love with the look during the makeup test.
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman5/13To achieve the frosted tips she had envisioned, Erin used the same special effects snow you see in every single holiday movie. But, first, she started with the basics and swiped on inky black mascara. “Maybelline’s mascaras are insanely volumizing, no matter the formula,” she notes. “I didn’t want the models to look like they were wearing anything on their lashes, but to be the same shade.” Each time she applied a coat of mascara, Erin wiped the wand clean so that the formula wouldn’t build. “If your lashes are in need of a boost though, you really can’t go wrong with the Lash Sensational Luscious Waterproof Mascara.”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman6/13In the few hours leading up to a show, Erin never really has a chance to sit down and catch her breath. “You don’t stop moving — you can’t! You barely have time to go to the bathroom, there’s so much going on,” she explains giddily. “It’s such an adrenaline rush.”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman7/13Minutes before Jonathan Simkhai’s show was about to begin, Erin stumbled across a model with too much “snow” coating her lashes and quickly picked out the excess. “I was hoping it looked like the girls had just returned from skiing. This one looked like she was caught in a blizzard!”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman8/13To nail the ski-bunny look that she had originally envisioned, Erin overloaded models with illuminator. “I used a ton of it. Not just on the face, but the chest and shoulders to give them all a hint of glimmer — no fake-looking sparkles here.”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman9/13The look at Gypsy Sport was an edgy departure from the fresh-faced girls at Jonathan Simkhai. After checking out the collection, Erin decided on a sweet, yet tough-girl vibe. “The clothes were so cool that I wanted to take the makeup to the next level,” she says. “I showed them an idea for heart-shaped lips that I had, and asked if it was totally crazy. They told me to go for it!”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman10/13Erin's note to all aspiring makeup artists: makeup isn’t just taking a brilliant idea and running with it. Collaborating with designers to find a look that showcases and enhances the clothes is a huge part of the process. Designing an elaborate look is inspiring — but if it doesn’t work with the clothes, you have no choice but to swap it with natural makeup, she points out. “If a designer is willing to give you the opportunity to do something stunning and insane, seize it.”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman11/13As for the biggest lesson Erin learned from the most major mentor of all, Pat McGrath? Be fearless. “The coolest thing about Pat is that she isn’t chasing after perfection, but she creates it. If she doesn’t like something, she wipes it off — simple as that,” Erin says. “Instead of etching every single angle of a cat eye, she taught me to go for it. Even if something isn’t pretty, you can make it pretty. She’s a true genius.”
Photographs by Scot & Kristi Redman12/13As fashion week comes to a close, Erin is sad to see it end. “Even though I’m exhausted, I don’t want it to stop. All of the excitement of bringing a vision to life keeps you pushing through,” she says. “When it’s all over, you’re left feeling like, I could keep doing this forever.”
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