Privately held makeup brand’s digital and social media presence draws in cosmetic giant’s interest.

Cosmetics giant Estee Lauder announced Monday it had agreed to acquire the privately held makeup brand Smashbox Beauty Cosmetics.

Analysts said trendy Smashbox, based in Los Angeles, would help bring Estee Lauder – whose brands include Bobbi Brown, La Mer, and Aveda – younger customers. Estee Lauder also said it liked Smashbox’s Hollywood image (it was inspired by the needs of makeup artists working on photo shoots) and its digital and social media presence. The company – founded in 1996 by two great grandsons of legendary Hollywood makeup artist Max Factor – was among the first to post instructional videos on its website about how to achieve various makeup looks.

“We are excited to be acquiring a uniquely positioned cosmetics brand with true talent well known for engaging consumers,” John Demsey, a group president at Estee Lauder, said in a statement. “Smashbox fits perfectly within our DNA.”

No purchase price was given for the deal, which is expected to close in July, but Women’s Wear Daily sources estimated Estee Lauder paid somewhere between $200 and $300 million. The acquisition also includes a minority stake in Smashbox Studios, the Los Angeles photo facility the Factor brothers started in 1991.

“We like the brand and its photo-studio inspired, Hollywood positioning,” Lauder’s president and CEO Fabrizio Freda told WWD. “Smashbox operates in a selling environment that is of big interest to us, specialty retail, where we want to continue to grow.”

The acquisition will give Estee Lauder an expanded presence outside department stores, particularly in Sephora cosmetics stores and on the QVC Channel, where Smashbox ranks in the top 10 brands sold. A big chunk of Smashbox’s success is seen as owed to the Factor brothers’ willingness to take a chance on television sales in the late 1990s.

Smashbox will continue to operate out of its LA headquarters. BNET predicted the acquisition – if it follows the strategy of Estee Lauder’s buyouts of Aveda, Stila, and MAC – “should be another textbook case of big management leaving well enough alone…The only thing different about Smashbox should be its availability — certain to grow once Lauder’s resources start funding expansion.”

Smashbox pulls in about $80 million in wholesale revenue and $140 million in retail sales, a source told WWD. In 2006, private-equity firm TSG Consumer Partners acquired a minority stake in the company. Smashbox is Estee Lauder’s first acquisition since Leonard Lauder stepped aside in July for Freda to assume the CEO post.

And of course, I love her makeup! In her “Fighter” video, bold lashes mimic the look of moth’s wings, giving the video a strong aesthetic that is beautiful and haunting. “Dirrty” is a video I reference a lot with my personal makeup style. I’m a huge fan of smoldering eyes, and Christina rocked carbon black smoky eyes with flawless tan skin and a baby pink pout in that video. It was to die for. She is also a lover of red lips, which she has adorned in several videos as well as on the red carpet. This has given her dirty girl image a little Marilyn appeal, and I consider it her trademark.

Memorable Christina Looks.

Christina Aguilera "Not Myself Tonight" Video Stills.

Check out the video above, or the stills to the left. “Not Myself Tonight” is available for purchase on iTunes and is the leading single off her upcoming album “Bionic.”

What is it?:

The Makeup Mafia is an exclusive membership (like a street team, only way better) for makeup artists and beauty aficionados. Once you’ve joined, you’ll be eligible to enter makeup contests, receive inside information from our celebrity members, and get all the dirt on Give Good Face, the upcoming makeup book that demystifies makeup’s biggest secrets! You’ll also be eligible to attend meet-and-greets and makeup events as they become available! Once you’re in — YOU’RE IN!

Types of Memberships and How to Apply:

Mafia Member:

If you’re registered with givegoodface.com, you’re automatically a member. Otherwise, if you have a name and email address – you’re in! Signup can be done in 10 seconds right here at givegoodface.com.

Perks: Free email updates on Give Good Face and insider tips and tricks from the pros!

Pro Mafia Member:

To sign up for a Pro membership, you need to show us you’re a working makeup artist. You will need to submit, via email, a scan of your professional business card along with a tear sheet or website of your work (this includes modelmayhem and onemodelplace accounts).

Perks: All the perks of a Mafia Member, but you can also participate in makeup contests and pro events. You will also receive exclusive information from industry pros and deals from artist cosmetic lines.

VIP Mafia Member:

To sign up for a Pro membership, you need to show us you’re a working makeup artist. You will need to submit, via email, a scan of your professional business card along with a tear sheet or website of your work (this includes modelmayhem and onemodelplace accounts). VIP members also submit a photo of themselves wearing Give Good Face “Mafia Merchandise” to be featured on givegoodface.com. Upon approval, their photo will be tagged with their name and information in our hall of fame for the world to see. GGF gets 100k+ hits a month – now that’s some good free promo!

Perks: All the perks of a pro membership, plus your photo in the hall of fame!

Mafioso:

To sign up for a Mafioso membership, you need to show us you’re a working makeup artist. You will need to submit, via email, a scan of your professional business card along with a tear sheet or website of your work (this includes modelmayhem and onemodelplace accounts). Mafiosos also submit a photo of themselves with a celebrity wearing Give Good Face “Mafia Merchandise” to be featured on givegoodface.com. Upon approval, their photo will be tagged with their name and information in our hall of fame for the world to see.

Perks: All the perks of a pro membership, plus your photo featured in the hall of fame!

More details to come!

The term ‘natural’ is used more loosely, however. For a product to be labeled ‘natural,’ it only needs to consist of 3% natural products. Scary, right? Cosmetics have very few regulations, so always do your research before purchasing that perfectly fantastic red lipstick (that might just be carcinogenic). I digress.

With all the misinformation out there, I thought I’d demystify some home remedies and natural beauty tips makeup artists use every day! I asked readers of givegoodface.com, makeup artists from modelmayhem.com, and fans of the GGF facebook page to contribute their best beauty tips and tricks. Feel free to comment or email with your own natural beauty must-haves!

Theresa Amundsen, Makeup Artist: Theresa makes her own lip balm – how cool!

7 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (extra virgin, unrefined)
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Butter
40 Drops Vanilla or Sweet Orange Essential Oil (optional)

In a small pan over low heat warm the coconut oil and cocoa butter until the butter is just melted. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Add the essential oil and stir to blend. Pour into storage container(s) and cap. Allow mixture to set for 2 hours.

Note: If your storage area is above 76 degrees the balm will liquify, it will harden again at a lower temperature. This balm is super silky and also makes great gifts!

Erin Chaney, Makeup Artist: Erin mixes granulated sugar with sesame or olive oil, creating the perfect lip scrub to tackle dead, dry skin! We’re anxious to try this before applying Theresa’s homemade balm.

Kelly DeMauro, Makeup Artist: Kelly makes a great lip/face/body scrub by mixing together equal parts fine sugar and honey! Use it on damp skin and it rinses away easily without stinging like salt scrubs!

Deadly Design Makeup soaks a cloth in white vinegar and lays it over red sunburn until the cloth gets warm. Then she re-soaks the cloth and repeats until the heat is gone. It doesn’t sting, either! Follow with a good moisturizer.

Davis Webb, Makeup Artist: Davis uses lemon juice in distilled or rose water for a fabulous toner! Restore your pH for a fraction of the cost!

Give Good Face loves big sexy hair! To give your hair extra volume, grab a bottle of flat beer – we’re not kidding! After shampooing, pour the beer over your head and let it soak in for two minutes before rinsing. Follow with conditioner to mask the scent of the beer. The beer tightens your cuticle and coats each strand, giving you healthier, shinier, more volumized hair!

Brandie Hopstein, Makeup Artist: Brandie calms red, irritated skin by using extra-virgin olive oil to clean off her makeup – great idea!

Jason Donovan, Reader: Jason gets his beauty on with a good night’s sleep and a lifestyle that is active – and smoke-free! Smoking and inactivity wreak havoc on your body. It’s summer, there’s no excuse not to get outside and be active, even if that only means walking the dog to the mailbox!

Carly Peacock, Model: Carly makes her own hair conditioning treatment, her secret to soft and shiny hair!

2 Eggs
7 Tablespoons (roughly 100ml) Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Whole Egg mayonnaise
1 Blended Avocado
The Juice of 1 Lemon.

Blend ingredients, apply to hair and leave in overnight. Rinse in the morning.

Belle Morte, Wardrobe Stylist: Belle soothes sunburn with tea leaves in her bath water – how refreshing!

Give Good Face loves rose salve! Rose salve can be used as a lip balm or as an intense moisturizer for cuticles and dry patches. Also works great when dabbed in the center of the eyelids for a soft glossy eye!

Ernesto Casillas, Makeup Artist/Photographer: Ernesto is old school – drink lots of water! And we agree! Nothing is better for your body, inside and out. So ditch the diet coke and opt for a water with your meal!

Lauren Jamison, Reader: Lauren believes in healthy eating – and so do we! Eating dark leafy greens, and knowing your recommended caloric intake is so important. Give up on chocolate cake? Never. But limits are good to have!

Maria T-Eweka, Makeup Artist: We love to use yogurt as a face mask, but Maria mixes in honey and turmeric to give her mask some extra punch!

Sammi J, Makeup Artist: Sammi uses lavender oil to minimize the redness and pain of sunburn! We’ve never heard of this – but we’re anxious to try it out!

Laura Harrison, Makeup Artist: Laura also uses lavender oil to promote healing and reduce pesky cold sores!

Give Good Face refreshes the skin by putting chilled white tea in a spritzer. Spray your face throughout the day for a glowing, refreshed complexion! Feeling bold? Mix in a little witch hazel or olive oil.

Andrea, Model: Andrea conditions her hair with mayonnaise! Mayo gives the hair great moisture and shine at a fraction of the cost!

Mai Strickland, Makeup Artist: Mai hydrates the face with rosehip oil and the body with coconut oil – it’s simple and we love it!

Sheila Northcutt, Makeup Artist: Speaking of oils, Sheila mixes pure aloe gel (quarter size) with jojoba oil (pea size) to hydrate her face!

Davis Webb, Makeup Artist: Davis gave us the recipe to his alpha-hydroxy face mask – and we love it!

1 Avocado
1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Aspirin Powder
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Capsules Omega Fatty Acid

Mix well. Apply to face twice weekly. Rinse thoroughly with lemon juice in rose water. Thanks Davis!

Cordial Lee, Makeup Artist: Speaking of masks, Cordial makes her mask by mixing oatmeal powder mixed with lukewarm tea! She also loves using oatmeal in the bath to soothe dry skin.

Thanks to all the readers, makeup artists, and models who contributed their secrets!!!

Soft and Pretty: If you’re intimidated by color, warm taupes and soft pinks are wearable and wonderful in the spring and summer months (as seen in the 2010 Guerlain and Mercier collections). Try a warm caramel eyeshadow paired with a sheer petal pink lip and cheek for natural warmth!

1980’s Bright Eyes: The 80’s are back! We’ve seen it in pop culture, on the runways, and this spring we see it in Shu Uemura and Smashbox’s ‘Egerie’ and ‘Heartbreaker’ lines. Bold purples, teals, and pinks are dazzling this season if you’re not afraid to turn a few heads!

Pastels: Spring has always been sacred ground for pastels. This spring, try a pastel shadow to liven up (but not overpower) your look, or pair a few together a la YSL’s spring ad campaign.

Bold Lips: NARS, MAC, and Chanel (amongst others) are featuring bold, almost neon lip colors this year. Bold lips have always been a spring favorite of mine, and this year is no exception. If you have thin lips or are afraid of bright colors, try a sheer lip gloss in a bright shade to instantly brighten the complexion and enhance your lips!

Shimmer: Stila and Urban Decay introduced equally gorgeous shadows with micro-shimmer this spring. Forget chunky glitter, these shimmers are so fine, they look wet!

Beach Chic: MAC, Make Up For Ever, and Smashbox’s summer collections are bringing the heat this year! Glam golds, nudes, bronzes, corals, and champagnes give the skin an ethereal summer glow and are wearable to every occasion! Bronzer never goes out of style!

Smashbox.com

Urbandecay.com

Shuuemura.com

Narscosmetics.com

ysl.com

lauramercier.com

Chris Milone is a seasoned makeup artist whose work can be seen in films, music videos, and fashion magazines with credits to some of the biggest names in photography (and Hollywood) today.

Jordan Liberty, GGF: So I saw that the Sticky and Sweet Tour will be released on DVD, any chance we’ll see you there?

Chris Milone: I did saw of the behind-the-scenes footage, and there were a few shots where you could see me. Especially this scene when the president was elected and you can see me there with my Obama t-shirt on. That was in…San Diego I think.

GGF: What was your favorite part of the tour experience?

Chris: Definitely traveling the world, you know, seeing places I never would have thought of going.

GGF: I heard there was some unpleasantness in Romania when Madonna spoke out against gypsy discrimination.

Chris: [The media] blew that out of proportion, it was like 3 people booing in the crowd [laughs], it was nothing.

GGF: What was it like touring after the tragedy in Marsielle (On July 16, 2009, the stage collapsed killing two and injuring eight)?

Chris: They made an announcement, we were still in [pauses] Milan I think…we stayed an extra couple days there because that show was cancelled — obviously. Everyone kinda just walked around the next two weeks and it was really sad…even for Madonna.

GGF: What was your role on tour?

Chris: I was the makeup artist for the dancers and sometimes for the band and backup singers. Do you want me to run through a typical day?

Chris Milone in action!

GGF: Definitely.

Chris: Our day would usually start at ten or eleven [a.m.] and we’d go to the venue — wherever that may be. And then we’d setup our makeup room — wherever that may be. You know, mirrors, chairs and our products and stuff.

After lunch my job would be to set up the quick change under the stage so we could change the dancers during the show. While this is all happening the hair people are styling and washing the wigs and stuff.

Then we’d do dinner and afterwards the dancers would come in so we could start makeup for the show.

GGF: What were the makeup looks?

Chris: Um, they were pretty simple — thick black liner with brown shadow in the crease, lashes, and shimmer on the cheeks. No one was a carbon copy, each dancer’s makeup was unique to them, so they all looked their own way. Then during the show there were like seven or eight makeup changes that had to be done in like three minutes. Three of the changes were drastic. There would be like sometimes six people working on a single dancer at once. In the beginning it was scary, really scary, and we’d just make it on time. By the end we’d be finished with time to spare, twiddling our thumbs.

GGF: How big was the beauty team?

Chris: There were two makeup artists and three hair stylists. And there were separate wardrobe people for the girls and guys. So there were a lot of hands in the way.

GGF: How’d you score the job?

Chris: The head of my [previous] department called and asked if I wanted to work with Madonna. I was like ‘are you really asking me this [laughs]? Umm, yeah.’

GGF: Did you meet and canoodle with Madonna? Do tell.

Chris: Yes I did, she had invited the hair and makeup team and dancers to movie night at her hotel and a boat ride with her in Norway. It was fun. Music and drinks and what not — it was a good time. I liked her.

GGF: What are some of the less-glamorous things about touring as a makeup artist?

Chris: Oy! There’s a lot of less glamour things. Well, lugging your luggage around all over the world sucks. Being up at the crack of dawn to catch a van to an airport to catch a flight…the traveling part is really what sucks. Oh — and finding a place to do your laundry!

GGF: Did you have any cool backstage run-ins?

Chris: Umm… In Milan miss Gaga was there along with Valentino. They were down in front row. And I saw her quickly backstage and I was leaving and she said ‘hello.’

GGF: Who do you think would win in a fight – Madonna or Gaga and why?

Chris: [Laughs aloud] Hmm… I don’t know, that’s a tough one! I’m not sure who would win, but that would be some fight. It would be legendary.

GGF: What was your must-have on set?

Chris: Nars velvet matte lip pencils in ‘cruella’ and ‘dragon girl.’

GGF: Oh I love those!

Chris: Mm-hmm, and the Shu Uemura liquid liner pen.

GGF: What is your advice to young artists who wish to follow in your footsteps?

Chris: Network! You never know who you’re going to meet. Always have your cards and info on you — and don’t take every single job because you just wanna work. Make sure it will benefit you. You know, the finished product.

GGF: Your favorite designer?

Chris: Hmmm um, right now I’m liking Marc Jacobs a lot.

GGF: Boxers or briefs?

Chris: Boxer briefs.

GGF: I’m gonna count that as briefs.

Chris: Fine.

GGF: What, in your opinion, is the most notoriously bad makeup trend?

Chris: I think those teenage girls that wear too much black liner. You can’t even see their eyes they have so much liner on.

GGF: What’s your current favorite look?

Chris: I definitely like dewy skin. I just like that dewy, glowy, shimmery look. It’s so modern. I should probably change that soon, but I just love it. Love it, love it, love it.

GGF: The best part of your job?

Chris: It’s really about creativity and expression. I can express myself by making someone beautiful. It’s just a good feeling…

http://www.chrismilonemakeup.com/

The new line of liquid foundation consists of eighteen oil-free shades, six of which are corrective tones that help you to create an unlimited range of customized colors. They are housed in squeeze tubes for convenience, but the removable tips allow for faster mixing. At just $12.50 CAN (About $12.00 USD), the 8.5 ml (1/4oz) tubes really are the perfect size and price for makeup artists.

At first glance, the colors were a little jarring (separated into pink, neutral, and golden tones), which further proved that this is a line that really relies on artistry – meaning your foundations need to be mixed to maximize results. ‘Buff’ is a gorgeous neutral that tones down other colors well (and actually looks fabulous when I wear it alone as a foundation). ‘Daisy’ is a must-have corrector. This white shade is great for lightening other colors, and has quickly become a go-to product for me on set.

Once you’ve created your unique foundation shade, application is a treat. This foundation glides effortlessly over the skin, providing full coverage without the cakey look of heavier formulas. The finish isn’t overly shiny or matte, which makes it easy to customize with a setting powder or lumizer.

Bottom line? This is a great option for liquid lovers. And while I’m not a huge fan of mixing (I think the line needs just a few more shades), the results speak for themselves. At $12.00 this foundation packs a mighty punch, rivaling its competitors bearing price tags in the high $30’s. Another big win for this small Canadian line!

You can find this fabulous foundation along with many other great products on the Yaby website.

MAC Dazzleglass: This is my favorite MAC product by a long shot. These fashion-forward colors light up your lips with the most intense crystal-like sheen I’ve ever seen!

Essence Cosmetics ‘Moonlight’ Collection Glitter Set: Essence makes some of the best drugstore makeup I’ve ever seen – and their set of three loose glitters (black, pink, and silver) is no exception. For $3 USD a set, it’s the most economic way to glitz and glam your look! Mix with other products or use alone over eye primer or sprinkled in hair. In the USA, Essence can now be found at select ULTA stores.

NARS ‘Taiga’ Shadow Duo and ‘Orgasm’ Blush: NARS never ceases to amaze me, and their new ‘Taiga’ Shadow Duo is rich with golden shimmer. And who could forget ‘Orgasm’ blush? Not the best pick for photography on its own, but ‘Orgasm’ looks fantastic over top of a bronzer or lightly swept over the upper cheekbones.

Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder: Make Up For Ever has an enormous range of shimmers that can be used for almost anything! Their Diamond Powders offer fantastic payoff with intense shine, worn alone or layered. ‘White Gold 2’ is a gorgeous golden glitter that looks fantastic on the cheeks!

Urban Decay Heavy Glitter Eyeliner: A cult classic, Urban Decay makes glitter a cinch with 12 shades that light up your look! Use over your liner for more punch, or paint over shadow or lashes for super-shimmery drama.

Bourjois Effet 3D Cosmic Lipgloss: This gloss packs punch! An In-Style “Best Beauty Buy,” the Bourjois Effet 3D glosses deliver superior shimmer in an ultra-smooth formula.

No stranger to celebrity bourgeois, Anthony is strangely earthbound. A conversation with him usually consists of shop talk and gossip, rarely ending in celebrity dirt (although, I’m convinced he could start a glitterati-smackdown that would rival Perez Hilton any day). So when Anthony expressed interest in being featured on my blog, I saw it only fit to wring him out in an effort to get all ten of my readers some solacious celebrity gossip.

Jordan Liberty, GGF: So I know we were talking earlier this week about the Skingraft show you’re keying for LA Fashion Week, can you fill our readers in on the project?

Anthony: When Skingraft approached me with their new collection, we discussed their inspiration, which was ‘Joan of Arc meets Amelia Earheart.’ We designed a woman that is strong, does the jobs that women shouldn’t do, and empowers. They express that not through their makeup – but really their accomplishments. We came up with this fresh, strong, boyish look for the runway show.

GGF: Aside from the runway work, what are your favorite jobs to do?

Anthony: Variety! I love being able to do a commercial one day, a fashion shoot the next day, and every year I try to take low budget film. I call it my “favor” because I believe todays students are tomorrows filmmakers.

GGF: Yeah, I saw that you did a gay slasher film last year, what was that like?

Anthony: I just did the opening sequence, it was like 60’s dancers singing ‘Watch Out for the Straights’ [laughs] – which was probably the best part of the movie. But yeah that was fun, I created 4 looks from like Phyllis Diller to Nancy Sinatra – it was a blast.

GGF: Your best celebrity spill? I demand dirt.

Anthony: I can’t do that. I would only do that if they were dead [laughs].

GGF: Any deceased divas you want to share about?

Anthony: I don’t know…is June Lockheart still alive?

GGF: Not sure. Want to dish anyway?

Anthony: Hold on let me make sure if she’s alive or not [googles]. I mean honestly, I’ve had a really good experience with almost everybody.

GGF: And by almost, you’re referring to?

Anthony: Most people are nice to the makeup artists. I mean, you’re touching their face. It’s the unwritten part of our job to be everybody’s friend. [The celebrities] realize that part of your job is watching their back, so it’s hard to trash anybody. When I arrive at a job, I try to be the best friend of everyone I’m working on. The other thing you have to realize is a lot of these celebrities work crazy, crazy hours and do a lot of emotional things. Or they have off days like anyone else. You just have to be very neutral with it.

GGF: Whatever I’m so disappointed in you.

Anthony: Oh [laughs loudly], Oh I don’t – ok. I did makeup for Glynis Johns. She’s hugely famous on broadway, she was in Superstar, and she was the mother in Mary Poppins [more laughing]. So Glynis was very sick when I had to do her makeup for the Disney Live Action thing. Instantly she crushes up a vicodin and takes it. And we’re talking…and she’s explaining how to do her makeup. [She] forgets she took a vicodin and takes another. I think by the end of doing her makeup she had taken about six — and I kindly tried to mention to her ‘I think you’ve taken several of those, are you alright?’ And she got a little defensive, so I left it alone.

So they put her on camera and they start interviewing her about Mary Poppins, and she’s high as a kite. She starts saying she likes fairies and can see them everywhere, and is angry at the producer because he couldn’t see them. She was high as a kite [laughs] and she’s like eighty, well, pushing ninety. So they interviewed her for like two hours and couldn’t get a straight answer from her. The producer was bright red angry, and it was even worse because I made him buy her a bouquet of flowers. I told him that she was this huge icon and we needed to give her this star treatment – yadda yadda. Afterwards he just wanted to beat her with the flowers.

GGF: How would you describe your personal style?

Anthony: I’ve always been a street chic kinda guy. Um, I like anything that has an edge to it. I love punk and goth. I mean when I die and like come back – like reincarnated, I’m gonna be a goth chick [laughs]. I’m just awed by them. The makeup, the fashion – they’re awesome.

GGF: And your favorite designer?

Anthony: Um, well – I like a lot of the old designers. Like Stephen Sprouse and Norma Kamali. I have a thing for vintage designers.

GGF: What’s your current makeup obsession?

Anthony: I’m obsessed with models with bleached eyebrows. It just forces me to look.

GGF: Oh my God, a man after my own heart.

Anthony: Prada just did one – it was amazing. It was like 5 girls with bleached brows. Hold on I’m looking at it right now.

GGF: I love that ad, it’s fantastic.

Anthony: Oh Sonia Rykiel’s new collection is genius [flips pages]. Hold on I just bought the new Italian Vogue. Oh here it is. – the Prada ad with the frizzy hair and they all have no eyebrows. And the shimmery faces. And even Armani. But Prada is more of that dirty eye I was talking about last year. I love Prada. Valentino did it as well.

GGF: French Vogue is my absolute favorite.

Anthony: Yeah I couldn’t find French Vogue so I bought Italian Vogue instead. I love French Vogue, Italian Glamour, Oyster from Australia, and Dansk. Those are my “refer-to” mags.

GGF: In your opinion, what’s the worst makeup cliché or trend?

Anthony: The only thing that has ever really driven me crazy was ‘twig and spice’ in the 90’s. ‘Twig’ lipstick and ‘Spice’ liner by MAC covered in gloss. Everyone wore that lip with a smoky eye. And you could see it on the street.

Like ‘oh, twig and spice.’

‘How’d you know?’

It was like a greasy pork chop face. You couldn’t miss it. That bothered me after a while. But interesting always gets my attention. I think that anyone who dares to do something different catches my eye. I always respect people who dare to try something new. And especially with makeup – because it washes off.

GGF: You define classic and timeless makeup as:

Anthony: I would think, is any makeup that you could wear in any era and it passes. Beautiful is beautiful.

GGF: Favorite meal of the day?

Anthony: Breakfast.

GGF: Me too!

Anthony: Oh my God, I could eat breakfast all day long. I eat breakfast for dinner half the time too. We’re gonna have to go have breakfast [laughs] – I love breakfast.

GGF: Next time I’m in LA – you’re on.

Anthony: I make a mean breakfast too. French toast, bacon, sausage patties, potatoes, eggs…oh I make great breakfast. I’m like the king of breakfast [laughs]. That, and the grill, I have a grill in the backyard and no one touches it but me.

GGF: A lot of green artists ask me for advice, as I’m sure they do you. What advice can you give newer artists?

Anthony: Especially if they’re young, I tell them to move to Italy. Go live in Milan. For a year – get in the heart of fashion. Be a big fish in a small place. If I could start all over again, it would have been in Italy.

GGF: What advice do you have about free/test shoots?

Anthony: [Nervous laugh]

GGF: I had to ask. I know.

Anthony: Um…wow. What advice do I have about test shoots… Well my friend Cooper would tell you to say ‘yes’ to everything, because you don’t know what opportunities might come from those experiences. And I think that’s fine when you’re new. So say ‘yes’ to everything. At every [test] you’ll learn something new. Soon you’ll realize you need to bump and test with better photographers. If you do it a lot when you’re new, you’ll have a huge arsenal of contacts later on in your career.

GGF: Any epic last words?

Anthony: Actually I have a great quote. Its on my facebook page, I want it carved on my gravestone. Here, I’ll read it to you.

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming — WOW– What a Ride!”

GGF: Who said that?

Anthony: I have no idea.

(For the record, the original quote was by Bill McKenna (motorcyclist) in 1982, and went like this: “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!” but has since been changed  and is now cited as ‘anonymous.’)