Have you ever wondered how celebrities’ skin always appears unblemished? Makeup artist Kelly Jo Grandy has all of the secrets. Kelly Jo is one of my favorite makeup artists in the world, and within 30 minutes, she can easily have anyone red carpet ready! She is incredibly talented, and Kelly Jo has worked with everyone from Shay Mitchell to Julie Bowen. Her work has also been featured in various magazines, including Cosmopolitan and Brides. Last month, I graduated from high school, and Kelly Jo did my makeup for the big day. She also worked her magic when I spoke at Entity Magazine‘s “Speaker Series” in Downtown L.A. earlier this week.
I recently had the chance to interview her, and featured below are Kelly Jo’s #PROTIPS for readers of The Zeitgeist!
First of all, what products did you use on me for my graduation and the Entity Magazine event?
I always use Mac Studio Fix Fluid on your skin. It has amazing coverage, lasts all day and night, and makes skin look flawless. I also used an ELF lip crayon in the color “Movie Star.” It’s a gorgeous sheer pinky red color and wears really well. I love finding $5 products that look and act like $40 products!
What are some essentials every girl should have in her makeup bag?
I would say a great concealer to hide imperfections, some bronzer to add definition and a sun kissed look, and a mascara to open up the eyes.
How can you achieve flawless skin with minimal makeup? I’m often rushing out the door in the morning and only have a few minutes to spend on it, if I even do it at all!
Minimal makeup is exactly what you need to achieve flawless skin! Let me explain. But first, how you apply your foundation makes a big difference. My favorite way to apply foundation to my face is with a fluffy synthetic makeup brush– one that looks like a blush brush. My favorite one is #964 by Bdellium; it’s one of their pink bamboo brushes. I apply a couple pumps of foundation to the back of my hand, dip the tip of the brush in the foundation and apply the brush to my face with quick moving strokes in a downward direction. I do one small area at a time with minimal makeup on my brush each time, until my whole face is done. Then, I go over the areas that need more coverage with another small layer. I do this as opposed to putting a big blob of makeup on my brush, dabbing foundation all over my face and then trying to blend it all in eventually. We usually think we need more foundation than we actually do. When you layer foundation this way, in small amounts, adding more to areas that need it, you end up with flawless skin! When you apply too much foundation, it can look greasy, cakey, and never fully even. If you have dry skin like me, stop at this step. If you have oily skin, apply a translucent finishing powder with a big fluffy brush. My favorite is MAC’s “Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder/Pressed” and my favorite powder brush is MAC’s #150.
How do you manage to keep your skin clear while traveling? Do you have any recommendations for long plane flights?
The last time I flew was actually when I was pregnant. We had our second baby in 2017 and we just haven’t gotten the courage to take them on an airplane yet. But for our next long plane ride, I plan to wear a hydrating mask. One that goes on clear and you can choose to remove it or just let it soak in. I have very dry skin so I love to let it soak in. My favorite one is “Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment.” All of their masks truly make my skin glow and they all smell amazing. And my best advice for keeping your skin clear, traveling or not, is to wash your makeup off before you go to bed, wash your makeup brushes at least every 2 weeks, and replace your makeup sponges often.
Sunscreen has always been a crucial part of my daily routine. What are some of your go-to brands? I’m looking for a new one right now, and I know my readers would love to hear what some of your favorites are.
My favorite sunscreen brand is ThinkSport. All of their products have great EWG (Environment Working Group) ratings, work really well, smell great, never separate in the tube, and are always easy to blend in. They make one for the face called “ThinkSport Everyday Face Sunscreen SPF 30+.” I also love when one product does more than one thing, like a makeup primer that has sunscreen in it. This comes in handy when my foundation doesn’t have sunscreen in it. Murad has one I love called “Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30 PA+++.”
What are your opinions on eye cream? Is it worth using to prevent wrinkles? This was a popular question submitted by my Instagram followers!
This is a great question! I believe that yes, it is worth using to prevent wrinkles. The skin around our eyes is much thinner than the rest of our face and shows dehydration first, and therefore, signs of aging first. So I think it is better to be safe than sorry and just take the extra step each day. I haven’t always been good at it myself, but I aspire to be an everyday eye cream applier! My favorite right now is “Kate Somerville Line Release Under Eye Repair Cream.”
What piece of advice do you have to share with aspiring makeup artists or anyone who hopes to enter the beauty industry?
Work with everyone and anyone at the beginning. Do as many jobs, photo shoots, videos as possible, even if you have to work for free. I’ve had many non-paying jobs that have led to high paying jobs. It’s great to always be honing your craft, creating new work for your website, and meeting new people in the industry. And when you’re on set, talk to everyone and make an impression on them. Be yourself but be personable, friendly and easy to work with. I’ve had hair stylists, wardrobe stylists, models, photographers, photographer assistants, producers and production assistants refer me for jobs or contact me directly to hire me. And our industry is smaller than you think so always assume that you will work with people again. Once you have a large network of people and plenty of work, stop working for free or for low rates. Set your rate and stick to it, even if you have to pass on a job here and there. If you don’t believe you are worth a high rate, the client isn’t going to believe it either, and you will find you are always working with clients or projects with low budgets.
Who are some of your favorite people that you’ve collaborated with/worked on over the years?
My mentor when I was first breaking into the freelance world was Gregory Arlt. He is a famous MAC makeup artist and he works with the biggest celebrities. He taught me so much, inspired me– he still does– and always had me keeled over from laughing so hard. Some of my favorite people I’ve worked on would be Shay Mitchell from Pretty Little Liars, Julie Bowen from Modern Family, and Erin Krakow from When Calls the Heart.
Finally, what are some of your personal favorite products?
I have recently become very interested in using clean, non-toxic, cruelty-free beauty products whenever possible. Unfortunately, there are a lot of them that just don’t perform as well as I’d like them to. It’s frustrating and can be an expensive endeavor to keep buying the same product by a bunch of different brands– not to mention disappointing to go back to a product that works great but you don’t feel good about using. I’ve started watching a lot of YouTube reviews, which has helped a lot. I’m still on the hunt for a clean mascara that I like more than Covergirl Lash Exact, but I have found some products that I’d love to share. I found an amazing under eye concealer called “Duet Perfecting Concealer” by Hynt Beauty. I also love so many things by Young Living Essential Oils: their sandalwood moisture cream, lavender body lotion, and grapefruit lip balm, just to name a few. Another favorite clean product that performs really well is Jane Iredale’s “Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream.” Worth. Every. Penny.
Featured image courtesy of Grandy.