UNDER THE MAKEUP
Andre Sarmiento
Celebrity Makeup Artist
Achieving that natural glow with Epicuren® fan, LA based celebrity makeup artist Andre Sarmiento
Andre Sarmiento found his passion for beauty while studying to become an anthropologist at UC Berkeley. While still in school, Andre decided to take on a job doing stage makeup up for experimental theatre to explore his growing interest in beauty and aesthetics.
Gradually, he fell in love with the art of makeup and soon his very academic path became one of beauty, color and creativity.
Andre has established himself as a go-to make-up artist for red carpet events, as well as fashion and editorial work - his work has been featured in Marie Claire, Lucky, and international editions of Vogue, Elle, Cosmo and Rolling Stone.*
* tmg-la.com
Who are some of you’re A-list clients?
Zoey Deutch, Kate Bosworth, Brittany Snow, Nicola Peltz, Beth Behrs, Debby Ryan
What are some of your favorite projects you've worked on?
I think one that really stands out is doing Brittany Snow's makeup when she hosted the CMT Music Awards this year. We had to come up with so many looks over the time we were there. There were rehearsals and press woven in throughout the day so we were all working extremely hard. The day of the show, backstage is a sea of people like you've never seen.
We were running about and glamming and laughing but it was also one of the biggest challenges I've ever had. Everyone really came together to make it a successful night. Britt was an amazing host and she was just beautiful all night! I think being able to do a good job and being there for my client under such wild circumstances is what makes this one stand out. It could've been a mess but we were such a team!
Another great time was when Kate Bosworth had her collaboration with H&M a few years back. We worked on a series of shoots and press days surrounding her various collections for about a year. Every day we worked together was so fun and creative and it was great to see Kate in an element of designing, modeling, and producing everything. It was truly amazing to see. In her final collection, we did this amazing video with these gorgeous color-blocked sets and I painted masks on her in different crazy colors. It was creative and beautiful and odd in the best way. I felt a lot of pride being part of the whole thing and lucky that a client trusted me to be part of such a huge collaboration.
You're known for the beautiful natural glow you give your clients. What Epicuren® products help to achieve this look? Why?
Well for me, achieving the glow is always in the skin. I love highlighters and illuminators but for me personally they're a smaller part of the equation. I really try to pamper the skin before I start any makeup and really give it as much life and radiance as possible. That's really where I create the natural glow in clients' skin.
I use Epicuren’s Aloe Vera Calming Gel and Moisture Surge Hyaluronic Acid Gel on almost every face I touch. The Aloe Vera immediately wakes the skin up with calming hydration and the Moisture Surge gives you a deep foundation for sustained hydration of the skin. That alone immediately starts to improve the look of tired or stressed skin.
Along with the best natural moisturizer skin just stays really lush, glowing and happy! When the skin is in that happy pampered place, I have to use far less product to achieve a red carpet ready look. So when you see my clients glowing, it's actually them and their skin!
Any favorite application tips or secrets you use with Epicuren® products?
Did I mention that I LOVE the Aloe Vera Calming Gel? I use it as a delivery service for serum. A lot of serums tend to be quite watery or runny and you're not sure if it's getting applied everywhere. I tap a pump of Aloe Vera Calming Gel in my hand and make a little well where I cocktail all of my serums. I then mix it all up and voilà my serums get dispersed evenly! Now it's easy to get a non-messy effective application.
I also love Epicuren’s Refresh Aloe Cucumber Mist with a passion! I find myself constantly spraying it. Sometimes I just spray it into the air so I can take in its wonderfully comforting scent. It is, however, one of the handiest tools for me for a very specific reason. I love it as a makeup primer for the body. Your skin needs hydration so makeup can blend across its surface but when it comes to body makeup we also need it to stay in place. Literally every body-moisturizer has some kind of emollient in it like oil which breaks down makeup so even long wearing rub resistant makeup eventually...rubs off.
I racked my brain thinking about what the lightest possible hydration could be and I thought that a mist must be the closest thing to nothing so let's try that. And it worked like a charm! The body got just enough moisture for me to do my makeup thing but not so much that the body makeup couldn't set.
It's been a life-changer! Not to mention that's it's insanely refreshing to spray it on your body!
Any suggestions for our readers on how you achieve your acclaimed "natural glow" at home?
One of the biggest things I do that I think really contributes to getting that glow is precision powdering. That basically just means I'm only powdering where it's needs to get powdered. Center of the forehead and chin, bridge of the nose, and over any concealing work. Most types of liquid foundations today set themselves and generally have some kind of long wearing quality so you don't necessarily need to powder all over unless you prefer a matte look or have all over oily skin type.
Misting [is a MUST]! After all is said and done with your makeup or skincare don't forget to mist your face!
- Colostrum Hydrating Mist,
- Protein Mist Enzyme Toner,
- Refresh Aloe Cucumber Mist,
- Soothe Dermal Repair Mist
all the Epicuren Mists are amazing and really finish a makeup and re-awaken skincare throughout the day. They keep you looking fresh, hydrated and glowing all day!