Australian-born international make-up guru Lisa Garner has beautified some of Hollywood’s famous faces, from Christie Brinkley and Kelly Ripa to Zac Efron. Rescu. had the chance to catch up with Lisa when she was a guest speaker at last weekend’s International Make-up Artists Trade Show at the Sydney Convention Centre.
RESCU: Who is the most influential celebrity in terms of make-up looks that women want to copy? Why?
Lisa Garner: That’s hard to answer. I’m sure it varies from country to country and also between social groups. Amongst some of my own clients, Kate Moss’ look has been an inspiration. Her sultry rock ‘n’ roll chic with smokey eyes is appealing because it looks sexy yet undone. And then, with a little tweaking, Kate can come out looking completely polished, although that’s more to do with a sleeker hairstyle than a make-up change.
RESCU: What are the request(s) you are most often asked for Red Carpet events?
Lisa Garner: Smokey eyes of varying degrees of intensity… and gorgeous skin.
RESCU: Do you have a signature look or technique? Please tell us about it.
Lisa Garner: I wouldn’t say I have a signature look as such, but clean, beautiful skin is very important to me. I do take my time on the preparation of the skin, the foundation, the concealer, and by extension, the blush.
RESCU: Which celebrity or influential woman in the spotlight would you like to do a makeover for, and what would you do?
Lisa Garner: No comment! I want to work in this town again… Seriously, I am struggling to think of someone whose make-up I see and think, “Ewww, she needs some help”. I’m sure they exist, but perhaps they are D grade actresses or trashy types that aren’t on my radar.
RESCU: Which three cosmetic products do you always rely on and recommend?
Lisa Garner:
- Maybelline Great Lash Mascara – lush, black… and cheap!
- Duralash Individual Lashes in Black Medium.
- Three Custom Color Concealer.
RESCU: If we were to choose one feature to play up, what should it be and why?
Lisa Garner: Well that depends upon the client! Some have incredible eyes and they get the attention, some have great lips. Most of the time, it is the eyes. These capture our attention and we want to invite people to look into them.
RESCU: Do you notice a difference in attitudes to what is beautiful in different countries? ie. what’s considered beautiful in the US, Australia and Europe?
Lisa Garner: The attitude to ageing differs greatly. It’s not that the Europeans don’t care about it, they certainly do, but there seems to be less fear regarding it there, with more of an accent on excellent skin care than cosmetic procedures. Of course this is a general observation, people everywhere love Botox!
I suppose Europeans come across as feeling more comfortable in their own skin. If one was to observe celebrity-fuelled magazines in the US, then to be skinny and tanned with long hair seems the standard. Those pale beauties like Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman do stand out. Interesting that two of these pale beauties are Australian… just proving that the ‘bronzed Aussie’ doesn’t necessarily hold up anymore.
I feel Australians are somewhere in between Europe and the States in their attitude to beauty. Some of my Australian girlfriends tried Botox once and then left it alone as they realised they didn’t like to look ‘done’. All of them care for their skin and look after their health, mind and body… and look fantastic for it. They are less concerned with make-up nowadays.
RESCU: For the following celebrities, tell us one thing you would like to do differently for their make-up to really work:
- Nicole Kidman
- Angelina Jolie
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Madonna
- Kim Kardashian
- Britney Spears
Lisa Garner: They all look great! And besides, I know their make-up artists…
At best I’d soften Nicole’s brows a touch. I’ve worked with Angelina and she is simply the most stunning creature you’ve ever seen, so there really is nothing to improve there.
Sarah Jessica I love when she looks soft, so no super dark smokey eyes. Madonna’s make-up is all about the show, so I think she looks fabulous on stage (she gets ‘papped’ all the time wearing none at all).
Kim’s new blonder look makes her look much softer and prettier, so I’m all for that. Britney can look hard sometimes, but again, stage make-up is different from life. I would soften her eye make-up for life in the real world.
Lisa’s path to fame
Lisa has been fascinated with make-up since she studied ballet as a child in Melbourne. “I fell in love with the dramatic make-up of the stage,” said Garner, “but never considered a career in make-up until much later in my life.”
Now an established New York make-up artist, she has worked with a wide variety of celebrity clients, including Christie Brinkley, Kelly Ripa, Becki Newton, Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr, Viggo Mortensen, Zac Efron and Jack Black. Her work ranges from red-carpet and press appearances to editorial, fashion and beauty stories for major publications.
Rescu. wants to hear your thoughts: which Hollywood celebs should fire their make-up artists?