Celebrity makeup artist decries Photoshop
MANILA, Philippines - Over the past couple of months, celebrity makeup artist Klexius Kolby has worked on the We Are the World music video, the star-studded remake of the Michael Jackson-Lionel Ritchie classic to support Haiti relief work starring the likes of Kanye, Pink and, yes, even Nicole Ritchie, and the Rock My Body video of the Black Eyed Peas.
“You’d be surprised how much retouching happens on a music video,” Kolby says. “It can take as much as three weeks to retouch every single frame.”
Kolby doesn’t reveal which videos — or celebs — demanded a heavy hand with the Photoshop wand, but he does feel that too much post-production modification is damaging to makeup artists.
“It detracts from my work definitely,” he says, pointing out that many of his assistants and students attempt to recreate what they see in many makeup books, but the reality is that kind of perfection — the glossy smooth finish akin to wax figures — is impossible to recreate in real life. “You can only do the best with what you can do — with what you have,” he says, noting that he’s not disparaging the industry or the people in it. “It’s just that all this retouching isn’t good.”
Sloppy work is a sign of a lazy makeup artist, according to Kolby. “Yes, you can fix that strand of hair or flopping eyelash in post-production, but why not do it right from the start?”
On the Madonna Photoshop scandal, where unretouched images of the singer from her “Hard Candy” album were leaked online, Kolby says, “I think whoever did that should be hung out to dry. It was cruel.”
“It’s especially worse for her because I know she can be such a control freak,” he explains.
Kolby has worked with Madonna more than a few times, saying, “We respect each other. We’re both workhorses so we have that in common.”
The celebrity makeup artist, who recently did work for the Oscars and Golden Globes, was in Manila to drum up some excitement for Lola, the LA-based cosmetics label that’s a “cross between Chanel and Victoria’s Secret.” Though price-wise, Kolby is quick to note, the brand skews more toward Victoria’s Secret’s democratically-priced direction. “We’re definitely affordable.”
Lola exudes a kitschy, girly feel. Think Betsey Johnson with some Etro thrown in. Playful red packaging, shimmery lip colors with names like Free Love and kittenish models in babydoll dresses and pink barettes in their teased tresses clowning around in the ad campaign all speak to the Lola customer, presumably someone with a hankering for saucy, Brigitte Bardot-esque frocks, an unapologetically red pucker and sparkly heels. An insouciant coquette who listens to Courtney Love and The Plasticines.
Though Kolby says the label is taking a serious turn for the coming spring-summer collection, which is all about contouring, the latest selection of cosmetics is all about shine. XOXO and Addicted to Love, themes for the current crop of Lola products, contain more sparkle than a disco ball at a drag queen pageant. Not that that’s a bad thing. (We like pretty sparkly things as much as the next girl — but probably not as much as Paris Hilton.)
Kolby, who’s taking a bigger role in the cosmetics company for upcoming collections, has been encouraging locals to embrace color and inject a bit of fun into their regular makeup routines during his seasonal product demos at Lola counters across Manila.
“Try on some red lips before heading to your husband in bed,” he advises. “Either he’ll love it or he’ll die laughing.”
There’s some advice worth trying.
* * *
E-mail me at jackieoflash@yahoo.com.
