Where were you born?
Born and raised in Point Richmond, a picturesque little Victorian town overlooking the east side of the San Francisco Bay.
Where do you live now?
I defected to Los Angeles five years ago! I never thought I would
leave NYC but I felt pretty stagnant there after 16+ years.
What’s your sign?
Aries sun, Aries rising, Capricorn moon, and Venus in Gemini. The double Aries is pretty fiery and bonkers but the Cap moon keeps me tethered to the ground.
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always knew I wanted to do something exciting and glamorous. I loved art, fashion, beauty and acting so thought about maybe going to fashion design school, art school, or cosmetology school. I used to take the train into the city in the mid-‘90s every weekend, to hang out in the cosmetic departments at department stores. Seeing all the ultra-chic men and women working at the MAC counter, painted and dressed in edgy black was a game changer. I knew that’s what I wanted to be!
How did you get your start in makeup?
One of the customers that shopped in my parent’s grocery store was the Clinique counter manager at Nordstrom. She got me an interview for an opening at MAC. I was just out of high school with no work experience, and they thought I was too green to be thrown to the wolves at MAC. So I got a job at Clinique instead, to learn the retail ropes if you will. It was only for a year and then I moved over to MAC. After a few years I got transferred to the OG MAC boutique on Christopher Street (RIP) in NYC and then to the MAC PRO store. That was a great gig because I literally met every professional makeup artist working in fashion, film and Broadway as well as their assistants, so it was ideal for networking and being seen.
What was your first memorable work as an artist?
Working backstage during NYFW was a big goal of mine when I was starting out as a retail artist. I joined the MAC Pro Team in NYC when I was 24 and the first fashion show I ever worked on was Heatherette, keyed by Kabuki, who was an idol of mine. Nothing epitomized the early 2000s Y2K fashion aesthetic more than Heatherette. The look I executed for Kabuki that night was front page on WWD and all papers the next day. I was still years away from becoming my own artist and feeling secure in my own creativity, but It was the first time I felt like I had been a part of something really cool.
What are the things about working in makeup that you love?
I love that you can create beauty out of virtually nothing. Like magic or alchemy or baking if you will. A few ingredients that on their own are basic but when mixed together transform into something extraordinary. They say glamour is the oldest form of magic: an illusion so real that it can fool an onlooker. Unlike fashion styling, you can literally make almost any look “poof” out of thin air if you have an adequate kit.
What are the things about your work that makes it the most interesting to you?
The makeup world as a whole is pretty ubiquitous these days thanks to social media, so I definitely like to incorporate non-makeup items in my work whenever possible. Paillettes. Foil. Flower petals. Something cut from vinyl. Anything to glue on the face! It just feels cooler and more interesting to Moi. But you also need to have a taste level, an editing eye, and show a certain amount of restraint because it can go tacky real quick.
What are the challenges you face working as a freelance artist? Getting Paid!! Ask any freelance artist, be it makeup/hair/style and they’ll say the same thing. Begging to be paid by a huge corporation for work you did ten months ago is criminal. I don’t know what the answer is. Do we unionize like the Film/TV artists? Do we all revolt? The fashion world would crumble!
What should someone who is looking to develop a career in makeup know before getting into the business?
Get yourself a side hustle! Odds are you won’t be making a ton of money at first so it’s important to have several streams of income. Some of my makeup-related side hustles over the years have included doing makeup at a strip club — It’s low-brow but quite lucrative, with flexible hours and you get really good at being quick and applying liquid liner and false lashes! I also design and illustrate face charts for various makeup companies and other pro makeup artists. I re-designed Maybelline’s face chart template in 2014 and illustrated all their NYFW looks during their time as official backstage sponsor until 2020. They also had me illustrate looks on face charts for their seasonal trend reports sent out to all the beauty editors, for use on product packaging and for their social media, so it was definitely a side hustle with longevity.
What are some of the most important qualities that a makeup artist can have?
Having a real breadth of knowledge on the history of makeup trends and references! I’m from the era of makeup artists that pre-date social media and the internet as we know it today. To be a great artist you had to know the difference between an Edie Sedgwick makeup, a Peggy Moffitt makeup, Penelope Tree makeup, and Twiggy makeup, without the luxury of a handheld supercomputer in your pocket to Google with. Also, start a reference library of old books and spend less time looking at Instagram. There’s a reason why Pat McGrath travels with suitcases filled with books and why she’s still top dog to this day. Being a smart and educated artist goes a long way.
What makes you a good makeup artist?
I like to think I’m rather well-rounded and have a lot of range as an artist. I have almost 25 years of experience and a real reverence for fashion and beauty history. I can pretty much produce any required look that comes my way. I can do clean, I can do avant-garde, I can do soft glam to full throttle high whore drama and everything in between. I’m not a one-trick pony, but think I have a rather strong point of view and overall aesthetic.
How do you continue to grow as an artist?
You should never stop learning! I feel like I’m just now starting to become great at this and I’m 43 and have been doing makeup since I was 19! Doing makeup in a professional capacity can be fairly solitary. Unless it’s a huge job, you’re generally working alone so I think it’s important to have a solid group of pro artist friends in the industry you can troubleshoot or bounce ideas off. Ones that you’re not in competition with or jealous of. I also think by putting in the time, and continuing to steadily work and create you’ll naturally hone your skill set and continue to get better over time. I enjoy this quote “Don’t worry about being original. Worry about being good. Be so good you can’t be ignored”. If you are constantly worrying about being original, being the only artist who has ever done *insert a thing here* you are wasting valuable time in progressing your skills.
Do you have a signature style?
Vogue called me the modern-day Pierre La Roche (David Bowie’s makeup artist during the Ziggy Stardust era and designer of the Rocky Horror Picture Show looks) so I think I’m definitely known for a ‘70s gender-bending glam rock aesthetic. My sweet spot for makeup is between 1972-1982. Glam rock to disco to new wave. Someone once told me that they loved my makeup because even my boldest, most extreme looks still have a softness to them. So I guess that’s my signature style: bold, directional, gender-fluid retro glamour but still pretty.
What type of work do you find most satisfying?
I usually get the most joy out of doing makeup that’s a bit more conceptual and creative than that of say traditional red carpet or beauty makeup. I am a firm believer in bold choices. I’ll always push for the weirder choice. I’m lucky enough to have a roster of clients who like to live a bit more outside the box — even on the red carpet! And I’m thrilled with that.
A project that you’ve done that you are especially proud of?
I conceptualized a beauty shoot for Vogue, showcasing the queer history and lineage of men wearing makeup for Pride Month 2022, featuring my client Jake Wesley Rogers, that I’m still extremely proud of. I did Jake in six different eras: from 18th century dandies to ‘80s New Romantics and everything in between. I really had to plan how each era could be tweaked and transformed into one another on set without having to start over from scratch. It was so worth it and the internet loved it! The amazing visual artist Alana O’Herlihy shot it.
What project was the most challenging?
My client Jake Wesley Rogers performed on the Late Show with Seth Meyers in November 2021, followed by a sold-out show at Mercury Lounge in NYC. A week before these jobs, I found myself in the midst of a major health crisis when the entire right side of my face became paralyzed. Come to find out I had Ramsey Hunt Syndrome. You have to use special drops and wear an eye patch in your affected eye. So your eyesight is really compromised. Ever the trooper with a high work ethic, I still flew to NYC. Goddess bless my friend Mischa G who was doing Jake’s hair. She was my rock and my assistant, holding brushes, products, and my travel light while I tried to not poke Jake in the eye. That was definitely my most challenging job. The facial paralysis lasted six weeks but I am 100% back to normal now.
Do you prefer one type of work to another?
I really like working with musicians. I’m prime MTV generation and so much of my exposure to makeup growing up was through music videos and album covers. Musicians have such a strong creative vision and sense of self as an artist in their own right, so they make extremely fun collaborators. They have a persona, as do I so we tend to have much more artistic common ground together. The fact that I’m such a Rolodex of references is also beneficial, as I can show them visuals they might not have seen before to glean inspiration from.
What would your clients say is the best thing about working with you?
I think they would all say that they love my energy and creativity and warm demeanor. I try to be upbeat and engaging on set while also being professional and serious. Plus I’m fun to look at, yet I know when I need to disappear, when to be talkative and when to be silent. I also tend to do well under pressure and in high stress scenarios, so even if I’m dying inside I give off a very calm and chill vibe which is rare for an Aries.
Is there someone you have always wanted to work on who you haven’t had the chance to do yet?
I need to do Lynda Car ter’s makeup before I die. As a lifelong Wonder Woman fan, as well as an admirer of her time spent as Maybelline’s spokesmodel in the ‘80s, getting my hands on her face is a life goal. Her 1986 Secrets to the Perfect Makeup VHS tutorial was one of the reasons I held onto a VCR way past its prime. I also want to do Debbie Harry’s makeup at some point. Truly one of the most iconic faces in pop culture history.
What inspires you?
History. Art. Movies. Color. Glamour. I love looking to the past to move forward. Once you absorb enough references and the history of trends, you realize that everything has been done before and will also come back. It’s about figuring out how to do it in a new way or mixing up an old idea with a new one.
Whose work do you admire?
Max Factor, Barbara Daly, Corey Grant Tippin, Pierre La Roche, Heidi Morawetz, Gil Cagnè aka Gil of Max Factor, Richard Sharah, Way Bandy, Serge Lutens, etc. Quite a few of my makeup idols I’ve actually had the pleasure of assisting over the years and consider mentors, including Kabuki, Mathu Andersen and Billy B.
What’s next for Darian Darling?
More rouge! More gloss! More glitter! More glamour!
Words Michael DeVellis
Photos Courtesy of Darian Darling
Portrait Veronica Ibarra
