I was so excited when Valentinos Nicolaou Makeup artist agreed to an interview with us here at Moi Ostrov. Valentinos a leading Makeup artist that we can truly say we are very proud of, he is someone who has learned from an early age the importance of accepting and loving who you are as a person. Growing up with his instilled philosophy that the things that make us different are the qualities that make us beautiful, a visible statement that led Valentinos into his incredible success lets not forget his remarkable talented skills with makeup too. A prolific and respected makeup artist who has also done the makeup for our fashion editorials on a number of times including the August 2013 issue soon to be published. His natural ability to make clients not only look beautiful, but feel beautiful has made him a favourite among a versatile group of music industry individuals and actors including models in countless fashions shows and photoshoots. Read the exclusive interview here where he features his favourite trend and beauty tips and what life would be like with out makeup.
SJ: It’s truly a pleasure to interview you Valentino, tell us a little about how you became a makeup artist?
V.N: From a young age I always had a strong bond and interest with the world of fashion and beauty, I remember I liked watching women taking care of their appearance highlighting and contouring their facial characteristics, it was just something that had always impressed me. So at the age of 18 I went to Athens and Paris and studied in Make Up and that’s how it all started for me.
SJ: You’ve worked on everything from TV shows to fashion shows and of course done looks for the red carpet the list goes on, what is the most enjoyable part of the job for you?
V.N: I’ m absolutely in love with my job, therefore whatever I do I love doing it at the same time. But if you want me to get straight to the point, what I mostly enjoy is when my work is recognized by the public as well as people who are in the fashion industry.
SJ: You recently did the makeup for our August 2013 Issue for our ‘Blue Lagoon’ Fashion Editorial, tell us what you did with the makeup to fit in with the photoshoot’ s concept, what was the first thing that came into your mind when you were told about the shoot’s theme for the make up?
V.N: Well the photoshoot took place in a very exotic naturesque’ setting with very intense sunlight and as the shoot’s theme was the movie ‘blue lagoon’ I didn’t have very many options to choose from, so I just kept the makeup focused on colours that shimmer in shades of gold and bronze, as for the face; firstly for it’ s base I kept things as natural as possible as it already had it’s own powerful shine from the rays of sunlight which resulted into a radiant glow effect on the face as a finishing touch.
SJ: Like for the ‘blue lagoon’ shoot as you’ve said not having many options to choose from because the whole ‘castaway’ look doesn’t require a lot of colour though you still managed to find a way to add that ‘extra’ something to the whole look highlighting the models best features as well as their complexion brilliantly, in similar occasions, your faced with challenges being a makeup artist and one of them is getting the makeup to match the ‘concept’ that’s been given, what is your main objective as you prepare and decide on a makeup look for each show & photoshoot?
V.N: There is always going to be a certain look as a target for everything, so you have to study closely at the clothes that will be worn, the style of the hair and what that will also try to portray, as well as the model’s expression in action too, your also trying to depict what era the shoot’s theme was inspired from. With all those factors that is how I create the look for the makeup using everything that revolves around those attributes.
SJ: Do you have any ‘go-to’ signature looks that work every time or do you prefer to experiment to see what’s best?
V.N: I believe that every face is different, you cannot always do the same on every woman’ s face as results vary, so I am always experimenting and trying new things managing to combine them into the model’s facial characteristics. The only thing though; is that I am addicted to keeping the face’s base as natural and glowing as possible.
SJ: There are many techniques and specific routines and products out there advising women how to have the best results for a flawless complexion. From a professional point of view what are your favourite products to use for a flawless finish?
V.N: The product that I would never change and is also what has given my work so far in photoshoots a glowing result is Vitalumiere Fluide Foundation by CHANEL.
SJ: The secret is out! So that’s why your clients always look so radiant, but I’m sure it’s the way you apply it with your own magical touch too. If you could choose, which celebrity/ies would you love to do makeup for and why?
V.N: So far all the celebrities that I’ve had so far in my chair have been great to work on as each one of them has a very different look and that can be from working on an actress or a singer.
SJ: I’m sure there are many ‘Valentino wannabes’ trying to follow the same foot steps you took to be were you are now as a professional, do you have any advice for people wanting to be a makeup artist?
V.N: If you truly love and want to work in makeup then you should pursue it, because this job requires a tremendous amount of patience and most importantly, is that you have to have the ability to mentally prepare yourself focusing on what a woman needs and what she wants, it is very important to get to know your client beforehand.
SJ: Now let’s be a little shall I say; naughty’ and spill out some daring truths about what women should’t be doing with makeup! For me it is the age factor why is it some (not all!) that are of the older generation wear so much makeup? For starters they wear so much eye-shadow that sometimes it goes an inch higher than their eyebrow and they end up strolling around with pink eyebrows! What about you Valentino any no-nos that you notice women doing with their make up?
V.N: Women trying to synchronize everything with their makeup, hence they should really try not to go to great lengths with it, for example: the smoky eye look, they should try to keep the lips looking as natural as possible, and also try not wear endless amounts of foundation. But I have to say; the most important thing is, is that beauty comes from within and that then mirrors onto what’s really on the outside.
SJ: In hot weather conditions on set which brings to mind our latest shoot set in something like 40 degrees heat, do you have your own to trick for on-set quick fixes?
V.N: When you have allot of sun exposure the best thing to use is a compact foundation because liquid makeup doesn’t last very long under sun, also keep away from large amounts of powder because this results in oiliness of the skin and powder can make the skin go oily faster than other products. The best thing to do therefore is wait a little before if you are going to be applying on a powder specifically on to the T-zone area or you can also have handy a pack of anti-oil wipes in your bag which makes oiliness disappear easier.
SJ: What looks have you loved for this season?
V.N: For this season I love making ombre lips, it’s a major fashion trend right now for this summer period.
SJ: Well I have bombarded you with questions so I let you finish of the interview by finishing of these sentences:
a) Fashion for me is…we make fashion, fashion doesn’t make us
b) I love my job because… it’s a way of expression
and finally
c) A world with out make up is…is a life without colour
Thank you so much Valentino you are an inspiration! With Valentinos you are guaranteed that you will shine like a star! There are so many ways to describe Valentinos you could say he is the new ‘Einstein’ in Makeup! Such an amazing talent but most of all he is genuine, humble and always willing to share his priceless advice with others.
SarahJane Kyprianou
Fashion Columnist
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