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Makeup artists are a dime a dozen, but when you've worked backstage at some of the biggest runway shows in the world, you've been featured in high fashion magazines like Elle and W, and you've created makeup campaigns for Kendall Jenner, your status is a bit, well, elevated. As the Global Director of Makeup Design for Estée Lauder, Colombian-born makeup artist, Victor Henao, is sharing his awesome talent and expertise for the popular brand. We met up with Victor at Macy's at Dadeland Mall to chat about Kendall, what he really thinks about contouring, and his desert island must-haves. Because hey, you just never know.
Let's get it out there right off the bat. Tell me about teaming up with Kendall Jenner for the Estée Lauder campaign. The advertisements are everywhere and the first thing people are seeing is that makeup!
I think it's been really fun to work with Kendall on these projects because she's a girl whose gotten her makeup done for a really long time and she's really young. She's had a really short time to grow and expand her knowledge of what her look is. But what I think is really special about Kendall is, unlike a lot of other models, she really knows her personal favorites. Kendall really knows what she loves, what she doesn't love, what works on her, what doesn't work on her and we're really respectful of that as a brand. We hired Kendall based on who she is as a girl, who she is as a woman, and I think that's been the funnest part about working on these projects with Kendall. That, as a brand, we're really keeping the Kendall Jenner image and brand authentic.
She has a big following. She has people that want to know what lipstick she's wearing, they want to know what blush she's wearing. So when someone wants to get that supermodel look at home, that Kendall look, what do they need in order to get it? Let's narrow it down to three products...
What three products? Double Wear To Go, which is our new liquid foundation that comes in a compact. We pump it and it's just this really beautiful, natural finish and glowy foundation that lasts 12 to 18 hours. A nice cheek color, whether it's a blush or a bronzer, and then our new liquid potion glosses. I think those are three good supermodel essentials. Oh, and a good mascara! So it could be four...
You mentioned earlier that climate also affects what you wear. So, we're in Miami- it's humid. It's hot. We have that dewey/moist skin that comes au-naturale. What are some Miami must-have products that we have to have to beat this weather?
You know what's interesting is that I always think that women fight too much with the environment. I think you kind of have to adjust to it instead of always looking matte. There's something really gorgeous about being hot and warm and dewey in a hot environment. Instead of fighting it with a matte powder to control it, embrace it!
But then you look all shiny!
Not necessarily. You can do an oil control moisturizer so that's going to control your moisture. And then you're going to do a foundation that's liquid. You're going to have the right balance between oily and dewey and natural and matte. Instead of being completely 100 percent matte all the time. We have a really spectacular and amazing foundation called Double Wear Foundation. Our Double Wear Foundation is probably our best-selling foundation in warmer climates because it does not move and it's always matte. It's really gorgeous and it's really incredible for that woman who doesn't have a lot of time to touch up or doesn't have a lot of time to check how she looks all day long. But then if you do have that time, spend it on other things like doing an oil-control moisturizer instead of doing a flat foundation that's going to make you flat all day long.
Name a trend you wish would just go away. The one that makes you say, ‘Okay, we're done. Move on.'
Honestly? I'm going to be, like, totally candid: over contouring!
Really?!
I think there's a really fine line between contour and clown. Women are not on stage all day long. I wish women would embrace contour differently and embrace Instagram less! I think that over contouring is just not realistic. I just read the other day about this man that sued his wife because when she took off her makeup she didn't look like herself and he had never seen her without makeup on. It was really funny to read, but it was like, just embrace who you are as a woman. I'm in the business of makeup. I'm in the business of doing makeup. I'm in the business of changing women. But just not looking like you're about to shoot your next Instagram video.
You're stranded in a desert island with only one beauty product.
One?!
One! That's all you get. What would that item be?
I think SPF– It's a desert island [laughs]!