By MICHAEL KANE
Posted: 11:08 PM, February 20, 2011
In Joanna Schlip’s line of work, getting called on the carpet is a good thing. As makeup artist to the stars, red carpets and award shows are her specialty. And smack in the middle of the Globes, Grammys and this Sunday’s Oscars show, this is peak season.
Schlip is on call for the Oscars, where she’s typically in demand not only by those primping for the main event, but by actresses staying fabulous for after-parties. In the past, she’s done the eyeliner-and-lipstick drill for nominee Laura Linney, and prettied up stars including Christina Applegate, Ellen Pompeo, Eva Longoria and Megan Fox for Emmys and Golden Globes events.
The rest of the year, the single 44-year-old stays busy — and bicoastal between LA and New York — prepping clients for magazine shoots and TV appearances.
Now the spokeswoman for the cosmetics line Physicians Formula, the extroverted makeup maven knew what she wanted to be by the time she was 9. And she was already looking beyond her hometown of New Orleans. She once told her Swedish-born mother not to show her photographs of Europe. The reason? She wanted to be surprised when she moved there.
Your career began when you moved to Europe in a blind leap of faith?
When I was 18, I decided to move to Paris and work for French Vogue. Flew myself there and gave myself two weeks. Didn’t speak a word of French. The next morning, I took the address off the masthead, walked in and said to the beauty editor, “I want to work for you.” She said, “Do you have a portfolio?” I said, “What’s that?” She said, “I can make you a makeup assistant. You’re not gonna get paid. Figure it out.” And that was it.
How did you make ends meet?
On weekends, models would need pictures for their portfolios. I would charge 100 francs [about $20] each, line up 10 girls and boom, boom, boom — make enough money to live on. I was sharing a one-bedroom walkup with five male models. Meanwhile, I assisted everybody who worked with the magazine, learning every day.
I stayed in Europe for 15 years. Paris for five, Milan for six and London for four. Lots of photo shoots, lots of fashion weeks.
Was it a challenge making the shift from runway to red carpet?
When I came back to the US, I had a wild book from all the shows, but actresses don’t want all that wild stuff with rhinestones. They didn’t get that I could just do natural and pretty. The actress who gave me my first break was Laura Linney, who was nominated for an Oscar for “You Can Count on Me.” She was an unknown then, and she gave me a shot for that whole award season.
Take us through a frenetic Oscar day.
Well, first of all, for a star it’s typically a 12-hour day. If red carpet time is 3 p.m., I’ll get to her house at 11 a.m. It’s hair and makeup, pedicure if it’s an open-toed shoe. That’s three hours. Then this is the killer. They’ll sit in that limo lineup for two or three hours, because everybody gets there at the same time. A lot of women will actually lie down in the back of the limo because they haven’t been photographed yet and they don’t want to wrinkle their gown. Then it’s two hours on the carpet and another four at the show.
Do you go with them for touch-ups?
Not since 9/11. It’s much more restrictive backstage. So for example, Laura Linney was up for Best Actress, which is toward the end of the show. Like, 10 hours after I did her makeup — and now the whole world is looking at her. So I always give them a touch-up bag, a mini of everything I’ve used, all the colors I’ve mixed.
If my client is performing, I’ll be backstage. I was there when Melissa Etheridge performed bald at the Grammys after undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
Was that a proud moment in your career?
That was the proudest moment of my life. After intense chemo, she didn’t have any type of hair. No eyebrows, eyelashes, anything. It took two hours. I was literally trimming the ends off my own hair and using surgical glue to make eyelashes for her, one by one. It was an amazing and brave performance. To this day, if I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to go to the gym, I’ll watch that clip for inspiration.
What don’t people know about doing makeup on movie stars?
When you’re working on a celebrity at that level, they’re very busy people. And when they’re in makeup, that’s when everybody talks to them. Their manager, their agent, a million people stop by. Eva Longoria is the ultimate multitasker. She can be reading a script, eating, talking and texting at the same time. All that changes the face shape. It’s like I’m working on a moving target.
What’s the least glamorous event you’ll be called in for?
Shopping. It’s rare, but for a young starlet, there are paparazzi out there, and the shots can be brutal. So if they’re going to a high-profile place like the Ivy, I may get a call.
What’s your advice to others seeking to follow in your footsteps?
I was a judge on a makeup competition show, and the artists would have excuses like, oh, not enough time, we can touch it up in post. It blew my mind. I was doing fashion weeks in Paris with 10 minutes between shows. And this was before Photoshop. Strive for precision and get it right the first time.
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