Meet Mel MacGillivray. She knows the best of the best in Portland. Best breakfast-Gravy, jewels-Guilt, Habenero martinis-Vault… the list goes on and on. After I discovered her passion within cosmetics and writing, I had to pick her brain and share her thoughts with all of you. After 10 year as a professional make up artist for internationally renown brands, Mac, Smashbox, and Laura Mercier, Mel is now the beauty editor fro Make-Up Artist Magazine and has been so kind to tell us her tricks of the trade, along with her best-of beauty secrets!

Q: Tell us what about your career in the makeup industry. (or is it called cosmetic industry?)

A: I’m the beauty editor for Make-Up Artist magazine, a trade publication for professional make-up artists in film, TV, fashion, and theater. We cover trends and techniques from a professional point of view. I oversee the content on our consumer site, makeup411.com, where you can look up your favorite celebrities and find out exactly what makeup they’re wearing and how they’re wearing it straight from the source—their makeup artists! I also produce the education at every International Make-up Artist Trade Show (IMATS). It’s a huge event, open to the public, held six times a year all around the world. Basically, I think, talk, and write about makeup 24/7.


Before I came aboard at Make-Up Artist, I spent about 10 yrs as a professional makeup artist, working for M.A.C., Smashbox, Laura Mercier and freelancing for fashion and bridal clients. I have my BA in creative writing and a master’s in publishing, so my current position is really the perfect blend of my two passions: writing and makeup.

Q: What prompted you to get into make up and how did you decide you wanted to make a career out of it?

A: For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a love for makeup. I was the chick in high school with girls lining up at my bathroom door to get their makeup done for prom or homecoming. I used to practice my makeup in the mirror in my room, starting with a natural look and building it up to such an intensity that I’d have to sneak to the bathroom to wash my face before my parents or sisters saw me! My first job in the beauty industry was actually in the fragrance hall at Harrod’s in London. When I moved back to Pasadena, I used my experience in London to break into the cosmetics department at Nordstrom. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I’d get hired at M.A.C., but I must have interviewed really well because they offered me a job. I’ll never forget the day I got my first M.A.C. necklace. I was so excited I think I just floated around smiling all day. I’ve tried a couple of other jobs (I spent four years as a corporate recruiter at Sole Tech) but ultimately I followed my heart back to makeup.

Q: What kind of makeup do you like to do special effects horror/fantasy, natural, theatrical, fashion, avant garde, bridal?

A: My specialty is beauty makeup: bridal, natural, fashion. But I really love it all. My time at Make-Up Artist has given me a whole new respect for blood and guts. I used to turn my eyes away in gory movies but now when a zombie is eating brains or something, I’m like, “Oh man! Check out that silicone! Look at the blood! Awesome!” Never in my life did I ever think I’d get a kick out of that. But it’s actually really cool. Character makeup is so creative and technical. I’m in awe of those guys.



Q: What’s your favorite makeup products (brands, colors etc)?

A: I get to try so much fun stuff that my favorites change week to week. But if you want a list of my must-have items, here it is:
Eve Pearl HD Liquid Foundation (This is actually a three-way tie between Eve Pearl HD, M.A.C. Face and Body and Make Up For Ever Face and Body. Don’t be fooled: the M.A.C. F&B and the MUFE F&B are totally different yet equally wonderful.) – Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer (It’s got kaolin clay so it really sticks to zits and you get two colors so you can custom match it to your skin. It’s pure magic.) – NYX Doll Eye Volumizing Mascara (So dramatic! I am on a permanent quest to find something I like more, but at this point I’m pretty much convinced it doesn’t exist.) – M.A.C. Lipglass in Clear (actually, I love M.A.C. gloss in general but the clear is so shiny and sexy. Tip: put it on, wipe it all off with some TP, put it on again. Your lips will be the perfect shade of glossy pink.) – Benefit Face Brightening Powder in Dandelion (Perfect for a pale white girl like me.) – Stila Smudge Pots (If you get one that matches your skin tone, it’s like a primer and a concealer in one.) I’m sure I could think of more, but I could be a very happy lady with those products and nothing else for a daytime look. I also always need a good pressed powder and a brow gel to keep those babies groomed.


Q: What one essential makeup product you cannot leave home with out?

A: If I can only have one, I’ll beg for two: Mascara and a good neutral lipstick (because I can cheat and use it as blush, too). Then I’d just have to pray for no zits.

Q: What’s a timeless look that anyone can pull off?

A: Anyone looks good with smudgy, dark brown eyeliner, even skin, and neutral/reddish lip. Anyone.

Q: My eyeliner smears and my eyeshadow is always gone by the end of the day. How would you recommend to keep your make up on… especially when it’s raining or snowing?

A: Some makeup is definitely more prone to smearing, but if it’s raining or snowing, my first bit of advice would be to get out of that rain or snow. It’s going to ruin your makeup!



In all seriousness, primers are really important for helping cosmetics adhere to your skin. Laura Mercier makes the best foundation primer (in my own, humble opinion); she has options for regular, dry, and oily skin types which is cool. And when you’re done with a liquid product like foundation, setting it with a light dusting of powder will help it to last longer, too. Wearing eye shadow without a primer is like going braless: it might seem like a good idea at the time, but at some point you’ll realize you would have looked better if you’d opted for the extra layer. Pretty much every makeup brand has a good eye shadow primer at this point, but a few excellent eye shadow primers to check out include Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Stila Smudge Pots, and M.A.C. Paint Pots. I am not a fan of waterproof mascara because I think it’s really hard on the lashes, but there’s this cool polymer tube mascara out there called Blinc that coats the lashes, doesn’t smudge or flake, and is easily removed with warm water. M.A.C. is going to release one called Extended Play that’s pretty cool too, so keep an eye out for that. And Stila has a killer eyeliner called Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner. It really stays put but it still washes off pretty easily. And the sparkle brightens the eye nicely, too.

Q: Sometimes I go snowboarding and head right to happy hour right after. What’s a quick and easy way to reapply and change your look from daytime to night out?

A: Here’s a really good, really quick approach to quick-change makeup: Get some M.A.C. Studio Fix and a brush, black eyeliner, and a fun lipstick that you like. (Red, plum, hot pink…whatevs.) Give your face a light dusting of Studio Fix to even out your skin tone and remove shine. Line your eyes with the liner, smudge it with your finger. If you’re feeling sexy, pop some of that liner on the inner rim of your eyes, too. Dab the lipstick high on your cheeks and blend with your fingers for a boost of color, and then use it as God intended—on your lips. Blot. Go forth and be merry.



Q: Share your top Winter 2012 looks! (any photos?)

A: I’m really into berry lips right now and heavily shaded eyes. Contouring is really big right now too, and it looks great, but definitely practice before you try it in public. It can go horribly wrong if you’re not careful. Smashbox makes a really cool contouring kit called Step By Step Contour Kit that has light, medium, and dark shades along with a chart of what goes where. Those three colors are also awesome as a neutral eye shadow palette, so I’d definitely recommend picking up one of those if you’re interested in giving it a try.