Meet the makeup artist: Erin Williams

Q. How do you know Makeup Artist Lindsey Jones? A. Lindsey had left some sweet comments on a couple of posts on my blog and then I subscribed to hers (beautiful images!) and then she reached out with an interview.

Q. What lip gloss/ color is in your purse right now? A. I am a big SPF girl for the lips!  I really like  Super Balm SPF 15 from my own line, Erin's Faces, in Sweetie because it is a sheer pink shade with sun protection. I’m also in love with Jack Black’s Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25. It's great because it is Mineral Oil and Petroleum free which is rare in a clear lipbalm. They have lots of flavors but I really like the Mint and the Grapefruit.

Q. How long have you been a makeup artist and what type of work do you do? A. Oh goodness, I started 13 years ago doing wedding portraits in Texas. Then I moved here and my first job was at the Urban Decay counter at Bloomingdale’s. I learned a LOT there and started freelancing for other retail makeup and skincare companies.

Then I started doing Fashion Week and getting booked to assist people on editorial/advertising/TV shoots and eventually started keying my own shoots and doing some red carpet work. I currently keep up with that as well as doing quite a bit of wedding work, at-home makeup lessons and teaching classes here in the city.

Q. Who or what do you look to for inspiration and why? A. Honestly I look to nature a lot – the colors in a sunset, the shades of flowers. I also love looking at children who look beautiful with no makeup at all because their cheeks are pink from running, their lips are red from popsicles and their eyes shine with joy – who doesn’t want to look like that?! I feel like we’re all trying to capture that fresh, effortless look and if you look at pictures of yourself when you were little you see that you had it. And you still can, you just need to know what to do.

Q. What project are you most proud of any why? A. By far I am most proud of launching my own makeup and skincare line, Erin’s Faces. It was a real labor of love. Developing the line took months of using friends and family members as guinea pigs to try out all sorts of skincare concoctions. We all settled in on an effective group of paraben, mineral oil and petroleum-free skincare items that WORKED. The makeup line is made of primarily mineral makeup but the difference is that the eyeshadows and blushes are pressed instead of loose and the foundation and tinted moisturizer are liquids instead of loose powders. And the brushes are crazy soft and work really beautifully.

All of the work I did on Project Runway, The Today Show, QVC, doing ads with Kodak and Tressame – led to knowing what products would be the most flattering and the most healthy for women to use on a daily basis. As a result, Erin’s Faces is pretty much all I use in my kit these days. The women I work on are really happy with the results, which is the most important thing!

Q. What are your favorite false lashes? A. Duralash Knot-Free Flares – in Short, Medium and Long – I am obsessed with them and use little else with Duo Waterproof glue – they’re THE most natural looking lashes you can get because they’re knot free. I like using the Shorts on the inner half and Mediums on the outer half – very rarely do you use a Long because they are CRAZY long! If I am doing something where we need a full strip I like to go to Alcone and use the lashes they have there – I think they’re their own brand.

Q. What is your best kept makeup artist secret?

A. Contouring is your best friend – it defines your cheekbones like nothing else – you just make a “fish face” and then use a matte powder that’s about 4 shades darker than your skintone and follow that line. If you get too much color or too much of a “stripe” then soften it by buffing with an empty powder brush.

QUICK TIP: Using a shimmery gold powder on the inner corners of your eyes makes you look like you got 8 hours of sleep – it brightens your eyes and makes them literally appear bigger.

SKINCARE: I am totally obsessed with my Erin’s Faces Organic Clarifying Serum. I break out really easily and I have found that it’s a real challenge to find something that is both anti-acne and anti-aging and that product addresses both concerns.

I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT: Mally’s Volumizing Mascara – it is my favorite!!

LATELY I’M LOVING: The Sultra Bombshell 1" curling iron which has nothing to do with makeup but I’m kind of obsessed with the beachy waves it gives me!

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